Minos, the Minoan king of Crete, imprisoned the minotaur in a complex labyrinth designed by Daedalus, the famous Athenian inventor. The labyrinth was so skillfully designed that none could escape before they were devoured by the minotaur. None but Theseus, that is, who, aided by Minos' daughter Ariadne, was able to find his way by unraveling thread to mark his route. Minos was so enraged that he imprisoned Daedauls in the labyrinth, but Daedauls escaped by fashioning bird wings of wax. Upon his death, Minos was made one of the judges of Hades.

The Minoan palace at Knossos had an elaborate floorplan and may have led to the myth of the labyrinth.