Minos

Minos was a mythical king in the island of Crete, the son of Zeus and Europa. He was famous for creating a successful code of laws; in fact, it was so grand that after his death, Minos became one of the three judges of the dead in the underworld. During his rule, Crete became a naval superpower and had an excellent educational system.

Minos is best known for his role in the myth of Theseus and the Minotaur. When Minos' son, Androgeos, went to Athens, he died while fighting a bull. Minos went to Athens to avenge his son's death, and having Zeus by his side, managed to install a capital tax on the Athenians; every nine years, seven boys and seven girls from Athens would be sent to Crete to be sacrificed to the Minotaur, a mythical creature that was held in the Labyrinth, a maze under the palace of Minos. Eventually, the hero Theseus managed to kill the Minotaur with the help of Minos' daughter Ariadne.

See Also: Zeus, Adventures of Theseus