No sooner had Theseus settled into his princely position, than King Minos of Crete, calls upon Athens for its bloody yearly debt. King Minos son had previously died in the Athenian games, and as an act of revenge, he threatened to invade Athens unless the kingdom sent seven male and seven female youths to Crete to sacrifice for his half-man, half-bull creature within his labyrinth; the Minotaur. Theseus volunteers as one of the youths, determined to stop the beast. King Aegeus tells Theseus if he survives, to switch the ship’s black sail to white upon his return, so his father will know he lives. Arriving in Crete, King Minos’ daughter, Ariadne, falls for Theseus, and vows to help him if he will marry and bring her to Athens after defeating the beast. Theseus agrees, and Ariadne consults Daedalus, the ingenious inventor of the maze, as to its secrets. She gives Theseus the secrets, and most importantly, a ball of thread, so that he may retrace his steps. That night, Ariadne sneaks Theseus to the entrance, and he enters the dank, dark tunnels, determined to stop the Minotaur. Ariadne is one example of smitten women assisting male Greek heroes on their quests with invaluable clues and tools. The Argonauts, arriving at Colchis to acquire the Golden fleece, were assisted by the princess Medea, who uses magic and ingenuity to help Jason succeed in his labors. She provides an ointment to protect his body against the fire breathing oxen, gives a strategy about confusing the warriors who spring up from the dragon’s teeth, and finally, uses magical herbs to put the dragon to sleep which guards the golden fleece. There are many interpretations for the symbolism of Labyrinths in myths. On the surface they show a character on a journey to discover their purpose or destiny through finding the correct path to reach their goal. They’re also symbolic of the stage of the hero’s journey Jospeh Campbell calls the “belly of the whale,” where the hero commits to their metamorphosis, and thus re-emerges from the ordeal, reborn anew. The Labyrinth center could represent a unification with the hero’s inner self, a higher power, or the ultimate challenge, and the tunnel could literally represent a birth canal. Your space should reflect who you are and what you care about. Adding a pop of color to your walls is an easy way to inject some personality into any room and put a smile on your face. • Paper thickness: 10.3 mil • Paper weight: 5.57 oz/y² (189 g/m²) • Giclée printing quality • Opacity: 94% • ISO brightness: 104%