Piranesi & the Minotaur

What does Susanna Clarke’s 2020 novel Piranesi have in common with the Greek legend of the Minotaur? A lot more than you might think! Initially, these two stories seem to have nothing in common; one story is so old the original crumbled to dust while the other is so new it’s still hot off the presses. There are no minotaurs or any fantastical creatures seen in Piranesi, although both stories are fantasy, both are categorized into different genres. The only thing they seem to have in common is their love of marble architecture and statues, but this small detail is only the beginning of the connections we see. Piranesi is a retelling of the classic Greek myth of the Minotaur.

Legends in the Marble

Before we can identify connections between Piranesi and the Greek legend, first we must prove the stories are capable of correlating. The influence of Greek mythology is riddled throughout the narrative and within the text itself. The setting of the House, scattered references to Greek monsters, stories and characters, themes and motifs commonly associated with the myths, can be seen all throughout the story. Nearly every aspect of Piranesi can be circled back to Greek mythos, but for now, let's focus only on the major ones. 

The setting of the House itself is notably Greek in atmosphere and architecture. Pillars of ivory, marble statues, encroaching nature, endless hallways, and sprawling staircases are only a few of the many descriptions we receive about the House. “I was standing in a vast chamber with stone floor and walls of marble. I was surrounded by eight massive statues, each one different, each depicting a minotaur. A great marble staircase rose up to a great height and descended to an equally disorientating depth. A strange thundering – as of a sea – filled my ears.” (Clarke,4). The environment of the House resembles Mount Olympus, the throne of the gods, almost perfectly. We even get subtle lines that could be references to some of the gods within Olympus, like Zeus and Poseidon.

The House is also referred to by others outside of Piranesi like Other and Prophet as “The Labyrinth.” “What would be best would be to find somewhere in the labyrinth, some point or place that’s unique.” (Clarke,2). Labyrinths and mazes are a recurring setting within Greek mythology, several stories of which feature them in one form or another. In fact, the word itself is Greek in origin. Of course, the most famous labyrinth of them all is the labyrinth of the minotaur built by Daedalus, the brilliant Greek inventor and architect.

The statues are perhaps the most telling sign of this connection with Greek mythology. The House is decorated with intricate marble statues in every corner of the realm, and every statue we see has a correlation to Greek mythology. The first most abundant statue we see that references Greek stories is the faun. “Another – perhaps the Statue that I love above all others – stands at a Door between the Fifth and Fourth North-Western Halls. It is the Statue of a Faun, a creature half-man and half-goat, with a head of exuberant curls. He smiles slightly and presses his forefinger to his lips.” (Clarke,1). The statue of the faun receives the most attention in Piranesi, even being displayed on the cover of most copies. The author clearly wants readers to notice it.

Fauns have always been an iconic monster in Greek mythology. They have been sighted numerous times throughout stories, from their exploits with the god of the wilds, Pan, to the demigod who fathered them, Faunus. We can identify the statues’ depiction of Greek monsters not only by name but also by description. The textbook Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend and Myths, by Carol Rose, details some of the intricate details of these Greek monsters that make them easily recognized. “These beings are the offspring of the classical Greek demigod Faunus, which resembled him in their semihuman form with the legs, hooves, and horns of a goat but the torso and head of a human male.” (Rose,119). The presence of fauns have always been cemented in Greek legends, acting as tricksters who enjoy playing pranks on mortals and guardians of the forests.

Additionally, there is another, more well-hidden reference behind the faun statue in Piranesi that further cements its connection to Greek mythology. “I dreamt of him once; he was standing in a snowy forest and speaking to a female child.” (Clarke,1). It is a seemingly throw-away line at first glance, but for those who read a certain series of fantasy novels, it is an immediately flagged statement. This line is a reference to the children’s story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, by C.S. Lewis, part of The Chronicles of Narnia series.

The dream described by Piranesi is a perfect description of the premise of Lewis’s story: a young girl is transported to a snowy forest and befriends a faun. Not only that, but The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe is another story that takes heavy inspiration from Greek mythology. The setting of Narnia is populated almost entirely by Greek folk creatures, such as fauns, centaurs, and even minotaurs. In fact, the minotaurs play an important role in the story, being the commanding generals of the White Witch’s army.

If this reference still seems far-fetched, there is another huge indicator that this is, in fact, a reference. Later in the story, we learn that Piranesi has lost all his memories of the real world, but he still sees fragments of them in dreams. It is also revealed that Piranesi grew up in England and, more than likely, read this extremely popular book at some point. This isn’t the only media he dreams of either, at one point, he also mentions dreaming about The Labyrinth, another book that references Greek mythology, only this time it is only in the setting and not the characters. There are too many correlations here to just be coincidence, which leads to this belief. 

