Minotaur
Minotaur bust, (National Archaeological Museum of Athens)
Creature
Name:	Minotaur
AKA:	Minotaurus
Classification
Grouping:	Legendary creature
Data
Mythology:	Greek
Region:	Crete
Habitat:	Labyrinth

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (Greek: Μῑνώταυρος, Mīnṓtauros) was a creature that was part man and part bull.^[1] It dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth, which was an elaborate maze-like construction^[2] built for King Minos of Crete and designed by the architect Daedalus and his son Icarus who were ordered to build it to hold the Minotaur. The historical site of Knossos is usually identified as the site of the labyrinth. The Minotaur was eventually killed by Theseus. Minotaur can refer to: Minotaur, a mythological monster, half-man and half-bull HMS Minotaur, a historical shipname of the Royal Navy Minotaur class cruiser, two classes of cruisers of the Royal Navy Minotaur class battleship, enlarged versions of HMS Achilles with heavier armament and armour, and more powerful engines... Image File history File linksMetadata Size of this preview: 397 × 599 pixels Full resolution (1200 × 1812 pixel, file size: 169 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) File links The following pages on the English Wikipedia link to this file (pages on other projects are not listed): Myron Metadata This file contains... Façade of the National Archaeological museum of Athens. ... A legendary creature is a mythological or folkloric creature (often known as fabulous creatures in historical literature). ... For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ... This article is about the mazelike structure from Greek mythology. ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. ... The ancient Greeks proposed many different ideas about the primordial gods in their mythology. ... This article is about the race of Titans in Greek mythology. ... For other uses, see Zeus (disambiguation). ... The Twelve Olympians by Monsiau, circa late 18th century. ... Pan (Greek , genitive ) is the Greek god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, hunting and rustic music: paein means to pasture. ... In Greek mythology, a nymph is any member of a large class of female nature entities, either bound to a particular location or landform or joining the retinue of a god or goddess. ... For other uses, see Apollo (disambiguation). ... This article is about the ancient deity. ... The ancient Greeks had a very small number of see gods. ... For other uses, see Chthon (disambiguation). ... Alcides redirects here. ... Hercules and the Hydra by Antonio Pollaiuolo The Twelve Labours (Greek: dodekathlos) of Heracles (Latin: Hercules) are a series of archaic episodes connected by a later continuous narrative, concerning a penance carried out by Heracles, the greatest of the Greek heroes. ... For other uses, see Achilles (disambiguation). ... The fall of Troy, by Johann Georg Trautmann (1713–1769). ... For other uses, see Odysseus (disambiguation). ... This article is about Homers epic poem. ... This article is about the hero from Greek mythology. ... Jason returns with the golden Fleece on an Apulian red-figure calyx krater, ca. ... Perseus with the head of Medusa, by Antonio Canova, completed 1801 (Vatican Museums) Perseus, Perseos, or Perseas (Greek: Περσεύς, Περσέως, Περσέας), the legendary founder of Mycenae and of the Perseid dynasty there, was the first of the mythic heroes of Greek mythology whose exploits in defeating various archaic monsters provided the founding myths... For other uses, see Medusa (disambiguation). ... This article is about the Greek mythological monster. ... For other uses, see Oedipus (disambiguation). ... Wikisource has original text related to this article: Επτά επί Θήβας The Seven Against Thebes is a mythic narrative that finds its classic statement in the play by Aeschylus (467 BCE) concerning the battle between the Seven led by Polynices and the army of Thebes headed by Eteocles and his supporters, traditional Theban... Theseus (Greek ) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one night (By some accounts, this was presented as a rape). ... Triptolemus (threefold warrior; also Buzyges), in Greek mythology always connected with Demeter of the Eleusinian Mysteries, might be accounted the son of King Celeus of Eleusis in Attica, or, according to Apollodorus (Library I.v. ... The Eleusinian Mysteries (Greek: Ἐλευσίνια Μυστήρια) were initiation ceremonies held every year for the cult of Demeter and Persephone based at Eleusis in ancient Greece. ... A mystery religion is any religion with an arcanum, or body of secret wisdom. ... A bald, bearded, horse-tailed satyr balances a winecup on his erect penis, a trick worthy of note, on an Attic red-figured psykter, ca. ... This article is about the mythological creatures. ... Dragons play a role in Greek mythology. ... Greek religion encompasses the collection of beliefs and rituals practiced in Ancient Greece in form of cult practices, there for the practical counterpart of Greek mythology. ... The bust of Zeus found at Otricoli (Sala Rotonda, Museo Pio-Clementino, Vatican) Greek mythology is the body of stories belonging to the Ancient Greeks concerning their gods and heroes, the nature of the world and the origins and significance of their own cult and ritual practices. ... The worship of the Sacred Bull throughout the ancient world is most familiar in the episode of the idol of the Golden Calf made by Aaron and worshipped by the Hebrews in the wilderness of Sinai (Exodus). ... This article is about the mazelike structure from Greek mythology. ... For other uses, see Maze (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Minos (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Crete (disambiguation). ... Daedalus and Icarus, by Charles Paul Landon, 1799 (Musée des Beaux-Arts et de la Dentelle, Alençon) In Greek mythology, Daedalus (Latin, also Hellenized Latin Daedalos, Greek Daidalos (Δαίδαλος) meaning cunning worker, and Etruscan Taitle) was a most skillful artificer, so skillful that he was said to have invented... Icarus and Daedalus by Frederic Leighton The Fall of Icarus (detail), by Pieter Brueghel, 1558: Icarus is seen flailing in the water, but is ignored Daedalus launches Icarus off the ledge. ... A portion of Arthur Evans reconstruction of the Minoan palace at Knossos. ... Theseus (Greek ) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one night (By some accounts, this was presented as a rape). ...

