The Minotaur (opera) return for her assistance, she hopes she can persuade Theseus to take her to Athens. The Snake Priestess, speaking through the Hiereus, advises Ariadne to give Theseus a ball of twine. If he unwinds it as he descends into the labyrinth, he will be able to retrace his journey to the outside world. The Snake Priestess also confirms that Ariadne will set sail for Athens with Theseus. "Scene 11: A Blind Bargain" Ariadne relays the Snake Priestess's prophecy to Theseus. Theseus sets off to confront the Minotaur. "Scene 12: The Labyrinth" Theseus meets the Minotaur at the centre of the
Minotaur the main political and cultural potency in the Aegean Sea. As the fledgling Athens (and probably other continental Greek cities) was under tribute to Crete, it can be assumed that such tribute included young men and women for sacrifice. This ceremony was performed by a priest disguised with a bull head or mask, thus explaining the imagery of the Minotaur. Once continental Greece was free from Crete's dominance, the myth of the Minotaur worked to distance the forming religious consciousness of the Hellene "poleis" from Minoan beliefs. The Minotaur ("infamia di Creti", Italian for "infamy of Crete"), appears briefly in