Who created the hollow wooden cow that Pasiphaë used to conceive the Minotaur?
The master craftsman Daedalus built the hollow wooden cow. This structure allowed Pasiphaë to approach the snow-white bull sent by Poseidon.
Questions about Minotaur
Short answers, pulled from the story.
When did Athens begin sending fourteen young citizens to the Labyrinth of Knossos?
Every nine years Athens sent fourteen noble citizens to the center of the construction. Seven men and seven women were chosen by lot to face the creature inside the dark passages.
What is the physical appearance of the Minotaur according to classical art in ancient Greece?
Classical art typically showed the creature with a bull's head and tail attached to a human body. Roman poet Ovid described the being simply as part man and part bull without specifying which half was which.
Where does Dante place the Minotaur within his Divine Comedy?
Dante places the beast among boulders dislodged on a slope in Canto 12 of Inferno. The Minotaur serves as the first infernal guardian within the walls of Dis guarding the entire zone of Violence.
Which author wrote The House of Asterion where the Minotaur tells his own story from the monster's perspective?
Jorge Luis Borges published a short story titled The House of Asterion in which the Minotaur tells his own story from the monster's perspective. He describes living alone in the vast maze while waiting for visitors who would never return.