Minotaur
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Minos
Minos (mīˈnŏs, –nəs), in Greek mythology, king of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. He was the husband of Pasiphaë, who bore him Androgeus, Glaucus, Ariadne, and Phaedra. Because Minos failed to sacrifice a beautiful white bull to Poseidon, the god caused Pasiphaë to conceive a lustful passion for the animal, by whom she bore the Minotaur, a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. The craftsman Daedalus constructed the labyrinth in which the monster was confined. When King Aegeus of Athens killed Androgeus, Minos vengefully forced Athens to pay him an annual tribute of seven youths and seven maidens. These he shut up inside the labyrinth, where they either starved or were devoured. Finally Theseus joined a group of the victims and killed the Minotaur. Minos became the most prosperous king of the Mediterranean area, renowned as much for his justness as his power. Along with Aeacus and Rhadamanthus, he became one of the three judges of Hades. Minos was presumably the name or title of an ancient Cretan king. The Minoan civilization is named for him.
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The following article is from The Great Soviet Encyclopedia (1979). It might be outdated or ideologically biased.
Minotaur
in ancient Greek mythology, a monster that was half-bull and half-man, the offspring of Pasiphae, wife of King Minos of Crete, and the sacred bull of the god Poseidon. According to the myth, Minos confined the Minotaur in a labyrinth and forced Athens, which was then subject to him, to send as an annual offering seven youths and seven maidens to the monster. The Athenian hero Theseus entered the labyrinth and killed the Minotaur.
The Great Soviet Encyclopedia, 3rd Edition (1970-1979). © 2010 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Minotaur
fabulous monster of Crete, half-bull, half-man. [Gk. Myth.: EB, VI: 922]
See: Bull
Minotaur
beast with bull’s head and man’s body. [Gk. Myth.: Brewer Dictionary, 714]
See: Monsters
Allusions—Cultural, Literary, Biblical, and Historical: A Thematic Dictionary. Copyright 2008 The Gale Group, Inc. All rights reserved.
Minotaur
Greek myth a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. It was kept in the Labyrinth in Crete, feeding on human flesh, until destroyed by Theseus
Collins Discovery Encyclopedia, 1st edition © HarperCollins Publishers 2005