Minotaur: Part 2

Cont'd from Minotaur: Part I When Theseus arrived in Crete, he met a lovely maid. She knew what death awaited him and hurried to his aid. She slipped a spool of silky thread into his hands and said: "Use this to leave the maze, my friend." And then the maiden fled. When Theseus was in the maze, he did not hesitate. With every step he rolled his spool, prepared to face his fate. He knew this was the easy part: the worst was yet to come. And suddenly he heard a snort which would have made you numb. He hid behind a rock and saw the Minotaur come near. Then Theseus jumped on its back forgetting all his fear. He closed his eyes, while hanging on, and let the monster dash through every path until it fell with an enormous crash. The angry Minotaur got up and rumbled on again, but it could not shake Theseus: it tried, but all in vain. It stumbled and collapsed for good: this had been quite a ride. Exhausted by the grueling race, the monster heaved and died. Then Theseus got off its back: he held the maiden's thread. The spool was almost threadless now, and so he marched ahead. He rolled the thread back on the spool and followed where it lay. It was not long before he spied the blinding light of day. When Minos saw bold Theseus emerge without a scratch, he said: "In all the land of Greece, I know, you have no match. Because you've overcome the odds and have preserved your life, I want to give you, if you wish, my daughter for a wife." But Theseus replied: "Oh, king, the only wife for me can be the one who saved my life: the maid who set me free." King Minos answered: "You're in luck: my daughter is that maid. You've won her heart; please take her home, and Athens' debt is paid. And then the maid herself came out. "We meet again," she said. "I'm Ariadne, your new bride." And so the two were wed. The time has come to end the tale of how a vengeful king was overcome by love, a spool and Ariadne's string.