pasife

Pasife, also known as Pasiphae, is a figure from Greek mythology. She was the daughter of Helios, the sun god, and the ocean nymph Perse, and thus a sister to Circe and Aeëtes. Pasife was married to King Minos of Crete, with whom she had several children, including the Minotaur, Ariadne, Phaedra, Glaucus, Androgeus, and Deucalion.

Her most famous myth involves her unnatural love for a bull. This infatuation was brought about by Poseidon, who had been offended by Minos's failure to sacrifice a magnificent white bull that Poseidon had sent him. As punishment, Poseidon caused Pasife to fall deeply in love with the bull. To fulfill her desire, Pasife, with the help of the craftsman Daedalus, fashioned a wooden cow covered in real cowhide, and hid inside it. The bull was then deceived into mating with the structure, resulting in the birth of the monstrous Minotaur.

The Minotaur, a creature with the body of a man and the head of a bull, was eventually imprisoned by Minos in the Labyrinth, also designed by Daedalus. Pasife's story highlights themes of divine retribution, forbidden desire, and the tragic consequences of hubris. She is a significant character in the mythology of Crete and the saga of the House of Minos.