"Minotaur" is Greek for "Bull of Minos." The bull was known in Crete as Asterion, a name shared with Minos's foster father. In Greek mythology Asterion denotes two sacred kings of Crete. ...

Birth and appearance

Minotaur locked in battle with Theseus. Bronze by Antoine-Louis Barye (Louvre)

After he ascended the throne of Crete, Mino's struggled with his brothers for the right to rule. Minos prayed to Poseidon to send him a snow-white bull, as a sign of approval. He was to sacrifice the bull in honor of Poseidon but decided to keep it instead because of its beauty. To punish Minos, Poseidon caused Pasiphaë, Minos' wife, to fall madly in love with the bull from the sea, the Cretan Bull.^[3] She had Daedalus, the famous architect, make a wooden cow for her. Pasiphaë climbed into the decoy in order to copulate with the white bull. The offspring of their unnatural lovemaking was a monster called the Minotaur. Image File history File links Size of this preview: 392 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (470 × 719 pixel, file size: 513 KB, MIME type: image/png) Thésée combatant le Minautore, bronze de Barye (hauteur environ 40 cm), 1843, Musée du Louvre Auteur de la photographie : Siren 23 jun 2005... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 392 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (470 × 719 pixel, file size: 513 KB, MIME type: image/png) Thésée combatant le Minautore, bronze de Barye (hauteur environ 40 cm), 1843, Musée du Louvre Auteur de la photographie : Siren 23 jun 2005... Theseus (Greek ) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one night (By some accounts, this was presented as a rape). ... Antoine-Louis Barye (September 24, 1796-June 25, 1875) was a French sculptor. ... This article is about the museum. ... Neptune in Copenhagen, Denmark. ... In Greek mythology, Pasiphaë (Eng. ... Heracles capturing the Cretan Bull. ... A pair of lions having sexual intercourse in the Maasai Mara, Kenya. ...

Nowhere has the essence of the myth been expressed more succinctly than in the Heroides attributed to Ovid, where Pasiphaë's daughter complains of the curse of her unrequited love: "the bull's form disguised the god, Pasiphaë, my mother, a victim of the deluded bull, brought forth in travail her reproach and burden." Literalist and prurient readings that emphasize the machinery of literal copulation may intentionally obscure the mystic marriage of the god in bull form, a Minoan mythos alien to the Greeks. Heroides (The Heroines) or Epistulae Heroidum (Letters of Heroines) was a work composed by Ovid in 5 BC. It is composed of fifteen fictional letters as if written by mythological heroines of antiquity grieving over their lovers mistreatment or neglect. ... For other uses, see Ovid (disambiguation). ... Mystical marriage is a term equating the intimacy of a mystical relationship, as between a Christian mystic and God, with the natural intimacy between marital partners. ...

