The Minotaur

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The MinotaurThis is an exciting story of a duel between a monster and a man which took place in a dark underground labyrinth. It also has touch of a romance and the bitter after-taste of a betrayal. A little history about about King Minos of Crete is woven into the story. You can still see the remains of his palace today, at Knossos.

Read by Natasha. Duration 16 Minutes.


A long time ago – almost before history began – King Minos ruled the lovely island of Crete. The father of Minos was none other than Zeus, lord of all the gods, and he made sure that his son’s wealth and power only grew and grew.

Minos built a navy, and his ships sailed far and wide, bringing back goods, taxes, and something even more important than those – knowledge. For instance, when Minos wanted to build a palace that would strike awe and wonder into all who laid eyes on it, he asked his sea captain :

“Of all the palaces you have seen, on all your travels over the seas, which was the most magnificent?”
And the sea captain replied:

“Your majesty, the palace of Aegeus , King of Athens, surpasses all others for its beauty and grace. It was designed by Deadalus and the Athenians boast that he is the most brilliant architect who has ever lived.”

When he heard this, King Minos ordered the sea captain to fetch Deadalus to Crete. The sea captain sailed to Athens and told King Aegeus that Minos had need of his chief architect – and as Minos was the most powerful leader of those times, King Aegeus could not deny him his wish.

And so Daedalus brought his knowledge and great skill to Crete, and there he designed a wonderful palace for Minos. It was built on three floors, which was very high for buildings of those days, and the bathrooms and kitchens had plumbing that was far ahead of the times. Everywhere you went inside, you saw the double headed axe of King Minos which was his symbol of power. Upstairs, the walls were covered with bright pictures of dances and festivities. On them, you could see the young men and women of Crete leaping over the horns of bulls. It a dangerous sport indeed, but the Cretens loved to show off their skill and bravery.

The happiness of Minos was almost complete – there was but one sadness in his life. His wife gave birth to a child that was strange and unnatural. Although its face was human, it walked on four feet with hooves. Horns came out of its head, and in time it grew into a terrible monster – half man, half bull. When it bellowed the whole land of Crete shook, the walls of the palace trembled, and there were storms at sea. The people gossiped about his strange child of the King, whom they called the Minotaur. Minos wanted to have it killed, but he thought the gods would be angry with him if he killed his own son. Instead he ordered Daedalus to build a maze, known as a labyrinth, where the Minotaur could live out of sight and out of mind.

Daedalus built a Labyrinth underground that was so intricate and cunning in its design, that even he himself had trouble finding the way out.

The Minotaur agreed to live in the Labyrinth, but he demanded that human beings be sent into his maze at regular intervals, otherwise he would rage with hunger even until the walls of the palace fell down. And so Minos ordered the kings of the nearby lands to send ships full of their young people to sacrifice to the Minotaur. Every ninth year it was the turn of Athens to send its human tribute to Crete. Twice, King Aegeus agreed to this – for he was still afraid of Minos and the power of his navy – but on the third occasion, his son, Prince Theseus said to him:

“Father, this time, let me sail to Crete, and I shall kill the Minotaur and end this misery for our people. ”
Aegeus was very reluctant to send his beloved son to chance his life against the Minotaur but, as he could see no other way out of the terrible situation for his people, he agreed.

It was decided that the ship of Theseus would carry two sets of sails. If the mission was successful, it would return to Athens under white sails, but if Theseus was killed by the Minotaur, it would sail back under black sails. That way, the people of Athens would receive the news of the outcome all the sooner.

Prince Theseus sailed to Crete and stayed with King Minos in his magnificent palace. There, on occasion, he caught sight of Princess Ariadne, the lovely daughter of King Minos. When Ariadne saw Theseus she felt great pity for him.

“Certainly, he looks very nice,” she thought, “But what a shame that his life is about to end so soon and so terribly ! For even if he succeeds in killing the Minotaur, he will never find his way out of the dark and winding Labyrinth.”

