The Minoan Genius is a legendary creature that was common in the Minoan art of the Bronze Age Minoan civilization in ancient Crete. It is portrayed sometimes with the head of a lion, or of a hippopotamus, or of other animals. It is mostly seen on Minoan seals, often in pairs as supporters of deities. It is also sometimes called a "demon", though it seems generally to be a benign figure in Minoan religion; the meaning is that of a daemon in later classical religions.

It is often portrayed with water vessels, such as ewers, so it seems to play a role as a libation bearer to deities.

Mythological connections

The connections of this mythological beast seem to be with the Egyptian hippopotamus and crocodile goddess Taweret, from which it is believed to have derived. The earliest forms of the Minoan Genius derived from the Egyptian prototypes between approximately 1800 and 1700 BC.^[1] In Egypt, Taweret was the goddess of fertility, childbirth and the protection of young children, and some scholars have thought the Genius had similar functions, although the Minoan evidence for this is limited.

The other common composite mythological beast seen in Minoan art is the griffin—a widespread figure around the Ancient Near East. These may pull deities in chariots, as on the Hagia Triada Sarcophagus.

Later on, the Genius also became a deity in the Mycenaean world; its representations are found widely in continental Greece.^[2]

Sacrificial aspect

Weingarten writes: "The Minoan Genius is also known for carrying large beasts of all kinds to sacrifice... rarely depicted in an act of violence; though closely linked to sacrifice, the demon is only once seen to do the deed: on a seal impression from Zakro (Genius No.27 = Z 104), it slaughters a huge upright bull with sword or spear. The Genius moves indirectly on a cylinder from Kakovatos (CMS XI 208): a hero stabs an upright lion while the demon urges him on from behind."^[1]