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In Greek mythology, the Minotaur [b] (Ancient Greek: Μινώταυρος, Mīnṓtauros), also known as Asterion, is a mythical creature portrayed during classical antiquity with the head and tail of a bull and the body of a man [4] (p 34) or, as described by Roman poet Ovid, a being "part man and part bull".
The term ophiotaurus is a compound derived from Ancient Greek ὄφῐς óphis, meaning "serpent", and ταῦρος taûros, meaning "bull". The Ophiotaurus is said to be a creature with the front half of a bull and the back half of a serpent. The only known writing featuring the Ophiotaurus is Fasti by Ovid. [1]
Kinnara – Half-human, half-bird in later Indian mythology. Kurma – Upper-half human, lower-half tortoise. Ichthyocentaurs – Creatures that have the torsos of a man or woman, the front legs of a horse, and the tails of a fish. Scorpion man – Half-man half-scorpion. Serpopard – A creature that is part-snake and part-African leopard.
The Greek word kentauros is generally regarded as being of obscure origin. [3] The etymology from ken + tauros, 'piercing bull', was a euhemerist suggestion in Palaephatus' rationalizing text on Greek mythology, On Incredible Tales (Περὶ ἀπίστων), which included mounted archers from a village called Nephele eliminating a herd of bulls that were the scourge of Ixion's kingdom. [4]
Daedalus, Icarus, Queen Pasiphaë, and two of her attendants in a Roman mosaic from Zeugma, Commagene The Fall of Icarus. Antique fresco from Pompeii, 40–79 AD. Icarus's father Daedalus, a very talented Athenian craftsman, built a labyrinth for King Minos of Crete near his palace at Knossos to imprison the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull monster born of his wife and the Cretan bull.
A host of legendary creatures, animals, and mythic humanoids occur in ancient Greek mythology.Anything related to mythology is mythological. A mythological creature (also mythical or fictional entity) is a type of fictional entity, typically a hybrid, that has not been proven and that is described in folklore (including myths and legends), but may be featured in historical accounts before ...
McInerney observes that the story of Pasiphaë and the Cretan Bull was not written until after Crete had come under Greek control. Emma Stafford notes that the story of the Cretan Bull does not appear before the Hellenistic period and suggests the connection between Crete and Athens is the result of the development of the myth of the Theseus ...
Theseus (UK: / ˈ θ iː sj uː s /, US: / ˈ θ iː s i ə s /; Ancient Greek: Θησεύς [tʰɛːsěu̯s]) was a divine hero in Greek mythology, famous for slaying the Minotaur.The myths surrounding Theseus, his journeys, exploits, and friends, have provided material for storytelling throughout the ages.