MINOS (king of Crete)
Figure of myth · Greek mythology character, son of Zeus and Europa, king of Crete
- Parents
- Zeus, Europa
- Siblings
- Rhadamanthus, Sarpedon
- Consorts
- Pasiphaë, Dexithea, Crete, Paria, Itone
- Children
- Phaedra, Ariadne, Deucalion of Crete, Catreus, Glaucus, Eurymedon, Androgeus, Acacallis, Asterius, Euxantius, Chryses, Nephalion and 6 more
- Allies
- Taurus
- Foes
- Cocalus
- Haunts and cult places
- Crete, Sicily
- In the sources
- 147 ancient passages
He was renowned for his manly spirit and justice, though some accounts characterized him as tyrannical and violent, a discrepancy that highlights the varied views of his reign. [f: 68, 69, 70]1,2,3 Holding the golden sceptre of Zeus, Minos was considered the most kingly among all mortal kings and a glorious leader of wealthy men. [f: 17, 52, 55]4,5,6,7 His brother Rhadamanthus served as his co-ruler, while Sarpedon was another sibling in the royal lineage. [f: 6, 29]8,9,10,1
Minos established his dominion over the seas, becoming the first Greek to master the waters and subduing the majority of the islands. [f: 10, 36, 88, 91]11,8,12,1,3 He founded cities such as Cnosus, Phaestus, and Cydonia, and divided the island into three sections, building a city in each. [f: 39, 89]13,1,3 As an excellent legislator, Minos ascended to the cave of Zeus every nine years to receive legal ordinances, which he then conveyed to men. [f: 21, 37, 90]14,1,15,16 He claimed his decrees were commands of Jove, and tradition unanimously declared that he avowed just principles and strove for a life approved by men. [f: 76, 96]17,1
Minos married Pasiphae, daughter of Helius, and became the father of several notable children, including Ariadne, Androgeus, and Catreus. [f: 5, 9, 26, 27]18,15,19,20,21,22,23,24 His son Androgeus competed in the Panathenaia and was killed by the Marathon bull, an event that Minos avenged by waging war against Attica. [f: 28, 34]25,26,27,28 Yet Minos sent the beautiful bull away to his herds instead of sacrificing it as promised.29,30
Minos’s military campaigns extended to Sicily, where he confronted King Cocalus and demanded the surrender of the escaped prisoner Daedalus. [f: 12, 42, 47]31,32,33,34,3,35 There, his daughters plotted to murder him to please a prisoner, and he was treacherously killed in his old age. [f: 13, 47]31,35,3
Beyond his mortal life, Minos resides in the underworld, where he sits in judgement on the dead from a lofty seat. [f: 24, 25, 38]36,37,38,4,5 His legacy endures as that of a powerful ruler who commanded the Leleges and held lordship over the Greek Sea. [f: 23, 41, 98]39,40,41,42 Though some claimed he was a foreigner, he is remembered as the war-lord of Knossos and a son-in-law of Helios. [f: 56, 57, 58]43,44
The codex facts behind this entry
Minos is the son of Zeus and Europa. Apollodorus 3.1.1 +10 Minos was the king of Crete and considered one of the most renowned heroes found there. Bacchylides 1 +4 Minos is a judge in the afterlife. Aeneid 6.426 +1
Powers
Minos held dominion over the seas and was considered the master of the sea through his naval dominance. Apollodorus 3.15.8 +4 Minos was considered strong in his military forces and naval fleet, commanding significant forces on both land and at sea. Diodorus 5.78 +2
In the myths
Minos launched an expedition into Sicily to confront King Cocalus and demanded the surrender of the escaped prisoner Daedalus for punishment. Apollodorus, Epitome 1.15 +3 Minos attempted to force himself upon Britomartis, causing her to flee from him. Diodorus 5.76 +2 Minos imprisoned the Minotaur in the Labyrinth constructed by Daedalus to hide his family's disgrace, following specific oracular instructions. Apollodorus 3.1.4 +2 Minos demanded seven maidens and seven boys from Athens to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. Apollodorus 3.15.8 +2 Minos ascended to the cave of Zeus every nine years to receive legal ordinances, which he then conveyed to men. Strabo 10.4.19 +2 He sent the beautiful bull away to his herds instead of sacrificing it as promised. Apollodorus 2.5.7 +2 Minos attacked the Megarid and captured its cities, including Megara, by force. Apollodorus 3.15.8 +1 Minos established laws for the Cretan people with divine assistance. Diodorus 5.78 +1 Minos defeated his brother Sarpedon in a conflict over royal power in Crete and expelled him and his supporters from the island. Apollodorus 3.1.2 +1 Minos sailed against Athens with a fleet to punish them for his son's death. Apollodorus 3.15.8 +1
Fate
Minos was treacherously killed at the house of Cocalus in Camici, where his daughters plotted to murder him to please a prisoner. Apollodorus, Epitome 1.15 +3 Minos ended his life in Sicily after being driven there by a tempest during a campaign against Cocalus. Diodorus 5.78 +1 Minos was weakened by advanced old age and no longer inspired fear in nations. Ovid Met. 9.426-665 +1