And when Theseus saw Ariadne he thought:

“Surely the King’s own daughter knows some of his secrets. If only she could be persuaded to help me, I might stand a better chance of killing the Minotaur and escaping from the Labyrinth with my life.”
One day, when for a very short time Theseus found himself alone with Ariadne, he went down on his knees and begged her for any help that she could give him.

Ariadne promised to do what she could, and that evening she asked the advice of Daedalus, for if anyone knew the way out of the maze, it would surely be its architect. Daedalus too wanted to help Theseus – for they were both from the City of Athens. And so he gave Ariadne his secret plan of the Labyrinth – but she was dismayed when she examined it and saw the numerous twists and turns in the underground passage-ways. Even with a map it would be impossible to find one’s way through such a maze.

Later on, she found Theseus walking alone in the gardens, and she gave him the map. When he unfurled the map and saw its complexity he said:

“Oh Princess. I trust in my courage and my skill with my spear and my sword, but doubt that I shall ever find my way out of a maze such as this.”

But Ariadne had thought of a second way to help Theseus. She gave him a ball of thread, and told him to unwind it as he went through the dark Labyrinth. And on the way back he should gather the wool up, and follow it back to the daylight.

Theseus was pleased with the plan, and he kissed the hand of the princess, thanking her for all her help. The next day he said to King Minos.

“You majesty. I have been honoured to be your guest for one whole week. Now I am ready to complete my mission, and meet either death or glory.”

King Minos would have been happy for the foreign prince to rid him of the Minotaur – but he thought he stood little chance. He led Theseus to the entrance to the Labyrinth and wished him goodbye, for he never expected to see him again. Then Theseus ventured into the maze, and a little way in, he tied one end of the ball of thread a beam. He went further, and soon he was in complete darkness. He had to feel his way along the walls, and around the twists and turns of the Labyrinth. All the while he unwound the ball of wool that Ariadne had given him. Somewhere, deep inside, the bull was stamping and snorting, impatient to meet its latest sacrifice.

At last, deep within, Theseus could hear that the Minataur was close by. He found a passageway that led to a dead end – as many of them did – but what made this one different was that there was a sudden turning just before the end. He had seen this passage on the map, and it was just the place he was looking for.

Theseus hid himself around this final twist and called out to the Minataur – it heard him and came charging down the passage – but it could not slow down before the turning and charged straight into the wall. While it was still stunned from the impact, Theseus thrust his spear into the beast’s neck and killed it – though it did not let up its life before letting out a terrible bellow. The the walls of the palace shook and trembled, and King Minos said:

“Thank Zeus ! It seems that Prince Theseus has rid us of the terrible monster. But he will never find is way out of the Labyrinth and will surely die there.”

But Theseus began to gather up the ball of thread, until at last he reached the exit where Ariadne was eagerly waiting for him.

“Princess, how can I thank you,” said Theseus, “For without your help I would never have found my way out of that terrible place.”

And Ariadne replied :

“Take me back to Athens with you, and I shall be your bride.”

Now these were far from the words that Theseus had been hoping to hear. For although Ariadne was extremely beautiful, he was due to marry a different Princess his return to Athens. But he could not quite find the words to explain this to Ariadne, and so he replied in haste:

“Come: we must leave right away before your father discovers the truth.”

And leading her by the hand he led her down to his ship that was ready and waiting.

They set sail immediately for Athens, and in her heart Ariadne was overjoyed because she would soon marry her hero – or so she believed. But he had different plans. On the way back, they stopped at the island of Naxos to gather supplies. Ariadne walked to the end of the beach, paddling in the waves, and Theseus told the sea captain to set sail as fast as he could. Poor Ariadne was marooned on the island of Naxos, abandoned by her faithless lover. She stood high up on the cliffs and watched his sail disappear over the horizon. As she shed bitter tears, Bachuus the god of wine heard her weeping and decided to cheer her as best he could. He led his procession to her – wild animals and dancing servants, banging on drums and sounding trumpets. He took her crown from her head, and cast it up into the sky – it soared up to the heavens and its jewels turned into stars and formed a constellation in the shape of a crown.

