Who was the Minotaur and how did he live in the Labyrinth?

In Greek mythology, the Minotaur was a creature with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man who dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth in Crete. Commissioned by King Minos and designed by the architect Daedalus, the maze imprisoned the beast, who was fed human sacrificial victims from Athens every nine years. The monster was eventually slain by the Athenian hero Theseus with the help of Ariadne, who gave him a golden thread to navigate the maze.

What we know

• The Minotaur was a mythical creature portrayed with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man. [1, 2]
• The Labyrinth was an elaborate maze-like construction designed by the architect Daedalus upon the command of King Minos of Crete. [2, 3, 4]
• Every nine years, Athens was compelled to send seven young men and seven young women as sacrificial victims to the Minotaur. [2, 3]
• The Athenian hero Theseus killed the Minotaur and escaped the labyrinth using a golden thread provided by Ariadne. [2]

Still open

• Accounts differ on whether Daedalus and Icarus were imprisoned in a tower overlooking the ocean or inside the labyrinth itself.
• Some versions of the escape myth state that Daedalus and Icarus fled by ship instead of using artificial wings.

Where to go next

• how it workedHow did Theseus navigate the maze?
• what caused itWhy did Icarus fall into the sea?
• the bigger pictureWhat was the Minoan civilization of Crete?
• whereWhere was the Palace of Minos located?
• what followedWhat role did King Minos play after his death?
• an unexpected connectionHow did a mythical king name an entire real-world civilization?Archaeologist Sir Arthur Evans used the mythical King Minos as the namesake for the historical Minoan civilization of Crete.

Sources

• [1]Minotaur (Wikidata Q129866) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Minotaur · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Minos · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Daedalus · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]Icarus · CC BY-SA 4.0