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Documentary, History Channel - Clash of the Gods - S01E04 The Minotaur
#Minotaur #Documentary #ClashoftheGods
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00:00A half-man, half-bull monster, locked in a giant maze, waiting for its next meal of human flesh.
00:14This is the bizarre myth of the Minotaur, an angry, savage freak of nature,
00:23that endures as a timeless symbol of the beast inside all men,
00:27but beneath its story lurks a stunning reality.
00:32A real world of human sacrifice, bestiality, war, and the remains of an actual labyrinth.
00:40This is the myth of the Minotaur, and the truth behind it.
00:48A heavy door clanks shut behind you.
01:00A dimly lit maze of corridors lie ahead.
01:05The stench of death hangs heavy in the air.
01:08You are trapped in the labyrinth of the Minotaur.
01:20And there is no way out.
01:21The story of the Minotaur was a horror story for the ancient Greeks.
01:41The labyrinth was a chamber of death.
01:43Those that got locked inside of it knew there was only one fate,
01:46and that's to be devoured by a horrible, ravenous, man-eating beast.
01:49This half-man, half-animal would rip you piece to piece and consume your flesh.
02:05The Minotaur is the mutant child of a human mother and a bull father.
02:20He has the body of an enormously strong, powerful man,
02:26but then the head of a bull with horns.
02:30On the one hand, it's part beast,
02:34and this beast is ravenous and hungry and kills and even eats the flesh of people that it has killed.
02:40On the other hand, the Minotaur is half-human,
02:42and it has a kind of vulnerability from that,
02:45in which its humanity is trapped inside of its bestiality.
02:48At its core, this myth represents the battle between reason and savagery,
02:54between order and chaos.
03:00The ancient Greeks who told the story prided themselves on being civilized.
03:06One of the things that the Greeks really did believe in
03:08was that human reason could do a lot.
03:12But the Minotaur was the enemy of reason.
03:15A symbol of the animal instincts trapped inside all men.
03:23The Minotaur, the monster, was the untamable part of nature
03:28that the Greeks were trying to get a hold of.
03:31This was the one thing that they could not control.
03:39According to the myth, this is where the Minotaur lives,
03:43on the island of Crete.
03:46At the time when the story takes place,
03:49Crete dominates the Greek world the way the Minotaur dominates the labyrinth.
03:54In the late Bronze Age,
03:56Crete really was the most important power in that part of the Mediterranean.
04:03The places like Athens and Sparta,
04:06which in the classical period would really become the most significant powers,
04:10really weren't anything very important at all.
04:13In fact, they had to pay tribute to Crete
04:16because it was the major power in the region.
04:20In the myth,
04:22the Minotaur was created to punish the king of Crete,
04:25Minas,
04:26after he tried to outwit a god.
04:28Every year it was customary that King Minas sacrifice his most prized bull
04:34as an offering to the sea god,
04:37Poseidon.
04:38But one year,
04:40his herd produced a calf so beautiful,
04:42so perfect,
04:43that Minas couldn't bear to part with it.
04:46He sacrificed a lesser bull in its place.
04:50But Poseidon was watching.
04:52Any time you try in Greek mythology to outsmart a god,
04:56you're going to lose.
04:59When Poseidon saw this,
05:01he said,
05:01OK,
05:02you like your bull so much,
05:04I'm going to make your woman like your bull.
05:07And so,
05:08he made Minas' wife
05:10lust for the bull.
05:14Minas' wife,
05:15Pasiphy,
05:16falls in love with the bull.
05:17Pasiphy's desire for the bull,
05:21I think,
05:21symbolizes a kind of animalistic lust.
05:24All of us like to think of ourselves
05:25as very rational creatures,
05:27but in reality,
05:28all of us know at our core,
05:29there's some piece of us
05:30that's driven by pure animalistic desire.
05:35The queen hatches an elaborate plan
05:37to seduce the bull.
05:39She climbs into a cow costume
05:41and lingers in the pasture where it grazes,
05:44waiting for the beast to approach.
05:47It's a very strange myth, this one,
05:50because Pasiphy
05:51essentially engages in an act of bestiality.
05:55She's in love with this bull.
05:56She wants to have sex with this bull.
06:01It seemed to be a preoccupation
06:03of ancient Greeks and Romans
06:05as to what the proper mode of sexual behavior was.
06:08And having sex with animals
06:09was one of those taboos
06:10that got kind of richly worked out
06:13in their mythology.
06:13In the real world,
06:18we see these mythic scenes,
06:20famous scenes of ancient bestiality,
06:22are performed in the Colosseum.
06:24You would have women slaves
06:26who would be forced to copulate with bulls
06:28in order to entertain.
06:34Often in these real-life spectacles,
06:36the ancients were acting out
06:37Queen Pasiphy's mythical encounter with a bull.
06:40In the story,
06:42it isn't long before her strategy succeeds.
06:46The bull spies her,
06:47is overcome with amorous desire,
06:49mounts her.
06:51Nine months later,
06:52you've got yourself a minotaur.
