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Theseus and the Minotaur
Every nine years, the Athenians have to send a sacrifice of seven young men and women to Crete. These victims meet a gruesome end in the jaws of the Minotaur. Only Theseus can end this cycle, but he will need the help of a famous craftsman, a princess, and a ball of thread. Will he survive?
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First published September 1, 2004
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 12, 2015
Main Characters: King Minos; Poseidon; the Minotaur; Theseus; King Aegeus
Setting: Ancient Crete and Athens
Theme: Hero story; Greek Myth
Motif: Journey; trickery
Summary: Minos wanted to become king of Crete after his adopted dad, King Asterios, died, but the people doubted him. He asked Poseidon to help him perform a miracle to impress the people. In exchange for Poseidon sending a bull out of the sea, Minos would sacrifice the bull in the god’s honor. Poseidon sent the bull and Minos became king, but he kept the bull as a pet, angering Poseidon.
Minos conquered Athens after the king, Aegeus, killed Minos’s son in an act of jealousy. Minos was assisted in his conquest by the gods, including Poseidon. While he helped, Poseidon didn’t forgive Minos for not honoring his promise.
While Minos was at war with Athens, Poseidon had Aphrodite cast a spell on Pasiphae, causing her to fall in love with the bull. When Minos returned home, he discovered that his wife had given birth to a son with the head of a bull, the Minotaur. Minos had Daedalus build a labyrinth to trap the Minotaur in until his death. By way of revenge, Minos ordered seven young Athenian men and women sent to the labyrinth every nine years, where they would be eaten by the starving Minotaur.
When he was young, Aegeus, King of Athens, had fathered a son in Pittheus. He was forced to leave the mother before the child was born, directing her to have his son retrieve a sword and sandals left behind and to seek out his father once that boy reached manhood. The boy, Theseus, grew up, claimed his items, and then headed to meet his father in Athens. In the meantime, King Aegeus had married a jealous woman named Medea. She didn’t trust the boy when he arrived, and tried to kill him with poisoned wine. Fortunately for Theseus, his father recognized his sword and saved him. Medea was banished from Athens for her attempt on Theseus’ life.
Theseus volunteered to be sacrificed to the Labyrinth. Two maidens who traveled with him were actually soldiers. The group conspired to kill the Minotaur. Upon arrival, Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, fell in love with Theseus. She provided him with thread made by Daedalus to guide the young man back out of the labyrinth after slaying the Minotaur. Theseus found and beheaded the beast, then escaped with his men and Ariadne. Unfortunately for her, Theseus abandoned Ariadne. However, Dionysus spotted the forsaken girl and made her his wife.
Theseus escaping enraged King Minos, who locked up Daedalus and his son Icarus, as things hadn’t gone well since their arrival. The two created wings and escaped from their tower prison. However, Icarus flew too high, the wax binding his wings together melted, and he died.
Theseus forgot to change the sail of his ship from black to white, a sign to his father that he had survived, before sailing home. His father, Aegeus, was so upset about the believed death of his son that he threw himself into the sea and died. Theseus became the king.
Strengths/Weaknesses: The layout of the pages is engaging. The cartoonish pictures with smaller inset images help to clarify the story for the reader. The story is broken at logical points with each page. However, the book feels a bit too long, with too many stories included. Jumping back and forth between Crete and Athens explained why Theseus went into the maze. That makes sense. The author could have completely left off the story of Icarus.
Illustrations: The illustrations are large and cartoonish. The text is often printed directly on top of the blue sky, but it is not distracting. Interesting details such as wave borders add interest.
Target Audience: Ages 8 to 10
Curriculum Ties: This is a good example of a Greek myth, and could be used in a middle elementary grade classroom for this purpose. However, I would use it as a read-aloud, and narrow my focus.
Personal Critique: I like this book. While I find Greek mythology interesting, I’m often unimpressed by the way that they are written. The text in this version isn’t dry, and the pictures are interesting. I would definitely consider using this version if I ever need to read a Greek myth aloud.
