:"For the excavation popularly known as the "Palace of Minos" see "Knossos" In Greek mythology, Minos (in Greek ', genitive ') was a mythical king of the island of Crete, son of Zeus and Europa. After his death, Minos became a judge of the dead in Hades. The Minoan civilization has been named after him. By his wife, Pasiphaë, he fathered Ariadne, Androgeus, Deucalion, Phaedra, Glaucus, Catreus, Acacallis, and many others. Wikipedia