As Theseus sailed away, he was laughing with the sea captain about the trick they had played. But Poseidon, the god of the seas heard them and was angry with Theseus for his betrayal of the princess. He sent a storm to toss his ship. The white sales were ripped and torn and fell into the raging seas. The ship survived the storm, but the captain was forced to repair his ship and use the second set of sails – the black ones that were meant to signal failure.

As they approached Athens, they were spotted by fishermen who raced back home to report the dreaded news.
The ship of Theseus, the hope of Athens, was returning under black sails. When this news reached the ears of the old king he ordered his chariot to take him down the harbour to see the ship return. When he saw that it was indeed returning under black sails, he was filled with uncontrollable grief and threw himself from the top of the harbour tower and into the sea where he drowned.

And that is the story of how Theseus betrayed Ariadne who had helped him escape death in the Labyrinth of the Minataur.

Bertie says that if you ever visit the National Gallery in London, you can see a famous picture of Ariadne and Baccus on the island of Naxos – it’s by an Italian painter called Titian.

And that was not quite the end of the tale, because there is another story about what happened to Daedalus, the architect of the famous Labarynth. Bertie says it’s a much shorter story, but it’s a good one, with a moral to it.

124 Comments

  • Thanigaivasan
    Posted June 9, 2008 at 10:44 am | Permalink

    its superb

  • Posted June 9, 2008 at 6:10 pm | Permalink

    Dear ” Storynory.com ”
    I just adored this story.
    My age is 80, and having practiced English in the most unusual way, I thought it amazing. In fact with little school my life was maintained in the most primitive form, therefore I’m most happy for having reached the chance in being able to handle the computer for news reading, and a few other elements. Just to keep up with English I do help others who know less than me. By discovering this address, it will be recomended to others to follow, here in South Brasil where I live. Other stories will from now on, also explored by me. Thank you;
    Sincerely yours; Mathias Arnold

  • Posted June 9, 2008 at 6:34 pm | Permalink

    Mathias – Many thanks for your comment. It is very nice to hear that you enjoyed the Minotaur. We like to cater to all ages !

  • lauren
    Posted June 10, 2008 at 5:06 am | Permalink

    Reed a book very fen doing,
    i so happy,
    i am a korean,
    i think that “storynory.com “is benefic of my life,
    i sorry, my english`s ablity not good,
    so think of much, bet i don`t know how write in english ,

  • Geoff
    Posted June 10, 2008 at 8:42 pm | Permalink

    LISTEN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

  • NG YAN BIN
    Posted June 11, 2008 at 5:00 am | Permalink

    I have a news about the dress in golden dress i will tell you the news she said that she knows Birtie.this story is very interesting.
    thank you

  • Don
    Posted June 11, 2008 at 3:16 pm | Permalink

    The story is great and it’s good for learning English.

  • Posted June 12, 2008 at 4:54 am | Permalink

    Good story , a bit sad nonetheless worth hearing especially for my son aged 9 years.

  • Posted June 14, 2008 at 11:50 am | Permalink

    i enyo the lisning to this story thank you to the resposible adoyt the wedsite help as to imrove our englich

  • hosseinali
    Posted June 21, 2008 at 12:25 pm | Permalink

    hello , I,m iranian .the story was too good .good luck in continuing way for your site and I wish for all of my friend in all of world peace and success .good by

  • Selene
    Posted June 23, 2008 at 8:50 am | Permalink

    Thank you Natasha! I love your stories. And listen to them every day. This story is nice also. But I found the end of the story to be a little bit confusing. I wish the story finished with these words:
    ” Take me back to Athens with you, and I shal be your bride”. Then Theseus took his lovely bride back to Athens where they lived happily ever after…..