Setting: Ancient Crete and Athens
Theme: Hero story; Greek Myth
Motif: Journey; trickery
Summary: Minos wanted to become king of Crete after his adopted dad, King Asterios, died, but the people doubted him. He asked Poseidon to help him perform a miracle to impress the people. In exchange for Poseidon sending a bull out of the sea, Minos would sacrifice the bull in the god’s honor. Poseidon sent the bull and Minos became king, but he kept the bull as a pet, angering Poseidon.
Minos conquered Athens after the king, Aegeus, killed Minos’s son in an act of jealousy. Minos was assisted in his conquest by the gods, including Poseidon. While he helped, Poseidon didn’t forgive Minos for not honoring his promise.
While Minos was at war with Athens, Poseidon had Aphrodite cast a spell on Pasiphae, causing her to fall in love with the bull. When Minos returned home, he discovered that his wife had given birth to a son with the head of a bull, the Minotaur. Minos had Daedalus build a labyrinth to trap the Minotaur in until his death. By way of revenge, Minos ordered seven young Athenian men and women sent to the labyrinth every nine years, where they would be eaten by the starving Minotaur.
When he was young, Aegeus, King of Athens, had fathered a son in Pittheus. He was forced to leave the mother before the child was born, directing her to have his son retrieve a sword and sandals left behind and to seek out his father once that boy reached manhood. The boy, Theseus, grew up, claimed his items, and then headed to meet his father in Athens. In the meantime, King Aegeus had married a jealous woman named Medea. She didn’t trust the boy when he arrived, and tried to kill him with poisoned wine. Fortunately for Theseus, his father recognized his sword and saved him. Medea was banished from Athens for her attempt on Theseus’ life.
Theseus volunteered to be sacrificed to the Labyrinth. Two maidens who traveled with him were actually soldiers. The group conspired to kill the Minotaur. Upon arrival, Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, fell in love with Theseus. She provided him with thread made by Daedalus to guide the young man back out of the labyrinth after slaying the Minotaur. Theseus found and beheaded the beast, then escaped with his men and Ariadne. Unfortunately for her, Theseus abandoned Ariadne. However, Dionysus spotted the forsaken girl and made her his wife.
Theseus escaping enraged King Minos, who locked up Daedalus and his son Icarus, as things hadn’t gone well since their arrival. The two created wings and escaped from their tower prison. However, Icarus flew too high, the wax binding his wings together melted, and he died.
Theseus forgot to change the sail of his ship from black to white, a sign to his father that he had survived, before sailing home. His father, Aegeus, was so upset about the believed death of his son that he threw himself into the sea and died. Theseus became the king.
Strengths/Weaknesses: The layout of the pages is engaging. The cartoonish pictures with smaller inset images help to clarify the story for the reader. The story is broken at logical points with each page. However, the book feels a bit too long, with too many stories included. Jumping back and forth between Crete and Athens explained why Theseus went into the maze. That makes sense. The author could have completely left off the story of Icarus.
Illustrations: The illustrations are large and cartoonish. The text is often printed directly on top of the blue sky, but it is not distracting. Interesting details such as wave borders add interest.
Target Audience: Ages 8 to 10
Curriculum Ties: This is a good example of a Greek myth, and could be used in a middle elementary grade classroom for this purpose. However, I would use it as a read-aloud, and narrow my focus.
Personal Critique: I like this book. While I find Greek mythology interesting, I’m often unimpressed by the way that they are written. The text in this version isn’t dry, and the pictures are interesting. I would definitely consider using this version if I ever need to read a Greek myth aloud.
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September 11, 2012I thought that this book presented the story of Theseus and the Minotaur, which is originally quite complicated, wonderfully, in a way that a child could understand and follow. It still may be a little complex for younger readers, but I think the author did a great job of simplifying it to the main points of the story.
June 14, 2016
This was such a fun and educational look at one of the great classical mythological tales: Theseus & the Minotaur. I was please to see so much background information on some of the individuals that I had not heard in other versions. The layout is fantastic with many interesting side-notes, a glossary and a Who's Who List with phonetic pronunciation help.
February 6, 2009
If you're interested in greek mythology and the story behind the minotaur, then this book is a nice resource. It has wonderful illustrations and is written in a easy-to-understand text format. Not meant as a in depth research book, but as a general book, this book is a nice treasure.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews