In Greek mythology, Minos was a semi-legendary king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. The Minoan civilization has been named after him. Greek mythology comprises the collected legends of Greek gods, goddesses, heroes, and heroines, originally created and spread within an oral-poetic tradition. ... Crete, sometimes spelled Krete (Greek Κρήτη / Kriti) is the largest of the Greek islands and the fifth largest in the Mediterranean Sea. ... Statue of Zeus The Greek sculptor Phidias created the 12-m (40-ft) tall Statue of Zeus in about 435 bc. ... This article is not about the daughter of Tityus and mother of Euphemus (by Poseidon), who was also named Europa. ... Map of Minoan Crete The Minoans were a pre-Hellenic Bronze Age civilization in Crete in the Aegean Sea, prior to Helladic or Mycenaean culture (i. ...

By his wife, Pasiphae, he was the father of Ariadne, Androgeus, Deucalion, Phaedra, Glaucus, Catreus and many others. For Pasiphaë the moon of Jupiter, see Pasiphaë (moon). ... Ariadne (utterly pure, from a Cretan-Greek form for arihagne) was a fertility goddess of Crete. ... In Greek mythology, Androgeus was the father of Sthenelus and a son of Minos and Pasiphae. ... In Greek mythology, Deucalion, or Deukálion (new-wine sailor) was the son of Prometheus and Clymene or Celaeno. ... In Greek mythology, Phaedra was the mother of Demophon and Acamas by Theseus. ... In Greek mythology, Glaucus (shiny or bright or bluish-green) referred to several different people. ... In biology, Catreus is a genus of pheasants. ...

Minos, along with his brothers, Radamanthys and Sarpedon, was raised by King Asterion of Crete. When Asterion died, he gave his throne to Minos, who banished his brothers. In Greek legend Radamanthys was one of the three judges of Hell, originally human, appointed by Hades for his impartiality. ... In Greek mythology, Sarpedon referred to several different people. ... This article is about the figure in Greek mythology. ...

It is not clear if Minos is a name or if it was the Cretan word for "King".

The historical and scholarly Minos

He reigned over Crete and the islands of the Aegean Sea three generations before the Trojan War. He lived at Knossos for periods of nine years, at the end of which he retired into a sacred cave, where he received instruction from Zeus in the legislation which he gave to the island. He was the author of the Cretan constitution and the founder of its naval supremacy (Herodotus 3.122; Thucydides 1.4). the Aegean Sea The Aegean sea as seen from the island of Santorini The Aegean Sea (Greek: Αιγαίον Πέλαγος, Aigaion Pelagos; Turkish: Ege Denizi) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, located between the Greek peninsula and Anatolia (Asia Minor, now part of Turkey). ... The Trojan War was a war waged, according to legend, against the city of Troy in Asia Minor by the armies of Greece, following the kidnapping (or elopement) of Helen of Sparta by Paris of Troy. ... Knossos Knossos (alternative spellings Knossus, Cnossus, Gnossus, Greek Κνωσσός) is the largest Bronze Age archaeological site on Crete, probably the ceremonial and political center of the Minoan culture. ... Bust of Herodotus Herodotus (Greek: ΗΡΟΔΟΤΟΣ, Herodotos) was an ancient historian who lived in the 5th century BC (484 BC - c. ... Thucydides (between 460 and 455 BC–circa 400 BC) was an ancient Greek historian, and the author of the History of the Peloponnesian War, which recounts the 5th century BC war between Sparta and Athens. ...

In Attic tradition and on the Athenian stage Minos is a cruel tyrant, the heartless exactor of the tribute of Athenian youths to feed the Minotaur. It seems possible that tribute children were actually exacted to take part in the gruesome shows of the Minoan bull-rings, of which we now have more than one illustration. To reconcile the contradictory aspects of his character, two kings of the name of Minos were assumed by later poets and mythologists. The Acropolis in central Athens, one of the most important landmarks in world history. ... In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a creature that was half man and half bull. ...

