king Minos and the Minotaur
The legend of King Minos and the Minotaur has helped develop many Minoan traditions and events throughout its culture. In the myth of King Minos, Minos was given a bull from the god Poseidon, which Minos kept instead of sacrificing due to its beauty. This has led the Minoan civilization to use bull heads and horns as symbols in various buildings, hallways, and palaces. This has made the bull a central theme in the Minoan civilization. This is also evident in the Minoan’s worship to bulls as the bull was also painted on their walls and ceramics. This worship of the bulls has come to life due to various gods such as Zeus or Poseidon either turning into a bull or sending them bulls as these were often treated as sacred actions by the gods themselves. This has helped the belief that bulls are sacred which has been a major belief in the Minoan civilization. The myth of King Minos and the Minotaur has also given rise to the Minoan Bull Leaping ritual. In this ritual Minoan boys and girls will vault or preform acrobatics over a charging bull. Although participants can die during this event, it can serve as a direct reference to how boys and girls were sacrificed to the Minotaur in the myth of King Minos due to the punishment Minos forced upon the Athenians. It also showed the courage and strength of Theseus. He volunteered to be a sacrifice, only to find the Minotaur and slay it in order to free his people from the oppression that King Minos had over the land. In conclusion, the myth of King Minos and the Minotaur has led to the continued evolution of the Minoan civilization for many years. As the story of King Minos and the Minotaur continued to grow around the world, so has our understanding of the Minoan civilization.