Minos

Minos
King of Atlantis
Gender:	Male
Family:	Pasiphae (wife) Ariadne (daughter) Therus (son) Jason (stepson) unknown
Species:	Human
Aliases:	King
Status:	Deceased
Appearances:	The Earth Bull A Boy of No Consequence Twist of Fate White Lies The Rules of Engagement Hunger Pangs Touched by the Gods A New Dawn Part 1 (deceased)
Portrayed by:	Alexander Siddig

“There is no higher honour than to give your life for your city and your king.”

~ Minos

King Minos (Greek: ό βασιλεύς Μίνως) was King of The City of Atlantis and rules along side Queen Pasiphae and has a daughter Ariadne. At some point in the past he took the throne from King Aeson with the help of Queen Pasiphae. He is also good friends with King Laius and his wife Jocasta.

Biography

Early Life

It was believed that Minos was close to invincible as a person. His daughter and his old friend reminisced about his past, and Lord Sarpedon told her that Minos was usually the last one to exit the bull pits when they were younger. (A New Dawn Part 1)

King of Atlantis

King Minos introduced the ceremony to choose stones to enter the Labyrinth of the Minotaur. He and his wife watched over as the people of Atlantis chose their stones. He was annoyed by the fact that his daughter despised the event. (The Earth Bull)

Minos sentenced Jason, Hercules and Pythagoras to face the bulls for their crimes against Lord Heptarian. He watches the event of bull-leaping and claims that the god Poseidon has spared the competitors. (A Boy of No Consequence)

According to Pasiphae, Minos usurped the previous King of Atlantis. ("The Grey Sisters")

He greeted his visitors, King Laius and his wife Jocasta to his city kindly and feasted with them to celebrate their friendship. (Twist of Fate)

King Minos, during the crisis of finding Therus, Ariadne's brother, was very caring with his daughter. However, he felt that the gods were now judging him for taking the throne. He was relieved, after a terrible ordeal of searching for Ariadne, to have her in his care once more. (White Lies)

As was called of him, Minos conducted the marriage of his daughter, Ariadne, to Poseidon's servant, Heptarian. He announced this alongside his decision to begin a Pankration in the city. He overlooked the entire event and was happy to see Heptarian pull through until the end. He was surprised, but considerate, when Ariadne explained to her father that she believed the gods had sent a message to them when Heptarian was defeated in the ring. Minos considered the fact that perhaps Heptarian was not worthy of his daughter's hand in marriage. (The Rules of Engagement)

Unaware of the trickery by his wife, Minos fell ill and turned to lying on his deathbed. (Hunger Pangs)

Sensing he was near death, Minos had Pasiphae and Ariadne promise to support each other, still unaware of his wife's treason. During Pasiphae's leaving to hunt down Ariadne, her servant continued to poison him. However the Priest Melas discovered the truth, and, reporting back to the Oracle the two planned to save Minos. Melas managed to enter the room and slip the King the antidote. Awakening, he quickly overruled Pasiphae's orders to have Ariadne imprisoned. Pasiphae tried to argue that Ariadne was a traitor, but Minos dismissed her claims and freed her. Later he met Jason in the temple and offered him a reward of a bag of gold for saving his daughter. Jason politely turned him down and told him all that mattered was that Ariadne was safe. Sensing that Jason loved his daughter, Minos told him to forget his feelings, as Ariadne was of royal blood, meaning nothing could happen between the two. He once again thanked Jason before leaving. (Touched by the Gods)

Minos' burning ceremony following his death.

Despite his recovery, King Minos tragically passed away sometime afterwards, leaving Ariadne to take the throne as Queen of Atlantis. (A New Dawn)

Personality

Minos, on the outside, is a strong, extremely optimistic and determined King who hopes to build a god-willing kingdom and one that served rightfully. He performed formalities well and spoke with his disciples confidently. (The Earth Bull) He was also very firm when he demanded that Jason, Hercules and Pythagoras be taken to the Bull Court. (A Boy of No Consequence) He also happily greets King Laius and his court in the City of Atlantis as a true King. (Twist of Fate) Minos also valued the laws he enforced, and would always keep his promises of rewards or freedom if the tasks that were set were succeeded. (The Earth Bull, A Boy of No Consequence)

Minos shows his caring side.

He seems very oblivious of his wife's ways. Pasiphae manages to deceive him often and he has no idea that she performs witchcraft. (A Boy of No Consequence) He is also unaware that King Laius has tried to kill his only son with the help of his wife. (Twist of Fate)

In actual fact, he has a caring side for his daughter, Ariadne and is upset when she is lost for a while in the city. This caring side comes out as a conscience as well, as he tells his wife how denouncing Therus as a King would probably anger the gods and this was his punishment: a threat to the kingdom and the loss of his son. (White Lies)

External links

• Minos's profile on the BBC Atlantis website