27
Fig.4 Hermaphroditus and Salmacis, The Transformation of Hermaphroditus and Salmacis,
1st third of 16th century, Jan Gossaert, 29 January 2010, http:www.mlahanas.deGreeksMythologySalmacisJanGossaert.html
4. Minotaur
The same as Tiresias, Minotaur also becomes the title of one of the chapters. Minotaur becomes the chapter title of Book Two in which Minotaur is mentioned
many times. Michael Lahanas explains the story of Minotaur starts when Minos, before
being the King of Crete, which is a large island south of Greece, has to fight against his brother for the right to rule. Minos prays to Poseidon, god of the ocean, a white
bull as a sign of approval the next king in Crete. Minos promises that he will sacrifice the bull as offering. Poseidon answers the pray and sends a beautiful white bull who
came from the ocean. When Minos sees the beautiful bull, he plans to keep it and
28 thinks that Poseidon does not mind. Therefore, Minos replaces the bull with the best
specimen from his herd for the offering. When Poseidon knows about the deceit, he makes
Mino’s wife, Pashipa, falls in love with the bull. Pashipa order Daedalus who is the famous architect to make a wooden cow for her as a camouflage so she can fool
the bull to make love with her. The offspring of their love making is a monster called the Minotaur.
Fig.5 Pashipa, Pasiphae enters in Daedalus wooden cow, 1530, Giulio Romano, 21 December 2009, http:www.mlahanas.deGreeksMythologyMinotaur.html
Minotaur which in Greek means “Minos’ bull”, is also known as Asterius or Asterion, a name shared with Minoss foster father. The Minotaur has the body of a
man and the head and tail of a bull. Like many other mythological monsters, the Minotaur has an appetite for human flesh. It is a fierce creature, and Minos, after
getting advice from the Oracle at Delphi, orders Daedalus to construct a gigantic labyrinth to hold the Minotaur. It is located under Minos palace in Knossos. Based on
29 Monstropedia every year for nine years, seven young people come as tribute from
Athens. These young people are also locked in the labyrinth for the Minotaur to feast upon.
In addition, Micha F. Lindemans explains that when Theseus, the Greek hero, reaches Athens, he knows about the Minotaur and the sacrifices, and wants to end
this. He volunteers to go to Crete as one of the victims. Upon his arrival in Crete, he meets Ariadne, Minoss daughter, who falls in love with him. She promises she will
provide the means to escape from the maze if he agrees to marry her. When Theseus enters the maze, she gives him a simple ball of thread which already ties to the
entrance of the maze. He makes his way through the maze, while unwinding the thread, and he stumbles upon the sleeping Minotaur. He beats it to death and leads the
others back to the entrance by following the thread. W. Russel Flint paints the assassin of minotaur in his painting as below.
Fig. 6 Theseus kills Minotaur, Theseus and the Minotaur, 21 December 2009, http:homepage.mac.comcparadaGMLMinotaur.html
30 Based on Myth Encyclopedia, some scholars suggest that the myth of the
Minotaur is arised from ancient rituals in which a priest or king wear a bull mask before performing sacrifices. In addition, Michael Lahanas in his article explain that
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 lead archaeologists
to believe that the palace itself is the source of the labyrinth myth.
5. Zeus
