The Minotaur (real name Asterion) is a monster with the head of a bull and the body of a man. He is one of the most infamous monsters in Greek mythology and is currently reforming in Tartarus.
Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes
The Cretan Bull, his father
The Minotaur was born of a human, Pasiphaë, and a white bull. Poseidon sent the white bull to King Minos for him to sacrifice in his honor, but King Minos did not sacrifice the bull because he saw that the bull had the most beautiful fur that he has ever seen and let the bull live. However, Poseidon was spying nearby and saw that Minos had left his white bull alive. Thereafter, mad with rage and anger that Minos had not sacrificed the bull, he cursed Minos by having Aphrodite make Pasiphaë fall in love with the bull. Then, when Poseidon had left for Olympus, Pasiphaë ordered Daedalus to make a fake cow for her to hide inside and lure it. The result of their union was the Minotaur.
Pasiphaë nursed him in his infancy, but he grew rapidly and became incredibly ferocious. Minos, after getting advice from the Oracle at Delphi, had Daedalus and his son Icarus construct a gigantic maze, the Labyrinth, to hold the Minotaur. Its location was near Minos' palace in Knossos.
Having his horn cut off before being killed.
The Minotaur dwelt at the center of the Labyrinth and every seven years, seven youths and seven maidens in Athens were taken from their families as sacrifices to him. Theseus, the son of King Aegeas of Athens, volunteered to slay the Minotaur and was taken to the Labyrinth as a feast for the monster. Since he wasn't allowed any weapons, Theseus tore off one of the Minotaur's horns and used it to stab the monster to death. Ariadne helped Theseus out of the maze with the help of a thread that showed him his way in, and helped him on his way out.
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Lightning Thief
The Minotaur turning into monster dust (graphic novel).
Percy Jackson is running to Camp Half-Blood when the Minotaur attacks him. It is described as having fur from about the belly-button on up and naked except for a pair of bright white Fruit of the Loom underwear.
Percy manages to jump onto the Minotaur's back, pulls off one of the its horns, and kill it by stabbing it in the side. However, the monster manages to hold on to his mother Sally Jackson and was about to kill her until Hades, the god of the underworld, abducted her in a shower of golden light to hold as hostage. Percy decides to keep the horn as a spoil of war. It is also noted by Annabeth Chase that many campers have hoped of achieving such a task for many years.
Sally is released after the Helm of Darkness is returned to Hades by Percy.
The Last Olympian
The Minotaur had reformed from Tartarus and was made a general for Kronos' Titan army. This time however, the Minotaur was clad in armor and carried a large axe whose blade was shaped like the letter Omega, the last letter of the Greek alphabet, possibly because it is the last thing a demigod sees before it is killed. The axe holds necklaces from all the demigods he killed from Camp Half-Blood and elsewhere. While in the Williamsburg Bridge, the Minotaur lead the charge across the bridge against the Apollo campers lead by Michael Yew. When Percy flies in on Blackjack to help, the Minotaur tosses a car at him, forcing him to land on the bridge. Percy then confronts the Minotaur, causing him to become angry and roars at other monsters when they go to attack him. Before they fight, Percy sees that the Minotaur has camp necklaces tied to his twin swords to show how many demigods he had defeated.
The Minotaur then charged Percy, but in a flash, Percy cut his axe in half and sliced off both of his horns. When the Minotaur became angry, he charged again as Percy took the broken axe and ran for the side of the bridge. Percy then held the broken axe and the Minotaur ran into it. Percy then tossed the Minotaur over the side of the bridge and he turned to dust as he fell.
Abilities
- Strength: The Minotaur is very strong, able to lift a car over its head and throw it across a small field.
- Regeneration: Being a monster, and therefore without a soul (despite being half-human), the Minotaur cannot be truly physically destroyed. After death, his essence descends into Tartarus were it will eventually reform.
Weapon
- Axe: In The Last Olympian, the Minotaur wielded a huge axe with blades in the shape of the Greek letter, Omega. Percy guessed that it was because it would be the last thing the Minotaur's enemies saw (as Omega is the last letter in the Classic Greek alphabet).
Film
The Lightning Thief
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The Minotaur is seen when Percy, Sally, and Grover arrive at Camp Half Blood. Unlike the books, when Percy broke the monster's horn on his own, the Minotaur's horn in the film is removed when it is stuck on a tree. Also, the Minotaur is not wearing the Fruit of the Loom Briefs that he is said to be wearing in the book.
Etymology
The Minotaur's name translates to "The Bull of Minos." The "mino" in "Minotaur" comes from King Minos' name. The "taur" means bull/cow.
Trivia
- The proper name of the Minotaur, as revealed in Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes, was Asterion (or Asterios), meaning the starry one.
- Both the Minotaur and his father, the Cretan bull, were associated with the constellation Taurus.
- The name Minotaur, taur refers to Taurus the star sign of the bull. The name means The Bull of Minos, the Minotaur's step-father.
- The Minotaur is the only known monster to come back in a different book after being completely destroyed (not including species or monsters that instantly reformed with Gaea's help).
- In some versions of the myth, it is said that Poseidon in bull form is the Minotaur's father.
- In some version of the myth, Poseidon told Aphrodite to make Pasiphaë fall in love with the white bull, resulting in the birth of the Minotaur. This version is considered canon in Riordan's books, as of Percy Jackson's Greek Heroes.
- Theseus, also a son of Poseidon, fought the Minotaur. This could be why the Minotaur was the first monster Percy fought.
- The Minotaur appeared in the first and last book of the Percy Jackson and the Olympians series. He is also carrying an axe in The Last Olympian shaped like an Omega, the last letter of the Greek Alphabet. This could be a reference to the Minotaur being the beginning and the end.
- May Castellan has a teeny Minotaur plush toy in a little Minotaur diaper on her front sidewalk.
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