Minos. In Greek mythology, Minos 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 Sir Arthur Evans. Minos is often interpreted as the Cretan word for king, or, by a euhemerist interpretation, the name of a particular king that was subsequently used as a title.
There is a name in Minoan Linear A mi-nu-te that may be related to Minos. According to La Marle's reading of Linear A, which has been heavily criticised as arbitrary, we should read mwi-nu ro-ja on a Linear A tablet.
The royal title ro-ja is read on several documents, including on stone libation tables from the sanctuaries, where it follows the name of the main god, Asirai. La Marle suggests that the name mwi-nu is expected to mean ascetic as Sanskrit muni, and fits this explanation to the legend about Minos sometimes living in caves on Crete. If royal succession in Minoan Crete descended matrilinearly, from the queen to her firstborn daughter, the queen's husband would have become the Minos, or war chief. Some scholars see a connection between Minos and the names of other ancient founder-kings, such as Menes of Egypt, Ma
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 Sir Arthur Evans. Minos is often interpreted as the Cretan word for king, or, by a euhemerist interpretation, the name of a particular king that was subsequently used as a title.
There is a name in Minoan Linear A mi-nu-te that may be related to Minos. According to La Marle's reading of Linear A, which has been heavily criticised as arbitrary, we should read mwi-nu ro-ja on a Linear A tablet.
The royal title ro-ja is read on several documents, including on stone libation tables from the sanctuaries, where it follows the name of the main god, Asirai. La Marle suggests that the name mwi-nu is expected to mean ascetic as Sanskrit muni, and fits this explanation to the legend about Minos sometimes living in caves on Crete. If royal succession in Minoan Crete descended matrilinearly, from the queen to her firstborn daughter, the queen's husband would have become the Minos, or war chief. Some scholars see a connection between Minos and the names of other ancient founder-kings, such as Menes of Egypt, Ma
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