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The Minoan Genius is a fantastic mythological creature that was common in ancient Crete. It is portrayed sometimes with the head of a lion, or of hippopotamus, or of other animals. It played a role in various religious ceremonies.
It is often portrayed with water vessels, such as ewers, so it seems to play a role as libation bearer.
Mythological connections
The connections of this mythological beast seem to be with the griffin—a very widespread composite mythological beast—as well as with the Egyptian hippopotamus and crocodile goddess Taweret, from which it is believed to have derived.
According to Judith Weingarten, the earliest forms of the Minoan Genius derived from the Egyptian prototypes between approximately 1800 and 1700 BC.
Later on, the Genius also became a deity in the Mycenaean world; its representations are found widely in continental Greece.