06:53The birth of monsters
07:03is very often associated with sinfulness
07:06or some other kind of wrongdoing.
07:09Certainly, this is both of those things.
07:11Because Minos didn't keep his end of the bargain,
07:15because Pasiphy indulged in an unnatural desire,
07:18the child is born monstrous and deformed.
07:21A half-human,
07:24half-bull baby boy,
07:26destined to become a horror.
07:29He's a monster,
07:30that's how we know him.
07:32But at the same time,
07:34he seems to be a victim of his fate.
07:38And that's why I have mixed feelings about the minotaur.
07:40I cannot really condemn him.
07:42The minotaur has a strange name.
07:45His father isn't Minos,
07:47but the first half of his name
07:48comes from the name Minos.
07:49The second half,
07:51Tauros,
07:51is the Greek word for a bull.
07:53Seminotaur means the bull of Minos.
07:57To the ancients,
07:58this man-bull hybrid
08:00was a powerful and frightening concept.
08:05Bulls were a central part of Greek civilization.
08:07In fact,
08:10they were even worshipped as gods.
08:12There were a lot of sacrifices and rituals around bull cults
08:16all across the eastern Mediterranean.
08:20A bull represents male virility and strength,
08:23and that's exactly what the bull was religiously.
08:26An icon representing male potency and fertility,
08:30great strength and power as well.
08:31The memory of the power of the bull
08:36carried through into Judeo-Christian times,
08:39and we see in pictures of the nativity,
08:42the bull breathing in to the baby Jesus
08:45with its life force.
08:51According to the myth,
08:52the tyrannical King Minos is furious
08:55when the Minotaur is born,
08:57and decides to use it as a weapon
08:59against anyone who dares to challenge his power.
09:03He devises a sinister plan
09:05to build the world's most terrifying prison,
09:08and makes his beastly stepson
09:10its man-eating warden.
09:12To build it,
09:17Minos turns to his resident engineering genius,
09:20Daedalus.
09:24Daedalus is the world's most famous ancient builder.
09:27He's like Thomas Edison and Frank Lloyd Wright
09:29rolled into one.
09:32He's able to construct beautiful monuments,
09:34and he's able also to construct flying machines,
09:38wonders of ancient technology.
09:40Daedalus makes plans for a prison
09:44with no barred cells,
09:46just a massive, winding maze.
09:48It would be so vast,
09:50so impossible to navigate,
09:52that even he could barely make it out alive.
09:57And in its heart would lie the Minotaur
10:00waiting for its prey.
10:03It was a series of passages and stairways.
10:07There is some sort of mystical
10:09or strange effect inside the labyrinth
10:12that so confuses those who walk through it
10:14that they don't know where they are in a short time.
10:17Dark.
10:19Disorienting.
10:21Deadly.
10:23This mythical labyrinth
10:24would be terrifying.
10:26But is it more than just a myth?
10:35Today, there's an underground maze
10:38on the island of Crete
10:39with an eerie resemblance
10:40to the labyrinth of the Minotaur,
10:43the Cave of Missara.
10:47It's an ancient underground quarry
10:50that, according to local lore,
10:51may have inspired the myth.
10:56Winding passageways stretch for over two miles
10:58in no particular order.
11:01In fact, most people who dare to enter
11:03run a cable with them
11:04to make sure they don't get lost.
11:07The same tactic will prove crucial
11:09for the Minotaur's victims
11:11later in the myth.
11:17Chisel marks found along these tunnel walls
11:19prove the caves are man-made,
11:22that they were dug with ancient tools.
11:25For centuries, visitors who came
11:27to explore this place
11:28were convinced
11:29they had found the home of the Minotaur.
11:33And many of them
11:34left their mark.
11:40Today, explorers still take on
11:42the challenge of navigating the labyrinth.
11:45Their objective is to reach
11:48this central room,
11:50where it is said
11:50the Minotaur once dwelled.
11:53They come here
11:54to beat their fears.
11:56And if they win,
11:58they accomplish the mission.
11:59They write their names on it
12:01and go out happy.
12:05It would be very nice
12:07if it were the labyrinth.
12:09I mean, everybody wants to know
12:10where the idea
12:11of the labyrinth came from.
12:13And when you see caves like this,
12:15right away,
12:16the idea must have come
12:17to the people
12:18that this might have been
12:19the lair of the Minotaur.
12:22An ancient, man-made maze
12:24on the same island
12:25where the myth is said
12:27to have taken place.
12:29It's the perfect candidate
12:30for the Minotaur's labyrinth
12:32in every way
12:33but one.
12:35Most experts think
12:36the myth
12:37is older than the cave.
12:39It was worked very late
12:41in Greek-Roman times
12:43and there are recorded visits
12:44by many pilgrims
12:45during this period.
12:48But the actual myth
12:50of a labyrinth
12:51and a Minotaur
12:52came much, much earlier.
12:55If Missara isn't the place
12:57that inspired the myth
12:58of the labyrinth,
13:00what is?
13:02The Hunt for Clues
13:03leads back to the myth.