  • Posted June 23, 2008 at 8:59 am | Permalink

    Dear Selene

    It’s wonderful that you listen every day. Thank so much for your comment.

    Sorry that The Minotaur has such a sad ending -but we are following the original Greek Myth. Theseus was a bit of a so and so, I’m afraid.

    We are wondering about doing Jason and Media – but that is even worse !

  • Chutee
    Posted June 23, 2008 at 5:21 pm | Permalink

    Dear Bertie,
    I am a Thai student who taking the Mythology coure at college..

    Thanks a lot for your story..this help me remember the Greek myth much easier.
    And comparing your version to the Edith Hamilton one,yours is more understandable.

    Again..Thank you

  • Posted June 23, 2008 at 5:31 pm | Permalink

    hello Chutee

    Very pleased to hear that the Minotaur was useful to you.

  • Christianna
    Posted June 24, 2008 at 5:14 pm | Permalink

    It’s a very nice story, I enjoyed it a lot =] A perfect story for a child ^^

  • Katie
    Posted June 30, 2008 at 9:41 am | Permalink

    Very nice and i had read it in school

  • Anonymous
    Posted July 8, 2008 at 12:08 pm | Permalink

    hi i’am yara samer i’am living in kuwait but i’am lebanease this story i did it photocopy of this story and it is soooooo nice it was talking about the minotaur in our school they gave us holidAY HOMEWORK my mother she did this story for me from her office we have to write any story from 100 words or 150
    words but still i didn’t do it
    good buy

  • Kat
    Posted July 25, 2008 at 4:23 am | Permalink

    Thanks again for the wonderful stories. Our whole family enjoys them.:)

  • Posted August 14, 2008 at 1:34 pm | Permalink

    extraodinary
    wow!!!!!!!!!! i dint expect this awesome……..

  • annie
    Posted August 24, 2008 at 2:36 am | Permalink

    wow and cool

  • annietujg
    Posted August 24, 2008 at 2:38 am | Permalink

    wow that was cool

  • Posted August 24, 2008 at 2:42 am | Permalink

    wow that was cool

  • anna maria
    Posted September 23, 2008 at 12:07 pm | Permalink

    hi bertie i liked this story.
    my name is anna maria and i am danish
    i am 7 and in grade 4 (i skipped a grade)
    and i read at an eith grade level! plese make your stories longer and reply
    sincerly
    amkb
    anna maria

  • Posted September 23, 2008 at 2:15 pm | Permalink

    Hi Anna Maria

    Many thanks for your comment. Well done on skipping a grade. We do have some longer stories – like the Snow Queen for instance. But it’s true that our stories have got a bitter shorter recently – so we’ll think about doing some longer ones too soon

    Bye for now !

  • Blz
    Posted November 3, 2008 at 9:27 am | Permalink

    i can do better than that Natasha !

  • MYCHAEL
    Posted November 17, 2008 at 3:02 pm | Permalink

    This thing is really great i love it. This is so cooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooollllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll

  • MYCHAEL
    Posted November 17, 2008 at 3:03 pm | Permalink

    This thing is really great i love it.

  • Posted November 18, 2008 at 12:00 pm | Permalink

    your website is great

  • Posted December 2, 2008 at 11:00 am | Permalink

    Same story in different retelling has different moral meanings, but the love, betrayal and revenge theme seems never changed.

    Great story and lovely comments gave by peoples from all of the world, especially the one by Mathias, who is now 80, his enthusiasm of learning is so encouraging!

  • Jamil
    Posted January 14, 2009 at 2:22 pm | Permalink

    this is excellent

  • Jamil
    Posted January 16, 2009 at 4:20 pm | Permalink

    tis is exelent

  • Nico
    Posted February 10, 2009 at 11:36 pm | Permalink

    Exellent page. I love it. It´s greeat page to practice my english.

