THESEUS AND ARIADNE. 35

brothers of Helen, rescued and brought her home.
He was also one of the heroes of the Argonautic
expedition and of an expedition against the Amazons,
or nation of women warriors; he fought with and
killed a series of famous robbers; and he rid the
world of a number of ravaging beasts,—the Caly-
donian boar, the Crommyonian sow, and the Mara-
thonian bull, the monster which had slain the son of
Minos. He was, in truth, the Hercules of ancient
Athens, and he now proposed to add to his exploits
a battle for life or death with the perilous Minotaur.

The hero knew that he had before him the most
desperate task of his life. Jiven should he slay the
monster, he would still be in the intricate depths of
the Labyrinth, from which escape was deemed impos-
sible, and in whose endless passages he and his com-
panions might wander until they died of weariness
and starvation. He prayed, therefore, to Neptune
for help, and received a message from the oracle at
Delphi to the effect that Aphrodite (or Venus) would
aid and rescue him.

The ship conveying the victims sailed sadly from
Athens, and at length reached Crete at the port of
Knossus, the residence of King Minos. Here the woful
hostages were led through the streets to the prison
in which they were to be confined till the next day,
when they were to be delivered to death. As they
passed along the people looked with sympathy upon
their fair young faces, and deeply lamented their
coming fate. And, as Venus willed, among the spec-
tators were Minos and his fair daughter Ariadne, who
stood at the palace door to see them pass.