13:09With his horrifying maze complete,
13:16Crete's King Minos
13:17shifts his focus
13:19and hunts
13:20for its first victims.
13:25It's mealtime
13:26for the Minotaur.
13:27According to an ancient myth,
13:36the island of Crete
13:37is home to a half-man,
13:39half-bull monster
13:40who hungrily patrols
13:42a dark labyrinth.
13:45The labyrinth itself
13:46is so confusing,
13:48even its builder
13:49can barely find the way out.
13:53Inside,
13:54the Minotaur
13:55awaits its first victims,
13:56hungry for human flesh.
14:06Meanwhile,
14:08200 miles north
14:09in a small city-state
14:10called Athens,
14:13athletes have gathered
14:14from all over
14:15the Mediterranean
14:16to compete
14:16in a series
14:17of sporting challenges.
14:19It's an early precursor
14:21to the Olympic Games.
14:24Among the competitors
14:25is Prince Andragius,
14:26the son of Crete's
14:28King Minos
14:29and the half-brother
14:31of the Minotaur.
14:33Minos' son,
14:34Andragius,
14:35won every contest
14:36running,
14:38throwing,
14:39singing.
14:40He was a star.
14:41And it's so upset
14:43a number of the Athenian youth
14:45that they got
14:46into a drunken brawl
14:48and went and killed him.
14:49The son of a king,
14:57murdered in cold blood.
15:00This means war.
15:04Once the news
15:05reaches Minos,
15:05of course,
15:06his grief is overwhelming
15:08and his rage
15:09and thirst for revenge
15:11is enormous.
15:12King Minos decides
15:14to punish the Athenians
15:15in the worst possible way.
15:18He will feed them
15:19to the Minotaur.
15:22The Cretan navy
15:23drops anchor at Athens
15:25and delivers
15:26an ultimatum.
15:31Minos demanded
15:33that they send
15:34seven male virgins
15:36and seven female virgins
15:38to be sacrificed
15:39to the Minotaur.
15:41Virgins were a prized commodity
15:43in the ancient world
15:44because it was believed
15:46their purity
15:46made them closer
15:47to the gods.
15:52They would be put
15:53on a ship
15:54and the ship
15:56would take them
15:57in very degrading
15:59circumstances
16:00to Crete.
16:02They would be led
16:03crying
16:04and in great tears.
16:06into the labyrinth
16:10where they would be
16:11consumed
16:11by the monster.
16:14So goes the myth.
16:16But what is the connection
16:17to reality?
16:23Here,
16:24the story symbolizes
16:25an actual
16:26historical conflict.
16:29An epic struggle
16:31between an aging superpower
16:32and an up-and-coming state.
16:36Early in Greek history,
16:38Athens and Crete
16:39were real-life enemies.
16:41But Crete's massive navy
16:42gave it a decided advantage.
16:46In both myth
16:47and reality,
16:48it was David
16:49versus Goliath.
16:51In the Minotaur myth
16:52is pretty clearly
16:53a symbolic overlay
16:55of real history.
16:57Crete was a very powerful
16:58civilization
16:59and they kind of
17:00lorded it over
17:01the city-states
17:02on mainland Greece.
17:02When Minos
17:05made this
17:06outrageous demand,
17:08what it was
17:08was a reflection
17:09of the Cretan
17:10dominance
17:11of that entire area.
17:16The Athenians
17:17told the Minotaur story
17:18as political propaganda.
17:21The Minotaur
17:22represented
17:22the tyranny
17:23of Crete.
17:24The labyrinth
17:27was Crete's
17:28nearly inescapable power
17:30and the victims
17:31symbolized
17:32the suffering
17:34of Athens.
17:37The myth's purpose
17:38was to make the Cretans
17:39seem barbaric
17:40and evil
17:41and it worked.
17:44For the Greeks
17:45themselves
17:45who embellished
17:46this story
17:47over the centuries,
17:48it was a very
17:49important proof
17:50that they
17:51and their
17:52gods
17:53and their
17:54rational thinking
17:55were superior
17:56to the Cretans
17:57and their bulls
17:59and their monsters.
18:04In the myth,
18:06Athens is forced
18:07to send human sacrifices
18:08to the Minotaur
18:09every nine years
18:10or face
18:12all-out war
18:12with Crete.
18:15But why
18:16nine years?
18:19It seems
18:19from their records
18:20they had an understanding
18:21of the movement
18:23of the moon
18:24through various constellations
18:26that go through
18:27about a nine-year cycle
18:28and that would be
18:30then the basis
18:31of the nine-year sacrifice.
18:34Whenever a full moon
18:35falls on the equinox,
18:37it will be time
18:38to send fresh sacrifices
18:39to the beast.
18:47As the first victims
18:49are being locked
18:50inside the labyrinth,
18:51a pivotal event
18:52is unfolding
18:53across the sea.
18:55In a small kingdom
18:5750 miles from Athens,
18:58a baby boy
18:59is being born.
19:01His name
19:01is Theseus.
