Minotaur (Myths and Legends)

The Minotaur is a vicious half-bull monster in Greek myth. He appears in the Disney's Animated Myths and Legends episode Theseus and the Minotaur, which aired on January 2, 1998-as well as a cameo in Daedalus and Icarus-in which he is voiced by Clancy Brown.
== Biography ==
The Minotaur's origin closely follows that of the myth. King Minos received a pure white bull as a gift from Poseidon, which he was later instructed to sacrifice. Minos, however, was unwilling to withdraw this gift from the gods and sacrificed one of his own. The king's wife, Pasiphaë, however, fell in love with the bull and the end product was the Minotaur. Pasiphaë nursed the monster, but as he grew, he developed an unquenchable appetite for human flesh, Minos later had the inventor Daedalus construct a giant maze called the Labyrinth, in which the monster was held, for the safety of himself and his people. 
Later, when Minos' son was killed in Athens, the grieving King would have waged war on the Athenians had he not delivered an alternate proposal; every seven years, his soldiers would sail to Athens to retrieve seven young men and women and take them back to Crete, where they would be imprisoned in the Labyrinth and subsequently slaughtered by the Minotaur. The hero Theseus, who was the son of Minos' longstanding rival King Aegeus, would later battle and successfully kill the monster.
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Category:Deceased characters
Category:Monsters
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Category:Murderers
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Category:Males
== Appearance and personality ==
The Minotaur is a towering humanoid monster. He has the head, tail and hindquarters of a bull and sports a simple green loincloth round his waist. The Minotaur's teeth, however, are more akin to those of a predator like a lion than a bull. His torso is that of a muscular man and the fingers on his hands-soaked in the blood of previous victims-end in razor sharp claws. The Minotaur is a violent, bloodthirsty individual. He lacks any thought for his many victims and is only driven by the instinct to kill. His appetite also is insatiable.
==Appearances==
Theseus and the Minotaur
The Minotaur is first seen in the Labyrinth, where he attacks and slaughters a prisoner, all of which is heard by Minos. Though Ariadne, the king's daughter, pleads with him to end his practice of sending innocent prisoners to their deaths, he tells her, "My only son, your brother, was killed in Athens. Now, they will pay the price." 
Later, when Theseus witnesses Minos' soldiers taking young men and women from their homes, he begs with his father to travel to Crete. Aegeus agrees, on the condition that he sails back with a white-sailed ship. When the ship arrives in Crete, Minos notices Theseus among the prisoners. When Theseus bravely proclaims that he will battle the Minotaur, the king rebuffs him, saying that he's [Theseus] "got nerve, boy. I'll give you that, but I doubt that'll be enough to save you from the Minotaur."
That night, Ariadne visits Theseus' chambers and gives him a ball of string which will lead him through the Labyrinth. The next morning, Theseus uses the string to guide himself through the Labyrinth where he encounters the Minotaur. The two fight, and the Minotaur tries to use a rock to kill Theseus, but he manages to fight back. He uses his sword to wound the Minotaur's arm, and while the beast is incapacitated, Theseus decapitates him.
Victorious, Theseus emerges from the Labyrinth and prevent's the Minotaur's severed head to Minos. Surprised at how Theseus conquered the Labyrinth, Minos vows to never continue his practice of taking young men and women from Athens again, and frees the prisoners. Theseus later sails back to Athens with Ariadne and the other prisoners.
Daedalus and Icarus
The Minotaur appears in a flashback of Daedalus'. He is seen inside the Labyrinth fighting with and ultimately being killed by Theseus.
== Trivia ==
* The Minotaur is one of a few creatures in the series not to be voiced by Frank Welker.
* Jim Cummings, Kevin Michael Richardson and Maurice LaMarche were originally going to voice the Minotaur, before Clancy Brown later auditioned.
*He made a minor appearance during TheIkranRider's epic, Sleepy Hollow the Missing Episodes, as he was fighting against the Phlegyas and Team Witness managed to escape to the Violence ring in Hell from the City of Dis.
Category:Villains
Category:Deceased characters
Category:Monsters
Category:Cattle
Category:Murderers
Category:Predators
Category:Sons
Category:Males
Category:Animal characters
Category:Anime
Category:Animated
Category:Animals
Category:Beasts
Category:Hybrids
Category:Enemies
Category:Brutes
Category:Demons