Since Phoenician intercourse was in later times supposed to have played an important part in the development of Crete, Minos is sometimes called a Phoenician. There is no doubt that there is a considerable historical element in the legend; recent discoveries in Crete prove the existence of a civilization such as the legends imply, and render it probable that not only Athens, but Mycenae itself, was once subject to the kings of Knossus, of whom Minos was greatest. In view of the splendour and wide influence of Minoan Crete, the age generally known as "Mycenaean" has been given the name of "Minoan" by Dr. Arthur Evans as more properly descriptive. Phoenicia was an ancient civilization in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal plain of what is now Lebanon and Syria. ... This article is about the Greek archaeological site. ... For Arthur Evans, the recipient of the Victoria Cross, see Arthur Evans (VC) Sir Arthur John Evans (July 8, 1851 - July 11, 1941), brought into the light of day the civilization he dubbed Minoan, which had been a dim mythic memory. ...

Minos himself is said to have died at Camicus in Sicily, whither he had gone in pursuit of Daedalus, who had given Ariadne the clue by which she guided Theseus through the labyrinth. He was killed by the daughter of Cocalus, king of Agrigentum, who poured boiling water over him in the bath (Diodorus Siculus 4.79). Subsequently his remains were sent back to the Cretans, who placed them in a sarcophagus, on which was inscribed: "The tomb of Minos, the son of Zeus." Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. ... The European research project DAEDALUS (2000-2002) dealt with the validation of software components embedded in future generation critical concurrent systems by exhaustive semantic-based static analysis and abstract testing methods based on abstract interpretation. Applications included the static analysis of multi-threaded computer programs, for which a programming tool... Theseus (Θησευς) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aegeus (or of Poseidon). ... In Greek mythology, Cocalus was the King of Sicily. ... Map of central Mediterranean Sea, showing location of Agrigentum (modern Agrigento). ... Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian, born at Agyrium in Sicily (now called Agira, in the Province of Enna). ... A sarcophagus is a stone container for a coffin or body. ...

The earlier legend knows Minos as a beneficent ruler, legislator, and suppressor of piracy (Thucydides 1.4). His constitution was said to have formed the basis of that of Lycurgus (Pausanias 3. 2, 4). In accordance with this, after his death he became judge of the shades in the under-world (Odyssey, 9.568); later he was associated with Aeacus and Rhadamanthus. In Ancient Greece and/or Greek mythology, the name Lycurgus/Lykurgus can refer to: An alternate name for Lycomedes. ... Pausanias was Greek traveller and geographer of the 2nd century A.D., who lived in the times of Hadrian, Antoninus Pius and Marcus Aurelius. ... The Odyssey (ΟΔΥΣΣΕΙΑ) is the second of the two great Greek epic poems ascribed to Homer, the first of which is the Iliad. ... In Greek mythology, Aeacus, or Aiakos (bewailing or earth borne) was king in the island of Aegina in the Saronic Gulf and was so far-famed for the righteous sense of piety and justice with which he ruled over his people that his judgment was sought all over Hellas, so... Rhadamanthus (also transliterated as Rhadamanthys or Rhadamanthos) in Greek mythology was a son of Zeus and Europa and brother of Minos, king of Crete and Sarpedon. ...

The solar explanation of Minos as the sun-god has been thrown into the background by the recent discoveries. In any case a divine origin would naturally be claimed for him as a priest-king, and a divine atmosphere hangs about him. The name of his wife, Pasiphae ("the all-shining"), is an epithet of the moon-goddess. The name Minos seems to be philologically the equivalent of Minyas, the royal ancestor of the Minyans of Orchomenus, and his daughter Ariadne ("the exceeding holy") is a double of the native nature-goddess. In Greek mythology, Minyas was the founder of Orchomenus or son of king Orchomenus, depending on the story. ... See Minyan (disambiguation) for other meanings of the term. ... A king in Greek mythology, Orchomenus was the father of Elara. ...

Minos in art

On Cretan coins Minos is represented as bearded, wearing a diadem, curly-haired, haughty and dignified, like the traditional portraits of his reputed father, Zeus. On painted vases and sarcophagus bas-reliefs he frequently occurs with Aeacus and Rhadamanthus as judges of the under-world and in connection with the Minotaur and Theseus. This article is about a type of crown called a diadem; for alternate meanings, see Diadem. ...

