Cretan King Minos - myth or reality? Such a ruler actually existed in ancient times. Not only archaeologists talk about this, but also manuscripts and legends that have survived to this day. The reign of the king became legendary. It was an incredible era of heroes of Ancient Greece. The gods were added by folk epic. Not only ethnographers and archaeologists, but also the Greeks themselves speak about Minos with great respect.

The Mystery of the Birth of Minos

According to legends, Zeus, the patron of the sky, lightning and thunder, is one of the main ancient Greek gods. He was very voluptuous and once kidnapped Europa, the daughter of the Phoenician king Agenor. Soon she gave birth to three children, one of whom became the future ruler of Crete.

Ascension to the Cretan throne

The mother of King Minos was very beautiful, and before leaving Crete, Zeus ordered Asterius, who was then the ruler of the island, to adopt the children of Europa and marry her. Before his death, the king decided to give the throne to Minos. And wanting to make sure that his choice was correct, he asked Poseidon for approval. In response to his prayers, a beautiful bull came ashore from the depths of the sea. This was confirmation from Poseidon that the decision was correct. And after the death of Asterius, Minos inherited the throne.

Reign of Minos

The new ruler of Crete began his reign by establishing certain laws. King Minos climbed Mount Ida. On it, Zeus dictated to him a set of laws that his son was supposed to follow. Thus Minos became the first Greek legislator. The new king of Crete sent his brother Rhadamanthus to establish laws in other lands. Subsequently, Zeus gave Minos a scepter and helped with advice.

Soon he subjugated part of the lands of Lycia and became the founder of the city of Miletus. On the southern side of Attica, Minos discovered large deposits of silver and, having captured the surrounding lands, built the city of Lavrion. Thanks to the new ruler, the seas were cleared of pirates and their shelters were destroyed. Minos became the first owner of a powerful navy.

It was not for nothing that the ruler was called wise. The Cretan king Minos did not waste funds on defensive structures. He decided that the best defense for the island was the navy. And strongholds were built on nearby islands. Thanks to the navy and the extermination of pirates, the inhabitants of Crete were able to trade with other countries. And due to this, the island became prosperous and rich.

Abode of Minos

The capital of Crete was the city of Knossos. In this city stood a magnificent palace, in which King Minos lived with his wife Pasiphae. They had many children, and some of them were honored to become heroes of legends and myths. Crete was guarded by the bull-headed copper guard Talos. This was a gift from Zeus to his son. Three times a day, Talos walked around the island, throwing stones at enemy ships (if they came close). In addition, Crete was also guarded by a navy.

Minotaur

Poseidon was waiting for a beautiful bull as a sacrifice. But Minos left the beast in his herd, and in return gave him a simple horse. Poseidon was greatly offended and instilled in Pasiphae a passion for the beautiful bull. Master Daedalus, expelled from Athens, was in the service of Minos. And by order of his wife he made a wooden cow. Pasiphae climbed into it and entered into an unnatural relationship with a beautiful bull.

She became pregnant, and after the allotted time, the Minotaur was born. But his mother died during childbirth. Minos, seeing a baby with a bull's head, settled him in a labyrinth specially created by the master Daedalus.

Sons of Minos

Minos always maintained friendly and very close ties with Athens and its king Aegeus. Therefore, sports competitions were often organized between them. Androgeus, one of the sons of Minos, became a famous athlete. One day he defeated all the Athenian youths at the regular games. The ruler of Athens, who was a fanatic of his own athletes, decided to kill the young man in revenge.

The king sent Androgeus to hunt for the Marathon bull. It was certain death. Minos, having learned how his son died, decided to take revenge on the ruler of Athens. He went there with his war fleet. And he forced King Aegean to admit dependence on Crete. This was expressed in constant sacrifices. The king of Athens had to send seven young men and women to Knossos for nine years. They became victims of the Minotaur.

Daughters of Minos

This continued until Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos and Pasiphae, fell in love with Theseus, the son of Aegeus, the ruler of Athens. The girl gave her lover a ball of magic thread. Thanks to them, Theseus found the Minotaur and killed him. Then he was able to get out of the labyrinth in which the latter lived.

Another famous daughter of the Cretan king Minos - Phaedra. She married Theseus, who promised to marry Ariadne. Phaedra's husband was highly respected due to his many exploits. Theseus had a son, Hippolytus, from his first marriage. And Phaedra was inflamed with love for him. Then the daughter of King Minos committed suicide. Perhaps to save the honor of the husband, and according to other sources - out of fear of the spouse.

Conquests

King Minos was fair. When he decided to capture Megara, the son of Ares, King Nysus, was still ruling there. He had an amazing purple streak. She was Nysa's mascot. Minos offered the ruler's daughter, Scylla, a beautiful gold necklace for a purple lock cut from her father's head. And the girl brought Nysus's hair to Minos. The city was taken, the inhabitants were killed. And Skilla, having received the promised necklace, and, despite the assistance provided, was executed for treason as a warning to others.

