The story of the minotaur is an old myth from ancient Greece. He had a bulls head with the body of a man. His mother was Queen Pasiphae of Crete, King Minos’s wife. King Minos had to sacrifice a bull to Poseiden on sometimes, and one day when Posieden gave King Minos the most precious bull to sacrifice to him, King Minos couldn’t give up such a beautiful creature. Poseiden was not happy. He made Pasiphae have a lust for the bull he gave to Minos, and she had intercourse with it. When she gave birth to the bulls baby, she realized he was half bull.
The minotaur lived in the twisting maze of the labyrinth which was built by Daedalus for king Minos, and was offered a regular sacrifice of maidens and youths to satisfy the minotaurs hunger.The Athenians eventually killed his son Androgeus, according to Catullus Athens was compelled by the cruel plague ‘to pay the penalties for killing his son.’ To end the dreadful plague, king Aegeus of Athens had to send young girls and unwed men to the labyrinth to feed the beast. King Minos commanded seven Athenian youths and seven maidens taken by lots to be sent to the minotaur every ninth year.
When the third sacrifice arrived to the labyrinth, the son of king Aegeus, Theseus, volunteered to slay the flesh eating beast. A promise was made to his father by him, if he survived, he would put up a white sail, and if he died, his crew would put up a black sail. As Theseus began his journey, King Minos’s daughter, Ariadne fell in love with Theseus. She helped him find his way to the Labyrinth, but she was also told where it was.
As Theseus made his way into the twisting maze, Ariadne gave him a ball of thread to unwind so he could find his way back. Almost hysterical, the brave Theseus walked gently through the Labyrinth, alert. Once he found the Minotaur, he cut its bull head off. Theseus led the terrified Athenians back out of the labyrinth. When he made his way back to Athens, he had forgotten to put his sails back up. Theseus was thought to have died, and as a result his father jumped of the cliff into the ocean to kill himself.
Meanwhile, Daedalus and his son Icarus had been imprisoned by King Minos, because Daedalus had given Ariadne clues of where the Labyrinth was. But Daedalus hatched a plan. He made two pairs of wings made of wax, one for his son and another for him. Once they were finished, they flew out the sell to escape. Daedalus warned his son not to fly to close to the son, for his wings would melt. But Icarus had a rush of adrenaline, and out of excitement flew high up, though too close to the sun. Icarus’s wings melted, and he fell with his melting wings into the sea, taking his last breath.