Theseus and the Minotaur: Oral Story

Theseus and the Minotaur: Oral story

• The Minotaur was half bull, half man, and lived in a labyrinth, a great maze of winding passages on the island of Crete.

• The Minotaur was the most fearsome monster in all the Greek myths – it had horns as sharp as knives and great hooves that could kick a person to death and worse still, his favourite food was human flesh.

• The king of Crete was a fearsome king called King Minos and because he hated the people of Athens (they had killed his son many years ago) he demanded that each year seven youths and seven maidens were sent from Greece as food for the beast.

• The King of Athens, King Aegeus, was not very happy about this (to put it mildly) but obeyed King Minos otherwise he knew that Minos would declare a terrible war on Athens and many more people might die.

• One year, Theseus, King Augeus’ son, a brave lad, said he would go to Crete and fight the monster. He persuaded his very reluctant father to let him go as one of the victims and declared that when he arrived, he would then kill the Minotaur so that no-one would ever have to be sacrificed again.

• Theseus’ ship was rigged with black sails, which was the custom when Greeks were sailing to meet their doom. Theseus then promised his father that when he returned he would raise the white sails to show he had succeeded.

• Theseus' ship arrived in Crete where the king's daughter, Ariadne, saw the ship. They started talking and very soon were in love.

• When Theseus told Ariadne that he was going to kill the Minotaur, she decided she would help him. Firstly she gave him back his sword (which had been confiscated when Theseus first arrived in Crete).

• Then she gave him a ball of string to unwind as he entered the labyrinth/maze and told him that he would then be able to follow this string in order to be able to get back out.

• Theseus entered the maze and, after searching this way and that, he heard the roaring sound of the Minotaur and smelt his very smelly breath.

• And then he was face to face with the Minotaur – they stared at each other and paced a bit. Then, when the beast slightly turned for a second, Theseus sprang, plunging his sword into the beast's flesh.

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• The Minotaur groaned and swayed dangerously, and then, with an almighty crash, fell down stone dead!

• Theseus found his way out of the maze using Ariadne's thread and sailed quickly back to Greece to tell his father that he had succeeded. But he was so excited that he forgot to hoist his white sails.

• When Aegeus saw his son's ship rigged with the black sails he was overcome with sadness, and, in despair, flung himself off the cliff into the seas, and died.

• Theseus had won but had lost his father and so he was sad for many years afterwards.

Week 1The Story of Perseus

King Acrisius had a beautiful daughter called Danae but he was told by a fortune teller that one day his daughter would have a son who would end up killing his grandfather. This scared the King a lot (naturally) and so he ordered his daughter to be locked in a tower and he vowed never to see her again (even though it broke his heart).

His daughter grew very bored in the tower day after day but one of the gods took pity on her and he came to visit her and keep her company. Eventually they had a baby, a boy named Perseus. Now Danae spent her days telling her son amazing stories of the world outside the tower.

One day the king heard laughter from the tower and realising his daughter had given birth, he ordered both her and his new grandson to be put in a chest and thrown into the sea to be carried away by the waves. His heart was broken for a second time.

For days and days the chest tossed and turned but eventually it washed up on a shore and was found by a kind fisherman called Dictys. He took Danae and Perseus to his home and for more than ten years, they all lived happily together.

But their peace was shattered by the arrival of the King of the island, Polydectes. Polydectes fell in love with the beautiful Danae and swore that he would marry her even though she did not want to marry him. Perseus was furious, but powerless to defend his mother against the cruel and powerful king. He swore that he would bring Polydectes a wedding gift worthy of him, none other than the head of Medusa. Polydectes’ mocking laughter could be heard for many miles as Perseus promised his mother he would fulfil his task and return as soon as he could.

Medusa was a gorgon who lived at the edge of the world with her terrible sisters. She had a head of snakes, poisonous, writhing snakes surrounding her terrible face but the worst thing was her dreadful power. Whoever looked at her face was instantly turned to stone!

Perseus wandered along the edge of the shore and wondered how on earth he was going to find Medusa and then kill her. Just then, two figures appeared. One was Hermes, the messenger of the gods, and the other was Athene, Zeus’s daughter. Athene told Perseus she had gifts and so she gave him up a bright silver sword, a shield and a cap of invisibility. Hermes also had gifts and gave Perseus a pair of winged sandals and a large leather pouch. They told him he should fly north for that was where Medusa and her terrible sisters lived.

