In mythology, many feats performed by ancient Greek heroes are described, while most of the adventures are clothed in a fairy-tale form. In myths, you can find both gods and people acting together. Magical transformations and images of fabulous creatures that never existed in reality are not uncommon for plots. Here are just two of the many similar legends.
Minotaur Winner
The famous character of ancient Greek myths Theseus was the son of the Athenian king Aegeus. Having matured, Theseus turned into a strong and stately young man, thirsty for adventure. Having inherited sandals and a sword from his father, the hero performed a number of feats, the most famous of which was the victory over the Minotaur.
It was a mournful time for the Athenians. The Cretan king Minos subjugated Athens and demanded that the inhabitants of the city send him tribute every nine years - seven girls and the same number of young men. He gave the unfortunate ones to be devoured by the bloodthirsty Minotaur, who looked like a man with the head of a bull. The Minotaur lived in a labyrinth.
Theseus decided to put an end to the atrocities committed by Minos, and voluntarily went to Crete with the young victims. Minos did not take Theseus seriously, but his daughter Ariadne agreed to help the hero cope with the Minotaur.
It was Ariadne who gave the hero a sharp sword and a large ball of thread, with which he was able to pass the maze.
Together with the future victims, Theseus were taken to the place where the Minotaur lived. Theseus tied one end of the thread to the door, after which he boldly walked along the tangled corridors of the labyrinth, gradually unwinding the ball. Suddenly, a roar of the Minotaur was heard in front, which immediately rushed at the hero, gaping its jaws and threatening with its horns. During a fierce battle, Theseus cut off one of the Minotaur's horns and thrust his sword into his head. The monster expired. Ariadne's thread helped the hero and his companions get out of the mysterious labyrinth.
Perseus and the Gorgon Medusa
In distant lands, at the very edge of the world, where the night reigned and the god of death Thanatos reigned, three Gorgons lived. They were hideous winged monsters; their bodies were covered with scales, and hissing snakes wriggled on their heads. The fangs of the gorgons were like sharp daggers, and the gaze of each of the monsters was able to turn all living things into stone.
The two gorgons were immortal creatures, and only the gorgon Medusa could be killed.
According to mythology, once King Polydect sent a young and brave hero Perseus to fetch the head of a gorgon. So the cunning ruler intended to get rid of the young man, to whom he had long disliked. In those days, single combat with any of the gorgons meant imminent death for a person.
But here the hero was helped by the Olympic gods. Hermes showed Perseus the way to the place where the monsters lived, and gave him a magic sword. The goddess Athena handed the warrior a special copper shield with a surface polished to a mirror shine. The nymphs gave Perseus a magic bag, winged sandals and a protective invisibility helmet.
Magic sandals brought Perseus to the island, where he saw sleeping gorgons, on whose heads snakes slowly moved. The gods warned the hero that one glance of the monsters would turn him into a stone block. Having flown up to the gorgons, Perseus turned away and began to look at the monsters in the mirrored shield, where the reflections were clearly visible. The Gorgon Medusa had already begun to open her eyes when Perseus chopped off her head with a sword.
The rest of the monsters woke up from the noise. But the cunning Perseus managed to put on an invisibility helmet. He put the head of the defeated Medusa into his bag and quietly disappeared. Where drops of blood fell, oozing from a magic bag, poisonous snakes arose and crawled in different directions. Perseus later handed the head of the slain monster to the goddess Athena, who attached the trophy to the center of her shield.
