The Myth of the Minotaur

The Myth of the Minotaur, poem for kids by Paul Perro

Thousands of years ago
Before history had really begun,
There was a king called Minos.
He wasn't a very nice one.

King Minos had a pet monster,
A giant with the head of a bull.
This monster liked to eat people
Its hunger was insatiable.

This scary creature had a name
It was called the minotaur.
It had sharp teeth that could bite
And pointy horns that could gore.

The minotaur lived in the labyrinth,
A maze of long corridors.
The king kept it locked up there
Behind big strong oak doors.

Every now and then
He'd give the monster a treat.
He'd throw some people into the maze
For the monster to eat.

One day, a hero called Theseus,
A very brave young man
Decided to put a stop to this,
And came up with a plan.

He volunteered to be sacrificed
To the giant with the bull's head
But he did not plan to be eaten,
He planned to kill it instead.

Minos's daughter, the princess,
Thought Theseus was cool.
She decided to help him in his quest
And gave him a ball of wool.

Theseus let out the wool
Behind him, as he explored,
So he knew he could find his way out again.
He also carried a sword.

When Theseus found the minotaur
It gave a terrible bellow.
But our hero was not afraid
He was a courageous fellow.

The minotaur lowered its horns and charged
Theseus jumped aside.
He stabbed the monster with his sword
The monster fell down, and died.

Then Theseus followed the trail of wool
And found the way out once more.
And nobody ever was again
Eaten by a minotaur.

The myth of the minotaur is a famous legend from Ancient Greece. Minos was the king of Crete, and the legend possibly derives from his demands of human sacrifice from other Greek cities. It is likely the ceremony was performed by a priest wearing a bull head or mask.


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