Perseus set off northwards. The gods had told him to look for three old and horrible, swan-like women who possessed only one eye and one tooth between them, which they shared and quarrelled over. Perseus flew night and day using his winged sandals and eventually found

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the woman and landed where they lived. He approached and quickly snatched their one eye telling them he would only give it back if they told him where Medusa and her sisters were. The women wailed and groaned but they could neither see Perseus nor reach their eye so they told him what he needed to know. Perseus then threw the eye back to them and set off again.

Eventually he spotted the rocky shore on the edge of the world where Medusa lived. Medusa heard him approach but Perseus threw his invisibility cap on and armed with shield and sword he walked towards her. He knew he must not look at Medusa and so he used the bright shield as a mirror and turned it so he could see Medusa’s reflection. (Very clever!)

Medusa was desperate for Perseus to look at her and she raised her horrible writhing head and her snakes twirled and hissed. But Perseus moved calmly and firmly and eventually he was close enough to use his sword. With a mighty effort he raised it high and with one quick swoop, he brought it down and in an instant Medusa’s head fell crashing and wriggling at his feet.

Quickly Perseus picked it up (still using the reflection in the sword to look at it) and put in the pouch the gods had given him. Then, donning his sandals, he flew straight home!!

Perseus arrived at Polydectes’ palace just as the wedding was about to begin. Firmly holding the pouch he strode into the hall. Polydectes was not best pleased to see him and sarcastically asked what wedding gift he had brought for him and his mother. Perseus asked his mother to stand by his side before reaching in to the pouch and bringing out the still writhing head of Medusa. And as Polydectes and his astonished courtiers gazed open-mouthed upon it, they all turned into grey-lined stone.

Danae and Perseus returned to their home with Dictys, but Perseus was no longer happy with his life as a quiet fisherman. He decided he needed to find his grandfather and tell him he had nothing to fear from him. So Perseus set out to find his home and the King Acrisius who had thrown Danae and him into the sea so long ago.

On the way he stopped to take part in some games on the island of Pelasgian Larissa. Unbeknown to Perseus, Acrisius was also attending the games. And as Perseus threw the discus far out above the crowd, a freak wind caught it and it whirled around, hitting Acrisius and killing him. Thus the words of the fortune teller were proved to be true!!!

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The Twelve Labours of Heracles – the beginning

• Heracles was the greatest hero of them all. He was the son of a princess called Alcmene and the god of all gods Zeus.

• Heracles was half mortal - half divine and was famous for his incredible strength: no task was too difficult for Heracles.

• However, from the day he was born, Zeus' wife, the goddess Hera, hated him. Hera hated Zeus' numerous mistresses and all their children. What made it even harder for Hera to bear though was that Zeus was so openly proud of his son Heracles and was always singing his praises.

• One day Hera sent two enormous snakes to strangle Heracles in his cradle but all that happened was that Heracles gurgled ad talked to them and they just slithered away. This made Hera even madder.

• Heracles grew up and became a fine young man carrying out deeds far beyond his age and soon he was known all over Greece for his brave acts - for example, at the age of just eighteen Heracles killed the lion of Cithairon which has ravaged the flocks of sheep on the mountain.

• Heracles eventually married and had two children. In Hera's everlasting jealousy, she sent a mad rage over Heracles so that he killed his wife and children. When Heracles came to himself and saw what he had done, he was filled with remorse and desperation.

• Heracles wanted to be punished and so he was sentenced to carry out twelve labors for the king of Mycenae, Eurystheus, over a time span of twelve years…

The 12 labours are: (see

One: Kill the Nemean Lion

Two: Kill the Lernean Hydra

Three: Capture the Cerynian Hind

Four: Capture the Erymanthian Boar

Five: Clean the Augean Stables

Six: Kill the Stymphalian Birds

Seven: Capture the Cretan Bull

Eight: Capture the Horses of Diomedes

Nine: Take the Girdle of the Amazon Queen Hippolyte

Ten: Capture the Cattle of Geryon

Eleven: Take the Golden Apples of the Hesperides

Twelve: Capture Cerberus

Week 2

The Story of Perseus (teacher version to read out)

This is the story of a boy, a boy who was born in a prison, high up in a tower, who floated to freedom in a chest, and who fought the monster at the very edge of the world. This is a story of snakes, poisonous snakes forming the hair on a woman’s head. And it is the story of a look that can freeze your blood and turn you into stone.

