In Greek mythology, Pasiphaë (/pəˈsɪfiiː/; Ancient Greek: Πασιφάη, romanized: Pāsipháē, lit. 'wide-shining', derived from πᾶσι (dative plural) "for all" and φάος/φῶς phaos/phos "light") was a queen of Crete. The daughter of Helios and the Oceanid nymph Perse, Pasiphaë is notable as the mother of the Minotaur. Her husband, Minos, failed to sacrifice the Cretan Bull to Poseidon as he had promised. Poseidon then cursed Pasiphaë to fall in love with the bull. Athenian inventor Daedalus built a hollow cow for her to hide in so she could mate with the bull, which resulted in her conceiving the Minotaur.
>>>PUT SHARE BUTTONS HERE<<<
👉 Pasiphaë in the context of Monster
A monster is a type of imaginary or fictional creature found in literature, folklore, mythology, horror, fantasy, fiction and religion. They are very often depicted as dangerous and aggressive, with a strange or grotesque appearance that causes terror and fear, often in humans. Monsters usually resemble bizarre, deformed, otherworldly and/or mutated animals or entirely unique creatures of varying sizes, but may also take a human form, such as mutants, ghosts, spirits, vampires or zombies, among other things. They may or may not have supernatural powers, but are usually capable of killing or causing some form of destruction, threatening the social or moral order of the human world in the process.
Animal monsters are outside the moral order, but sometimes have their origin in some human violation of the moral law (e.g. in the Greek myth, Minos does not sacrifice to Poseidon the white bull which the god sent him, so as punishment Poseidon makes Minos' wife, Pasiphaë, fall in love with the bull. She copulates with the beast, and gives birth to the man with a bull's head, the Minotaur). Human monsters are those who by birth were never fully human (Medusa and her Gorgon sisters) or who through some supernatural or unnatural act lost their humanity (werewolves, Frankenstein's monster), and so who can no longer, or who never could, follow the moral law of human society.
In this Dossier
- ⭐ Core Definition: Pasiphaë
- 👉 Pasiphaë in the context of Monster
- Pasiphaë in the context of Daedalus
- Pasiphaë in the context of Cretan Bull
- Pasiphaë in the context of Perses of Colchis
- Pasiphaë in the context of Alcaeus (mythology)
- Pasiphaë in the context of Catreus
- Pasiphaë in the context of Perses (mythology)
Pasiphaë in the context of Daedalus
In Greek mythology, Daedalus (UK: /ˈdiːdələs/, US: /ˈdɛdələs/ ; Greek: Δαίδαλος; Latin: Daedalus; Etruscan: Taitale) was a skillful architect and craftsman, seen as a symbol of wisdom, knowledge and power. He is the father of Icarus, the uncle of Perdix, and possibly also the father of Iapyx. Among his most famous creations are the wooden cow for Pasiphaë, the Labyrinth for King Minos of Crete which imprisoned the Minotaur, and wings that he and his son Icarus used to attempt to escape Crete. It was during this escape that Icarus did not heed his father's warnings and flew too close to the sun; the wax holding his wings together melted and Icarus fell to his death.
Pasiphaë in the context of Cretan Bull
In Greek mythology, the Cretan Bull (Ancient Greek: Κρὴς ταῦρος, romanized: Krḕs taûros) was the bull Pasiphaë fell in love with, giving birth to the Minotaur.
Pasiphaë in the context of Perses of Colchis
In Greek mythology, Perses (/ˈpɜːrsiz/; Ancient Greek: Πέρσης, romanized: Pérsēs, lit. 'destroyer') is the brother of Aeëtes, Aloeus, Circe and Pasiphaë, which makes him a son of Helios, the god of the sun, by Perse, an Oceanid nymph.
Pasiphaë in the context of Alcaeus (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Alcaeus /ælˈsiːəs/ or Alkaios (Ancient Greek: Ἀλκαῖος derived from alke "strength") was the name of a number of different people:
- Alcaeus, was a Mycenaean prince. He was a son of Perseus and Andromeda and thus the brother of Perses, Heleus, Mestor, Sthenelus, Electryon, Cynurus, Gorgophone and Autochthe. Alcaeus was married either to Astydameia, the daughter of Pelops and Hippodamia, or Laonome, daughter of Guneus, or else Hipponome, daughter of Menoeceus, by whom he became the father of Amphitryon, Anaxo and Perimede.
- Alcaeus, the original name of Heracles (according to Diodorus Siculus), which was given to him on account of his descent from Alcaeus, the son of Perseus mentioned above.
- Alcaeus, a son of Heracles by a female slave of Iardanus, from whom the dynasty of the Heraclids in Lydia were believed to be descended. Diodorus Siculus writes that this son of Heracles is named "Cleolaus".
- Alcaeus, a Cretan general of Rhadamanthus, according to Diodorus Siculus, who presented him with the island of Paros. The Bibliotheca relates that he was a son of Androgeus (the son of Minos and Pasiphaë) and brother of Sthenelus, and that when Heracles, on his expedition to fetch the girdle of Ares, which was in the possession of the queen of the Amazons, arrived at Paros, some of his companions were slain by the sons of Minos. Heracles, in his anger, slew all the descendants of Minos except Alcaeus and Sthenelus, whom he took with him, and to whom he afterwards gave the island of Thasus as their home.
- Alcaeus, son of Margasus and Phyllis, a Carian ally of the Trojans in the Trojan War. He was killed by Meges.
Pasiphaë in the context of Catreus
In Greek mythology, Catreus, also spelled Katreus (/ˈkeɪtri.əs/, /ˈkeɪtruːs/;Ancient Greek: Κατρεύς), was the eldest son of Minos and Pasiphaë, and Minos's successor as king of Crete. Catreus had one son, Althaemenes, and three daughters, Apemosyne, Aerope and Clymene. Catreus was mistakenly killed by his son Althaemenes thereby fulfilling an oracle's prophecy.
Pasiphaë in the context of Perses (mythology)
In Greek mythology, Perses (Ancient Greek: Πέρσης, romanized: Pérsēs, lit. 'destroyer') can refer to the following individuals:
- Perses, the son of the Titan Crius and the sea-goddess Eurybia, brother to Astraeus and Pallas. He married his cousin Asteria and became the father of Hecate.
- Perses, the son of the sun-god Helios and the sea-nymph Perse, brother to Aeëtes, Circe and Pasiphaë.
- Perses, the son of Perseus and Andromeda and legendary ancestor of the Persians.
- Perses, the father of Chariclo. He might be one of the others above.