The Minotaur, as the Greeks imagined him, had the body of a man and the head and tail of a bull.^[4] Pasiphaë nursed him in his infancy, but he grew and became ferocious. Minos, after getting advice from the Oracle at Delphi, had Daedalus construct a gigantic labyrinth to hold the Minotaur. Its location was near Minos' palace in Knossos. For other uses, see Delphi (disambiguation). ...

Tribute price that brought Theseus

Rhyton in the shape of a bull's head at the Greek pavilion at Expo '88

Now it happened that Androgeus, son of Minos, had been killed by the Athenians, who were jealous of the victories he had won at the Panathenaic festival. Others say he was killed at Marathon by the Cretan bull, his mother's former taurine lover, which Aegeus, king of Athens, had commanded him to slay. The common tradition is that Minos waged war to avenge the death of his son, and won. However, Catullus, in his account of the Minotaur's birth,^[5] refers to another version in which Athens was "compelled by the cruel plague to pay penalties for the killing of Androgeos." In this version, the Athenians are made to ask Minos what they can do to stop a terrible plague that has come upon them, and he was thus given power to make demands of them. In either case, Minos required that seven Athenian youths and seven maidens, drawn by lots, be sent every ninth year (some accounts say every year) to be devoured by the Minotaur. Image File history File links Minotaur-at-Greek-pavilion-Expo-88. ... Image File history File links Minotaur-at-Greek-pavilion-Expo-88. ... A Rhyton (Greek ῥυτόν rutón) is a ceremonial drinking cup shaped like an animal head or horn. ... Expo 88 - as seen from the Brisbane River (photo taken from Victoria Bridge) Expo 88 - showing a globe of the world (photo taken from Victoria Bridge) Expo 88 at night (photo taken from Victoria Bridge) Expo 88 was a Worlds Fair held in Brisbane, Queensland, Australia between April 30... In Greek mythology, Androgeus was the father of Sthenelus and a son of Minos and Pasiphae. ... This article is about the capital of Greece. ... Vase ca. ... Marathon (Demotic Greek: Μαραθώνας, Marathónas; Attic/ Katharevousa: , ) is an ancient Greek city-state, a contemporary town in Greece, the site of the battle of Marathon in 490 BC, in which the heavily outnumbered Athenian army defeated the Persians. ... Heracles capturing the Cretan Bull. ... In Greek mythology, Aegeus, also Aigeus, Aegeas or Aigeas, was the father of Theseus and an Athenian King. ... Fresco from Herculaneum, presumably showing a love couple. ...

When the third sacrifice came round, Theseus volunteered to go to slay the monster. He promised to his father, Aegeus, that he would put up a white sail on his journey back home if he was successful and would have the crew put up black sails if he was killed. In Crete, Ariadne, the daughter of Minos, fell in love with Theseus and helped him navigate the labyrinth, which had a single path to the center. In most accounts she gave him a ball of thread, allowing him to retrace his path. Theseus killed the Minotaur with the sword of Aegeus and led the other Athenians back out of the labyrinth.^[6] Theseus (Greek ) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one night (By some accounts, this was presented as a rape). ... Drinking scene with Dionysus and Ariadne on his lap. ...

Theseus took Ariadne with him from Crete, but abandoned her enroute to Athens (Generally this is said to happen on the island of Naxos). According to Homer, she was killed by Artemis upon the testimony of Dionysus. However, later sources report that Theseus abandoned her as she slept on the island of Naxos, and there she became the bride of Dionysus. The epiphany of Dionysus to the sleeping Ariadne became a common theme in Greek and Roman art, and in some of these images Theseus is shown running away. This story is also recounted in Catullus. Naxos (Greek: Νάξος; Italian: Nicsia; Turkish: Nakşa) is a Greek island, the largest island (428 km²) in the Cyclades island group in the Aegean. ... This article is about the Greek poet Homer and the works attributed to him. ... This article is about the ancient deity. ...

On his return trip, Theseus was caught in a tremendous storm that resulted in the white sails being lost and put up the spare, black sails for the remainder of the voyage. His father, seeing the black sails and believing his son to be dead, was overcome with grief and leapt off the clifftop from which he had kept watch for his son's return every day since Theseus had departed into the sea. on Athenian texts, the name of the "Aegean Sea" is derived from this event. Look up Aegean Sea in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ...

