CLA 10 Lecture 17: CLA10 Ch17 (The Myths of Crete)
Document Summary
Stereotype that cretans are liars, lusty rogues, tricky people who take advantage of others: cretan society known through archaeology; cretan myth reflects known archaeology. Palaces big and pleasant, not fortified: did not fear foreign invasion? (probably should have ) Cretan myth: bulls and the minotaur: cretan myth: bulls, europa, a girl descended from io through epaphus and libya and then her father agenor, zeus becomes smitten with her; appears to her as an especially friendly bull. She climbs on top of this bull and he manages to swim out on the aegean, taking her with him. Zeus swims to crete as the bull, revels himself, and keeps europa there as his mistress. They have children: daughters ariadn and phaedra, and a son androgeus: angry that minos did not sacrifice the bull of the sea to him, poseidon causes pasipha to lust for the bull.
