Pasiphae (pa-SIF-ay-ee). Wife of King Minos of Crete. When the gods sent Minos a beautiful white bull, he did not sacrifice it as he should have done. In punishment, Pasiphae was inflicted with a passion for the beast, which ultimately led to the birth of the Minotaur, a monster half-man and half-bull. Minos had the Labyrinth built to house the beast and, some say, his wife as well.