Minos, angry that Theseus was able to escape, imprisoned Daedalus and his son Icarus in a tall tower. They were able to escape by building wings for themselves with the feathers of birds that flew by, but Icarus died during the escape as he flew too high (in hope of seeing Apollo in his sun chariot) and the wax that held the feathers in the wing melted in the heat of the sun. For other uses, see Apollo (disambiguation). ...

Interpretations

Theseus fighting the Minotaur by Jean-Etienne Ramey, marble, 1826, Tuileries Gardens, Paris.

The contest between Theseus and the Minotaur was frequently represented in Greek art. A Knossian didrachm exhibits on one side the labyrinth, on the other the Minotaur surrounded by a semicircle of small balls, probably intended for stars; it is to be noted that one of the monster's names was Asterion ("star"). Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 542 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2350 × 2600 pixel, file size: 3. ... Image File history File links Metadata Size of this preview: 542 × 600 pixelsFull resolution (2350 × 2600 pixel, file size: 3. ... Theseus (Greek ) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one night (By some accounts, this was presented as a rape). ... Rameys Theseus and the Minotaur, 1826 Jardin du Luxembourg, Paris Jean-Etienne Ramey (1796 — 1852) was a French sculptor, who taught at the Ecole des Beaux-Arts in Paris. ... Up to 1871 the Tuileries Palace was a palace in Paris, France, on the right bank of the River Seine. ... This article is about the capital of France. ... Greece has a rich and varied artistic history, spanning some 5000 years and beginning in the Cycladic and Minoan prehistorical civilization, giving birth to Western classical art in the ancient period (further developing this during the Hellenistic Period), to taking in the influences of Eastern civilizations and the new religion... ISO 4217 Code GRD User(s) Greece Inflation 3. ... In Greek mythology Asterion denotes two sacred kings of Crete. ...

The ruins of Minos' palace at Knossos have been found, but the labyrinth has not. The enormous number of rooms, staircases and corridors in the palace has led archaeologists to believe that the palace itself was the source of the labyrinth myth. Homer, describing the shield of Achilles, remarked that the labyrinth was Ariadne's ceremonial dancing ground. The Shield Described in the Iliad The Shield of Achilles is described in the Iliad in great detail. ...

Some modern mythologists regard the Minotaur as a solar personification and a Minoan adaptation of the Baal-Moloch of the Phoenicians. The slaying of the Minotaur by Theseus in that case indicates the breaking of Athenian tributary relations with Minoan Crete. For other uses, see Baal (disambiguation). ... Molech Moloch, Molech or Molekh, representing Hebrew מלך mlk, (translated directly into king) is either the name of a god or the name of a particular kind of sacrifice associated historically with Phoenician and related cultures in north Africa and the Levant. ... Phoenicia (nonstandardly, Phenicia; pronounced [1], Greek: : Phoiníkē, Latin: ) was an ancient civilization centered in the north of ancient Canaan, with its heartland along the coastal regions of modern day Lebanon, Syria and Israel. ... The Minoan civilization was a bronze age civilization which arose on the island of Crete. ...

According to A. B. Cook, Minos and Minotaur are only different forms of the same personage, representing the sun-god of the Cretans, who depicted the sun as a bull. He and J. G. Frazer both explain Pasiphae's union with the bull as a sacred ceremony, at which the queen of Knossos was wedded to a bull-formed god, just as the wife of the Tyrant in Athens was wedded to Dionysus. E. Pottier, who does not dispute the historical personality of Minos, in view of the story of Phalaris, considers it probable that in Crete (where a bull-cult may have existed by the side of that of the labrys {double axe}) victims were tortured by being shut up in the belly of a red-hot brazen bull. The story of Talos, the Cretan man of brass, who heated himself red-hot and clasped strangers in his embrace as soon as they landed on the island, is probably of similar origin. Arthur Bernard Cook (1868-1952) was a British classical scholar, known for work in archaeology and the history of religions. ... The Trundholm sun chariot pulled by a horse is believed to be a sculpture illustrating, the sun, an important part of Nordic Bronze Age mythology Statue of Hathor - Luxor Museum Sun god redirects here. ... Sir James George Frazer (January 1, 1854 - May 7, 1941), a social anthropologist influential in the early stages of the modern studies of mythology and comparative religion, was born in Glasgow, Scotland. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... This article is about the ancient deity. ... For the genus of grass, see Phalaris (grass). ... Minoan symbolic labrys of gold, 2nd millennium BC: many have been found in the sacred cave of Arkalochori on Crete) Labrys is the term for a doubleheaded axe, known to the Classical Greeks as pelekus πέλεκυς or sagaris (the term for a single-bladed axe being hēmipelekus half-pelekus, e. ... A brazen bull as depicted by Hans Burgkmair the Elder. ... Winged Talos armed with a stone. ... Brazen redirects here. ...

