Parents: Zeus and Europa

Children: Aridne Minos is the father-in-law in some stories to Dionysus, who marries Aridne, and in all stories the step-father of the Minotaur

Spouse: Pasiphae

Function: Minos is the head judge in the Underworld. Initially it is believed that the Judges only settled disputes in the Underworld...however, later, they judged what happened to people after they died with Hades. (I guess he got busy...more and more people...) He holds the keys to the Underworld. (I bet that you, readers of Revelations believed that that was God. Apparently the Greeks let it be Minos) Minos handles all of the hardest cases in the Underworld. (Hades' head lawyer)

Stories: As King of Crete, Minos asked for a beautiful bull to sacrifice to Poseidon. He got his wish, but the bull was so beautiful that he didn't want to sacrifice it. For vengence, Poseidon made Minos' wife, Pasiphae, have an unnatural lust for the bull. So, she built a beautiful cow suit, crawled inside, and mated with the bull.

She conceived and bore the Minotaur which was enclosed inside the labyrinth (which shortly after all of the royal family resided in). To feed the hideous beast, Minos demanded seven youths and seven maidens from Athens (which he had conquered) each year.

Finally an Athenian prince, Theseus (yes, the same one who tried to kidnap Persephone), decided that he was going to kill the Minotaur. He was helped by Minos' daughter, Aridne (who he eventually abandoned...brute), and killed the Minotaur. As it died, it destroyed (or an earthquake) the labyrinth killing all within. (Including Minos and Pasiphae)

Parents: Zeus and Europa

Function: One of the Judges of the Underworld. Judges Asiatics.

Parents: Zeus and Aegina (the one who so plauged Sisyphus)

Function: One of the Judges of the Underworld. He was chosen because, in life, he was known to be a man of great piety. He judges Europeans.

Back to the House of Hades
More Denizens
Return to my Main Page