    Thanks,

    Nico

  • tink
    Posted February 19, 2009 at 8:19 pm | Permalink

    uuuuuummmmmm ok? not that interesting

  • tina
    Posted February 21, 2009 at 7:22 pm | Permalink

    i love it so much

  • abbie
    Posted March 9, 2009 at 7:29 pm | Permalink

    good story

  • olivia
    Posted March 18, 2009 at 9:39 pm | Permalink

    luvin this story we lisn to it at school ma frend camron broght it ta school lots ov luv livyxxx xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

  • Sierra
    Posted March 27, 2009 at 4:56 am | Permalink

    I think:
    The Theme=Betrayal because Theseus killed the Minotaur and then tricked Ariadne after he implied that he would marry her.
    Thanks, : )

  • Colter
    Posted March 27, 2009 at 3:59 pm | Permalink

    The story is getting better and better. I am really enjoying these.

  • jonathan
    Posted March 27, 2009 at 7:54 pm | Permalink

    the theme of the story is when theseus killed the minotaur which i think was a weird way cuz he didnt really do anything exept let him run into a wall then stabbed him while he was down. anyways the theme of the story is wen theseus killed the minotaur then said he wood marry ariadne and adandonned her on the island of naxos.

  • Evan Shoelace
    Posted March 27, 2009 at 9:51 pm | Permalink

    The theme is defenitly adventure and love.

  • liam
    Posted March 28, 2009 at 12:12 am | Permalink

    betrayl is most of the theme but, there is a little bit of sorrow in between

  • Kelsey
    Posted March 28, 2009 at 2:38 am | Permalink

    I agree and think the theme is Betrayl because they talk about leaving or killing one to leave with the other.

  • Maddie
    Posted March 28, 2009 at 2:48 am | Permalink

    The theme of this story would probbly have to be betrayal. This is because obviously it says it a couple of times, but Theseus betrayed Ariadne by marooning her on an island after she had just saved his life! Wow that was nice!

  • Olivia W: )
    Posted March 28, 2009 at 5:54 am | Permalink

    There were two themes in this story, betrayal and courage. Theseus betrayed Ariadne and left her on the island. Let me tell you, you have to have a lot of courage to fight a minotaur. Really great story 8 )

  • Olivia A :P
    Posted March 28, 2009 at 6:15 am | Permalink

    Betrayal, too =D

  • Haley
    Posted March 28, 2009 at 4:31 pm | Permalink

    The theme is betrayal and strategy.

  • Giovanna (Sprauge)
    Posted March 28, 2009 at 7:33 pm | Permalink

    I think =(

    I dont like this one I think that its not goood sorry Mrs.Sprauge

  • ryan
    Posted March 28, 2009 at 7:42 pm | Permalink

    The theme is courage for Theseus going up against the minotaur and also betrayal when Theseus left the princess on the island of Naxos

  • Mohammad
    Posted March 29, 2009 at 3:27 am | Permalink

    it’s good
    thanks

  • paige
    Posted March 29, 2009 at 1:06 pm | Permalink

    it think the theme is betrayal because he said he would marry the kings daugther and keep her on that iland.

  • Aaron
    Posted March 29, 2009 at 5:58 pm | Permalink

    betrayal definitly because the king betrayed his son and the prince betrayed the princess,courage could also be one cause Theseus had to use courage to even step into the maze,not to mention kill the miotaur

  • Logan
    Posted March 29, 2009 at 7:50 pm | Permalink

    Wasn’t able to post before. busy. Themes: romance, bravery, betrayal

  • Posted March 30, 2009 at 2:25 am | Permalink

    I believe the theme is Betrayal. because theseus abandoned ariadne on an island.