A historical explanation of the myth refers to the time when Crete was the main political and cultural potency in the Aegean Sea. As the fledgling Athens (and probably other continental Greek cities) was under tribute to Crete, it can be assumed that such tribute included young men and women for sacrifice. This ceremony was performed by a priest disguised with a bull head or mask, thus explaining the imagery of the Minotaur. It may also be that this priest was son to Minos.

Once continental Greece was free from Crete's dominance, the myth of the Minotaur worked to distance the forming religious consciousness of the Hellene poleis from Minoan beliefs. A polis (πόλις, pronunciation pol-is) plural: poleis (πόλεις) is a city, a city-state and also citizenship and body of citizens. ...

Literary and artistic references to the Minotaur

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Poetry

• Ted Hughes wrote a poem titled "The Minotaur," the title alluding to the destruction his ex-wife Sylvia Plath's father caused in her life.

Dante's Minotaur, emblem of brutish anger on the shattered cliff, in Inferno XII, wood engraving by Gustave Doré, 1861

• Jennifer Strauss' poem, Migrant Woman on a Melbourne Tram, refers to the minotaur and its equivalent in modern-day Melbourne.

1 Aspinall Street, Mytholmroyd, West Yorkshire, where Ted Hughes was born. ... Sylvia Plath (October 27, 1932 – February 11, 1963) was an American poet, novelist, and short story writer. ... Thomas Bewick. ... Doré photographed by Felix Nadar. ...

Fiction

• Jorge Luis Borges tells the story of the Minotaur in the short story La casa de Asterión (The House of Asterion), published in the collection El Aleph.
• In The Divine Comedy, Dante Alighieri and Virgil confront "the infamy of Crete" at the entrance to the seventh circle of Hell. Dante knew the mythological monster from Ovid's Ars Amatoria, where it is simply described as half-man, half-bull, but he apparently did not know the Minotaur's images from ancient Greek iconography. Although the monster is never explicitly described by Dante, the use of verbs seems to imply the poet imagined it with the body of a human and a bull's head, as Gustave Doré pictured it (illustration, right).
• In Mary Renault's The King Must Die the "Minotauros" is the style of the heir to the throne of Crete (much as the style of the king is "Minos") and is depicted wearing a golden bull's head mask.
• The second part of David Gemmell's The Lion of Macedon historic fantasy, The Dark Prince, features a sympathetic minotaur.
• Thomas Burnett Swann's Minotaur Trilogy depicts the last two survivors of an ancient race of intelligent minotaurs dwelling in the forests of ancient Crete alongside other mythological creatures.
• The minotaur plays a pivotal role in Mark Z. Danielewski's book House of Leaves.
• A Minotaur is the commanding general of the White Witch's army in the film adaptation of C.S. Lewis's fantasy epic, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe. Minotaurs are also featured in the sequel, Prince Caspian, this time as allies to the protagonists.
• The Minotaur is mentioned in Jeffrey Eugenides's Middlesex as the play that sparked the simultaneous fertilization of two main characters.
• The Minotaur is one of the main (though for the most part, unseen) antagonists in the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde. He is introduced as being a Hannibal Lecter-esque serial killer, imprisoned in an unpublished fantasy novel rather than a Labyrinth.
• Michael Ende uses both the Minotaur and its labyrinth as starting and closing points in his book The Mirror in the Mirror.
• Victor Pelevin has retold the myth of Minotaur in his 2006 short novel The Helmet of Horror.
• The Minotaur (named as Asterion) is a major character in the epic fantasy series The Troy Game, by Australian author Sara Douglass where he initially plays the main antagonist of the story. This Minotaur is based closely on the one featured in the popular mythical tale of Ariadne and Theseus.
• A Minotaur (also named Asterion) is one of the primary characters in Karen Russell's short story "from Children's Reminiscences of the Westward Migration" found in her 2006 debut short-story collection, St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves.
• In 'The Minotaur in Pamplona', Rhys Hughes enters the Minotaur as a contestant in the encierro (Running of the Bulls) of San Fermín with subsequent confusion as to what side he is on.
• In Steven Sherill's surreal realist novel The Minotaur Takes A Cigarette Break we see the Minotaur, five thousand years on, working as a line chef at a fictional restaurant known as Grub's Rib in North Carolina.
• Hellboy: Blood and Iron begins with Hellboy and Abe Sapien fighting the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. The minotaur is depicted as a machine powered by the spirit of the skull within it. Abe theorizes the skull belonged to Daedalus.
• In the Dragonlance Saga the Minotaurs live in a seafaring empire and have conquered the oldest of the elven kingdoms.
• The fantasy books set in the land of Tortall (by Tamora Pierce) feature a minotaur based monster called a Taurus
• Minotaur is the Shadow of Jiro in the show Blue Dragon.
• Stephen King's novel Rose Madder often alldues to Greek mythology and at the end Rose must defeat minotaur-like creatures.
• Darren Shan's novel Death's Shadow displays the Minotaur as a paternal figure to the character Beranabus, after killing his mother when she entered the Labyrinth. He is then killed by Theseus, which leads onto the present narrative of the novel.

