Minotaur

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Minotaur
Charikleia, a minotaur researcher.
(Creature)

Minotaurs are large, bovine-headed bestial humanoids. While often believed to be brutish in nature, minotaurs are talented artisans with a natural affinity for mazes and labyrinths.1

History

According to legend, in the distant past before Earthfall, Lamashtu gifted the Azlant people of Tulo with the birth of a two headed calf. The people were horrified, and killed the creature. Shortly afterwards, the women of Tulo all gave birth to minotaurs. At first they raised these minotaur children, but when in later years they had further "normal" offspring they shut up the minotaurs in a maze and forgot about them. Ten years later, the fully grown minotaurs escaped from the maze and massacred the people of Tulo.2

Appearance

Minotaurs are typically about eight feet tall, with brown fur that turns to gray as they get older. They have cloven hooves, and tails.3

Rare albino minotaurs are known as Ghost Bulls, and are said to possess the power of divination.4

Ecology

Most minotaurs are born to two minotaur parents (as might be expected) but a rare few are born to human parents as the result of a curse. Offspring are raised by the parent of the same gender.5

Habitat and society

A minotaur ambushes a campsite.

Minotaurs live in competing tribes whose conflicts often turn violent, with the losing tribe either being forced to flee the area or with its survivors being absorbed into the winning tribe.

Their natural cunning means they never get lost. As a result, they prefer to lair in mazes—whether natural or artificial—as this terrain gives them an advantage over the intelligent creatures that are their preferred prey. They will work to alter their domains so they better suit their needs.6

Most revere Lamashtu, although a few worship Rovagug.4 Increasing numbers are turning to worship of the demon lord Baphomet, who is one of Lamashtu's consorts.7

They pity domesticated beasts of burden, and free them where they can or kill them if freeing them proves impossible. Minotaurs who have been shamed are made to serve as pack animals to atone for their crimes.8

On Golarion

Inger-Maggor, a powerful minotaur.

Large conclaves of minotaurs live in the mountains of the Isle of Kortos, where some 40 different minotaur droves in the region range in size from from modest raiding groups to large and sophisticated communities. Most worship Baphomet, although they commonly engage in peaceful dealings with the isle's human inhabitants.9

References

Paizo featured minotaurs as an ancestry in Howl of the Wild.

For additional as-yet unincorporated sources about this subject, see the Meta page.

External link

  • Minotaur (real-world mythological creature) on Wikipedia