Pits and a Minotaur

This tale takes place in the far away continent of Graym, which is a thousand miles east of Samba Ka. Few ships sail into the eastern side of that hospitable island, but one day a large squarish ship approached and delivered good before sailing back eastward. One thing they traded was this tale.

Summary

The story recounts a young girl who disobeyed her father's instructions to go into the blasted land behind their house. A large pit yawned there and the girl wanted so badly to go investigate. After finding some monsters that tried to kill her, she fell down into a black opening in the bottom of one pit. This led to another lair. A pair of red eyes met her and gave chase. In the darkness she fell into another pit's drain. This continued until her clothes were dripping from sweat from the heat of the place. The red eyes found her, but dared not close in. She had, unbeknownst to her, found a shrine to Erathis. The girl prayed, and the red eyes evacuated.
After a sleep she rose to search for an exit. She encountered the red eyes and fled back to the safety of the shrine. Time and again this happened. On the tenth time Erathis granted her an unfaltering torch. With it she found her way out of the pits, and found the owner of the red eyed: a white-furred minotaur that shied away at her light. The beast cowered and bellowed but came no closer. With this torch she escaped and never disobeyed the wisdom her father gave for the rest of her days.

Historical Basis

The history behind this is unknown. The sailors, salty devils, described the tale as a classic in their homes, one that gets told and retold so frequently only a few words need spoken for the listener to know it's that particular story.
Graym does boast considerable caverns and pits in its arid west side, so this very well could have occurred. There are many minotaurs and centaurs and their ilk that roam these savannas and prairies.
No evidence has been found other than the ruins of a homestead near a pit. Unfortunately that pit does not have a drain. The further evidence to this being the home mentioned is the purple prairie flower that is mentioned in the story also grows near the foundation of that home. Some scholars, though, argue this could just be second-hand embellishment.

Spread

The residents of all of Graym know this story by heart. It is only unknown to us westerners.

Variations & Mutation

Some variations do exist, of course. Some speak of caves instead of pits, most likely to better fit the storytellers locale. The myth's prowess comes with its universal themes that can be easily changed no matter the locations.
The most fantastical variation, though, speaks of a mermaid to swims to an underwater grotto where some aberration lives. In this gloomy tale, the girl becomes supper for the thing, and the father, a great king, must find some other girl to be his daughter for when he passes.

Cultural Reception

The westerners here in Daeg do not think this tale anything special. The most boisterous reaction you'll receive in most great houses in the upper echelons of societies is an eyebrow raise. The slow-witted farmers scratch their heads and shudder at any pit or cave or channel, whichever variation they heard.

In Literature

Many an author in Daeg has adapted the story to fit the Daegish sensibilities. Most have been successful, the most successful one being a four-act play that traveled from Rerya to Evoria to Lochish and Brin Balo. That troop, however, met a sad end when the Human playing the minotaur went mad and slaughtered the actress playing the little girl on the stage in Lochish. Mirdrinda, forever a home for any aesthete, went into a panic and the shows sold out. Apparently the theater-loving Half-elves thought it part of the play!

In Art

Depictions of the minotaur are famous on pottery in East Samba Ka. The style of limbs tapering off and one eye per side of head originated on these pottery parts.

Date of First Recording

First recording is unknown. Scholars place it around 500 in the era of the gods' war.

Date of Setting

The tale has a timeless quality to it and is not set in any time or place really.