Minos Greek Son of Zeus and Europa.

Minos Greek Son of Zeus and Europa. When Europa arrived in Crete, she married the King Asterion, who adopted her children, including Minos, Rhadamanthus, and Sarpedon. With Pasiphaë, Minos was the father of Androgeus, Ariadne, and Phaedra. Minos succeeded Asterion to the throne of Crete. He became so well known for his wisdom and sense of justice that after his death he was made a judge in the Underworld (1). Minos was eventually drowned in a bathtub of boiling water at the court of King Cocalus of Sicily. The adjective minoan, means "pertaining to Crete." The Minoan period is the Cretan Bronze Age, roughly 2500 to 1200 b.c. Minos and the Minotaur - Mythology. Minos, king of Crete, was married to Pasiphaë. Minos incurred the wrath of the sea god, Poseidon, by refusing to sacrifice a magnificent bull to the gods. Poseidon took cruel revenge on Minos by making Pasiphaë fall in love with the bull, with whom she bore a strange offspring--half human, half bull. This monster was called the Minotaur. Wishing to hide the Minotaur from the eyes of the world, Minos asked the renowned inventor, Daedalus, to construct a prison that no one could penetrate. The ingenious Daedalus designed the labyrinth, a tortuous maze. Once inside the labyrinth, no one could find a way out. Only Daedalus knew how to escape. Minos made war on Athens, where his son, Androgeus, was killed. The people of Athens were made to pay for this crime by sending an annual tribute of seven men and seven maids to Crete. It would fall to the hero Theseus, with help from Minos's daughter, Ariadne, to put an end to the Minotaur and the yearly sacrifice. Meanwhile, Daedalus made his escape from Crete, where Minos had wished to hold him prisoner. Minos pursued him and eventually found him at the court of King Cocalus of Sicily, an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Italy. Here the great King Minos died an undignified death in a bathtub of boiling water. Minos and Scylla - Mythology. Scylla was the daughter of Nisus, the king of Megara (1) (southeastern Greek mainland). Nisus had a lock of hair that made him invulnerable and thus protected him and his city from enemies. Scylla fell in love with Minos, who was laying siege to the city. She cut off the magic lock of Nisus while he slept, thus enabling Minos to capture Megara. Minos had promised Scylla love in return for her deed but he despised her for her treachery to her father and reneged on his promise. He allowed Scylla to drown as she swam after his ship.