Minotaur

The Minotaur was a creature from Greek mythology. It was said to have the head of a bull and the body of a man.

The Second Doctor and Zoe encountered the Minotaur in the Land of Fiction. It vanished when they denied its existence. (DW: The Mind Robber)

The Third Doctor learned that the Minotaur was real during a trip to Atlantis. The creature was formerly a member of Dalios's court, a great athlete who desired the strength of a bull and a long life in which to use it. Kronos granted him his wish, and the creature was made guardian of the Kronos Crystal until the Doctor defeated it. (DW: The Time Monster)

The Greek hero Theseus was renowned for fighting the Minotaur. The Fourth Doctor claimed to have given Theseus the ball of string he used to find his way around the labyrinth in which the Minotaur resided. (DW: The Creature from the Pit)


 * It is unknown if this is the same Minotaur from Atlantis or a different one.

The Fourth Doctor and Romana encountered a hostile, beret-wearing Minotaur named Taureau in the catacombs of Paris around the turn of the millennium. Taureau worked with a human-looking mime who lured people into the catacombs through portals and then into the center of the maze where Taureau lived. They would eat raw anyone who could not answer Taureau's riddle. The Doctor stole Taureau's key and he and Romana exited the trap through another portal, which caused the Minotaur's sanctum to self-destruct. (IDW: The Forgotten)

Extraterrestrial life forms which resembled Minotaurs include the Nimon and the Tauride. (DW: The Horns of Nimon, DWBIT: Minor Trouble )

Another creature resembling a Minotaur was related to the Nimons. This creature fed on the faith of other life forms and survived by descending onto primitive planets and setting itself up as a god, feeding on the worship of the natives. Eventually one planet became advanced enough to recognize the Minotaur as a fraud, captured the creature in a prison spaceship, and set it adrift. However, the ship's systems drew in aliens with strong belief systems to sustain the creature. As the eons went by, the creature lost its desire to live but was unable to die because the ship was programmed to keep it alive with a constant food suply. The Eleventh Doctor, Amy Pond, and Rory Williams encountered this creature, along with several other life forms that had been collected to be its next meal. Initially believing that the creature fed on the fear of its victims, the Doctor cautioned everyone to avoid the rooms that contained their fear and to fight against their fears by holding fast to their beliefs. Eventually, only Rory and the Doctor remained unaffected by the creature: Rory because he did not strongly believe in anything, and the Doctor due to his strong will. When Amy let go of her faith in the Doctor, the food supply was cut off and the Minotaur could finally die. (DW: The God Complex)