Borges redirects here. ... The House of Asterion is a story by Jorge Luis Borges. ... For other uses, see Aleph (disambiguation). ... For other uses see The Divine Comedy (disambiguation), Dantes Inferno (disambiguation), and The Inferno (disambiguation) Dante shown holding a copy of The Divine Comedy, next to the entrance to Hell, the seven terraces of Mount Purgatory and the city of Florence, with the spheres of Heaven above, in Michelino... Dante redirects here. ... For other uses, see Virgil (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Ovid (disambiguation). ... The Ars Amatoria (The Art of Love) is a series of three books by the Roman poet Ovid. ... Look up Iconography in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... Doré photographed by Felix Nadar. ... Mary Renault (pronounced Ren-olt[1]) (4 September 1905 – 13 December 1983) born Mary Challans, was an English writer best known for her historical novels set in Ancient Greece. ... The King Must Die is a 1958 Bildungsroman and historical novel by Mary Renault that traces the early life and adventures of Theseus, a hero in Greek mythology. ... A style of office, or honorific, is a form of address which by tradition or law precedes a reference to a person who holds a title or post, or to the political office itself. ... For other uses, see Mask (disambiguation). ... David Andrew Gemmell (August 1, 1948–July 28, 2006) was a popular UK fantasy writer and occasional historical fictionalist. ... Thomas Burnett Swann (October 12, 1928 - May 5, 1976) was an American poet, critic and fantasy author. ... Mark Danielewski Mark Z. Danielewski is an American author, born in March 5, 1966. ... For other uses, see House of Leaves (disambiguation). ... Jadis, the White Witch is the key villain of The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, the first published book in C. S. Lewiss Chronicles of Narnia series, and the second chronologically. ... Clive Staples Lewis (November 29, 1898 – November 22, 1963), commonly referred to as C. S. Lewis, was an author and scholar. ... Jeffrey Kent Eugenides (b. ... Middlesex (ISBN 0374199698) is a novel by Jeffrey Eugenides. ... Thursday Next is the protagonist in the series of novels by Jasper Fforde. ... Jasper Fforde (born in London on 11 January 1961) is an English novelist. ... Hannibal Lecter is a fictional character in a series of novels by author Thomas Harris. ... Michael Andreas Helmuth Ende (November 12, 1929 - August 29, 1995) was a German writer of fantasy novels and childrens books. ... Victor Pelevin (Russian: Виктор Олегович Пелевин, b. ... Sara Douglass (Born 2 June 1957 in Penola, South Australia) is the pen name of Australian fantasy writer Dr. Sara Warneke, who lives in Hobart, Tasmania. ... Drinking scene with Dionysus and Ariadne on his lap. ... Theseus (Greek ) was a legendary king of Athens, son of Aethra, and fathered by Aegeus and Poseidon, with whom Aethra lay in one night (By some accounts, this was presented as a rape). ... For the author, see Karen Russell (author). ... Rhys Henry Hughes is a Welsh writer and essayist born on September 24, 1966 in Cardiff. ... An encierro in Pastrana, Spain. ... Bulls running on July 7, 2005, Consistorial Square, Pamplona The festival of San Fermín in the city of Pamplona (Navarre, Basque Country, Spain), is a deeply-rooted celebration held annually from noon 6 July, when the opening of the fiesta is marked by setting off the pyrotechnic chupinazo accompanied... Hellboy is a fictional Dark Horse Comics character created by Mike Mignola. ... Abraham Abe Sapien is a fictional character in the comic book series Hellboy, created by Mike Mignola. ... The current edition Dragonlance logo, as seen on all books published in the more recent times. ...