  • trenton
    Posted March 30, 2009 at 3:05 am | Permalink

    adventure

  • lionel
    Posted March 30, 2009 at 3:22 am | Permalink

    i thought the themes were courage and betrayal

  • Jaclyn
    Posted March 30, 2009 at 3:48 am | Permalink

    I think the theme is betrayal beacause they tried to send people to be a sacrifice.
    (/__/)
    (=0.0=)
    (”)__(”)

  • Alisa
    Posted March 30, 2009 at 5:25 am | Permalink

    There are a few themes in this story. One theme that ocurs more than once is betrayal. Theseus betrayed the princess on the island of Naxos. The king also betrayed his son because he was a monster. Another theme in this story is bravery. Theseus showed his courage when he stepped into the deep and dark labrynth to kill a monster he couldn’t even see! Finally the princess showed love because she loved
    theseus; unfortuantely for her he marooned her on an island.

  • Posted March 30, 2009 at 5:38 am | Permalink

    i think the theme to this story is bravery, courage,and grief.. i did not like that he left the princess on the island. i think he should have not taken her on his ship but should have left her on her own land.

  • sydney
    Posted March 30, 2009 at 2:21 pm | Permalink

    I thought that the themes were betrayal and courage. There was also some adventure in there.

  • Christian
    Posted March 30, 2009 at 2:27 pm | Permalink

    i think betrayal is a theme because the king betrays his son because he’s a monster and he leaves the princess on the island after she loved him.

  • Andrew
    Posted March 31, 2009 at 11:10 pm | Permalink

    the theme is definately betrayel because theaseus leaves adriadne on the island.

  • cassie
    Posted April 1, 2009 at 3:21 am | Permalink

    the theme is betrayal because Prince Theseus left Princess Ariadne marooned at an island

  • Posted April 1, 2009 at 6:17 am | Permalink

    For what it’s worth, I agree with Andrew

  • Connor W.
    Posted April 1, 2009 at 1:55 pm | Permalink

    The theme of this story is betrayal and for people to understand how hurtful it can be.

  • Anonymous
    Posted April 1, 2009 at 5:57 pm | Permalink

    this is really good

  • Amanda;hi ms.sprague
    Posted April 1, 2009 at 11:16 pm | Permalink

    i think the theme is betrayal because theseus left ariadne on the island

  • RIKELLE KLEIN ♥
    Posted April 1, 2009 at 11:33 pm | Permalink

    I think the theme is::::::
    Courage(standing up to the minotaur)
    betrayal ( leaving the princess, also tricking people)
    All together adventure!!

  • j-cov
    Posted April 1, 2009 at 11:54 pm | Permalink

    the theme is a combination betrayal and bravery

  • denton XG
    Posted April 2, 2009 at 1:44 am | Permalink

    betrayal is the theme

  • katie w.
    Posted April 2, 2009 at 3:04 pm | Permalink

    theme: betrayal and romance

  • Jonathan Lewis
    Posted April 3, 2009 at 12:24 am | Permalink

    betrayel,love,and i think death were some themes

  • kiana perez
    Posted April 3, 2009 at 2:08 am | Permalink

    i think there are a lot of themes here are the ones i came up with betrayal,bravery,courage,and romance and of course i thought there was a lot more themes

