top of page

Pasiphae (Πασιφαη)

Translation: All-Shining

Immortal Queen of Crete

Pasiphae was the Queen of Crete as she married the king, King Minos of Crete, she was also the daughter of Helios, and like her siblings she too was a practitioner and goddess of witchcraft. For her husband's wrongdoing against the god Poseidon, she was punished by lusting after the king's prized bull, resulting in her becoming the mother of the Minotaur. However, due to the kind of unfaithfulness to her as well, she cursed him with poisoned ejaculation that due to her immortality only she could survive, ending with a bunch of dead lovers.


Pasiphae and the Bull;

The two step children of the old king of Crete both wanted the throne, however, Minos as the son of Zeus prayed to Poseidon for a bull that would prove his worthiness, and so Poseidon provided. He had promised to sacrifice the bull back to Poseidon after he was crowned, but due to the beauty of the bull Minos decided to keep it for himself and sacrificed a different bull instead. This however did not fool Poseidon and he retaliated by cursing his Minos’ wife to fall maddingly in love with the bull. Due to this Pasiphae spent most of her days trying to be with the bull, until one day she approached Daidalos, who helped her make a wooden bull costume with cow skin. Pasiphae hid inside the bull costume and approached the bull in an attempt to seduce it, it worked. Thus, Pasiphae was then impregnated by the bull, which resulted in the Minotaur who was promptly put in the labyrinth created by Daedalus and fed on the fourteen sacrificed noble Athen youngsters. After having slept with the bull, Pasiphae was released from her curve and disgusted with the creature she had made.


Family; Pasiphae's parents are Helios and Perseis (An Ocianids). Her siblings include many on both parents' sides, however full siblings are Kirke, Aeetes and Perses. She married the king of Crete, King Minos. She had many children, the most recognizable being the Minotaur, however she also had Acacallis, Ariadne, Androgeus, Glaucus, Deucalion, Phaedra, Xenodice, and Catreus.

Tributes; Pasiphae is represented by herself in her own head, and by her famous son, the Minotaur.

bottom of page