The Minotaur

1. The Minotaur

2. The Story • Thousands of years ago a king called Minos ruled Crete, and he wanted to build a palace to awe people from all around. • For his palace he would need the best architect so he asked his boat captain “Where is the best palace you have seen on your travels?” The captain replied “In Athens, Sir, the palace of King Aegeus. It was built by Daedalus. The Athenians boast he is the best in the world.”

3. Building the Knossos Palace • So King Minos employed Daedalus to build his palace, which he called “Knossos”. It was three storeys tall; which was very advanced for the time. The building was the first in the world to have plumbing to the bathrooms and kitchen. • King Minos moved into the Palace with his wife, and soon they had a baby.

4. Baby Minos • The baby was not normal! • It was a strange child, with the face of a human but with hooves and the body of a strong bull. • When the baby grew up, it would snort like a bull, so loud that it could make the island shake. • The King did not want to kill his son because it would anger the gods, he also did not want the world to see the horrible creature he had created. The King asked Daedalus to come back to Crete to build a huge maze, called the “Labyrinth” underneath the Palace. The King placed his son into the Labyrinth, the people called his son “The Minotaur” , meaning “Minos’ Bull”.

5. The Minotaur agreed to live in the Labyrinth peacefully, as long as he was given humans for food. • King Minos agreed to the sacrifices, but he did not want to sacrifice his own subjects. Because he was the most powerful king, he made each of the local kingdoms provide young people to sacrifice to the Minotaur .

6. Athenians sacrifice • Every nine years it was the turn of the Athenians to send their young people. • On the third time this happened, King Aegeus’s son Theseus said he wanted to go to the Labyrinth and put an end to the sacrifices. King Aegeus did not really want to risk losing his son, but he let him go and wished him luck.

7. Theseus set off in a ship from Athens to Crete. The ship had taken two sets of sails; a black pair and a white pair. • They had agreed that if Theseus had been successful in killing the Minotaur and returned alive, then they would use the white sails. • If Theseus had been killed they would use the black sails.

8. Theseus arrived at Knossos and met the King’s daughter Ariadne, who took a liking to him, and also met Daedalus. The two of them wanted to help Theseus to kill the Minotaur. • Daedalus gave Theseus the Labyrinth map, but it was still too complicated. • Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of string for him to trail behind him, so that he could follow the string back and escape the Labyrinth.

9. Theseus fought the Minotaur and won, he then followed the string back, and was the first ever to escape the Labyrinth. • Ariadne congratulated him, and said she wanted him to take her to Athens with him for them to be married. • Theseus had other ideas because he was already engaged.

10. Theseus still took Ariadne on the ship back to Athens with him, using the white sails to show that he had been successful in killing the Minotaur and was still alive. • Theseus had a plan with the ship’s captain to get rid of Ariadne. • The ship called at the deserted island of Naxos, and they abandoned Ariadne alone on the island.

11. Theseus left her there, thinking he was clever and that it was funny. • The god Poseidon had seen what had happened to Ariadne and was not happy. • Poseidon made a storm at sea which ruined the ship’s white sails. They had to use the spare black sails to get back home.

12. When the ship was near to Athens the news was passed by a fisherman to Theseus’ father Aegeus, that the ship was returning with black sails. • Aegeus was distraught with the news. He went down to the harbour, where full of sorrow, he threw himself into the water. • He drowned before Theseus’ ship entered the harbour.

16. Thank you for listening and watching!!!