Book contents
- The Trojan Horse and Other Stories
- Reviews
- The Trojan Horse and Other Stories
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 The Sphinx (Sphinx aenigmatica)
- Chapter 2 Xanthus, Achilles’ Speaking Horse (Equus eloquens)
- Chapter 3 The Lion of Androclus (Panthera leo philanthropus)
- Chapter 4 The Cyclops (Cyclops inhospitalis)
- Chapter 5 The Trojan Horse (Equus troianus)
- Chapter 6 The ‘Trojan’ Boar (Aper troianus ostentator)
- Chapter 7 The Political Bee (Apis politica)
- Chapter 8 The Socratic Gadfly (Haematopota oxyglotta socratis)
- Chapter 9 The Minotaur (Hybrida minotaurus)
- Chapter 10 The Shearwaters of Diomedea (Calonectris diomedea transformata)
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Chapter 9 - The Minotaur (Hybrida minotaurus)
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 09 November 2023
- The Trojan Horse and Other Stories
- Reviews
- The Trojan Horse and Other Stories
- Copyright page
- Contents
- Figures
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Introduction
- Chapter 1 The Sphinx (Sphinx aenigmatica)
- Chapter 2 Xanthus, Achilles’ Speaking Horse (Equus eloquens)
- Chapter 3 The Lion of Androclus (Panthera leo philanthropus)
- Chapter 4 The Cyclops (Cyclops inhospitalis)
- Chapter 5 The Trojan Horse (Equus troianus)
- Chapter 6 The ‘Trojan’ Boar (Aper troianus ostentator)
- Chapter 7 The Political Bee (Apis politica)
- Chapter 8 The Socratic Gadfly (Haematopota oxyglotta socratis)
- Chapter 9 The Minotaur (Hybrida minotaurus)
- Chapter 10 The Shearwaters of Diomedea (Calonectris diomedea transformata)
- Conclusion
- Notes
- Bibliography
- Index
Summary
This chapter explores hybridity by exploring the figure of the Minotaur in the context of a number of similar ancient creatures, such as the centaurs and satyrs, and of the god of shepherds, flocks, and the wild: Pan. It illustrates that the peculiar hybridity of the Minotaur and the ancient story explaining his genesis raise questions about the scope and limits of human intervention into the realm of nature. It shows that, rather than exploring the limits of the human in positive ways, the figure of the Minotaur manifests the monstrous consequences of human transgression.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Trojan Horse and Other StoriesTen Ancient Creatures That Make Us Human, pp. 209 - 242Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2024