Minos
Legendary king of Crete in Greek myth
- Parents (myth)
- Zeus and Europa
- Seat
- Knossos, Crete
- Family (myth)
- Wife Pasiphae; children incl. Ariadne and Phaedra
- Associated with
- The Labyrinth, the Minotaur, Daedalus, Talos
- Legacy
- Gave his name to the Minoan civilization
The legendary king of Crete who, in one version, received the bronze giant Talos as a gift from Hephaestus.
What is Minos known for?
In Greek myth Minos was king of Crete, son of Zeus and the Phoenician princess Europa. With Poseidon's help he won the throne and ruled from Knossos, building a sea power that cleared the Aegean of pirates. His wife Pasiphae bore the Minotaur, which Minos kept in the Labyrinth built by the craftsman Daedalus. Athenian stories made him a tyrant who demanded young Athenians as tribute for the monster. He pursued Daedalus to Sicily and was killed there. In the underworld he became a judge of the dead.
Some myths tie him to Talos, the bronze guardian of Crete: the mythographer Apollodorus says Talos was either one of the bronze race or a gift from Hephaestus to Minos.
When Arthur Evans excavated Knossos from 1900, he named the Bronze Age civilization of Crete 'Minoan' after him. Scholars think 'Minos' may have been a royal title or dynastic name rather than one person; there is no record of an individual king.
In Apollodorus' version, Talos was Hephaestus' gift to Minos to guard Crete.
Mentioned on these pages
- Rabbit holeTalos
- PersonApollodorus (the Bibliotheca)
- PlaceCrete
Sources
- Encyclopaedia Britannica, 'Minos'Reference
- Wikipedia, 'Minos'Reference
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