Mythology · 2
Which queen of Crete became infatuated with a bull sent by Poseidon, giving birth to the Minotaur?
Answer
Pasiphae
Pasiphae, wife of King Minos, was cursed by Poseidon to fall in love with a white bull after Minos refused to sacrifice it, resulting in the birth of the half-bull, half-man Minotaur.
💡 Did you know?
The Minotaur's father was King Minos's wife's lover, not Minos himself. Pasiphae fell in love with a white bull sent by Poseidon as punishment.
Other options people guess
- Ariadne
- Phaedra
- Europa
Topics
- greek-mythology
- minotaur
- crete
- pasiphae
Know your mythology trivia?
Play a free Mythology quiz and see how many you get right — no signup needed to start.
More Mythology facts
Mythology
Archaeologists believe the real-world inspiration for the Minotaur's labyrinth was the sprawling complex of which Cretan palace?
The Minotaur's maze wasn't a punishment—it was a containment unit for a creature ancient Crete may have worshipped as a sacred bull deity.
Mythology
In Ovid's version of the Medusa myth, which god assaulted Medusa in Athena's temple, prompting the goddess to punish Medusa?
Medusa wasn't always a monster—Ovid's version claims Poseidon assaulted her in Athena's temple, and the goddess punished the victim by transforming her into a gorgon.
Mythology
In Greek mythology, what was the monster that Theseus defeated in the Labyrinth?
Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread so he could retrace his path through the Labyrinth after slaying the Minotaur and escape with his life.
Mythology
Temple ruins revealing worship of the Nubian lion-god Apedemak were rediscovered in the 19th century in which present-day country?
Apedemak, a Nubian lion-god, was worshipped for centuries but nearly erased from history—rediscovered only through 19th-century temple ruins in Sudan.
Mythology
In Hindu mythology, which ten-headed demon king of Lanka kidnapped Sita, triggering the epic events of the Ramayana?
Ravana is described as a devoted scholar of the Vedas and a master of the veena (lute) — his ten heads symbolised his vast knowledge of the six scriptures and four Vedas, making him as learned as he was fearsome.
Mythology
In Norse mythology, what did Odin give up in exchange for the wisdom to foresee Ragnarök?
Norse Ragnarök predicts the world's destruction, yet Odin willingly sacrificed his eye to *know it would happen*—choosing knowledge over ignorance of doom.