Visual Art

• André Masson, René Iché and Georges Bataille suggested to Albert Skira the title Le Minotaure for his art publication, which ran from 1933 until it was overtaken by war in 1939; it resurfaced in 1946 as Le Labyrinthe.
• The Minotaur is a recurring character in Stanley Donwood's artwork.
• Gustave Doré portrays the Minotaur in his illustrations of the Divine Comedy.
• The symbolic search for the Minotaur was portrayed in the avante garde multi-screen production In the Labyrinth, which premiered at Expo 67.
• In Yuriy Norshteyn's animated film Tale of Tales, a melancholy minotaur-like figure helps a little girl to jump rope by holding one end of the rope, the other end of which is fastened to a tree.
• El minotaruro by Remedios Varo is the representation of a female minotaur.

Pedestal Table in the Studio, (1922) André-Aimé-René Masson (January 4, 1896 – October 28, 1987) was a French artist. ... René Iché René Iché (January 21, 1897, Salleles-dAude, France – December 23, 1954, Paris) was a 20th century French sculptor. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... In 1933, publisher Albert Skira contacted Andre Breton about a new journal, which he planned to be the most luxurious art and literary review the Surrealists had seen, featuring a slick format with many color illustrations. ... Minotaure (1933 to 1939) was a primarily Surrealist-oriented publication founded by Albert Skira in Paris. ... Stanley Donwood is the pen name of English writer and artist Dan Rickwood[1], who has gained fame for his work on the album and poster art for Radiohead on every release since their My Iron Lung EP (1994). ... Doré photographed by Felix Nadar. ... In the Labyrinth was a groundbreaking multi-screen presentation at Expo 67. ... The 1967 International and Universal Exposition, or simply Expo 67 was the General Exhibition Category 1 Worlds Fair held in Montreal, Quebec, Canada from April 27 to October 29, 1967. ... Yuriy Norshteyn Yuriy Borisovich Norshteyn (Russian: ), or Yuri Norstein or Yuri Norshtein (born September 15, 1941) is an award-winning Russian animator most known for his animated short Tale of Tales. ... Tale of Tales (Russian: , Skazka skazok) is a 1979 Soviet animated film directed by Yuriy Norshteyn and produced by the Soyuzmultfilm studio in Moscow. ... An 1800 depiction of jumping rope A jump rope, skipping rope or skip rope is the primary tool used in the game of skipping played by children and many young adults, where one or more participants jump over a spinning rope so that it passes under their feet and over... Useless Science or the Alchemist, 1955 Remedios Varo Uranga (December 16, 1908 - October 8, 1963) was a surrealist painter. ...

Picasso and the Minotaur

No artist has returned so often to the theme of the Minotaur as Pablo Picasso.^[7] The Minotaur appears in many of his works, particularly in the 1930s. Some of these show him raping and killing, but in other pictures he is depicted as a lover rather than a monster, appearing to be in a consensual relationship with a woman.^{[citation needed]} Picasso redirects here. ...

Music

• Psych act Enemy Earth release The Bull from the Sea, a musical companion to the story of Theseus and the Minotaur in 2008.
• The Incredible String Band has a song called The Minotaur Song.
• Radiohead produced an album called 'Amnesiac' whose artwork depicts a crying minotaur.
• Harrison Birtwistle's opera The Minotaur had its premiere at the Royal Opera House on 15 April 2008. This Minotaur, called Asterios rather than Asterion, is not merely a monster, but manifests his half-human nature. Unable to speak except in dreams, and at the point of death, he is a more sympathetic figure than Theseus.

Sir Harrison Paul Birtwistle, CH (born July 15, 1934) is a British composer, widely seen as one of the most significant modern composers from that country. ... The Floral Hall of the Royal Opera House The Royal Opera House is a performing arts venue in London. ...

