Heracles had no trouble convincing the Cretan King to hand over the pesky Cretan Bull
For his seventh labor, Heracles had to capture the Cretan Bull. The Cretan Bull was the huge beast that Pasiphae, the Queen of Crete, was compelled to fall in love with. From that union, she gave birth to the Minotaur.
Upon making the voyage to Crete, Heracles asked King Minos if he could take the bull. Minos agreed, anxious to rid his land of the anooying animal. Heracles then lassoed the bull, and rode it to Eurystheus, his cousin. Eurystheus wanted to sacrifice the bull to Hera. Hera, filled with hatred for Heracles, denied the sacrifice, fearing that he would receive too much glory from it. They then released the bull, who wandered into Marathon.
The copyright of the article The Cretan Bull in Ancient History is owned by Robin Fowler. Permission to republish The Cretan Bull in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
