---
title: The Legend of the Minotaur
description: An account of the legend of the Minotaur according to the Greek tradition.
author:
  name: Graciela Paula Caldeiro
  url: http://graciela-caldeiro.idoneos.com
canonical: https://mitologiagrecorromana.idoneos.com/en/la_leyenda_del_minotauro/
source: en/la_leyenda_del_minotauro/index.md
---

<h2 id="la-leyenda-del-minotauro">The Legend of the Minotaur</h2>

The Minotaur was the son of **Pasiphae**, wife of King **Minos of Crete**, and a white bull sent by **Poseidon**, god of the sea. Minos had gravely offended Poseidon, who in revenge caused Pasiphae to fall in love with the animal. From this union was born the **Minotaur**, a violent creature, half man and half bull, that fed on human flesh. To conceal his shame and protect his people, King Minos begged the inventor [Daedalus](/en/316443/) to build him a labyrinth from which the monster could never escape. Every nine years, in order to appease it, Minos would offer the beast seven young women and seven young men, whom he imposed as tribute on the city of Athens.

<figure class="commons-illustration" data-commons-id="30710089">
  <img src="/la_leyenda_del_minotauro/resources/commons-30710089.jpg" width="1081" height="1600" alt="Theseus fighting the Minotaur. Antoine-Louis Barye, Chazen Museum of Art." loading="lazy" decoding="async">
  <figcaption>Theseus fighting the Minotaur. Antoine-Louis Barye, Chazen Museum of Art.<br>Source: <a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Theseus_Combating_the_Minotaur_by_Antoine-Louis_Barye,_1846,_bronze_-_Chazen_Museum_of_Art_-_DSC02176.JPG" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Wikimedia Commons</a>. <a href="https://creativecommons.org/publicdomain/zero/1.0/deed.en" rel="license">CC0</a>.</figcaption>
</figure>

On one occasion, [Theseus](/en/312164/) volunteered as a victim, with the intention of killing the Minotaur and freeing Athens from a cruel fate. With the help of Ariadne, the king's daughter, who had fallen in love with him, he achieved his purpose: Ariadne offers [Theseus](/en/312164/) a ball of thread given to her by [Daedalus](/en/316443/), the architect of the labyrinth. Having tied one end at the entrance and following the thread through the intricate twists and turns of the labyrinth, **Theseus** is indeed able to find his way out.