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Sunday, July 8, 2012

Minos and Theseus

Speranza

There is a sexual interpretation of the relations between Minos and Theseus.

Anthenaeus attributes this interpretation to one Zenis or Zeneus, a historian of Chios.

According to Zenis (or Zeneus), Minos reacted violently to the death of his son Androgeos in Attica because he was in love with Theseus, and he later gave him his daughter Phaedra as a wife.

On board the ship carrying Theseus to Crete, Minos and Theseus clash in a round of typical heroic boastfulness.

To Minos, who claims to be the son of Zeus, Theseus responds that he is no less noble, being the son of Poseidon.

To prove his point, and provoke his antagonist, Minos obtains a thunderbolt from Zeus. He then throws his ring to the ocean and asks Theseus to retrieve it. He does with the help of Poseidon.

It is possible that that the the most ancient tradition presented the relationship between Minos and Theseus in non-antagonistic terms.

Minos supplies Theseus with a spouse.

Minos sets Theseus two initiatory trials, that of the ring, and later the military and hunting trial of the fight with the Minotaur.

Minos thus appears to be the young man's teacher and examiner.


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