What does the Minotaur look like?
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a man with a bull's head
The Minotaur has the body of a man and the head of a bull.
💡 Did you know? His name means „bull of Minos,“ after the Cretan king.
All questions with answers
Where was the Minotaur held captive?
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in the Labyrinth
King Minos had the Labyrinth built to hide the monster inside it.
💡 Did you know? The builder Daedalus later escaped with self-made wings; his son Icarus fell to his death.
What was the Minotaur fed with?
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with young Athenians as tribute
Athens had to send young men and women to Crete regularly as victims for the Minotaur.
💡 Did you know? This cruel tribute was the punishment for the death of a son of Minos.
Which hero killed the Minotaur?
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Theseus
The Athenian hero Theseus entered the Labyrinth and slew the Minotaur.
💡 Did you know? He found his way back only thanks to the thread of the king's daughter Ariadne: still called „Ariadne's thread.“
How did the Minotaur come to be?
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from a curse of the gods
Poseidon made the wife of Minos fall in love with a bull: from this union the Minotaur was born.
💡 Did you know? The builder Daedalus made her a wooden cow to disguise herself for it.
Who helped Theseus with the saving thread?
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Ariadne
The Cretan princess Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread to find his way back.
💡 Did you know? „Ariadne's thread“ still stands for the saving way out of a labyrinth.
Who built the labyrinth of Crete?
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Daedalus
The brilliant master builder in King Minos's service.
💡 Did you know? He later fled with his son Icarus on wings of wax.
What does the name Minotaur mean?
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bull of Minos
His own name was Asterion: “the starry one”.
💡 Did you know? The name bound the monster to the king forever.
Who was the Minotaur's mother?
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Pasiphaë
Minos's queen, struck by a curse of Poseidon.
💡 Did you know? The white bull had actually been meant as a sacrifice.
At what interval did Athens have to send its tribute of youths?
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every nine years
Seven maidens and seven youths each time.
💡 Did you know? Other versions speak of every year.
What broke Theseus' father Aegeus after the return?
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the black sail
Theseus forgot to hoist the white sail of victory.
💡 Did you know? The king threw himself into the sea: called Aegean ever since.
Which palace on Crete is seen as the model for the labyrinth?
Show answer
Knossos
Arthur Evans excavated the sprawling complex from 1900.
💡 Did you know? The word labyrinth likely contains the double axe “labrys”.
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