King Aegean of Athens was tired of sending 7 boys and 7 girls to Crete every year to be sacrificed to the Minotaur, a half-man half-bull monster. His son Theseus volunteered to go to Crete and try to kill the Minotaur. With help from the princess of Crete, Theseus used a sword and string to navigate the labyrinth and kill the Minotaur, freeing the Greeks from having to sacrifice people. However, on the way home Theseus forgot to change the ship's black sails to white to signal success, and King Aegean believed his son had died and committed suicide by jumping into the sea.

2. The story of Theseus and the
Minotaur

3. Characters
• Grover as Aegean the • Elmo as Prince
King of Athens Theseus

4. Characters
• Cookie Monster as • Big Bird as the
the Minotaur Princess of Crete

5. Characters
• Snuffleupagus as the captain of the ship

6. A long long time ago in a
place far far away…

7. The Minoans had become so powerful that
they demanded a tribute of 7 boys and 7
girls from all the Greek cities who were
thrown into the labyrinth (giant maze).

8. The Minotaur was a half man, half bull
who lived in the labyrinth and ate all of
the boys and girls who were thrown into
the maze.

9. King Aegean of Athens, like most
Greek kings, became sick of
sending 14 of their people to die
every year.

10. So the king’s son Theseus
volunteered to be one of the 14 to
go to Crete and try to kill the
Minotaur.

11. The ship sailed away with black
sails (because all were sad).

12. The king told the captain of the ship that if
his son was successful he was to sail back
with white sails (because everyone would be
happy).

13. When Theseus got to Crete he
secretly fell in love with the
princess of Crete.

14. The princess didn’t want Theseus
to die so she gave him a sword and
some string.

15. When he was thrown into the labyrinth
Theseus used the string to make sure
he didn’t get lost and the sword to kill
the Minotaur.

16. With the Minotaur dead Theseus
had freed the Greek people from
having to send human sacrifices.

17. Theseus hurried home to tell his
dad (King Aegean) the good news.

18. But as they got close to home they
forgot to change the sails from
black to white.

19. King Aegean was up on a cliff
watching for the boat and from a
ways off he saw the black sails.

20. Thinking that his son had died King Aegean
committed suicide by jumping off the cliff
into the sea (which was called the Aegean
Sea from then on).