  • Anna
    Posted April 3, 2009 at 3:16 am | Permalink

    i believe there are two themes: betrayal and courage

  • krisL
    Posted April 3, 2009 at 5:23 am | Permalink

    the theme is betrayal he maroons her on an island when she saved him

  • krisL
    Posted April 3, 2009 at 5:24 am | Permalink

    betrayal is the theme he maroons her

  • Taylor v
    Posted April 3, 2009 at 3:59 pm | Permalink

    betrayel

  • Jazmin....
    Posted April 3, 2009 at 8:54 pm | Permalink

    the theme was betrayal because the guy ditched the princess….at the island

  • thomas c.
    Posted April 4, 2009 at 2:12 am | Permalink

    hate is the conflict of this story

  • LoGaN j.
    Posted April 5, 2009 at 2:42 am | Permalink

    Bravery and Betrayel are the themes…minotaurs are cool

  • mr.chico
    Posted April 7, 2009 at 7:36 pm | Permalink

    sweet stuff

  • brian
    Posted April 9, 2009 at 11:28 pm | Permalink

    er it was okay but kinda boring lmao :P

  • Deanna
    Posted April 16, 2009 at 4:32 am | Permalink

    mainly adventure but inside of that would have to be bravery and betrayel

  • Danielle c
    Posted April 16, 2009 at 5:21 am | Permalink

    Courage and betrayal!? Are the themes

  • summer bailey
    Posted April 20, 2009 at 4:18 pm | Permalink

    betrayal

  • hunter
    Posted April 26, 2009 at 1:27 am | Permalink

    man vs fate, and man vs natuare

  • Posted April 26, 2009 at 9:37 pm | Permalink

    i used this poem on a report!!!!

  • jeffrey
    Posted May 2, 2009 at 8:01 pm | Permalink

    ok story

  • Posted May 3, 2009 at 3:48 pm | Permalink

    This is a cool story.

    P.S. Go to My awesome website!

  • Lee
    Posted May 5, 2009 at 1:29 pm | Permalink

    This is good!!!

  • carly
    Posted May 7, 2009 at 12:17 pm | Permalink

    is this in a book it is so cool super trooper i wish i could say that about troy

  • Brooke
    Posted May 7, 2009 at 12:18 pm | Permalink

    Isent this cool listining to minotor ay Nikhola

  • nichola
    Posted May 7, 2009 at 12:21 pm | Permalink

    bit slow speek up a bit

  • isaac
    Posted May 8, 2009 at 2:25 pm | Permalink

    i loved your storyy natasha

  • carly
    Posted May 12, 2009 at 12:29 pm | Permalink

    great (what do you think) i love it

  • carly and liam
    Posted May 12, 2009 at 12:31 pm | Permalink

    good ok bad

    good by carly
    ok by liam

  • Posted May 12, 2009 at 2:08 pm | Permalink

    Thanks Carly and Liam – a balanced selection of views !

  • anom
    Posted May 13, 2009 at 10:02 am | Permalink

    wtf is this a greek myth

  • Jessica
    Posted May 19, 2009 at 2:36 pm | Permalink

    I totaly love story nory like this is probaly the best reading website i have ever been to.

  • hunter
    Posted May 26, 2009 at 2:07 pm | Permalink

    this is long and boring

  • Raquel
    Posted June 19, 2009 at 9:26 am | Permalink

    very nice story good to know about the past

  • Tanya
    Posted June 19, 2009 at 6:35 pm | Permalink

    Greek Gods confuse me all the time. Such a good way (lisening) to catch up with the story. I have to say that Greek myth is so inconsistent itself. I find it hard to know the relationship between different Gods.

  • Ryoka
    Posted June 20, 2009 at 10:03 am | Permalink

    I really like this story!! It’s so AWESOME!!!!!!!I think this is one of my favorite stories!!!!!!!!

  • michael J.
    Posted June 20, 2009 at 4:54 pm | Permalink

    that was asome how many people do you know that are half bull half human

  • Nicole
    Posted June 22, 2009 at 2:29 am | Permalink

    I think it is a great story but it is still a selfish story because King Minos only thinks about taxes and gold!

    But I still like the story a lot and I think it is the best story I’ve ever read.

  • Eugenie K
    Posted June 22, 2009 at 2:51 am | Permalink

    I think Theseus was very selfish to leave Ariadne on the island. I feel sorry for the Minotaur as he was born that way and people thought he was a monster.

  • Posted June 22, 2009 at 2:59 am | Permalink

    I like this story even though I heard it several times.I like the minotaur because it is my 2nd favorite monster[My number 1 is the mummy.]

  • Ravindri
    Posted June 22, 2009 at 3:35 am | Permalink

    The story of Minatuar was interesting.It tuaght me a lot about greek history.