The mythological Minos

Glaucus

One day, Glaucus was playing with a ball or mouse and suddenly disappeared. His parents went to the oracle at Delphi who told them "A marvelous creature has been born amongst you: whoever finds the true likeness for this creature will also find the child." In Greek mythology, Glaucus (shiny or bright or bluish-green) referred to several different people. ... A mouse is a mammal that belongs to one of numerous species of small rodents in the genus Mus and various related genera of the family Muridæ (Old World Mice). ... An Oracle is a person or agency considered to be a source of wise counsel or prophetic opinion; an infallible authority, usually spiritual in nature. ... The Temple of Apollo, seen from below The amphitheater, seen from above Delphi (Greek Δελφοί Delphoi) is an archaeological site and a modern town in Greece. ...

They interpreted this to refer to a newborn calf in Minos' herd. Three times a day, the calf changed color from white to red to black. Polyidus observed the similarity to the ripening of the fruit of the blackberry plant and Minos sent him to search for Glaucus. In Greek mythology, Polyidus was the wisest man in Lycia. ... BlackBerry 7100t The BlackBerry is a handheld wireless device providing e-mail, telephone, text messaging and web browsing and other wireless data access. ...

Searching for Glaucus, Polyidus saw an owl driving bees away from a wine-cellar in Minos' palace. Inside the wine-cellar was a cask of honey, with Glaucus dead inside. Minos demanded Glaucus be brought back to life, though Polyidus objected. As Minos hugged his son's corpse, a snake appeared nearby; Polyidus killed it with Minos' sword. Another snake came for the first, and after seeing the dead snake, the second serpent left and brought back an herb which then brought the first snake back to life. Following this example, Polyidus used the same herb to resurrect Glaucus. Families Strigidae Tytonidae An owl is any of some 200+ species of solitary nocturnal birds of prey in the order Strigiformes. ... Families Andrenidae Anthophoridae Apidae Colletidae Ctenoplectridae Halictidae Heterogynaidae Megachilidae Melittidae Oxaeidae Sphecidae Stenotritidae bee or bees, see bee (disambiguation). ... A glass of red wine This article is about the beverage. ... Honey honey comb A capped frame of honeycomb Honey is a sweet and viscous fluid produced by bees and other insects from the nectar of flowers. ... Superfamilies and Families Henophidia Aniliidae Anomochilidae Boidae Bolyeriidae Cylindrophiidae Loxocemidae Pythonidae Tropidophiidae Uropeltidae Xenopeltidae Typhlopoidea Anomalepididae Leptotyphlopidae Typhlopidae Xenophidia Acrochordidae Atractaspididae Colubridae Elapidae Hydrophiidae Viperidae Snakes are cold blooded legless reptiles closely related to lizards, which share the order Squamata. ... A herb (pronounced urb in American English and hurb in British English) is a plant grown for culinary or medicinal value. ...

Minos refused to let Polyidus leave Crete until he taught Glaucus everything he knew. Polyidus did so, but then, at the last second before leaving, he asked Glaucus to spit in his mouth. Glaucus did so, giving Polyidus back everything he had been taught.

Poseidon, Daedalus and Pasiphae

Minos was challenged as king and prayed to Poseidon for help. Poseidon sent a giant white bull out of the sea. Minos planned on sacrificing the bull to Poseidon, but then decided not to. He substituted a different bull. In rage, Poseidon cursed Pasiphae, Minos' wife, with zoophilia. Daedalus built her a wooden cow, which she hid inside. The bull mated with the wooden cow and Pasiphae was impregnated by the bull, giving birth to a horrible monster, the Minotaur. Daedalus then built a complicated maze called the Labyrinth and Minos put the Minotaur in it. To make sure no one would ever know the secret of the Labyrinth, Minos imprisoned Daedalus and his son, Icarus, in a tower. Andrea Doria as Neptune by Agnolo Bronzino: a potent allegory of Genoas hegemony in the Tyrrhenian Sea In Greek Mythology, Poseidon (Ποσειδῶν) was the god of the sea, known to the Romans as Neptune, and to the Etruscans as Nethuns. ... The European research project DAEDALUS (2000-2002) dealt with the validation of software components embedded in future generation critical concurrent systems by exhaustive semantic-based static analysis and abstract testing methods based on abstract interpretation. Applications included the static analysis of multi-threaded computer programs, for which a programming tool... For Pasiphaë the moon of Jupiter, see Pasiphaë (moon). ... Andrea Doria as Neptune by Agnolo Bronzino: a potent allegory of Genoas hegemony in the Tyrrhenian Sea In Greek Mythology, Poseidon (Ποσειδῶν) was the god of the sea, known to the Romans as Neptune, and to the Etruscans as Nethuns. ... Leda and the Swan, a 16th century copy after a lost painting by Michelangelo, 1530 (National Gallery, London) Zoophilia (from the Greek Zoon, animal, and Philia, friendship or love) is a paraphilia, defined as an affinity or sexual attraction by a human to non-human animals. ... A small maze. ... Classical labyrinth Another labyrinth Walking the famous labyrinth within the Chartres Cathedral. ... Icarus and Daedalus In Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of Daedalus. ...

