Religion was an important part of Minoan life in Bronze Age Crete. From the evidence of figurines, carvings, reliefs, frescos, sacred objects, engraved seals and other ancient artefacts, it is possible to broadly identify the ancient Minoan gods worshipped in Crete and the places associated with their worship.

The Minoan Gods

Minoan religion closely linked humans and nature, which the Minoan’s believed to be infused with the divine. Frescos frequently show sacrifices and worship taking place beneath or next to images of the sacred tree, a symbol of nature that was also part of the sacred precincts of Minoan palaces.

Animals were also of divine significance, symbolising manifestations of divine presence, fertility and protection. Important animals included the dove, goat, bull, cow, and snake.

Minoan deities are difficult to define as widespread depictions of god figures do not occur until the late Minoan period when reliefs and snake goddess figurines become commonplace. This evidence led Sir Arthur Evans to speculate that the Minoans had two main deities, each with different characteristics.

 A proliferation of female figures suggests that the Minoan religion was a goddess religion. Based on the frequency of finds, the major deity was the great mother goddess whose various guises included the Minoan snake goddess and the chthonic goddess of life and death. Whichever form she assumed, the great mother was essentially a fertility figure and symbol of life.

The Minoan goddess was complemented by a young male nature god, representing the regenerative qualities of nature. The god was often depicted with attendant daemons. These were not evil spirits but generally benevolent lesser deities who were intermediaries between the major gods and humans.  

Characteristics of Minoan deities are also preserved in later Cretan cults, where they combined with gods of the Greek pantheon. For example, a Minoan dolphin god possibly survived at Knossos under the name of Apollo Delphinius and at least three aspects of the Minoan goddess survived in association with the goddess Artemis. They include Artemis Eileithyia, who became associated with the cave site at Amnisus, an old Minoan sacred site. The goddesses Tritogeneia and Wadi also survived in a combined form with Athena at Knossos and Castri.

Minoan Sacred Places

The Minoans had few buildings dedicated solely to worship. Instead, cult places were either household or palace shrines or else as natural sanctuary sites. These natural sacred places were generally associated with mountain tops or natural caves.

There are many important cult cave sites on Crete, the most famous being the Idaean cave which was the reputed birthplace of Zeus. Archaeological investigation has revealed many were used as Neolithic’ hunting lodges’ before becoming burial places. Because of this long-standing association with death, such caves were regarded as sacred to the chthonic mother goddess by the Minoan period. Bronze and terracotta Minoan votive offerings have been found in the caves, which are also believed to have been used for initiation rites.

Mountain sanctuaries were also often dedicated to the mother goddess. These sanctuaries included artificial structures such as enclosing walls and terracing to accommodate worshippers and rooms for storing cult objects. Rituals, however, occurred in the open air and included offerings made on altars and pyres or else tucked into recesses in the landscape. Again, these included bronze or terracotta figurines, as well as vases and other utensils. Important mountain sanctuaries include Mount Juktas and Symi Viannou.

Sources

Simon Price and Emily Kearns eds (2003). The Oxford Classical Dictionary of Classical Myth and Religion. Oxford University Press: Oxford

Vasilakis, Andonis (1999) Minoan Crete: From Myth to History. Adam Editions: Athens.