Theseus

=**Theseus and the Minotaur**=

The myth of Theseus and the Minotaur is only one of a number of stories in which he is involved, however it is the most famous. It began when, during a war with the Athenians, Androgeus the son of Minos who was the king of Crete at the time, was killed in battle. Crete then threatened Athens with retribution. In order to avoid this, the citizens of Athens agreed to send seven boys and seven girls to Crete every year in order to feed the Minotaur. Just before the third group of children was to be sent Theseus, son of Aegeus, the king of Athens volunteered to go and kill the Minotaur. When Theseus arrived in Crete, Ariadne, the daughter of Minos quickly fell in love with him. She provided him with a ball of string which he could use to find his way back out of the labyrinth in which the Minotaur was kept.