Another notable statue we see is that of a woman holding aloft a beehive. “I climbed up the Western Wall until I reached the Statue of a Woman carrying a Beehive, fifteen metres above the Pavement. The Woman is two or three times my own height and the Beehive is covered with marble Bees the size of my thumb.” (Clarke,1). An often overlooked deity in Greek mythology is Melissa, demigod of bees. Originating as a nymph, Melissa achieved godhood after nursing an infant Zeus, king of the gods, with her honey and teaching mortals how to cultivate it.

Melissa may not share the same notoriety as other gods, but she is still an influential figure in Greek mythology. Her statues often depict her surrounded by the very same bees she adored, along with carrying a beehive. Admittedly, this statue on its own would be less credible as evidence of the House’s Greek influence if it wasn’t accompanied by the previous. However, these statues together make the influence of Greek mythology all the more apparent.

The final and most telling statues of them all are the eight depicting multiple minotaurs. “The First Vestibule is an impressive place, larger than the majority of Vestibules and more gloomy. It is dominated by eight massive Statues of Minotaurs, each one approximately nine metres high. They loom over the Pavement, darkening the Vestibule with their Bulk, their Massive Horns jutting into the Empty Air, their Animal Expressions solemn, inscrutable.” (Clarke,2). Guarding the entrance of the House, minotaurs and labyrinths have long been intertwined in Greek legend. This undeniable connection between the two cements them as being connected to the House.

Minotaurs are the most recurring motif in Piranesi, appearing in architecture, books, dreams, and word of mouth. The description of the statues fits the iconic design of the minotaurs perfectly, being described as a half-bull half-humanoid monster. “ASTERION: This is the correct name of the Minotaur in the classical mythology of Greece and Rome. It was born of the union between the wife of the king of Crete, Pasiphae, and the Cretan Bull. Asterion was a humanoid monster with the head of a bull; more horrifying still was his cannibal appetite. He was kept confined in a labyrinth that Daedalus built specifically for him under the palace at Knossos. There Asterion was fed a diet of tributary slaves from the Greek mainland until he was killed by the hero Theseus.” (Rose,29). Although we would never see a real minotaur in the story, its visage can be seen everywhere within the House. 

The Tragic Monster

With the correlation between Greek mythology and Piranesi now established, to truly call the novel a modern retelling of the legend of the minotaur, we must look at both narratives, how they are similar and how they relate to each other.

The narrative of Piranesi follows the titular character of the same name, a mysterious man who lives in a bizarre labyrinth he calls the “House.” Piranesi is the only known living resident, only ever coming into contact with one other person who lives outside The House, simply known as the “Other.” Unlike the previous residents, Piranesi lives in harmony with the House, able to flourish where many before him have failed. Over the course of the novel, we learn more about the House, that it is a pocket dimension separated from the real world.

Much like Piranesi, the minotaur lives in complete isolation in a home he can never leave. The creature lives underneath the city of his birth, alone in a secluded labyrinth away from society. Although those outside the labyrinth know it as the prison, the monster itself would more than likely not see it that way. To it, the labyrinth means home. It is the only living resident of the labyrinth, killing and eating any trespassers who dare enter its lair.

Back to Piranesi, we later learn that most people who stay in the House for long periods of time are robbed of their memories. “The Other and the Prophet have both stated that the House itself is a source of madness and forgetfulness.” (Clarke,3). This memory loss later becomes a crucial aspect of the story, explaining why Piranesi can’t remember how to leave the House or why he should at all. The House wants those who enter to become lost, never finding their way out and becoming permanent residents of its endless halls.

Within the myth of the minotaur, we see almost an exact replica of this memory loss effect the labyrinth has. The labyrinth was created to be a prison—an impossible puzzle with no solution. The minotaur would never be able to find that exit, wandering through the maze for eternity, forgetting where he started and how it ended. Theoi Greek Mythology, by Aaron J. Atsma, documents the stories of Greek myths and legends within their scholarly journal; one of which being the minotaur. “This labyrinth, which Daidalos built, was a ‘cage with convoluted flextions that disorders debouchment.’ ” (Atsma). All of these designs were purposeful, to ensure the minotaur would never escape.

The final major similarity between these two stories are their respective adversaries or, depending on your perspective, heroes. About a quarter the way through the story, Piranesi is warned by Other that he will soon receive a visit from a not-so-friendly chap called 16. “It’s really important that we keep as far away from this person as we can…This person – 16 – means me harm. 16 is my enemy. And so, by extension, yours too.” (Clarke,2). Piranesi is warned that they have entered the House specifically with the goal of killing both Other and Piranesi, and would not hesitate to do so.

