Claim: Minos was married to a wife.

In Greek mythology Minos -LRB- -LSB- ˈmaɪnɒs -RSB- or -LSB- ˈmaɪnəs -RSB- Μίνως , Minōs -RRB- was the first King of Crete , son of Zeus and Europa . Every nine years , he made King Aegeus pick seven young boys and seven young girls to be sent to Daedalus 's creation , the labyrinth , to be eaten by the Minotaur . After his death , Minos became a judge of the dead in the underworld . The Minoan civilization of Crete has been named after him by the archaeologist Arthur Evans . By his wife , Pasiphaë -LRB- or some say Crete -RRB- , he fathered Ariadne , Androgeus , Deucalion , Phaedra , Glaucus , Catreus , Acacallis and Xenodice . By a nymph , Pareia , he had four sons , Eurymedon , Nephalion , Chryses and Philolaus , who were killed by Heracles in revenge for the murder of the latter 's two companions ; and by Dexithea , one of the Telchines , he had a son called Euxanthius . By Androgeneia of Phaestus he had Asterion , who commanded the Cretan contingent in the war between Dionysus and the Indians . Also given as his children are Euryale , possibly the mother of Orion with Poseidon , and Pholegander , eponym of the island Pholegandros .   Minos , along with his brothers , Rhadamanthys and Sarpedon , were raised by King Asterion -LRB- or Asterius -RRB- of Crete . When Asterion died , his throne was claimed by Minos who banished Sarpedon and , according to some sources , Rhadamanthys too .