19:03He is one of the first
19:04great heroes
19:05of Greek myth.
19:07The one
19:08who is destined
19:09to challenge
19:10the Minotaur.
19:13The birth of Theseus
19:14is of preeminence
19:16importance
19:17in terms of
19:18Athenian national identity.
19:21Theseus belongs
19:22to an older order
19:23of heroes.
19:24They are characterized
19:25by tremendous strength,
19:27tremendous bravery,
19:28and also great brain power.
19:31Theseus is the son
19:32of a beautiful
19:33Greek princess
19:34and not one,
19:36but two powerful fathers.
19:39On the night
19:39he was conceived,
19:40his mother had sex
19:41with both Aegeus,
19:42king of Athens,
19:44and Poseidon,
19:45god of the sea.
19:47What usually happens
19:48is that the mother
19:50will sleep
19:51with the human father
19:52and also sleep
19:53in the same time frame
19:55with the divine father
19:56so that the child
19:56is fertilized
19:58by two people
19:59simultaneously.
20:01Having dual paternity
20:02allows him
20:03to both inherit
20:03the throne
20:04from Aegeus
20:05as well as
20:06have access
20:07to things like
20:08Poseidon's special favors.
20:11This two-father scenario
20:13was a common plotline
20:14in ancient myths.
20:16It's even something
20:17real-life rulers
20:18often claimed
20:19for themselves.
20:22One of the
20:23perhaps best known
20:24is Alexander the Great
20:26who celebrates himself
20:28as being partially divine.
20:31Later on
20:32in the Roman period,
20:33the Roman emperor
20:33is starting with Augustus
20:35claimed that
20:36they became gods.
20:38It gives you
20:39a kind of authority
20:40if you can say
20:41I'm actually
20:42the child of a god.
20:48According to the myth,
20:49when Theseus is born,
20:51King Aegeus
20:51buries his sandals
20:52and a sword
20:53beneath a huge rock.
20:56He tells Theseus' mother
20:57that when the boy
20:58is strong enough
20:59to lift that rock,
21:00he should come
21:01to claim his rightful place
21:03as Prince of Athens.
21:04Nine years later,
21:11Crete again demands
21:12that seven men
21:13and seven women
21:14be sent as tribute
21:15to die in the Minotaur's labyrinth.
21:20The kingdom needs a hero.
21:22The third time
21:31Crete demands
21:32its tribute,
21:33Theseus is ready.
21:39He is finally
21:40strong enough
21:40to lift the rock
21:41that hides
21:42his father's sword
21:43and sandals.
21:46He vows
21:47to enter the labyrinth,
21:49battle the Minotaur,
21:51and free Athens
21:53from the tyranny
21:54of Crete.
21:56It's the classic face-off
21:58between monster
21:59and hero.
22:03And modern evidence
22:05has revealed
22:05some shocking truth
22:07behind it.
22:13The city of Athens
22:15is in mourning.
22:18Once again,
22:19it is time
22:20to send human sacrifices
22:22to the Minotaur.
22:25The innocent victims
22:26demanded by King Minos,
22:28the tyrant of Crete.
22:34Those chosen
22:35are sure to die.
22:37But there is one
22:39who vows
22:39to challenge fate.
22:41The prince of Athens,
22:44Theseus.
22:45He is anxious
22:46to prove his bravery
22:47and to free his kingdom.
22:51All heroes have to commit
22:52great acts
22:54in order to gain their status.
22:56So he needs to go out
22:56and do something great.
22:58And that is going to be
22:59to stop the Athenians
23:00from having to submit
23:00to Minos
23:01and submit their children
23:02to the Minotaur.
23:07The stage is set.
23:09It's Theseus,
23:12heroic symbol
23:13of man at his best.
23:15Against the Minotaur,
23:17the savage reflection
23:18of man
23:19at his worst.
23:27Before Theseus
23:28departs for Crete,
23:30his father gives him
23:31an important order.
23:33When and if
23:34he returns to Athens,
23:36he must hoist
23:36the white sail
23:37instead of the black.
23:39That way,
23:40when the ship
23:40appears on the horizon,
23:42the king will know
23:43his son is safe.
23:52According to the myth,
23:54this is where Theseus
23:55was headed.
23:57Gnosis,
23:58the capital city
23:59of King Minos
24:00and the Cretans.
24:02The ancient Greeks
24:03believed this
24:04was the home
24:05of the Minotaur.
24:07A scene of horrific crimes
24:09against humanity.
24:11Today,
24:11its ruins
24:12still hold clues
24:13about the reality
24:14behind the myth.
24:19At the height
24:20of Crete's power,
24:22between 1700
24:23and 1450 B.C.,
24:25this city was home
24:26to 100,000 people.
24:30At its center
24:31was a vast palace
24:32with a complex layout.
24:35In fact,
24:37some experts believe
24:38it was the original
24:39inspiration
24:40for the labyrinth.
24:43It must have been
24:44extremely difficult
24:45for anyone
24:45to find their way
24:46all around
24:47that huge palace,
24:48which had something
24:49like a thousand rooms
24:50in it
24:51and five stories
24:52in some places.