  • Audrey lee 5A
    Posted June 22, 2009 at 3:53 am | Permalink

    i think it was horrible that theseus killed minotaur because even if he looked weird he may have been a good person. and i think it was wrong of theseus to betray the princess! :(

  • Tara
    Posted June 22, 2009 at 4:22 am | Permalink

    I really enjoyed reading this story because it tought me about the past and that if you do something bad there are consequences.

  • Posted June 22, 2009 at 5:10 am | Permalink

    very good story but duo sent sound very realistic and half bull half man???

  • Marina
    Posted June 22, 2009 at 10:32 am | Permalink

    I liked the story.
    It was such a sad ending.

  • Jane 5T
    Posted June 22, 2009 at 1:35 pm | Permalink

    I like this story I feel sorry for the girl and the maze is so big I bet if I went in, I wouldn’t be able to get out :)

  • kunal
    Posted June 23, 2009 at 3:16 am | Permalink

    i just loved that story it had great language and description

  • Stien boumeester
    Posted June 23, 2009 at 3:23 am | Permalink

    I like the story. It is very nice to know what happend in the past.

  • Nicole 5T
    Posted June 23, 2009 at 12:23 pm | Permalink

    I liked this story very much because it was fun and full of adventure. Also, I did not like the part where The Princess was betrayed. This IS very interesting.

    Nicole

  • Nicole 5T
    Posted June 23, 2009 at 12:42 pm | Permalink

    This story is quite sad, it made me feel sorry for the princess because she was the one who helped Theseus with the maze but got nothing but was marooned by Theseus in return. But Iam a little bit confused with the story: Why would Theseus ditch the girl if she helped him? I enjoyed the story very much. I think I can work out the moral: When people help you, you must help them back. My questions are: How big is the Labyrinth? and
    What happened to King Minos?

  • Posted June 23, 2009 at 2:47 pm | Permalink

    Dear Nicole ST Thank you for your comments on the Minotaur. Theseus betrayed Ariadne because he was engaged to marry a different princess in Athens – and he hadn’t told her this. It’s certainly a good moral to help people back when they help you. I’m not sure how big the Labyrinth was – but certainly big enough to get lost in. KIng Minos continued to rule Crete and had a powerful navy. He also appears in the story, The Boy Who Flew Too High http://storynory.com/2008/08/24/the-boy-who-flew-too-high/

  • toni
    Posted June 23, 2009 at 11:20 pm | Permalink

    great story i think it was absolutly cruel of Theseus to maroon Ariadne, by the way what happened to her please answer

  • Posted June 23, 2009 at 11:41 pm | Permalink

    Toni, According to one story Ariadne went up into the sky and became a consolation of stars. Titian painted a picture of this – and his picture is in the National Gallery in London

    http://rbvhs.vusd.k12.ca.us/teachers/roswell/apeuro/unit1/images/bacchus_ariadne.jpg

  • freya
    Posted June 24, 2009 at 2:23 am | Permalink

    Very good story. Theaus was very cruel to Ariadne.

    The greeks loved ther powerful gods. i have a book caled ”percy jackson” mwhich has simular gods in.

    The Minataur sounded a scary beast when it screamed and shook the Palace!

  • Posted June 24, 2009 at 7:16 am | Permalink

    Hi Freya, yes Percy Jackson brings it all up to date. We can’t read it because it’s in copyright, but our sponsor, AudibleKids has some audio of it.

  • clare
    Posted June 25, 2009 at 4:04 pm | Permalink

    wasn’t Hercules Zeus’s son?

  • goldfish
    Posted July 2, 2009 at 4:57 pm | Permalink

    hi berty
    does storynory have lots of copyrite coz i want to share the story with my frends.

  • Posted July 2, 2009 at 5:47 pm | Permalink

    Dear Goldfish, you can share our stories with your friends just so long as you don’t charge for them. So please do share them !

One Trackback

  • [...] too close to the sun. It continues the story of Daedalus, whom we first met in the story of the Minotaur. We hear how he and his son Icarus tried to escape from Crete with wings made of feathers and wax. [...]

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