While reading the story of Minos and the Minotaur, I noticed that both of them have nearly identical origins:
- Both are sired by a white bull (a transformed Zeus or a gift from Poseidon)
- Their mother is royalty and seduced (Princess Europa or Queen Pasiphae)
- Their step-father is Cretan royalty (King Asterion or King Minos)
There are other points of similarity (and duplication) as well:
- Another name for the Minotaur is Asterion, after Minos' step-father.
- Minos himself was speculated by later writers to have been two kings who were conflated in myth, with the cruel king being the grandson of the good king.
- Both the Cretan Bull and Zeus in bull form are traditionally associated with the constellation Taurus, and the Minotaur's name Asterion ("starry") suggests a connection as well.
Considering that the mythology was passed down orally and thus subject to embellishment as time wore on, I wonder if the stories of Minos and the Minotaur are actually duplication and modification of the same original story.