Cretan Bull- Greek CreatureCreature · Beast
Also known as: Marathonian Bull and Κρητικός ταῦρος
Domains
Description
A magnificent white bull that rose from the waves at Poseidon's command, meant as a sacrifice that King Minos refused to make. In revenge, Poseidon cursed Minos's wife Pasiphae to desire the beast — and from their union the Minotaur was born. The bull itself ravaged Crete and then Marathon before Theseus finally subdued it.
Mythology & Lore
The Bull from the Sea
When Minos contended with his brothers for the throne of Crete, he prayed to Poseidon to send a bull from the sea as proof of divine favor and vowed to sacrifice it in return. Poseidon sent a white bull that rose from the waves, so beautiful that Minos kept it for his own herds and sacrificed an inferior animal instead. Poseidon's answer was to make Minos's wife Pasiphae fall in love with the bull.
Pasiphae and the Minotaur
Pasiphae turned to the master craftsman Daedalus, who built a hollow wooden cow covered in real hide, so realistic the bull was deceived. Pasiphae concealed herself inside, and from their union she conceived the Minotaur — Asterion, a creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull. Minos had Daedalus build the Labyrinth beneath Knossos to contain it.
The Seventh Labor
The bull continued to roam Crete, growing wild and breathing fire according to some accounts. Eurystheus commanded Heracles to capture it alive as his seventh labor. Heracles traveled to Crete, where Minos gave him leave to take the beast, glad to be rid of it. Heracles wrestled the bull into submission with his bare hands, then rode it across the sea to the mainland. He presented it to Eurystheus at Mycenae, but the king released it in terror.
The Marathonian Bull
Freed, the bull wandered through the Peloponnese and across the Isthmus to Attica, where it settled on the plain of Marathon. It destroyed crops and gored anyone who crossed its path. During this rampage, Androgeus, son of Minos, was killed by the bull — though other accounts say Athenian rivals murdered him after he won the Panathenaic games. His death gave Minos the pretext to wage war on Athens and demand the tribute of seven youths and seven maidens for the Minotaur. Theseus finally captured the bull and sacrificed it to Apollo.