It seems obvious that the religion of the Minoans is involved and is it because this religion was highly erotic, or because the eroticism of the religion was being supressed? When she was pregnant did her husband know who the real father was? From Apollodorus, Library and Epitome (ed. Can you imagine how many times Pasiphae must have come to his shop, undressed, and was fitted to the cow? She probably was not pregnant any longer than usual. If you think of her as a goddess not only can she get away with it but it makes sense in terms of other stories. By embarrassing their goddess Pasiphae the Mycenaeans wanted the Minoans to convert to the worship of Zeus. Instead she required what the Oracle's own future was, the Oracle told her that she was unable to see it. Upon finding the blood trail, from where Jason was wounded, leading to a door which only the royal court had keys Pasiphae started to get suspicions. Answer: Pasiphae is not mentioned by Homer or Hesiod. I think her symbolism should suit these divinatory systems. Pasiphae then warned her never to mislead her again and not to make the mistake of believing she was untouchable. Question: Where can art representing Pasiphae be found? Did she know at the time that the gods were mad at her husband and not her? It was Minos who suffered. I have yet to see a story that tells her tale in a sympathic manner. It seems unlikely that she would fit into this cow without being fitted. Following Jason standing up to Heptarian, who was her nephew. The story of Pasiphae restates the struggle with the physical union of a Cretan queen and a powerful bull that leads tothe issue of the Minotaur, half human, half animal. He was, in fact, the centre of a ritual performance, originally honoring the Moon-goddess, the lascivious hen-partridge, who at Athens and in parts of Crete was the mother and lover of the Sun-hero Talus. Jason however couldn't bring himself to, awakening Pasiphae saw him with his sword drawn, but not well enough to identify him. Did she blame her husband or claim she had done a pious act? Later she warned Ariadne, and then lied to the sick Minos that Ariadne hadn't come to visit her. The next morning following seeing them escape into a cave, but them unable to cross over due to the bridge being severed. Was she vengeful and getting back at her husband, lustful, a victim, erotic etc? But we do not know how to translate Pasiphae into the context of Minoan art. During the visit of King Laius of Thebes, she assisted him in his secret search for his son, who Laius wanted dead, as the Oracle had fortold his son would murder him. Was she punished? Many sexual acts are humiliating but people do them anyway. So Minos learned of the difficulties of having a goddess for a wife. The purpose of this demotion is seemingly to slander the religion of the Minoans. Our website is made possible by displaying online advertisements to our visitors. The story seems designed to totally humiliate her. Pasiphae did not really suffer throuh all this, after all she was a goddess. Pasiphae may have really enjoyed doing such a totally naughty thing. So the story of Pasiphae is part of the story of cleansing the Greek religion of sacrifices to a bull. But it is not clear whether the result is to pleasure Pasiphae, or to separate her from her worshippers. After the bull impregnated her she would have to recover, and she would soon realize that she was pregnant. I would be curious as to your take on her ordeal – was it a divine punishment for her husband and thus a tragic story, is she the slut deserving of her treatment as other authors on the web seem to contend, or was her act with the bull purely of her own volition and thus a beautiful act of love making? She is best-known as the wife of Minos, the legendary king of Crete, and the mother of the Minotaur. But just like Thetis, who could not prevent the death of Achilles, so Pasiphae could not prevent the death of the Minotaur. 15, finds imagery from the Pasiphae myth in this painting, incuding the artist's signature in the rectangle at lower left, calling it a "recognition of the ritual which he [Pollock] is renewing"; [but see Ref. Question: is there a document on her? Is there a reason for this and how do you think she reacted to this after her mating? The initial part of the story is identical to the story of Europa and can be illustrated by Pasiphae riding a bull, purhaps naked. She is mentioned by Pausanius and Apollodorus. Then Pasiphae becomes Hera and is raped by Zeus as a bird. When this failed she took matters into her own hands, taking his blood she used her magic to force him to endure incredible pain until he finally revealed the truth, he was a messenger from Therus. But the spectators of the event saw just enough to make it real for them. For the priests, and the craftsmen, and the unemployed, there was the maze: the largest outside of fable Egypt of, a kind of monument from all human power to all reality. However Jason managed to get word of Pasiphae's plan to his friend Medusa, who worked in the palace kitchens. She also continued her feud with Ariadne, justifying her behavior claiming a queen could not always think with her heart. They live outside of time. Archeological evidence points