Daedalus and Icarus flew away on wings Daedalus invented, but Icarus' wings melted because he flew too close to the sun. Icarus fell in the sea and drowned.

Theseus

Some time later, Minos' son, Androgeus, lost every game in a contest to Aegeas of Athens. Alternatively, the other contestants were jealous of Androgeus and killed him. Minos was angry and declared war on Athens. He offered the Athenians peace if, every year, they sent him seven young men and seven young women to feed to the Minotaur. This continued until Theseus killed the Minotaur with the help of Ariadne, Minos' daughter. Theseus (Θησευς) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aegeus (or of Poseidon). ... In Greek mythology, Androgeus was the father of Sthenelus and a son of Minos and Pasiphae. ... In Greek mythology, Aegeus, also Aigeus, Aegeas or Aigeas, was the father of Theseus and a Athenian King. ... The Acropolis in central Athens, one of the most important landmarks in world history. ... Theseus (Θησευς) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aegeus (or of Poseidon). ...

Nisus

Minos was also part of the King Nisus story. Nisus was King of Megara, and he was invincible as long as a lock of red hair still existed, hidden in his white hair. Minos attacked Megara but Nisus knew he could not be beaten because he still had his lock of red hair. His daughter, Scylla, fell in love with Minos and proved it by cutting the red hair off her father's head. Nisus died and Megara fell to Crete. Minos killed Scylla for disobeying her father. She was changed into a seabird, relentlessly pursued by her father, who was a sea eagle. In Greek mythology, Nisus referred to two different people. ... Megara (Greek: Μέγαρα) is an ancient city in Attica, Greece, on the Saronic Gulf opposite the island of Salamis, which belonged to Megara in archaic times, before being taken by Athens. ... In Greek mythology, Scylla, or Skylla (Greek Σκύλλα) was a name shared by two characters, a female sea monster and a princess. ...

The death of Minos

Minos searched for Daedalus by travelling from city to city asking a riddle. He presented a spiral seashell and asked for it to be strung all the way through. When he reached Camicus, Sicily, King Cocalus, knowing Daedalus would be able to solve the riddle, fetched the old man. He tied the string to an ant, which walked through the seashell, stringing it all the way through. Minos then knew Daedalus was in the court of King Cocalus and demanded he be handed over. Cocalus managed to convince him to take a bath first. Cocalus' daughters then killed Minos by burning him with boiling water. Subfamilies Formicomorph subfamilies Aneuretinae Dolichoderinae Formicinae - e. ...

After his death, Minos became a judge of the dead in Hades together with Aeacus and Radamanthus. Rhadamanthus judged the souls of Asians, Aeacus judged Europeans and Minos had the deciding vote. Hades (Greek: - Hadēs or - Háidēs) (unseen) means both the ancient Greek abode of the dead and the god of that underworld. ... Brother of Minos, son of Jupiter and Europa. ... A satellite composite image of Asia Asia is the central and eastern part of the continent of Eurasia, defined by subtracting the European peninsula from Eurasia. ... A satellite composite image of Europe Europe is geologically and geographically a peninsula, forming the westernmost part of Eurasia. ...

In the Aeneid of Virgil, Minos was the judge of those who had been given the death penalty on a false charge - Minos sits with a gigantic urn, and decides whether a soul should go to Elysium or Tartarus with the help of a silent jury. Radamanthus, his brother, is a judge at Tartarus who decides upon suitable punishments for sinners there. The Aeneid is a Latin epic written by Virgil in the 1st century BC that tells the legendary story of Aeneas, a Trojan who traveled to Italy where he became the ancestor of the Romans. ... For other uses see Virgil (disambiguation). ... This is Illyria, lady. ... In Greek mythology, Tartarus, or Tartaros, is both a deity and a place in the underworld - even lower than Hades. ...