Wrath of the Gods Page #24

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in the center of a maze called the Labyrinth (LAB-i-rinth). It

had been born to Minos’s wife Pasiphaë (pa-SIF-ay-ee) as a

punishment from the gods. Minos had been challenged to

prove that he was of divine parentage, so he called on the

sea god Poseidon (puh-SYE-dun) to send him a sign. The god

obliged, and a beautiful white bull emerged from the sea.

Minos liked it so much that he neglected to sacrifice it to the

gods, as he should have done.

As a punishment, Poseidon caused the king’s wife to fall in

love with the bull. She had the master craftsman Daedalus

(DEED-uh-lus) build her a hollow cow in which to approach

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the beast. As a result, the Minotaur was born. The monster is

generally depicted as having the head of a bull and the body

of a man. But in the Middle Ages, artists portrayed a man’s

head and torso on a bull’s body.

Some say that Theseus expressed his solidarity with his

fellow citizens of Athens by volunteering to be one of the

victims. Others maintain that Minos noticed the handsome

young prince and chose him to be sacrificed. In any case,

Theseus became one of the fated fourteen who embarked

with the Cretan fleet.

Knossos

FADE UP ON A MINOAN COURTYARD. The island of

Crete (KREET) was the site of the earliest high civilization in

Europe. For two thousand years there flourished a culture

called “Minoan” (mi-NOH-an), after legendary King Minos

(MYE-nos). This civilization was characterized by unique

artwork and architecture, notably the imposing complex

at Knossos (NOSS-us). Discovered in 1899 and generally

considered a palace, it may instead have been a temple. The

layout of Knossos was so complicated that it would have

been incomprehensible to visitors, contributing to the myth

of the Labyrinth (LAB-i-rinth).

The abrupt end of the high Minoan civilization has always

been a great mystery. It is now theorized that the eruption

of the nearby volcanic island of Thera, with its shock-wave,

clouds of ash, and tidal waves, weakened the civilization so

much that mainlanders were able to take over rule of Crete.

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Indeed, when Krakatoa, a volcano in the South China Sea,

erupted in 1883 the sonic reverberations traveled three times

around the world, and the sky in New Haven, Connecticut,

glowed so strangely that the fire department was called out.

Ash was ejected almost twenty miles into the air, and day

was turned to night for almost three hundred miles around.

It has been estimated that the magma chamber of the Thera

volcano was five times as large as that of Krakatoa. Folk

memories of this even may underlie the legend of the lost

island-continent of Atlantis.

Thera is today called Santorini. Its steep cliffs are remnants

of the volcano’s rim, and the harbor is actually its flooded

interior. The eruption left the volcano hollow inside, and

when it collapsed some time later the waters of the Aegean

rushed into the cavity. Rebounding when they hit bottom,

they caused a tsunami or tidal wave. A tsunami caused by

an earthquake in Chile in 1960 was still thirty-five feet high

when it reached Hawaii. It is estimated that the Santorini

tidal wave started at a comparable height and was still

twenty-two feet tall when it reached the shore of what is

today Israel. It would have destroyed the low-lying coastal

settlements of Crete.

A Guard prods you at spear-point into the presence of King

Minos. When you talk to him:

MINOS:

(sarcastically)

Welcome to my palace of Knossos. Make yourself

at home—there’s no way to escape. I hope your

stay will be a pleasant one—ha, ha, ha, ha, ha!

(You notice that he pronounces Knossos (NOSS-us) as if the

“K” weren’t silent, but what does he know?) If this is your

second trip:

MINOS:

(sarcastically effusive)

Gosh, it’s great to have you back at Knossos! The

Minotaur’s been asking after you.

(...the Minotaur (MIN-uh-tawr) being the monster of the

Labyrinth.)

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CORRIDOR WITH AXES. The name “Labyrinth” (LAB-i-rinth)

comes from the word labrys (LAB-riss), meaning “double-ax,”

and the dynasty of King Minos (MYE-nos) was referred to

as the “House of the Double-Ax.” Clearly there is history

behind the myth here, for many images of double-axes have

been found by archaeologists on Crete (KREET) from a time

even earlier than that of the mythological heroes. But such

images are far older still, being found on European icons

from as long ago as 5000 BC. And before they became stylized

as double-headed axes with curved blades, it is clear that

they depicted butterflies.

You click on the crossed axes on the wall and they fall with a

great crash, breaking into pieces. You look at the wreckage.

Click on the shafts and they ping into your inventory. The

same thing goes for the axe heads.

Well

MINOAN COURTYARD WITH WELL. Water, whether for

ritual use or domestic purposes, played a central role at

Knossos (NOSS-us). It was here that the Minoans (mi-NOHanz)

invented a system of water supply and drainage of a

sophistication unsurpassed until the Romans centuries later.

There’s a Parrot perched on a ledge in this courtyard. If

you talk to it and you have the ability to understand the

language of birds and animals, it doesn’t seem to do you

much good:

Axes

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PARROT:

Aaawk!

If you hand on the bird, it molts. Click on the fallen feathers

to add them to your inventory. You also notice a green vessel

sitting on the wellhead, but clicking on it causes it to fall into

the well.

Hallway

MINOAN CORRIDOR. The palace of Knossos (NOSS-us) was

a veritable maze of hallways, rooms, terraces, courtyards,

and cellars. No wonder the marveling tales of visitors and

returning travelers gave rise to the myth of the Labyrinth

(LAB-i-rinth).

Walking down this corridor you pass an open doorway.

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INTERIOR WITH SCIENTIFIC CLUTTER. Daedalus (DEEDuh-

lus) was a renowned craftsman and inventor. Before his

time statues had their arms fixed stiffly to their sides—

Daedalus gave them naturalistic poses and, some say, the

power of movement. Daedalus claimed to have invented the

saw, but credit instead went to his nephew, whom Daedalus

consequently murdered in a fit of professional jealousy.

Because of this homicide, he fled his native Athens for the

court of King Minos (MYE-nos) on the island of Crete (KREET).

King Minos was a notorious ingrate. One day when his son

Glaucus (GLAW-kus) turned up missing, he sought the aid

of the seer Polyeidus (pol-ee-AYE-dus), hoping to draw on the

latter’s powers of prophesy and inner vision. Polyeidus was

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