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The Sword and the Crown
The Tales of Corona Borealis
Chapter 4: The Minotaur
As they quietly entered the harbor at Crete,
Theseus saw a crowd gathering on shore. "They're here as usual,
smelling blood," said the deckhand in disgust. "And over there is
the most repulsive of the lot," he pointed to a litter surrounded
by bronzed muscled bearers. Beautiful slaves fanned the crowned
man who sat upon its throne. He looked bored. "That's King Minos.
He's here to pick a young woman to use before he sends her to her
death. He's a worse beast than his half-man half-bull son."
Armed guards led them in single file, motioning for them to stop
in front of the royal litter. "You," he pointed to Eriboea. "I will
have you." The guards grabbed her arms and dragged her crying to
King Minos.
"Stop," called out Theseus. "You will not rape her."
Suddenly Minos sat up and shouted, "You. Who are you to talk to
me so?"
"I am Theseus, son of Poseidon."
"So? I am Minos, son of Zeus." Finding this somewhat amusing, Minos
challenged Theseus, "I'll prove my parentage, you prove yours."
Minos shouted, "Oh great and powerful father Zeus, show this fool
that I am your son." Immediately thunder growled and a bolt of lightning
split the sky. Pleased, Minos turned to Theseus and said, "Now you
prove." Theseus did not respond so Minos took a gold ring off his
finger and threw it into the sea. "Bring back my ring," Minos commanded.
Unlike Minos, Theseus did not call for help, but quickly dove into
the sea. He no sooner hit the water when a school of Dolphins surrounded
him and together they swam into the bay. They were soon joined by
two Nereids; one carried Minos' ring from the depths of the bay,
the other the jeweled crown that had been Thetis' wedding gift from
Aphrodite. These they presented to Theseus with all upon shore as
their witness.
Climbing out of the water, Theseus quickly handed Minos back his
ring. He turned away and inspected the crown within his hands. It
was a perfect work of art as only the artisan god Hephaestus could
make. The crown was an intricate lacework of gold and was adorned
with nine roses made of rubies. "It is a wedding crown," thought
Minos's daughter, Ariadne, as she watched. She wanted to wear it!
Full of admiration for Theseus, that evening she crept into the
chambers where the Athenian hostages were kept under guard. "Theseus,"
she whispered, "I wish to speak with you."
Coming to the window, Theseus saw a beautiful young woman whose
earnest face was lit by moonlight. "I think I love you, Theseus,"
she said.
Surprised, he asked, "Who are you?"
"I'm Ariadne," she responded. "I watched while you challenged my
father today. I had never seen him stopped like that before. That
was when I knew I loved you. Then, when you were given the wedding
crown, I knew I wanted to be the one to wear it. I want to be your
wife."
Theseus had never received a proposal before. "You are Minos' daughter?"
he asked. She nodded. "You can't marry a dead man. I must know how
to leave the labyrinth or I can never be your husband."
"I'll help you, Theseus."
"I don't have much time. Tomorrow I will be sent into the labyrinth.
If you can't teach me how to find my way out by then, it will be
too late."
"Don't worry, Theseus," comforted Ariadne. "I will be back by dawn
with the answer." Ariadne leaned into his cell and kissed him. Then
she smiled and left.
Daedalus heard a knock at his door. Muttering about no man's time
being sacred, he went to see who would begrudge him a good night's
sleep. Opening the door, he was shocked to see Ariadne for she was
such a sweet girl and not at all the kind given to making demands
on people.
"Please, Daedalus," she said frantically, "you must help me." He
invited her in. "Tell me," she said, "how could one go into the
labyrinth and find their way out again?"
"Why are you planning to go into the labyrinth?" Daedalus asked.
"Oh, not me," she replied, "but the man I plan to marry. Please,
Daedalus, you're the only one I trust who is smart enough to know
the secret." Tears welled up in her eyes. Daedalus shook his head
and smiled. He got up and left, only to return a few minutes later
with a large ball of string.