Meanwhile, the minotaur faces a similar conundrum in perhaps what is the monster’s most famous story, “Theseus and the Minotaur.” In this story, the hero, Theseus, eager to prove his status as the long-lost prince of Cretan, ventures into the labyrinth to slay the minotaur, determined to save his people from being sacrificed to satiate the beast. Before he ventures into the labyrinth, Ariadne, daughter of King Minos, gives Theseus a spool of thread so he can navigate the labyrinth more easily. This, along with the advice of Daedalus, architect of the maze, was able to find the minotaur, slay it, and find the entrance by following the string.

Both Piranesi and the minotaur are pursued within their labyrinth, both parties intent on killing them. For the minotaur, this venture is not only a success, but justified in the eyes of the hero. He was eating his people, afterall. However, if you look at the minotaur purely from its perspective, it becomes much more complicated. The minotaur is a tragic monster; it was born because of the greed of one king and twisted by the rage of the gods. “...it had been the custom of Minos annually to dedicate to Poseidon the fairest bull born in his herds and to sacrifice it to the god; but at the time in question there was born a bull of extraordinary beauty and he sacrificed another from among those which were inferior, whereupon Poseidon becoming angry at Minos, caused his wife Pasiphae to become enamoured of the bull. And by means of the ingenuity of Daidalos Pasiphae had intercourse with the bull and gave birth to the Minotauros (Minotaur), famed in the myth.” (Atsma). While horrific and cruel, the story always made it clear that the minotaur kills to survive, never out of malice.

However, in Piranesi’s case, the motives of 16 told to him by the Other turned out to be false. In the climax of the narrative, it is revealed that the Other is the one responsible for Piranesi’s imprisonment and loss of memories. 16 is actually a police detective here to rescue him. In a shocking twist, Other reveals his true motives and attempts to kill them both, but they manage to escape with their lives. The same couldn’t be said for the Other.

This twist is an almost perfect reversal of the tale of “Theseus and the Minotaur,” where the adversary turns out to be the savior, and the friend becomes the oppressor. Piranesi is a reflection of the legend of the minotaur, with Piranesi as the minotaur, Other is King Minos, and 16 as Theseus. Both the Minotaur and Piranesi are tragic characters in their own right. They both could not control their fates, but were punished for their actions anyway. Unlike the minotaur, Piranesi was rescued by the hero, and the true villain of the story, Other, the embodiment of King Minos, was slain.

Poseidon & The House

Another extremely well-hidden detail that further connects Piranesi to the Minotaur is their mutual motif to water. The Minotaur’s birth was orchestrated by Poseidon, god of the Sea. “Poseidon’s sacred animals were the bull, the horse and the dolphin…The most famous of his sacred animals in myth was the Cretan Bull, sire of the Minotaur.” (Atsma). It was Poseidon who gifted King Minos the magnificent white bull to be sacrificed in his glory. When Minos attempted to cheat Poseidon and keep the bull for himself, he cursed Minos’ wife to fall in love with the animal, resulting in the unholy union that birthed the Minotaur.

While the bull itself wasn’t a descendant of Poseidon’s lineage, it was originally his. Poseidon was fond of the animals and often gifted them to his followers as a sign of his favor. This, coupled with the fact that without his intervention, the Minotaur would not have been born, automatically connects the Minotaur with the god of the sea and, by extension, the element of water. The Minotaur’s conception was Poseidon’s revenge against King Minos and would forever serve as a reminder of the consequences of disregarding the gods.

Piranesi may not be the descendant of a god or even of notable birth, but his connection to the Minotaur’s birth can still be seen throughout the text however subtly. When we are first introduced to Piranesi, he is diligently recording the tides within the House. Given that the lower level of the House is entirely made up of water, the middle level occasionally floods after heavy rainfall. “First came the Tide from the Far Eastern Halls. This Tide ascended the Easternmost Staircase without violence. It had no colour to speak of and its waters were no more than ankle deep…Next came the Tide from the Western Halls. This Tide thundered up the Westernmost Staircase and hit the Eastern Wall with a great Clap, making all the Statues tremble…Last came the Tide from the Northern Halls. It hurled itself up the middle Staircase, filling the Vestibule with an explosion of glittering, ice-white Foam.” (Clarke,1). This has been Piranesi’s task since arriving in the House, and he takes it very seriously. Within the mythological stories, Poseidon’s rage has been known to cause floods, as seen in the tales of Attica and Argos.

