Notebook

Notebook, 1993-

ANCIENT GREEK CULTURE

[From: Kyriazis, Constantine D. Eternal Greece. Translated by Harry T. Hionides. A Chat Publication.]

Demigods and Heros - Achilles - Aegisthus - Agamemnon - Ajax the Locrian - Ajax the Telamonian - Alcestis - Amphiaraos - Amphitrite - Antigone - Atalanta - Belerophon - Cadmus - Clytemnestra - Daedalus - Danae - Dioscuri - Electra - Europa - Eurydice - Ganymede - Hector - Hecuba - Helen - Heracles - Hippolytus - Icarus - Io - Iphigenia - Jason - Leda - Menelaus - Minos - Nestor - Niobe - Odysseus - Oedipus - Orestes - Medea - Orpheus - Paris - Pasiphae - Pelops - Penelope - Perseus - Phaedra - Phaethon - Phrixus - Priam - Telemachus - Theseus - Triptolemus

Minos






The son of Zeus and Europa. He was adopted by Asterios, king of Crete. When Asterios died, Minos became king with the help of Poseidon. But he offended the god by refusing to sacrifice to Poseidon as he had promised a beautiful bull that the god had sent him. To punish him Poseidon caused Pasiphae to become enamoured of the bull, and she gave birth to a monster, part bull and part man, known as the Minotaur. But Minos was an unfaithful husband as well, and Pasiphae obtained her revenge by giving hem a drink which she had concocted to make him cast out poisonous beasts when any other woman approached him. With Pasiphae he had eight children, four boys and four daughters. His son Androgeios was killed at Athens, and Minos imposed upon the Athenians a yearly tribute of seven young men and seven maidens as food for the Minotaur for a period of nine years. The Athenians however were spared further blood tax thanks to the help Minos's daughter Ariadne gave to Theseus who succeeded in slaying the monster. Wishing to avenge the death of the Minotaur which was also in part due to Daedalus, Minos undertook an expedition against Sicily where he had fled, and there he met a tragic end. According to one legend Minos was a great lawgiver since he had for nine years been receiving instructions from Zeus himself which he converted eventually into laws, and he is said to have civilized Crete. The name Minos may represent a title such as that of the Pharaoh. But according to Thucydides Minos was an historical person and was the first king to create a fleet. With this he extended his control over the islands of the Aegean Sea, especially the Cyclades. [p. 69]

[Kyriazis, Constantine D. Eternal Greece. Translated by Harry T. Hionides. A Chat Publication.]




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