A magnificent white bull sent from the sea by Poseidon. Spared by Minos, it mated with Pasiphae to sire the Minotaur, and later ravaged Crete until captured by Heracles.1
To prove his divine right to rule Crete, Minos prayed to Poseidon to send a bull from the depths of the sea, vowing to sacrifice it immediately to the god. Poseidon obliged, sending a bull of dazzling, perfect whiteness.2
Struck by its beauty, Minos broke his vow. He hid the divine bull in his herds and sacrificed an ordinary one instead. In fury, Poseidon cursed Minos' wife, Pasiphae, to fall madly in love with the animal. Through the cunning of Daedalus, she mated with it and gave birth to the Minotaur.3
After fulfilling its dark purpose, the bull went mad and ravaged the Cretan countryside until it was finally captured by Heracles as his seventh labor. It was later brought to Marathon, where it was slain by Theseus.4
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