Games

• In the Warcraft Universe, the Tauren are a race of half-bull/half-men who cultivate the earth and bear a great resemblance to the Minotaur.

• In the Warhammer universe, Minotaurs are massive creatures of low intelligence but extreme ferocity, the favoured followers of dark gods. In the game itself they are portrayed as ogre-like troops with greater skill and dedication, and a thirst for blood.

• In the game God of War, the main character fights a massive Minotaur as a boss. Also in God of War II you fight a boss called a rock Minotaur.

• In the Intellivision game Advanced Dungeons & Dragons: Treasure of Tarmin, the Minotaur is the final boss which guards the titular Treasure of Tarmin.

• A Sailor Moon monster of the week is referred to as Minotaur; she is part woman instead of the usual part man, however.

• A Minotaur called Minotauros is one of several characters in Compile's Puyo Puyo and Madou Monogatari series.

• Mortal Kombats character Motaro becomes a Minotaur because of a curse placed upon his race.

• In a roguelike role-playing game NetHack, minotaurs are hard-hitting monsters that only lurk in Gehennom and are never randomly generated.

• In Legendary Minotaurs (as well as other mythological creatures) are unleashed from Pandora's Box and wreak havoc on the world.

• In the MMORPG Runescape, Minotaurs are enemies that charge you at full speed. They can also be summoned as familiars in various metal forms ( Bronze, Iron, Mithril,Steel,Adamant,etc)

• In Might and Magic VIII, Minotaurs are a playable class. They cannot use helms, shields, or footwear.

• In the Heroes of Might and Magic series, Minotaurs can be recruited in all games.

• In Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion, Minotaurs can be found roaming wild when the player reaches a certain level. They have high HP and deal a great amount of damage.

For the tabletop games, see Warhammer Fantasy and Warhammer 40,000. ... God of War is a video game for the PlayStation 2 console released on March 22, 2005. ... The Intellivision is a video game console released by Mattel in 1979. ... Villain of the week (or, depending on genre, monster of the week) is a concept that describes the format of certain television shows. ... Puyo Pop, known in Japan as Puyo Puyo ) is a computer puzzle game made in 1991 by Compile for various video game systems. ... Madou Monogatari: Hanamaru Dai Youchienji , translated as Madou Monogatari: Big Kindergarten Kids) is a role-playing video game for the Super Famicom released in Japan on January 12, 1996. ... Mortal Kombat (commonly abbreviated as MK) is a popular series of fighting games made originally by Midway Manufacturing Company. ... Motaro is a fictional character in the Mortal Kombat fighting game series. ... A roguelike is a computer game that borrows some of the elements of the 1980s computer game Rogue. ... This article is about the role-playing game. ... Medieval illustration of the Mouth of Hell Hell is, according to many religious beliefs about the afterlife, a place of torment, of great weeping and gnashing of teeth. ... For other uses, see Pandoras box (disambiguation). ... An image from World of Warcraft, one of the largest commercial MMORPGs as of 2004, based on active subscriptions. ... RuneScape is a Java-based MMORPG operated by Jagex Ltd. ... Might and Magic VIII: Day of the Destroyer is a computer role-playing game developed for Microsoft Windows by New World Computing and released in 2000 by the 3DO Company. ... Heroes of Might and Magic II Heroes of Might and Magic (sometimes called simply Heroes or HoMM) is a series of turn-based computer games developed by New World Computing, a division of The 3DO Company. ...

See also

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Minotaur

• in Mesopotamian mythology Shedu had a bull body and a human head.
• The Egyptian god Apis is often depicted as a bull, or bull-headed man.
• Ushi-oni Another bull-headed monster; from Japanese folklore.

Mesopotamian mythology is the collective name given to Sumerian, Akkadian, Assyrian, and Babylonian mythologies from the land between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers in Iraq. ... For the town in Pakistan, see Shedu (town). ... In Egyptian mythology, Apis or Hapis (alternatively spelt Hapi-ankh), was a bull-deity worshipped in the Memphis region. ... Ushi-Oni (牛鬼), literally cow-oni is name that can refer to any of several creatures in Japanese mythology. ...

References

• Minotaur in Greek Myth source Greek texts and art.

Notes