Kretan Bull
- "Look at that. Father of the Minotaur."
- ―Kassandra[src]
The Kretan Bull was a legendary bull which inhabited the Fertile Battleground region of Messara, Greece during the 5th century BCE.
History[edit | edit source]
Mythology[edit | edit source]
The Kretan Bull was said to be the father of the Minotaur, whom the Kretan Bull sired with Pasiphae.[1] [2] Later, the bull wreaked havoc on crops and property all around the island of Krete.[3]
King Eurystheas of Mycenae commanded the hero Herakles to kill the bull as the seventh of his tasks. Before facing the bull, Herakles sought out King Minos, and was given permission to deal with the beast. The bull was captured and suppressed by the hero-god, but instead of killing it, he shipped it to Eurystheas as proof, and then the animal was released.[3]
Later, the bull wandered into Marathon, Attika, becoming known as the "Marathonian Bull". It was eventually slain by Theseus.[4]
5th century BCE[edit | edit source]
At some point during the Peloponnesian War, the Spartan misthios Kassandra hunted an incarnation of the Bull down at the request of Daphnae, the acting leader of the Daughters of Artemis. Kassandra subsequently looted its pelt and gave it to Daphnae in Phokis.[5]
Place[edit | edit source]
The beast's lair was a marshy area with rocky outcroppings and heavy undergrowth of shrubs. [6]
Gallery[edit | edit source]
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The Bull at rest -
Kassandra seeing the Bull the first time -
Engaging in combat -
Fighting -
Charging -
The Bull dead -
Promotional image of the bull charging at the misthios -
A metope depicting Herakles and the mythical Kretan Bull
Appearances[edit | edit source]
References[edit | edit source]
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Messara: Gortyn
- ↑ Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece – "Art, Religion, and Myths" – Knossos: Birth of the Minotaur
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece – Messara: The Kretan Bull
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – The Kretan Bull
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey