Cretan king Minos - myth or reality? Such a ruler really existed in antiquity. Not only archaeologists talk about this, but also the manuscripts and legends that have survived to this day. The king's reign is legendary. It was an incredible era of the heroes of Ancient Greece. The gods are added by the folk epic. Minos is spoken of with great respect not only by ethnographers and archaeologists, but also by the Greeks themselves.
The Mystery of the Birth of Minos
According to the legends, Zeus is the patron of the sky, lightning and thunder - 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 was the future ruler of Crete.
Ascension to the Throne of Crete
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 wishingto make sure of the correctness of his choice, 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 of the correctness of the decision. 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 by which his son was to be guided. So Minos became the first Greek legislator. The new king of Crete sent his brother Rhadamanth 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 south side of Attica, Minos discovered large deposits of silver and, capturing 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 military fleet.
The ruler was not called wise for nothing. The Cretan king Minos did not waste money on defensive structures. He decided that the best defense for the island was the navy. Strongholds were built on nearby islands. Thanks to the military fleet 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.
Resident of Minos
The capital of Crete was the city of Knossos. In this city stood a magnificent palace, in which he livedKing Minos 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 guardian Talos. It was a gift from Zeus to his son. Three times a day, Talos circled the island, pelting enemy ships (if any came close) with stones. In addition, Crete was guarded by the navy.
Minotaur
Poseidon was waiting for a sacrifice of a beautiful bull. But Minos left the beast in his herd, and in return he gave a simple horse. Poseidon was very offended and inspired Pasiphae with a passion for a 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 in due course the Minotaur was born. But his mother died during childbirth. Minos, seeing a baby with a bull's head, settled him in a labyrinth created specially by the master Daedalus.
Sons of Minos
With Athens and their king Aegeus Minos has always maintained friendly and very close ties. Therefore, sports competitions were often arranged between them. Androgeus, one of the sons of Minos, became a famous athlete. Once he defeated all the Athenian youths at the next games. The ruler of Athens, who was a fanatic of his own athletes, decided to kill a young man in revenge.
The king sent Androgei 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 withwith its navy. And he forced King Aegeus to recognize dependence on Crete. This was expressed in constant sacrifices. The king of Athens had to send seven boys and girls to Knossos for nine years. They fell victim to the Minotaur.
Daughters of Minos
This continued until Ariadne, daughter of King Minos and Pasiphae, fell in love with Theseus, son of Aegeus, 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 last one 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 her husband, but according to other sources - because of the fear of her husband.
Conquests
King Minos was just. When he decided to capture Megara, the son of Ares, King Nis, still ruled there. He had an amazing purple lock. She was the mascot of Nis. Minos offered the ruler's daughter, Skilla, a beautiful gold necklace for a purple strand cut from her father's head. And the girl brought Nis'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 warningthe rest.
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 for the evil looks with which people bewitched the crops. So Keos became the possession of Minos. One of the royal 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 Camik. 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 shell of a newt and promised a good reward to the one who would thread a thread through the shell. Only Daedalus could do this.
And the king of Sicily Kokal, who sheltered the master, was tempted by the promised reward. He hoped that Daedalus would definitely help him. The master succeeded, but Minos also made sure that he was in Sicily and demanded the extradition of an escaped subject. But this was opposed by the daughters of Kokal. Daedalus made amazing toys for them, the girls did not want the death of the master.
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 of apoplexy. So ingloriously died the legendary and great ruler of Crete. His funeral was magnificent, worthy of kings. And the burial took place in Kamika,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 was able to obtain permission to excavate the Kephal Hill. And in the very first days, archaeologists were able to find confirmation of the legends about Minos. Frescoes depicting Zeus and the Minotaur have been found. As well as images of King Minos. Over time, the Palace of Knossos was also recreated. There was also a labyrinth of the Minotaur 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 the sights associated with his name, and making very good income from this.