He dreamed of conquering Minos and the island of Keos. He arrived there on 50 ships. But on the island he found only three royal daughters. As it turned out, Zeus helped his son. He killed all the inhabitants with lightning strikes along with the king, angry at the evil looks with which people bewitched the crops. So Keos became the possession of Minos. One of the king's daughters bore him a son, whom he left on the island as his heir. Minos also owned a land army. It was run by his sons.

The hunt that brought death

Master Daedalus decided to leave the domain of Minos. And, despite his ban, he was able to escape to Sicily, to the city of Kamik. Minos went to look for Daedalus. Arriving in Kamik, he decided to use cunning to find out the whereabouts of the master. King Minos took the newt's shell and promised a good reward to the one who threaded a thread through the shell. Only Daedalus could do this.

And the king of Sicily Kokal, who was sheltering the master, was seduced by the promised reward. He hoped that Daedalus would definitely help him. The master succeeded, but Minos was also convinced that he was in Sicily and demanded the extradition of the escaped subject. But Kokal’s daughters opposed this. Daedalus made amazing toys for them; the girls did not want the master to die.

As a result, he made a pipe in the roof of the bathhouse. And he poured boiling water into it while Minos was bathing. The Sicilian court physician announced that Minos had died. Thus the legendary and great ruler of Crete died ingloriously. His funeral was magnificent, worthy of kings. And the burial took place in Kamik, in the temple of Aphrodite. Then the remains of Minos were transported to Crete. According to legend, after his death the legendary ruler became a judge in the dead kingdom of Hades.

The legendary Cretan king Minos. Myth or reality?

Only the English scientist Evans managed to obtain permission to excavate Cephalus Hill. And for the first time they were able to find confirmation of the legends about Minos. Frescoes depicting Zeus and the Minotaur were found. And also images of King Minos. Over time, the Palace of Knossos was also recreated. It was also found in the form of many winding corridors under the palace. But, apart from myths, legends and frescoes depicting Minos, direct evidence of his existence has not yet been found. However, this does not prevent the Greeks from telling tourists about their great ruler, showing sights that are associated with his name, and making very good income from this.

  • Ariadne (ancient Greek Ἀριάδνη) - in ancient Greek mythology, the daughter of the Cretan king Minos and Pasiphae. Mentioned already in the Iliad (XVIII 592), its story was told by Nestor in the Cyprians. When Theseus decided to kill the Minotaur (Ariadne’s half-brother), to whom the Athenians, at the request of Ariadne’s father, sent annually a shameful tribute of seven young men and seven girls, and In this way they rid the fatherland of the monster, he received from Ariadne, who loved him, a ball of thread, which led him out of the labyrinth where the Minotaur lived (Daedalus taught her to use the thread).
  • Daughter of Minos, who gave the thread to Theseus
  • Daughter of the Cretan king Minos
  • Daughter of King Minos (myth.)
  • Daughter of the Cretan king Minos and Pasiphae, beloved of the hero Theseus, later the wife of Bacchus (mythical)
  • Daughter of King Minos, who helped Theseus
  • Daughter of Pasiphae
  • (Greek mythology) daughter of the Cretan king. Helped the hero Theseus, who killed the monster (Minotaur), escape from the labyrinth by providing him with a ball of thread
  • The princess who helped Theseus defeat the Minotaur

    • Phaedra (ancient Greek Φαίδρα) - in ancient Greek mythology, the daughter of the Cretan king Minos and his wife Pasiphae, the second wife of the Athenian king Theseus.
    • Daughter of Minos and Pasiphae, sister of Ariadne, wife of Theseus in ancient Greek mythology
    • Daughter of the Cretan king Minos
    • Daughter of the Cretan king Minos and Pasiphia
    • In Greek mythology, daughter of the Cretan king Minos, wife of Theseus
    • Daughter of King Minos

      • Triostrennitsa, or Aristida (lat. Aristída) is a genus of herbaceous plants of the Poaceae family. About 300 species found throughout the world are included, with a significant proportion of species confined to regions with hot, arid climates.
      • Daughter of Dionysus and Metaneira (daughter of Palimedes, king of the island of Skyros) Wife of the Knossos military leader Deucalion (son of Minos). High Priestess of Dionysus at Knossos

        • Aeropa (ancient Greek Ἀερόπη) - in ancient Greek mythology, the daughter of the Cretan king Katreus. Her father found her with a slave on her bed and instructed Nauplius to drown her in the sea.
        • Daughter of Kepheus, beloved of the god of war Ares in ancient Greek mythology
        • In Greek mythology: granddaughter of Minos; daughter of Kefei
        • In Greek mythology, the daughter of Katreia, granddaughter of the Cretan king Minos