to bull worship in Crete and this is the clue to the bull myth. One would expect more from her considering her experience. Answer: The mating of Pasiphae with a bull is such a horrendous act that it is hard to find any literal truth in it. It should also be noted that because cattle use the estrus cycle for sex and humans do not that it would be impossible for Pasiphae to cause the bull have an erection. Even if his penis did not fit her vagina he could have been manipulated to an ejaculation that could have gotten her pregnant. Take your favorite fandoms with you and never miss a beat. To have sex she would have to fit into this cow with her sexual organs exposed. She had to wait in the wooden cow while the bull decided what to do. Taking both her home and her husband from her, forcing Circle to live in exile in a cave. Following Heptarian failing, she angrily scolded him, but realized that Ariadne would go to visit her brother, she sent Heptarian to spy on her. Pasiphae was only in love with the bull a short time before she consumated her love. All in all it seems likely that maximum humiliation was provided to Minos as a result of the whole affair. Pasiphae gave birth to the monster Minotaur and was also the mother of Ariadne and Phaedra. Just curious as you seem to be one of the few on the web who have given this myth serious thought. Therus was forced to flee, Pasiphae went to visit the Oracle who led her to believe that Therus had died. Did Aphrodite’s curse work to make Pasiphae hunger after bulls even after the white bull or did mating with the white bull cool her lust? Later the poison now starting to affect Minos, she pretended to look after him, giving him a drink, however she secretly just giving him a second dose of the poison. How long was Pasiphae in love with the bull before she was able to unite with it. During the events of the Pankradion set up to celebrate the betrothal, she criticized Heptarain for killing the man, revealing her plan to make Heptarian king, and thus he had to have the crowds support. Greek myths are fascinating for the pysche and I wondered if you ever thought of delving deeper into this myth in particular and perhaps write your version of what happened to Pasiphae. She was portrayed by Sarah Parish, who also played The Empress of the Racnoss from the 2006 Doctor … In particular Hera, Athena, and Aphrodite seem to come to Minoa with Europa. It would be Minos who suffered as planned. The story of Pasiphae is totally outrageous. The king refused to sacrifice a bull to Poseidon, god of the sea. Sacrifice to the bull meant being gored by the bull or trampled and killed. When asked when, he revealed Jason was there Son. Pasiphae was restrained in a cow. Rationality demands answers and suggests that Pasiphae must have had a rough pregnancy because she was carrying a bull-man who would have been considerably larger as a foetus. With this in her position she prepared her army for the assault. Answer: Pasiphae was more a subject of Minoan Art than of Classical Greek. Zeus enjoyed Io when she was a cow by shifting his shape to a bull. Answer: Pasiphae was proud of her relation to bulls, but the mainland Greeks told the story to shame her. In fact it would be quite an event and quite a spectacle. Upon Ariadne returning, she interrogated her not believing Ariadne's explanation. This allows her to endure these things. If his penis did fit her vagina then her action with her vagina could have produced an ejaculation in the normal way. What if he decided to butt her? Upon arrival several of her men caught multiple deserters, she however agreed to allow them safe passage, as an added incentive so that more would do so. But if Pasiphae is herself a supernatural being then how can unnatural urges be attributed to her since she is not, in fact natural. Some indicate that it was a brief fling, others say it was a life time thing. Since she was a goddess only Zeus could have punished her and he did not. But more that one person would have to oversee the mating process. Answer: Pasiphae is not mentioned by Homer or Hesiod. In response Pasiphae created a fake conspiracy that Therus was planning to overthrow his father. Perhaps the Minoans raped to conquer the Minoans. Answer: Pasiphae may have been a goddess. They may have even demanded slaves that they slaughtered in the bull ring. New York, 1959, pp. What kind of measurements did he make to assure she was aimed properly? This could symbolize the conquest of a raging nature (the bull) by love and is a common enough theme. She could have changed her hair color at will. It is unlikely that she was even mortal. Was she short, tall, dark haired? She seems as ravishing now as the day she was married. This bull is hard to distinguish from the other two. It seems no one sees her ordeal with the bull as a tragedy or describe her coupling with the bull as an act of love making. There are different levels to the myth and you are assuming that the source of the myth was a story that in reality vaguely resembles the truth. Pasiphae rebuffed this and warned her not to interfere, however the Oracle told her it was not her who would interfear, but she had an enemy who she would meet soon, who like her was touched by the gods.