Theseus and the Minotaur

The heavy gate slammed shut, blocking out the cruel cackle of King Minos. Alone, Theseus squinted into the silent darkness, the blood and braveness draining from his face. Why had he volunteered to be a hero? His father, King Aegeus, had tried to talk him out of it. The prince could be home in Athens right now, lounging in his palace and feasting on figs.

Instead, Theseus had set sail for the most feared place in all of Greece: the island of Crete, ruled by the wicked King Minos. Now the prince was locked in an endless labyrinth with more twists and turns than any maze in history. But being lost in the labyrinth forever was not what scared Theseus the most.

What lurked deep in the underground tunnels sent chills down the spine of every mortal in Greece: the Minotaur, a monster of unimaginable strength and fury. King Minos had built this labyrinth to contain the beast, but he could not control its hunger. So once every year, King Minos ordered fourteen Athenians to serve as his monster’s meal. Timid King Aegeus sadly obeyed to keep the peace between their warring cities. But Prince Theseus knew King Minos’s command would not stop until his monster was stopped. Daring Theseus vowed to be the first and last to go into the labyrinth and face the Minotaur.

As his eyes adjusted to the darkness, Theseus saw towering, winding walls branching out in every direction, creating narrow paths with shadowy corners. He felt his way along cool stone, careful not to make a sound.

Many had entered the labyrinth. None had made it out, but none of them had what Theseus had: a secret weapon from the princess herself. Fed up with her father sending innocent people to their doom, Princess Ariadne had come up with her own heroic plan. While King Minos was busy unlocking the gate, the bold princess had whispered simple instructions to the shaking prince. Then she slipped something to him. It wasn’t sharp. It wasn’t heavy. But it was clever.

Clutching the key to his victory, Theseus tiptoed his way into the heart of the labyrinth. Holding his head high and his shield higher, he turned and took a step. His shield banged into a wall and hit the ground with a thunderous clang. Staring at the dead end in front of him, Theseus did not see the glowing eyes pop open behind him, but he heard panting… and it was getting louder . . . getting closer. Theseus spun around.

From the shadows, a strange shape slinked toward him. Its face looked like a bull, but it stood on two legs, and its huge, hairy body was not quite like anything on Earth.

With nowhere to run, all hope lay in his secret weapon — a string. Princess Ariadne held tight to the other end of that string. She had whispered that by always keeping ahold of the string, Theseus could trace his way back to the entrance and escape the inescapable maze. It had seemed like the perfect plan, but now Theseus wondered what good it would do if he was stuck in the belly of the beast.

The Minotaur leaped at the prince, but right before it reached him, it tumbled to the ground. It had tripped on the string! Now was Theseus’s chance. He summoned all his courage and dove onto the beast’s back, grabbing it by the horns. The Minotaur rose. Theseus did not let go, determined to keep away from the monster’s chomping jaws.

Too huge to turn around in the narrow pathway, the roaring Minotaur charged forward, crashing into the dead end, again and again, trying to knock down the wall. Instead, it knocked itself out.

The nightmare was over. The heroic prince stepped around the motionless monster to scoop up the precious string. He followed it back to his freedom and freedom for all of Athens.