24:54There were many
24:54passageways in it.
24:56There were no halls.
24:58The passageways
24:59went from one little room
25:00to another little room
25:02so you could not
25:03find a direct line
25:04anywhere.
25:06My guess
25:06is that when the Greeks
25:07first saw this,
25:09they couldn't make sense
25:11of it,
25:11so that's where
25:12the notion
25:13of the labyrinth
25:13came from.
25:15They would have imagined
25:16it as a dungeon-y,
25:19dark series
25:21of corridors
25:22that violated
25:23the Greeks' sense
25:25of symmetry.
25:26Greeks liked symmetry.
25:27Modern excavations
25:30inside the palace
25:31have only strengthened
25:32its connection
25:33to the minotaur myth.
25:36Throughout the site,
25:38signs of bull worship
25:39can be found.
25:42One fresco
25:43found in the palace
25:44even depicts
25:45a young man
25:46battling a bull.
25:49It's a scene
25:49that seems torn
25:50almost directly
25:51from the myth.
25:53The depiction
25:54from the Knossos palace
25:56shows a naked young man
25:57somersaulting
25:58over the top
25:59of a bull
26:00with large horns
26:01that seems to be
26:02enraged
26:03and chasing him.
26:08An ancient palace
26:10that looks like a maze
26:11filled with artifacts
26:13related to bulls.
26:16It's easy to see
26:17how this place
26:18might have inspired
26:19the myth.
26:20But the connections
26:21do not end there.
26:24Archaeologists
26:25have unearthed evidence
26:26suggesting
26:26the existence
26:27of a real
26:28King Minos.
26:31A throne room
26:32with its seat
26:33still perfectly intact.
26:35It's the oldest
26:36ever found in Europe
26:38dating back
26:393,500 years.
26:42Also found
26:43was an inscription
26:44in an ancient language
26:45that may even mention
26:47the king by name.
26:49In the archives
26:50of the temple
26:51of Crete
26:52there were stone tablets
26:53which have
26:54inscribed on them
26:56words which look
26:58to be
26:58like the name
27:00of King Minos.
27:02There's one word
27:02Minute
27:03a second word
27:04Win
27:05Nu
27:06Ro
27:06Ja
27:07which could mean
27:09Minos
27:10the king
27:11Ro
27:11Ja
27:11is a title
27:12for royalty.
27:14These clues
27:15suggest King Minos
27:16may have actually lived.
27:18but the most
27:19intriguing connection
27:21to the Minotaur myth
27:22appears on another
27:23tablet found
27:24at the site.
27:26It depicts
27:27an offering
27:28to a so-called
27:29Mistress
27:30of the Labyrinth.
27:34Here
27:34in writing
27:35is a direct
27:37reference
27:37to the maze
27:38of the Minotaur.
27:40It's an
27:41unmistakable
27:41connection
27:42between the city
27:43of Gnosis
27:43and the myth.
27:47But who was
27:48this Mistress
27:48of the Labyrinth?
27:51Her identity
27:52is an
27:53intriguing mystery.
27:57Experts believe
27:58it was a woman
27:59of great importance
28:00at the palace
28:01a high-ranking
28:02priestess
28:03or even
28:04the daughter
28:04of a king.
28:07In the myth
28:07King Minos'
28:09daughter
28:09is Ariadne
28:10and she plays
28:11an important role
28:12in the rest
28:13of the story.
28:15We don't know
28:16who the Mistress
28:16of the Labyrinth
28:17was
28:17but it could
28:18have been
28:19Ariadne
28:19inasmuch
28:21as she was
28:21entitled to be
28:23the priestess
28:23of the temple
28:25because she was
28:26the first daughter
28:26of King Minos.
28:27from the moment
28:35Theseus arrives
28:36in Crete
28:37to be sacrificed
28:38Princess Ariadne
28:40is drawn to him.
28:42Ariadne
28:42notices
28:43Theseus'
28:44bearing
28:44his courage
28:45his unblinking gaze
28:47and is immediately
28:48smitten with him.
28:50She's just sort of
28:51overcome
28:51by the power
28:53of her love
28:53for Theseus
28:53and she immediately
28:54decides that she's
28:55going to help him
28:55because she doesn't
28:57want him to die
28:57in the Labyrinth
28:59as all the other
28:59figures do.
29:03But Ariadne
29:04must act fast.
29:06She seeks out
29:07Daedalus
29:07the designer
29:08of the Labyrinth
29:09and begs him
29:10to explain
29:11how to escape it.
29:13What he gives her
29:14is a clue.
29:16In Old English
29:17translations
29:18of this myth
29:18the word clue
29:20means a ball
29:21of twine.
29:23This is what
29:23Daedalus gives
29:24to Ariadne
29:25and it's how
29:26the modern word
29:27clue
29:28originated.
29:30And Daedalus
29:31said
29:31why don't you
29:32just use
29:33a ball of twine
29:34tie one end
29:35to the door
29:35and then unravel it
29:37as you go
29:37into the Labyrinth.