Recording water levels isn’t the only connection Piranesi shares with Poseidon. His diet also mostly consists of fish because land dwelling animals are somewhat of a rarity in the House. Given that Poseidon’s domain encompasses all things seaworthy, fishermen would often pray to him to ensure safe seafaring and bountiful catches. “As god of the sea he was also closely associated with fish and other marine creatures. His chariot was drawn by a pair of fish-tailed horses (Greek: hippokampoi).” (Atsma). For this reason, he is also often associated as the patron deity of fisherman. So long as they weren’t wasteful, Poseidon would grant them his boon.

Piranesi is not only an excellent fisherman, but he also all-be-it, unknowingly prays to Poseidon and follows his teachings perfectly. Although Piranesi is never seen directly praying to the god, he is seen praying multiple times to the House itself. His worship of the House is very akin to the Greek god, wishing for protection from the domain the god resides over. “A great Hand of Water reached out to pluck me from the Wall. I flung my arms around the Legs of the Woman carrying a Beehive and prayed to the House to protect me.” (Clarke,1). If we replace the House with Poseidon in this exchange, it becomes an almost perfect copy of the rituals fishermen would perform to ensure safe passage.

This analogy would also explain why the House seems to favor Piranesi more so than any other former or current visitor of the House. We are never given a solid explanation as to how the former residents of the House met their end, but it is implied by the state Piranesi finds their remains that they were either greedy, wasteful, or disrespectful to the House. For example, two out of the several skeletons we meet display varying levels of greed. are still clinging onto something of mortal value. “The Biscuit-Box Man is a skeleton that resides in an Empty Niche in the Third North-Western Hall…To the right is placed the skull and to the left is a biscuit box containing all the small bones – finger bones, toe bones, vertebrae etc…The Folded-Up Child is a skeleton…She is posed on an Empty Plinth in the Sixth South-Eastern Hall. Her knees are drawn up to her chin, her arms clasp her knees, her head is bowed down. There is a necklace of coral beads and fishbones around her neck.” (Clarke,1). Just like Poseidon, the House is shown punishing the disrespectful, the wasteful and greedy by turning nature against them.

However, if one is respectful of the House’s domain, honors its will, and worships its power, then the House will look upon them favorably. Piranesi met the House’s values, and therefore was able to thrive where so many others perished. He never wastes a single resource, and this can be seen best in his use of fish and seaweed, using them for all sorts of materials. “The arms of my glasses keep breaking off…I am experimenting with different methods of mending them. On the left arm I have used strips of fish leather and fish glue and on the right arm I have used seaweed.” (Clarke,2). Piranesi’s resourcefulness with the limited items he finds ensures that he always has the favor of the House. Again, the House’s reward method is very similar to Poseidon.

Piranesi worship of the House being akin to a Greek god like Poseidon goes even further when we analyze the “offerings.” Piranesi is also seen making multiple offerings to the House and its denizens for no benefit of himself. He helps a family of albatrosses build a nest and offers food and drink to the skeletons. “ ‘I think I see your problem,’ I said. ‘You have come here to build a nest. But you cannot find the materials you need. There is only cold, wet seaweed and you need something drier to make a cosy nest for your egg. Do not worry. I will help you. I have a supply of dry seaweed. Speaking as a non-avian, I feel sure that this would be a highly suitable building material. I will go and fetch it immediately.’ ” (Clarke,2). Despite his limited resources, Piranesi is generous and the contributions he makes honor the House. Not to mention, the albatross is another animal commonly associated with Poseiden and the ocean, being a type of seabird.

The comparisons between the House and Poseidon are abundant in ways that can’t just be coincidence. Piranesi worships, prays, and makes offerings to the House as if it were a god capable of controlling his fate. His respect for the realm and its denizens transcends that of the Other, granting Piranesi special privileges within the House like being able to communicate with the skeletons.

A lot of the points mentioned above would not mean much on their own, but together, they paint a clear picture of Piranesi as the modern Greek myth. The statues reference Greek monsters, the nearly perfect reflection and reversal of their narratives, and the subtle nods towards Poseidon. All these points come together to make a story that is not only entertaining but an in-depth experience for those who know the original myth. The Greek legend of the minotaur is reimagined within the narrative of Piranesi.

Work Cited

Clarke, Susanna. Piranesi. Bloomsbury Publishing, 2020.

Atsma, Aaron J. “Minotaur.” Theoi Greek Mythology, 2000. https://www.theoi.com/Ther/Minotauros.html.

Atsma, Aaron J. “Poseidon.” Theoi Greek Mythology, 2000. https://www.theoi.com/Olympios/Poseidon.html.

Rose, Carol. Giants, Monsters, and Dragons: An Encyclopedia of Folklore, Legend and Myth. Self-Published, 2000.