Theseus and the Minotaur

There are many stories about Theseus, the mythic hero whom Greeks considered the ideal ruler because of his civilizing influence and insistence on "law and order". The myth here tells of his birth, of his journey to Athens to join his royal father, of how he slew monsters and established peace of the countryside, and finally of his encounter with the Minotaur on the Island of Crete.

The Minotaur, a creature half human and half bull, lived in a labyrinth beneath the palace of King Minos, who demanded that Athenians send fourteen young men and women each year to satisfy the Minotaur's appetite. Theseus sails to Crete as one of the year's supposed victims. Ariadne, Mino's daughter, gives him a ball of twine, which he unwinds as the gropes through the dark labyrinth. He finds and slays the Minotaur, follows the twine back to the gateway, frees the other young Athenians, and salis home with them Ariadne.