THE LABYRINTH
King Minos ordered the building of the
labyrinth as a prison for the Minotaur. He
entrusted the design of the labyrinth to the
master-craftsman Daedalus, who was famous
as an inventor – he was said to have invented
sailing boats and sharp underwater rams that
made the Cretan ships unbeatable in battle.
His labyrinth became a byword in the ancient
world for complexity and impenetrability. The
story of the labyrinth seems to combine two
ideas – the real palace at Knossos, Crete,
which has hundreds of rooms and appears
impenetrable; and drawings of mazes found
on ancient carvings and coins.THE CRETAN BULL CULT
The bull plays a central part in the myths
surrounding Crete – the creature that fathered
the Minotaur had been sent to Minos by the
sea god Poseidon as a confirmation of the
king’s right to rule on the island. Many ancient
images of bulls have been found on Crete,
so the animals seem to have
been important in the
customs and beliefs of
the real islanders, too.KEY CHARACTERS
The myth of Theseus and the Minotaur contains a
varied cast of characters, most of whom are people
who mean well but meet tragic ends. Ariadne’s
abandonment and Aegeus’s suicide come about
because they play minor roles in a larger drama –
the career of the hero Theseus. The lives of the
characters are driven more by destiny than by
personal choices or their individual traits.THESEUS
After becoming the King of Athens following
the death of his father, Theseus embarked on
a long trip to the Underworld with his friend
Pirithous. On his return, Theseus’s throne was
taken away from him,
and he spent his last
years as a beggar.
His life ended at the
behest of the goddess
Artemis, who had
Theseus murdered in
revenge for his
killing Antiope,
her follower.IN THE MIDDLE OF THE LABYRINTH,
THESEUS KILLED THE BEAST WITH
A BLOW OF HIS GOLDEN SWORD.
TheseusAriadne
Ariadne had begged
Daedalus to help
her ensure
Theseus’s safe
return from the
labyrinth. He gave
her a magical ball
of thread, which
she handed over to
Theseus to find his
way back after killing
the Minotaur.
Bull head
This Cretan Bronze-Age
vessel in the form of
a bull’s head is carved
from black stone.Double-headed axe
Two-headed axes are a common
feature in Cretan art. Experts
believe they are based on
weapons used for sacrificing
animals, a ritual of the bull cult.Bull-leaping
A fresco from Knossos shows a young man turning a
somersault over a bull’s back. This feat was perhaps
performed as a sport or had some ritual significance.Aegeus
When Aegeus saw
the black sails of the
returning ship, he was
convinced that his son
was dead. In despair,
he threw himself off the
cliff. The sea in which
he drowned has been
known as the Aegean
Sea ever since.Ancient labyrinth
Unlike the puzzle-mazes seen in European
gardens, which have many alternative
routes, most ancient labyrinths had only
one route, which led to the centre.THESEUS AND THE MINOTAUR37