Minotaur
Minotaur are a playable Race in Theros.
There are two distinct ethnicities, both of which have articles that go into more depth about their individual customs and naming conventions.
Below you can find a wealth of information relating to this species and their cultural norms and other additional information.
The minotaurs who dwell in the badlands of Phoberos and the remote polis of Skophos are caught between two worlds. Some follow the dark god Mogis, who has tyrannized them for ages untold and shown them a trail of slaughter that is all many minotaurs have ever known. Others, though, have emerged from this bloody path and found a world that welcomes those who pursue their own destinies and heroic callings.
Basic Information
Anatomy
Minotaurs are barrel-chested humanoids with heads resembling those of bulls. Their horns range in size from about 1 foot long to great, curling weapons easily three times that length.
Thick hair extends down minotaurs' necks and powerful backs, and some have long patches of hair on their chins and cheeks. Their legs end in heavy, cloven hooves, and they have long, tufted tails.
Biological Traits
Minotaurs are barrel-chested humanoids with heads resembling those of bulls. Their horns range in size from about 1 foot long to great, curling weapons easily three times that length.
Ecology and Habitats
As Minotaur are taller than most other species in Theros, their dwellings tend to be taller to accomodate them. To the average human from Meletis, a Minotaur settlement can easily resemble a labyrinth due to it's incredibly high walls and structures and long winding alleys.
Most Minotaur dwellings are built raised up from the main street and are accessed by a short flight of stairs. This is so denizens can open their doors for ventilation without the door extending immediately onto the footpath and gives the homeowner an element of privacy from the busy and bustling streets below. This has been debated to have been a design choice to help others navigate their way around the settlement, as entrances and exits are clearly marked by the stairs. However, many Minotaur would argue that this is a cultural choice, and a practical one by accident, as it common for a Minotaur to express themselves artistically via bright paints, signs, and graffito that tracks along the foundation of their house, with their most prized or sentimental trinkets being displayed along the side of the stairs.
Most structures are built out of adobe, or mud/clay to keep temperatures low and allow for quicker and easier construction of houses. This is what gives rise to the labyrinth type feel to their city structures as houses has little variation from one to the next and rows of buildings can create a long, bare, wall that leads on for a few hundred metres.
Dietary Needs and Habits
Minotaur have large molars and a well adapted jaw structure for grinding and eating tough vegetation and have no issues with chewing cud or desert flora including various species of cacti.
Their nutritional needs can be satisfied by a plant only diet making them primarily herbivores, however they can digest large quantities of protein with little impact on their nutritional requirements. Some Minotaur have even been known to eat strictly meat diets.
Biological Cycle
They are considered "all-rounders" and small Minotaur settlements can be find all around Theros, and generally face no issues in regards to climate or altitude.
However, their coats do grow or shed in response to seasonal and regional changes.
Minotaur who spend most of their time in hotter climates, e.g summer months or desert landscapes, shed or "blow-out" their double coats, leaving them only with their outter most hairs, the guard hairs, which protect their skin from sun damage and help act as a barrier from sand storms or harsh winds. While the undercoat does help insulate them against all temperatures, by shedding it dust is less likely to accumilate and mat their hair.
In the winter months, Minotaur tend to regrow their thicker and soft undercoat to help act as insulation.
Additional Information
Facial characteristics
Minotaur have a short bovine snout, often described as being similar to that of a bull. Horns are also commonly found across both males and females of this species.
Geographic Origin and Distribution
Most Minotaur live in Skophos, however many Minotaur have strong or even recent ties to the Phoberos badlands, whether it be by ancestral heritage, or birth.
Perception and Sensory Capabilities
Ears with a large range of movement allow for near-360 degree hearing.
Eyes positioned slightly to the side of their head means they can see an incredible amount of their surroundings approximately 300 degrees in total, nearly being able to see directly behind their flanks, however, they have limited vision immediately below their snout. They make up for this with a large array of wirey whiskers starting from their snout which leads down their chin and stops where their jaw meets their neck, providing them with fast tactile feedback and increased depth perception.
Civilization and Culture
Naming Traditions
Minotaurs often name their children after these great heroes, believing that a child will inherit the strength, audacity, guile, or fearsomeness of a heroic namesake. Other minotaur parents invent their own names, though, believing in their child's potential to light a new constellation in Nyx with the brightness of their own soul.
The Minotaur Namesake table suggests possible qualities or deeds that a minotaur's namesake might have been known for. Your character might strive to emulate that quality or seek to forge a new legacy to be associated with your name by future generations.
Female Names: Bozzri, Dhazdoro, Erinimachis, Ghalantzo, Halafoti, Kerania, Mitévra, Philoprodis, Tavromiki, Ypoudoris
Male Names: Bamvros, Fotiyinos, Halafotios, Keranios, Menetavro, Nikavros, Prodos, Rhordon, Tavrostenes, Thyrogog
Relationship Ideals
They are passionate, loving their friends and partners fiercely, and they laugh loud and long at good jokes. This zeal also extends to their faith. Those who have avoided the corrupting influence of Mogis gravitate toward the service of gods who share their bold nature, especially Erebos, Keranos, and Purphoros. Those who have rejected Mogis sometimes embrace his hated twin brother, Iroas.
Common Etiquette Rules
Minotaurs are known for venting their outrage through violence, but they aren't generally quick to anger.
Common Customs, Traditions and Rituals
Theros minotaurs often carve their horns to sharpen their edges, etch symbols of power into them, or sheathe them in bronze to prevent them from shattering during battle.
Minotaur priests often adorn themselves with sacred items, be they trophies from fallen foes, keepsakes from their homeland, or naturally occurring marks of their god's favor.
History
While the inhabitants of Akros and other reaches near Phoberos, the homeland of most minotaur herds, have engaged in endless conflicts with bloodthirsty minotaurs, they know there are those who forsake Mogis's depravities.
Common Myths and Legends
Although minotaurs aren't evil by nature and are free to worship any god, many are raised among those devoted to Mogis's vile whims. Myths tell that Mogis created the first minotaurs from his own followers, typically criminals and monsters of unspeakable depravity. While many groups of minotaurs still honor their villainous progenitors, others have abandoned their ancestors and moved beyond their crimes, seeking their fates in the future, not the past.
Interspecies Relations and Assumptions
The people of Meletis, Setessa, and lands beyond are also generally open-minded and curious about minotaurs who wander into their lands. Epics like The Callapheia also describe multiple heroic minotaurs. As a result, a minotaur traveling in the company of other non-minotaurs is likely to be accepted in any polis.
Minotaur are notoriously strong, and are even considered by some to be stronger than a Centaur. While this is up for debate, many tend to not worry about the finer details when comparing the two races, because biological composition has little to do with quality of character.
There are also many markings that are common, such as dappling, overo, roan, brindle, and more.
Rarer coats include a brown undercoat and white guard hairs, cream, and other colour and marking combinations.