Once upon a time, in an age long since past and a place no longer talked of, there was a king called Acrisius. And the king had a daughter called Danae. Of course, she was beautiful, and kind and happy. But one day, her life fell apart. Her father visited the Oracle. Now the Oracle was a fortune-teller who lived in a cave deep in the mountains. The king made this pilgrimage against the advice of his courtiers and his friends who warned him of the dangers of trying to see into the future. “It is not given to humans to know what will befall them,” they told him, “we should live our lives, taking each day as a gift. Evil comes to those who try to dictate the future. Knowledge of this will only bring harm.” But the king was determined. He was desperate to know whether he would have a grandson, if there would be an heir to his throne. The Oracle reassured him. She told him that he would indeed have a grandson. But before the king had time to rejoice, she continued, “And in this grandson lies your own doom.” The king was horrified! “What doom?” he demanded. “How can my grandson bring about my doom?” “The Oracle laughed, a cold, hateful laugh. “You will meet your death at the hand of your grandson!” She cackled. And the king was left alone in the cave with his thoughts.

The king was a cowardly man, and he was terrified. As soon as he had made the long journey back to his palace, he sent for Danae. She ran towards him, delighted to see that he had returned safe and well. But he pushed her affectionate embraces away. “Take my daughter, and shut her in the top of the highest tower,” he told his guards. “And never let her out.” So Danae was led away, bewildered and weeping to her prison, a room in the very top of the highest tower.

From this day onward, Acrisius never saw his daughter. She was kept in her prison, and he roamed his palace, miserable and scared. Danae grew used to the large round room with its wooden floor and the window in the ceiling through which she could see only sky. She loved the bright sunlight that fell on her bed and woke her each day. It seemed her only connection with the outside world. And one day the sunlight bought her a surprise. Zeus, the king of the gods, took pity on this beautiful young girl, trapped in her lonely prison, and he came to her in a shower of gold.

A baby was born of this union, a baby boy. Danae named this boy Perseus. He grew swiftly into a beautiful toddling boy, and still he and his mother inhabited their prison in the top of the highest tower in the palace. Danae would entertain her son by telling him stories, tales of the outside world which he had never seen. She told him of monsters who lived at

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the edge of the world, and of the Gorgons, the terrible sisters living on a rock far, far, away. “Medusa, the Gorgon has a head of snakes, poisonous, writhing snakes surrounding her terrible face,” Danae told her son, “but the worst thing is her dreadful power. Just one look petrifies you. Whoever looks at her face is instantly turned to stone.” Perseus listened with excitement and horror to these tales. He pictured the Gorgon, Medusa, and her terrible sisters. He imagined her head surrounded by the wriggling, writhing snakes. He thought about the statues of all those warriors who had tried to kill her and who had been petrified as they looked upon her face. His mother made him a wooden sword from one of the slats of her bed, peeled and sharpened upon the stone sill of the step. Perseus would run up and down, swiping and slashing an imaginary head of snakes with his sword. And the sounds of his cries and laughter drifted along the silent corridors of the palace and reached the ears of the king.

Acrisius listened. Could it be a child, even a grandson? He ran, with fear in his heart, to the very top of the tower, and threw open the door. There, in the round room, was his daughter Danae. And her arms were clasped tightly round her son, the boy, Perseus.

Danae pleaded and wept. She begged her father not to kill Perseus. She promised to take him far away, where he would never know who he was. But the king was terrified. Here, despite all his care, was the grandson the Oracle had predicted. He ordered Danae and Perseus to be thrown into a chest and thrown off the highest cliff into the sea.

For days and days they tossed and turned, Danae and Perseus, curled in their tiny prison, floating on the waves and bobbing beneath the sea. Finally, just as Danae thought they would die of thirst and cramp, they washed up on a shore, and light flooded into the chest as the lid was raised. A smiling, bearded man looked down at them. “Well,” he said, “look at what the sea has brought me.”

For more than ten years, Danae and Perseus lived on the rocky shore of this island. Dictys, the kindly and gentle man who had taken them in, was a fisherman. Perseus grew, helping Dictys fish and learning his lessons from his mother. But their peace was shattered by the arrival of the King of the island, Polydectes. Polydectes fell in love with the beautiful Danae, and brought them to his palace, swearing that he would marry Danae, against her will, in five days. Perseus was furious, but powerless to defend his mother against the cruel and powerful king. He swore that he would bring Polydectes a wedding gift worthy of him, none other than the head of Medusa. “I will bring you the Gorgon’s head!” he cried, and left the palace, with Polydectes’ mocking laughter ringing in his ears.