"There is a door to the entrance of the labyrinth," he began, "when
victims are placed inside, the door is shut so they won't run back
out. Tell your friend to tie the end of this string to the door
and then let the ball unwind as he walks through the corridors.
When he wishes to return, he will only need to follow the string."
Ariadne was delighted by the brilliant simplicity of the plan. She
put her arms around old Daedalus and gave him a kiss as she grabbed
the magic ball of string. "Thank you, dear Daedalus," she called
out as she happily ran out the door and back to her beloved.
"Theseus," came the whisper, "I have what you need." Theseus hadn't
been able to sleep. Instead, he had been trying to figure out a
plan to deal with the Minotaur, however it had not been working
too well. Now, hearing her voice, he felt encouraged. He moved quietly
through the sleeping bodies on the floor. "Theseus, this will work,"
Ariadne handed him the ball of string and repeated the instructions
of Daedalus.
How lucky it was that Ariadne fell in love with him, Theseus thought.
Now, he felt confident of his success. He gripped the ball of string
tightly. "Let me give you something to keep safe for me." He returned
a minute later handing the crown through the window to Ariadne.
Holding the crown, she kissed its roses, then started to cry. "Don't
cry, Ariadne," whispered Theseus, "because of your help I will return
safely. I go into the labyrinth tomorrow at dawn. I will meet you
at the entrance of the labyrinth tomorrow night when the moon is
highest in the sky. By then I will have killed the Minotaur and
we will need to help the others escape. Can you be ready to go?"
"Yes, Theseus. I'll be waiting for you. Good luck, my love." Once
again, Ariadne leaned through the window to kiss him, then she left
in the dark.
Through the window, he watched the shades of night retreat, deserting
a sky streaked with peach and amber and rose and violet. It was
a gentle morning. The clanging of a metal gate interrupted the silence
as the guards entered his cell and escorted him to the entrance
of the labyrinth. He stepped inside and the door slammed shut behind
him.
He pulled the ball of string out from its hiding place inside a
fold of his tunic and tied one end of it to the door. Then he set
out to investigate the labyrinth.
The labyrinth walls were a high hedge of thicket, twice as tall
as Theseus. As he walked down the first path, what appeared to be
a single wall of hedge was actually broken by connecting corridors.
Looking down one, it looked like another single wall of hedge whose
space was empty. Suddenly a rabbit jumped into the middle of the
hall. Coming from another passage, it seemed to materialize out
of the labyrinth walls. "Ah yes," he thought, "in a labyrinth you
are blind to a danger until it is upon you. I must proceed cautiously
and peek into every corridor before I enter. I must take each step
with care or it could be my last step."
For hours he roamed through the labyrinth halls. There were areas
of the labyrinth where fruit trees hung heavy with sweet and succulent
treats. He ate his fill. There were fountains in many of the corridors.
One would never die of thirst. Birds filled the air with song and
flowers with their exotic perfumes were wildly blooming everywhere.
The labyrinth was beautiful and seductive. He had to remind himself
of its real danger. As he roamed its corridors, he found himself
pitying the monster for whom it was built. To be a freak, an object
of shame and ridicule, to be isolated and reviled, looked upon only
with fearful eyes, must be a terrible existence which could make
a monster of any man.
It was late afternoon when he first spied the long shadow of the
Minotaur. He sat slumped on a bench, eyes down. He seemed to be
listening to the birds at the fountain next to him as his head swayed
to their rhythm. Theseus had luck for he was downwind of his enemy.
From his advantaged position, he watched his quarry.
For a flesh eating monster, his was a docile temperament. He flicked
away the flies that pestered him about his bovine nose and eyes.
His human body was muscular and fit. Probably he would have been
handsome, had it not been his misfortune to be the outcome of his
mother's ill-fated alliance. Theseus felt a bond with him that he
had never felt for an enemy before.
