Ranking 8 Retellings of Theseus and the Minotaur

In Greek mythology, Theseus was the king and founder-hero of Athens. There are a variety of different myths involving him, from his conception to his death, but arguably the most famous is that of the Labyrinth and the Minotaur.

After his oldest son was killed at the Athenian Games, Minos, the king of Crete, forced Aegeus, the king of Athens, to sacrifice their seven bravest young men and seven most beautiful young women to Crete as tribute. This sacrifice happens every seven years or every nine years, depending on the version. Theseus, Aegeus’ son, has arrived in Athens and met his father shortly before the third tribute. Theseus then takes the place of one of the young men, determined to put an end to the sacrifices. Again, the details vary depending on the source material; sometimes the Athenians know the tributes are fed to the Minotaur, sometimes they don’t. Sometimes Theseus plans to talk to the Minotaur to end the horror, sometimes he plans to talk to Minos. Either way, he ends up on the ship bound for Crete. Before he leaves, Aegeus tells him to change the ship’s black sails to white ones should he return home victorious.

When Theseus and the other tributes arrive in Crete, he participates in the Cretan Games and impresses everyone with his athletic abilities — particularly in wrestling, for which he had invented the strategy…