29:39Once you're
29:40in the center
29:40you can find
29:41your way back out
29:42by following
29:43the twine.
29:44We have continued
29:45to use balls
29:46of twine
29:46in underwater
29:47exploration.
29:49The divers
29:49will tie
29:50the end
29:50of the twine
29:51to an opening
29:52in a wreck
29:53or a cave
29:53go inside
29:55explore
29:55and then
29:56follow the twine
29:56back out again.
30:00Reason
30:01which is
30:01what the Greeks
30:02honored more
30:02than anything else
30:03is the thing
30:04that solves
30:05the problem.
30:06A very simple
30:07answer
30:07to what seems
30:08to be
30:09an impossible
30:09situation.
30:15Ariadne
30:16secretly visits
30:17Theseus
30:17in his holding
30:18cell
30:18and offers him
30:20her clue
30:20on one condition.
30:22he must
30:23marry her
30:24if he survives.
30:27When Theseus
30:28meets Ariadne
30:29he's sort
30:30of in a bind.
30:31He's going
30:32into the middle
30:32of a labyrinth
30:34about to be
30:34eaten alive
30:35by a minotaur
30:36and when Ariadne
30:38volunteers to help
30:38him he really
30:39doesn't have
30:39much of a choice.
30:41It's either
30:41do what she asks
30:42or take his chances
30:43and he's not
30:46going to take
30:46chances.
30:47The next morning
30:5914 victims
31:01are locked
31:01inside the
31:02labyrinth.
31:05Lambs
31:05ripe for the
31:06slaughter.
31:12With his
31:13ball of twine
31:14in hand
31:14Theseus leads
31:15the way
31:16into the maze.
31:20Theseus
31:21ties off
31:22the ball
31:22of twine
31:23at the door
31:23and starts
31:24to walk
31:24step by step
31:25through this
31:25dark,
31:26dank tunnel.
31:29Theseus
31:30has been
31:30offered
31:30as a human
31:31sacrifice.
31:33It's a concept
31:34that is hard
31:35to fathom
31:35today
31:36but evidence
31:37suggests
31:38that the real
31:39ancient Cretans
31:40not only
31:40sacrificed
31:41humans
31:41they also
31:43may have
31:44eaten
31:44them.
31:51Theseus
31:51the prince
31:52of Athens
31:53is leading
31:54his fellow
31:54victims
31:55deeper
31:55into the
31:56labyrinth
31:56determined
31:57to confront
31:58the Minotaur
31:58head on.
32:01He has
32:02a ball
32:02of twine
32:03a clue
32:04so that
32:05he can
32:05find his
32:06way
32:06back out.
32:07As the
32:10beastly
32:11growls
32:11of the
32:11Minotaur
32:12grow louder
32:12Theseus
32:14is resolute
32:14but those
32:16trapped
32:16with him
32:17are beginning
32:18to unravel.
32:20As the
32:21victims
32:21walk
32:21through
32:21the
32:22labyrinth
32:22one can
32:23imagine
32:23how terrified
32:24they must
32:25have been.
32:26Just think
32:27about going
32:27into that
32:28dark space
32:30and then
32:31as you
32:31wandered
32:31not being
32:32able to
32:33see anything.
32:34They knew
32:35that somewhere
32:36else in
32:37this maze
32:39there was
32:40this
32:40horrible
32:41man-eating
32:42creature
32:43that would
32:44devour
32:44them.
32:54You never
32:55know at
32:55what point
32:56you're going
32:56to encounter
32:57the monster.
33:03Deep
33:03inside the
33:04maze
33:05the Minotaur
33:05stirs.
33:10He hears
33:11the screams
33:11of frightened
33:12victims
33:12headed his
33:13way
33:13and he's
33:17ready for
33:17his next
33:18feast
33:18of flesh.
33:24This is
33:25the enemy
33:25Theseus
33:26must defeat
33:27in order
33:27to free
33:27Athens
33:28from the
33:28tyranny
33:29of Crete.
33:32So goes
33:32the myth
33:33but what
33:34is the
33:34link
33:35to reality?
33:41The tension
33:42between Athens
33:43and Crete
33:43during the
33:44Bronze Age
33:45is well
33:45documented
33:46but were
33:47the Cretans
33:47really as
33:48savage
33:48as the
33:49myth
33:49suggests?
33:50of the
33:51gods.
33:52At
33:55Nossus
33:56Palace
33:56excavations
33:57have turned
33:58up possible
33:58evidence
33:59that suggests
33:59some truth
34:00behind the
34:01story.
34:04Inscriptions
34:05found at the
34:06site have been
34:06interpreted by
34:07some as
34:08offerings made
34:09to the gods.
34:12Human
34:12offerings.
34:13There are
34:15records of
34:16a female
34:18servant
34:18being offered
34:19and also
34:20ten males
34:21being offered.
34:23Real
34:24people killed
34:25in ritual
34:25sacrifice
34:26just like
34:27the victims
34:28of the
34:28Minotaur
34:29in the
34:29myth.
