Published: 2022-10-03

The Minotaur and the Historia adversus paganos by Orosius

Robert Suski
Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings
Section: Rozprawy i Artykuły
https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2022.29.1.1

Abstract

Orosius mentioned the mythical monster Minotaur and legendary war between the Athenians and Cretans in his History Against the Pagans. Although he devoted two sentences to this story, it is interesting. The source used by Orosius cannot be identified. He rationalized the story of the Minotaur by calling him a wild man. His narrative contains some unprecedented facts compared to other tales of the monster: he omitted the figure of Theseus, and more than other authors emphasized the bloodiness of the mythical war between Athens and Crete.

Keywords:

Orosius, historiography in late antiquity, Greek mythology, Theseus, Minotaur

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Suski, R. (2022). The Minotaur and the Historia adversus paganos by Orosius. Saeculum Christianum. Historical Writings, 29(1), 5–20. https://doi.org/10.21697/sc.2022.29.1.1

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