          • Europe is a part of the world in the Northern Hemisphere of the Earth, washed by the seas of the Arctic and Atlantic oceans, has an area of ​​about 10 million km² and a population of approximately (as of 2013) 742.5 million.
          • In Greek myths, the daughter of the Phoenician king Agenor and Telephassa, gave birth to Minos, Rhadamanthus and Sarpedon
          • Minos
          • Mother of King Minos
          • Mother of Minos (myth.)
          • In Roman mythology, the princess, the daughter of the Phoenician king Agenor and Queen Telephassa, was kidnapped by Jupiter, who took the form of a bull, and carried away by him to Crete, where she bore him Minos, Rhadamanthus and Sarpedon (Greek version - Io) (mythical)
          • Mother of Minos, kidnapped by the bull Zeus
          • Phoenician princess kidnapped by Zeus

            • Pasiphae (ancient Greek Πασιφάη “all luminous”) - in ancient Greek mythology, the daughter of Helios, the wife of the Cretan king Minos, known for her passion for the bull, the mother of the Minotaur, Ariadne, Phaedra, Androgeus.
            • Daughter of the god Helios and the oceanid Persians, sister of Eetus and Kirke. Half-sister (or full) sister of Phaethon and Heliad. Half-sister of Faetusa and Lampetia, wife of King Minos of Crete, mother of Androgeus, Ariadne, Glaucus, Deucalion and Phaedra
            • Wife of King Minos
            • In Greek mythology, daughter of Helios and sister of Kirk, wife of King Minos of Crete, mother of Androgeus, Ariadne and Phaedra

Phaedra, Greek - daughter of the Cretan king Minos and his wife Pasiphae.

The essence of her story is generally simple. Phaedra married the Athenian king Theseus, who had once planned to marry her sister Ariadne, and had every reason to be happy. Handsome, courageous, noble, powerful and rich, Theseus became famous for his numerous heroic deeds and was universally respected. And, nevertheless, Phaedra caught fire with love for Theseus, the son of Theseus from her first marriage, and this ended in the death of Hippolytus and Phaedra’s suicide.

How this happened is described and explained differently by different authors. First option: Phaedra resisted the feeling of love for her stepson, but was unable to cope with it and committed suicide in order to save her honor and the honor of her husband. Second: Phaedra herself seduced Hippolytus, and when he rejected her, the wounded Phaedra accused him in front of her husband of trying to seduce her and thereby achieved his death; however, the truth came out and Phaedra committed suicide out of fear of punishment. The third option differs from the second in that Phaedra confesses to her husband that she has slandered Hippolytus. However, there is a fourth: Phaedra did not slander Hippolytus at all, but the nanny Oenon did it without her knowledge. With all the diversity and inconsistency of the options, one thing is clear: all these discrepancies are an expression of the well-known fact that many interpretations of how and why a family tragedy occurred are inversely proportional to the truth, which is known (or unknown) only to the spouses themselves.


Painting "Phaedra", Alexandre Cabanel, 1880

There are not many female images in ancient myths that caused so much controversy and underwent so many transformations as Phaedra. Under pressure from the Athenian public, Euripides had to rework his tragedy Hippolytus and transform Phaedra from a treacherous seductress into a noble victim (428 BC). More than four centuries later, Seneca, in his Phaedrus, managed to merge these two contradictory figures into one thanks to his Stoic interpretation of the image. Racine's Phèdre (1677) was initially a failure before the Parisian public, but was subsequently hailed as the greatest work of French drama. Later interpretations of Phaedra multiplied these disputes and transformations. For example, Schlegel saw in her an ordinary “sensual and weak-willed woman”, Arno - “a Christian who was not worthy of God’s grace”, Giroda - “a completely modern incestuous heroine”; as a “woman who loves through hatred,” Phaedra also ended up in the gallery of Freudian prototypes. Again and again, Phaedra attracts the attention of playwrights and novelists, is subjected to condemnation and justification and, despite countless adaptations, still remains an “unfinished image.”

In the visual arts, Phaedra does not play such a role: several vases, one fresco and an interesting mosaic “Phaedra and Hippolytus” from Ptolemaic Egypt have survived. True, scenes from her fate are depicted on dozens of Roman sarcophagi. A fragment of a limestone sarcophagus with the image of Phaedra and Hippolytus (2nd century AD) was found in the former Roman Brigetia (opposite the confluence of the Vaga and the Danube) and is located in the Danube Museum in Komárno.

European artists did not turn to Phaedra too often; the most interesting works include the painting “Phaedra and Hippolyte” by Guerin (1802). Phaedra became the main heroine of the dramas by D’Annunzio (1909), B. Brentano (1939), and she is also the heroine of Jeffers’ “The Cretan Woman” (1954). The poetic play “Phaedra” was written by Tsvetaeva. The opera “Phaedra” was written in 1745 by Gluck, in 1915 by Pizzetti (text by D’Annunzio), the ballet “Phaedra” was created by Cocteau and Auric in 1950.