34:33The
34:34suggestion
34:34is that
34:35there actually
34:36was human
34:36sacrifice
34:37being practiced
34:38on Crete.
34:40But the
34:41evidence extends
34:42beyond
34:43inscriptions.
34:45There are
34:46also bones
34:47that bear
34:48the markers
34:48of cold
34:49blooded
34:49murder.
34:52In
34:531979
34:54over 300
34:56of them
34:56were unearthed
34:57in Nossus.
34:59Unbelievably
34:59all of them
35:01belonged
35:01to children.
35:06About
35:0725%
35:08of them
35:09bore cut
35:09marks
35:09made by
35:10a fine
35:10blade
35:11the type
35:12that would
35:12have been
35:13used
35:13to remove
35:13flesh
35:14from bone.
35:16The bones
35:17had the
35:18marks
35:18of knives.
35:20They had
35:20cut marks
35:20on the sides
35:21of the bones.
35:23So it's
35:24hard to
35:25get around
35:26the fact
35:26that there
35:28was butchery
35:29going on here,
35:30perhaps even
35:30cannibalism.
35:31I don't
35:33I don't know
35:34I don't know
35:34how else
35:34one could
35:34interpret
35:35this kind
35:35of evidence.
35:38Sheep bones
35:39were also
35:39uncovered
35:40in the same
35:40place as
35:41the human
35:41bones.
35:43All were
35:43slashed
35:44in a similar
35:44manner.
35:46These scrape
35:47marks look a lot
35:48like the kind
35:49of marks
35:49that result
35:49from butchery
35:50of animals
35:52that are being
35:52prepared to
35:53eat.
35:54This suggests
35:55that the ancient
35:56Cretans were not
35:57only sacrificing
35:58humans,
35:59but eating
36:00them.
36:03Is the
36:04Minotaur's
36:04thirst for
36:05human flesh
36:06an encoded
36:07message about
36:08cannibalism?
36:09It's the most
36:10repulsive and
36:11abhorrent crime
36:12we can ever
36:13even imagine.
36:14It's a perfect
36:15way to demonize
36:16someone.
36:17So we can
36:17imagine that the
36:18ancient Greeks
36:19would have told
36:19this story about
36:20their great enemy
36:20Crete, that not
36:21only were they
36:22horrible people,
36:23they were monsters
36:23and even still
36:24they were cannibals.
36:29The myth continues.
36:34The labyrinth's
36:35corridors are
36:36cloaked in
36:37darkness.
36:39It is impossible
36:40for Theseus
36:41to find his
36:42way by sight.
36:44But the grunts
36:45and growls
36:46of the Minotaur
36:46are getting
36:47louder.
36:48They are his
36:49compass.
36:52His ball of
36:53twine, his
36:54clue, is small
36:55now.
36:56A quarter the
36:57size it was
36:58when Theseus
36:59entered the
36:59maze, the
37:01beast is
37:02near.
37:05He smells
37:06the stench of
37:07blood on the
37:07walls.
37:08He sees the
37:08bones of the
37:09poor beast's
37:09prior victims.
37:13He rounds a
37:13corner and
37:14sees a
37:14sleeping hulk.
37:19Even the
37:20breath of the
37:21Minotaur fills
37:22him with fear.
37:23But this is the
37:24difference between
37:24heroes and us
37:25ordinary folks.
37:26The hero feels
37:27the fear,
37:28masters it,
37:29and pursues the
37:30great deed.
37:35Theseus ambushes,
37:36catching the
37:38beast half asleep.
37:39Theseus approaches.
37:41The Minotaur is
37:41startled, jumps up,
37:43and attacks.
37:44Axe meets
37:45sword as man
37:46battles beast.
37:47The future of
37:48Athens and Crete
37:49hangs in the
37:51balance.
37:51In the pre-dawn
38:05hours, the sounds
38:07of struggle pierce
38:08the night.
38:11Inside the
38:12labyrinth, Theseus
38:14has the Minotaur
38:15cornered.
38:16He then pounces on
38:19it, attacks.
38:27Before the beast
38:28even knows what
38:29hit him, Theseus
38:30has the upper
38:30hand.
38:33The Minotaur
38:34struggles and
38:35gasps.
38:35The hero goes in
38:42for the kill.
38:43The Minotaur, this
38:57tortured, trapped,
38:58terrible soul, is dead.
39:01Theseus, son of
39:04Poseidon and
39:05prince of Athens,
39:07has destroyed the
39:08curse of King Minos.
39:11You can imagine
39:11that his heart is
39:12pounding, his
39:12adrenaline is pumping.
39:14He's covered with
39:15the muck and blood
39:15of this dead beast
39:17and all the other
39:17human beings that
39:18this beast has
39:19ingested over the
39:20years.
39:23That the forces of
39:24reason, as embodied
39:25by Theseus, overcame
39:28the forces of
39:29irrationality, as
39:31embodied by the
39:32Minotaur.
39:35But there's no
39:36time to celebrate
39:37his victory.
