Cretan Bull
Also known as: Marathonian bull
- 1The Cretan Bull is a creature from Greek mythology.
- 2It was the object of Pasiphaë's cursed love.
- 3The union between the bull and the queen produced the Minotaur.
In Greek mythology, the Cretan Bull was the bull with whom Pasiphaë fell in love and conceived the Minotaur.
Connections2
Biological father of the Minotaur
The Cretan Bull was the animal with which Pasiphaë mated, leading to the conception of the Minotaur.
Catalyst for the Minotaur's birth
The failure of Minos to sacrifice this bull to Poseidon led to the divine retribution that resulted in the birth of the Minotaur.
The Cretan Bull is a significant creature in Greek mythology, primarily known for its role in the tragic events surrounding the royal family of Crete. It was the animal that the queen Pasiphaë fell in love with, a situation brought about by a divine curse from the god Poseidon.
Ancient drachma from Larissa, around 420 BC, depicting Heracles with the Cretan Bull. Now in the Palais de Rumine, Lausanne, SwitzerlandWikimedia Commons: File:Drachme_from_Larissa,_around_420_BC_depicting_Heracles_with_the_Cretan_Bull.jpgHeracles performing one of his labors as he forces the Cretan Bull to the ground. The engraving was created by B. Picart in 1731.Wikimedia Commons: File:Herculean_effort.jpgHercules capturing the Cretan Bull, engraving by John Cassell in his Works of Eminent Masters in Painting, Sculpture, Architecture and Decorative Art, 1854.Wikimedia Commons: File:The_Cretan_Bull_From_a_Zinc_cast_at_Berlin_Cassell_1854.jpg This union between the queen and the bull resulted in the birth of the Minotaur, a hybrid creature that would eventually be imprisoned in the Labyrinth. The bull serves as a catalyst for the central conflicts in the myths involving King Minos, Daedalus, and the eventual heroics of Theseus.