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Minotaur Facts & Worksheets

The Minotaur is a bull-headed monster in Ancient Greek mythology.

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The minotaur or “the starry one” was a bull-headed monster in Greek mythology who was the offspring of Queen Pasiphae of Crete with a bull. The monster was hidden in the labyrinth, where he was regularly fed with youths and maidens. When Theseus, a hero of Athens, heard of this creature, he volunteered to go to Crete, went to the center of the Labyrinth, and killed the minotaur after a long fight.

See the fact file below for more information on the Minotaur, or alternatively, you can download our 22-page Minotaur worksheet pack to utilize within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Minotaur and its Origins

  • Minotaur was a monster in Greek mythology who had the head of a bull and the body of a man. Its name came from the Greek word ‘minos’, which is attributed to the King of Crete, Minos, and ‘tauros’ which means bull. The term ‘minotaurus’ literally translates to ‘Minos’s Bull’.
  • Initially, the minotaur was named Asterion, which means ‘the starry one’ as a reference to the ancient Greek bull constellation named Taurus.
  • Minotaur is a significant monster in Greek mythology because its death symbolized the liberation of Greece from the Minoans.
  • King Minos, was one of the sons of Europa and Zeus. Aseterion, on the other hand, was the King of Crete and was the husband of Europa. He looked over Minos and his two brothers as if they were his own. 
  • When Aseterion died, one of them needed to take over the throne. 
  • Minos claimed that he was favored by the gods to rule by praying. One day, he made an offering to Poseidon while praying for a bull to appear from the sea. Poseidon then made a bull appear, and this made Minos the new king of Crete.
  • Minos vowed to heaven that he would sacrifice the bull to Poseidon once it appeared, but he did not keep his word thinking that the sea would not notice. 
  • Poseidon conspired with Aphrodite and punished Minos cursing Pasiphae. 
  • Pasiphae, who suddenly had an intimate interest with the bull, sought help from Icarus and Daedalus. 
  • Daedalus made a wooden cow coated with a real cow skin that the bull also thought it was real. 
  • Pasiphae went inside and laid with the bull.
  • From this union, the minotaur was born. Upon seeing the infant, Minos realized his wife’s affair.

The Minotaur and the Labyrinth

  • Despite Pasiphae’s affair, King Minos left her untouched. Pasiphae, on the other hand, cared for Asterion (minotaur). 
  • As Asterion grew, he started to eat people. Since he was neither man nor beast, he could not find a suitable diet. 
  • In order to hide Pasiphae’s disgrace, he ordered Daedalus and Icarus to create a colossal labyrinth. This served as the home of the minotaur. The minotaur lived at the center of the labyrinth.
  • While the labyrinth was being constructed, King Minos discovered that his son, Andregeos, had been killed by the Marathonian bull.
  • King Minos was enraged and blamed the Athenians for his son’s death. To pacify his anger, he demanded that Athens pay a yearly tribute of seven male and seven female youths. 
  • These tributes were to be placed in the labyrinth to feed the minotaur. 
  • It was believed that the tributes only consisted of the most beautiful and chaste men and women. 
  • The minotaur, who was placed at the center of the labyrinth, was regularly fed a human flesh from the tributes sent by the Athenians who consulted the Oracle of Delphi before giving in to King Minos’s demand.

Death of the Minotaur

  • As the third tribute was being made, Theseus, the son of King Aegeus, volunteered to kill the minotaur and save the Athenians. 
  • Meanwhile, Ariadne, Minos’s daughter, fell in love with Theseus and decided to help him get to the labyrinth. She begged Daedalus to tell her the secret of the labyrinth. 
  • Following the advice of Daedalus, Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread which he would use to navigate the labyrinth.
  • Theseus tied one end of the string to the door and continued his journey inside the maze.
  • Finally, Theseus found the minotaur at the farthest corner of the labyrinth. Theseus and the minotaur had a long fight. After an exhausting battle, Theseus was able to slay the minotaur.
  • Theseus was able to save the other Athenians from the third tribute, and using Ariadne’s string, they were able to escape the labyrinth. They quickly sailed back to Athens.
  • Theseus was overjoyed by his victory and abandoned Ariadne on the island of Naxos.
  • King Minos was angered by escape of Theseus, and as a punishment, he imprisoned Daedalus and Icarus in a tall tower.

Minotaurs as an Artistic Representation

  • The minotaur has become a very popular subject in different Greek art representations. Scholars have used the death of the minotaur as a representation of ancient Greek liberation from the Minoan Crete.
  • The fight between the minotaur and Theseus is one of the most depicted art pieces, especially in pottery. 
  • The bull’s head is also used in some Greek coins, sculptures, paintings, and pottery. These art pieces were found in the Ruins of Knossos. 
  • Knossos’ art portrays cultural, economic, and political domination on Crete as luxury goods are ways to establish and strengthen social and political relations.
  • One of the examples is The Bull’s Head Rhyton which was found from the palace of Knossos (dated from 1450–1400 BCE). This intricate vessel holds liquid that enters through the bull’s neck and the liquid pours out of the bull’s mouth.
  • During those times, these were considered as luxuries and significant items in exchanging gifts for Minoans.
  • Another art piece is the red-figured kylix pottery (dated from 440 to 430 BCE) which shows the deeds of Theseus. Its interior shows Theseus killing the minotaur, while the rest of the design shows the six scenes of the battle between the two.
  • Minotaur is indeed a significant art subject not only in Classic Greek but also in Europe.

Minotaur Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about the mythical Minotaur across 22 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching kids about the Minotaur, which was a bull-headed monster in Greek mythology.

Complete List of Included Worksheets

Below is a list of all the worksheets included in this document.

  • Minotaur Facts
  • Minotaur’s Profile
  • Is the Minotaur Okay?
  • Minotaur’s Connection
  • Minotaur’s Timeline
  • Minotaur’s Home
  • Minotaur’s Vocabulary Section
  • Minotaur’s Secrets
  • Describe the Minotaur
  • Minotaur Art
  • Navigating Life’s Labyrinth
  • Draw Me, Tour Me

Frequently Asked Questions

Is the Minotaur good or bad?

The Minotaur was not born evil, according to Greek mythology. He lived on human flesh, but that doesn’t mean he was evil by nature. Even though his mother raised him with a lot of care, he became a threat to society as he got older.

Is the Minotaur still alive?

No, the Minotaur was killed by Theseus with the help of Ariadne, who was the daughter of Minos and Pasiphae. Theseus was able to kill the monster and end the tribute.

What killed the Minotaur?

Theseus tied a string to the door of the Labyrinth before going inside. He found the Minotaur in the furthest corner and killed him with his fists. In other stories, Theseus uses the sword of Aegeus to slay the Minotaur.

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Link will appear as Minotaur Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, August 23, 2022

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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