The Minotaur sat up as the birds increased in number and volume,
for they heralded the evening star. As the sun set and the sky glowed
and all the clouds looked as if they were on fire, the Minotaur
stretched as he rose, then left his peaceful grove, apparently to
go to bed.
Theseus followed, being very careful to move silently and always
to remain downwind. The Minotaur came to an area protected by thick
branches of a mammoth overhanging tree. Beneath the tree was a canopy
with the royal insignia of the House of Minos. Here the ground was
thick with cushions and comforters spread beneath the tree. In sleep,
he was allowed to be the prince, even though that was not granted
him within his waking state. As the sky darkened, the Minotaur nestled
comfortably within his royal haven and swiftly fell asleep.
Theseus waited for his victim to fall into the deepest state of
sleep, then in silence he approached. Lost in a dream world where
he was a princely hero, loved by all, the Minotaur did not wake
as Theseus killed him by hammering blows against his skull. Only
now could the Minotaur finally become part of the royal family,
buried with his ancestors. His body would no longer separate him.
Following the trail of string back to the entrance, Theseus found
the door open and Ariadne standing within, wearing the rose crown.
Beside her was a bag, packed and ready to go. Her eyes were filled
with tears of joy as she ran to him.
Ariadne led the way to the garret where the young Athenians were
held. She had been busy finding a secret passage while Theseus had
been on his mission in the labyrinth. Now, with all the hostages
released, they hurried to their boat and cast off for home guided
by the light of the moon.
Throughout the night and the next day they sailed toward Athens
and home. But, as evening and a storm approached, they took refuge
on the nearby island of Naxos, where they could rest in safety.
Ariadne slept nestled in the arms of Theseus that night, safe from
harm.
Theseus, however, did not sleep. He watched Ariadne breathing deeply,
sleeping with the crown close to her side. Suddenly he felt ashamed.
How could he marry the daughter of the enemy? He would bring shame
down upon his father if he brought her back. He battled with his
conscience. She was nothing to him. Why should he bring embarrassment
to himself? He did not need her. Finally he decided he would leave
her on the island.
He carefully got up without disturbing the sleeping girl. He glanced
at the crown. No, he didn't need it. He would leave it for her.
She liked it. She had earned it. He quietly woke his companions
and, swiftly, they left the island.
Preoccupied with his guilt for leaving her, Theseus forgot to change
the sails from black to white. In the palace, high above the city
with a expansive view of the sea, King Aegeus stood daily watching
for his son's ship. Now, on this clear morning he spied it sailing
toward the harbor of Athens. It carried black sails! "The gods have
abandoned me," he cried. "After all this time, I finally had a son;
then, so soon, he's lost to me." With a grieving heart, Aegeus looked
over the verandah's edge. It was a steep cliff, ending with jagged
rocks far below as they appeared between the waves crashing ashore.
In despair, Aegeus threw himself over the cliff. He died on the
rocks and his blood was washed out to sea.
It was not the joyous homecoming Theseus had imagined. He was racked
with guilt. First he had abandoned the innocent Ariadne, then he
caused his father's death by forgetting to raise the white sails.
Unaware of his transgressions, the people of Athens made Theseus
their king. For his first kingly act, he named the sea where his
father had died, the Aegean and, as Theseus learned to rule, he
learned to live with guilty secrets.
Ariadne awoke to the panic of being alone in an unfamiliar place.
Still foggy from sleep, she remembered that she had been with Theseus
and they had taken refuge from the storm on this island. She called
out to him, but there was no answer. There was no sign of him or
any of the other Athenians. There was only the rose crown.
"Ariadne," a voice called to her, "will you be my wife?"
"Who are you?" she asked. "I am to marry Theseus."
Materializing in front of her, the stranger took her hand. "I am
Dionysus. Theseus is gone, but I love you. Will you marry me?"
He took her to Lemnos and there they were married. She wore the
rose crown and became a goddess.
Tales of
the Immortal Night ©2003, J.J. Kuhl
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