Liberation — Cretan Bull, Wrestling with Death

Marathonian Bull|Mares of Diomedes|Admetus|Alcestis

We recounted in “Written in the Stars·Curses — Dual Personality” that Pasiphaë (Greek: Μίνως; Romanized: Minos), the wife of Minos (Ancient Greek: Μίνως; Romanized: Minos), fell in love with the bull that Minos was going to sacrifice to Poseidon. She enlisted the help of the artisan Daedalus (Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin: Daedalus; Etruscan: Taitale) to complete the mating with the bull, giving birth to the Cretan Bull (Ancient Greek: Κρὴς ταῦρο ς, Romanized: Krḕs taûros). The Cretan bull was cursed by Poseidon to be hard as iron and to breathe fire from its mouth and nose.

In another version of the mythological narrative, Pasiphaë gave birth to two half-man, half-bull monsters. Poseidon passed on his rage to the bulls, causing them to lay waste on the land. One of them was the Minotaur (Ancient Greek: Μινώταυρος; Latin: Minotaurus), imprisoned in a labyrinth built by Daedalus. The other end escaped control to wreak havoc on Crete (Greek: Κρήτη, Modern: Kríti, Archaic: Krḗtē) under Minos’ rule.

Marathonian Bull

The seventh task given to Heracles by Eurystheus (Ancient Greek: Εὐρυσθεύς, lit. ‘broad…