39:39Daybreak is
39:40approaching.
39:41Theseus needs to
39:42move fast if he's
39:44going to escape the
39:45wrath of King Minos.
39:47Once he's killed
39:48the Minotaur, it's
39:48not quite over,
39:49because Minos is not
39:50going to be happy
39:51about this, of
39:51course.
39:52So he has to
39:53retrace the steps,
39:54get out of the
39:54labyrinth, and then
39:55get back onto the
39:56ship.
39:59He follows his
40:04thread back out and
40:05leads the still-living
40:07youths of Athens out
40:08of the labyrinth.
40:12I can imagine the
40:13joy that must have
40:15come over the kids
40:16when they saw that
40:17their fate was not
40:18what they expected,
40:19that the fate was
40:20actually changed by
40:22the deed of the
40:23hero.
40:23Ariadne, the
40:32princess of Crete,
40:34has spent a
40:34restless night
40:35listening for any
40:36sign of Theseus'
40:38survival.
40:39He's promised to
40:40marry her if he
40:41escapes the Minotaur
40:42alive, and she
40:43intends to hold him
40:45to it.
40:47Just before dawn,
40:48she joins him,
40:49and their ship
40:50sets sail for
40:51Athens.
40:51It's a defining
40:55moment in Greek
40:56mythology.
40:57When Theseus slays
40:59the Minotaur, the
41:00action is really a
41:01symbolic act in which
41:02we have a hero of
41:04Athens who's finally
41:05overthrowing the yoke
41:06of Crete.
41:07It's a symbol of
41:09Greece beating
41:11Crete.
41:12It's a symbol of
41:13human bravery
41:15and ingenuity.
41:17So, all the stories,
41:19they inspired the
41:20young citizens to be
41:22faithful to their
41:23country, to be able
41:25to sacrifice themselves
41:26for their city's
41:27glory, and ultimately
41:29to become true
41:30citizens of a
41:31democratic city.
41:32Theseus leaves Crete
41:38the hero, but his
41:40voyage home will
41:41end in tragedy.
41:44When he left to
41:45fight the Minotaur,
41:46Theseus promised his
41:48earthly father, King
41:49Aegeus, that he
41:50would hoist a white
41:51sail if he returned
41:52home alive, to
41:53signal his victory.
41:54Every morning for
41:59months, Aegeus would
42:00visit the same
42:01seaside cliff, looking
42:03for any sign of the
42:04ship.
42:06But when it finally
42:07appears on the
42:08horizon, it's sailed
42:10as black.
42:13The king is
42:15inconsolable, thinking
42:17his son has been
42:18devoured by the
42:19Minotaur.
42:20In his grief, Aegeus
42:23leaps to his death in
42:24the sea below.
42:29To this day, that
42:30sea is called the
42:31Aegeum, after
42:33Theseus' father.
42:37When Theseus fails
42:38to raise the white
42:39sail, the original
42:40ancient tale, it
42:41doesn't tell us any
42:42motivations as to why
42:43he forgets.
42:44But in the end, the
42:46original myth seems to
42:47suggest a kind of
42:48carefreeness of youth.
42:52That's the easiest
42:52explanation.
42:53He was so excited by
42:55his victory, he was
42:56on his way home, and
42:58he simply just forgot
42:58to do it.
43:03Aegeus' sudden death
43:04is a shocking
43:05development.
43:07Theseus comes ashore
43:08not only as the
43:09liberator of Athens,
43:11but as its new
43:12king.
43:13The king who,
43:14according to the
43:15myth, would transform
43:16the city from a
43:17backwater outpost into
43:19a regional superpower.
43:20In this myth,
43:24Athens' rise to power is
43:25definitely credited to
43:27Theseus.
43:27In fact, the myth seems
43:29to have been written in
43:30part to prove this.
43:32In adopting Theseus as
43:34their founding hero, the
43:35Athenians were really
43:36making a statement.
43:37They were saying that
43:38this long-time domination
43:39of Crete was now over, and
43:41that there was a new top
43:42dog in town, and it was
43:43Athens.
43:44Athens would go on to
43:48become the Greek world's
43:49dominant city-state, while
43:52Crete would collapse and
43:54be conquered.
43:55But long after both
43:56kingdoms have faded into
43:58history, the myth of
44:00Theseus and the Minotaur
44:01endures.
44:03And like every good myth,
44:05it reveals insights into
44:07human nature that are as
44:09relevant today as they were
44:113,000 years ago.
44:14There's a lot of things
44:16that one can read into the
44:17Minotaur story.
44:19You can imagine the
44:20labyrinth as being the
44:21human mind, a dark place
44:23that we constantly explore
44:25in our conscious state, the
44:26animal nature, the nature
44:28that compels us to kill.
44:30These myths reveal to us in a
44:34uniquely powerful way parts
44:36of ourselves that we
44:37otherwise keep hidden, hidden
44:38urges and desires, hidden
44:40means by which we deal with
44:41the world, the most
44:44fundamental struggles of human
44:45experience.
44:46humans.
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