2007-02-27 02:08:37 · 4 answers · asked by lovinglife 1 in Arts & Humanities ➔ History
The bull seems to be a central motif in Minoan religion.
The legend of the Minotaur of course comes from the island of Crete, where the Minoan empire was centred and we also have the famous murals of bull-leaping on the walls of the Palace of Knossos.
It seems that bull-leaping was some kind of ritualistic celebration carried out by the Minoans - maybe as a male rite of passage ?
See the link below for a detailed discussion of this.
2007-02-27 02:15:28 · answer #1 · answered by the_lipsiot 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Minoan civilization was named for the Cretian King Minos who was the son of Zeus and Europa. After his death, Minos became the judge of the dead in Hades. He is often represented as a Minotaur: a man with the head of a bull. He actually kept a Minotaur in a labrynth at his palace at Knossos.
I don't think a leaping bull describes the Minoans so much as any depiction of a bull represents them because of King Minos.
2007-02-27 03:10:10 · answer #2 · answered by Sinclair 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
The Minoans considered the bull one of their sacred symbols and as such treated it with respect. There is a fresco in the Palace of Knossos that shows young men leaping over a bull. They were a very sport-centered society and most sports had some derivation in the religious beliefs. Bull-jumping did not involve killing the bull, rather it was a test of both courage and agility.
I am not positive about this but I believe that was what our tour guide had said when we went to Knossos. You could try looking in Wikipedia as well as in an Art history book to get a better explanation of that specific fresco.
2007-02-27 02:23:50 · answer #3 · answered by grk_tigris 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
as fearless. Now i do not know anything about it but from the other answers I would say fearless...to get that close to a bull and jump over it...now that took guts, and proved they were fearless.
2007-02-27 02:32:46 · answer #4 · answered by jeeccentricx2 5 · 0⤊ 0⤋