Minotaur
A monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull, imprisoned in the Labyrinth beneath Crete. The Minotaur was fed Athenian youths until Theseus slew it.
The Myth of Minotaur
The Minotaur was born from Queen Pasiphae of Crete, who had been cursed by Poseidon to fall in love with a magnificent white bull. The result of this unnatural union was the Minotaur — Asterion, a creature half-man and half-bull, savage and man-eating.
King Minos, horrified and ashamed, commissioned the master craftsman Daedalus to build the Labyrinth — a maze so complex that no one who entered could find their way out. The Minotaur was imprisoned at its center.
Athens, having lost a war to Crete, was forced to send seven young men and seven young women to Crete every nine years as tribute. These youths were sent into the Labyrinth to be devoured by the Minotaur. The hero Theseus volunteered as one of the fourteen, navigated the maze with the help of Ariadne's thread, and slew the beast.
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Fun Fact
The word "labyrinthine" — meaning extremely complex and confusing — comes from the Minotaur's Labyrinth.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth. See our full guide to English words from Greek mythology.
Explore Further
Minotaur's Labyrinth
🐉 creatureBull-headed man of the Labyrinth
The Minotaur was a creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull, born from Pasiphaë's unnatural union with the Cretan Bull, imprisoned in the Labyrinth.
Ophiotaurus
🐉 creaturehybrid creatures
A creature half bull and half serpent whose entrails, if burned, could grant power to overthrow the gods
Sphinx
🐉 creatureRiddling monster with a lion body and human head
A creature with the body of a lion, wings of an eagle, and head of a woman. The Sphinx terrorized Thebes with her deadly riddle until Oedipus solved it.
Theseus and the Minotaur
💭 conceptNarrative
The Athenian hero's descent into the Labyrinth to slay the bull-headed monster and liberate Athens from its blood tribute
Echidna
🐉 creatureMother of all monsters
Echidna was half woman, half serpent — called the Mother of All Monsters for bearing the most fearsome creatures of Greek mythology.
Sybaris
🐉 creaturemonsters
A monstrous serpent-dragon that terrorised the region around Delphi until slain by a young hero
Orthrus
🐉 creatureTwo-headed dog of Geryon
Orthrus was a fearsome two-headed dog who guarded the cattle of the three-bodied giant Geryon at the western edge of the world.
Typhon
🐉 creatureFather of all monsters
The most fearsome monster in Greek mythology, who challenged Zeus for supremacy of the cosmos. Typhon was the father of many of mythology's most dangerous creatures.
Calydonian Boar
🐉 creatureMonstrous boar sent by Artemis
The Calydonian Boar was a massive, destructive beast sent by Artemis to ravage Calydon after King Oeneus forgot to honour her in sacrifice.
Hydra
🐉 creatureMulti-headed serpent of Lerna
A monstrous water serpent with multiple heads that grew two more whenever one was cut off. Slaying the Hydra was Heracles's second labor.
Typhon
🐉 creatureMost powerful monster who challenged Zeus
Typhon was the most fearsome monster in Greek mythology — a giant with serpent heads who nearly overthrew Zeus and would have ruled the cosmos.
Minotaur
💭 conceptMythology and architecture
The bull-headed monster imprisoned in the Labyrinth of Crete, whose myth gave English the concept of the labyrinth as a place of confusion and entrapment