Greek myth · 声匠改编 · 4:14
Theseus and the Minotaur
Every nine years, Athens must send fourteen young people to the Minotaur. Prince Theseus volunteers, and Princess Ariadne slips him a ball of thread.
Narrator
Theseus
King Aegeus
King Minos
Princess Ariadne
Chloe, a young AthenianOther languages · 2 languages
About this story
Theseus and the Minotaur is one of the best-known Greek myths. The fullest ancient account is Plutarch's Life of Theseus, written around AD 100, alongside other sources such as Apollodorus's Library, Catullus and Ovid. Athens must send seven young men and seven young women to Crete every nine years, until Prince Theseus volunteers, wins the help of Princess Ariadne and her ball of thread, and kills the Minotaur in the Labyrinth. This retelling keeps the fight in the shadows with nothing graphic, adds a frightened girl, Chloe, among the fourteen, and ends at the escape, leaving out Plutarch's sad ending in which Theseus forgets to change his black sail to white and his father Aegeus, believing him dead, throws himself from a rock.
What it teaches
Courage means standing up for others, not just yourself. And even the bravest hero needs help: without Ariadne's clever idea, Theseus would never have found his way out.
Suits
Ages 7–12
Tips for telling it
- Unroll a ball of wool through the house as Theseus goes in, and wind it back up on the way out.
- For younger listeners, keep the Labyrinth voice low but the fight quick.
- Afterwards, ask: who was the real hero, Theseus or Ariadne?
Questions people ask
- Who killed the Minotaur?
- Theseus, prince of Athens. He found his way into the Labyrinth and back out again with a ball of thread given to him by Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos.
- What is the Minotaur?
- A monster from Greek myth with the body of a man and the head of a bull, kept by King Minos in the Labyrinth on Crete. Its name means the bull of Minos.
- Why is it called the Aegean Sea?
- One ancient explanation says it is named after Theseus's father, King Aegeus. Theseus forgot to swap his black sails for white ones on the way home, and Aegeus, thinking his son was dead, threw himself into the sea.
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