Beyond the bull, the other major symbol of the Minoan civilization was the double headed ax, or "labrys". According to my pals at Wikipedia :The term, and the symbol, is most closely associated in historical records with the Minoan civilization, which reached its peak in the 2nd millennium BC. Some Minoan labrys have been found which are taller than a human and which might have been used during sacrifices. The sacrifices would likely have been of bulls. The labrys symbol has been found widely in the bronze age archaeological recovery at the Palace of Knossos on Crete. According to archaeological finds on Crete this double-axe was used specifically by Minoan priestesses for ceremonial uses. Of all the Minoan religious symbols, the axe was the holiest. To find such an axe in the hands of a Minoan woman would suggest strongly that she held a powerful position within the Minoan culture.
There are a few interpretations on the exact meaning of the symbol of the ax, varying from the waxing and waning moon tolightning to the feminist symbol of a butterfly. Before I did any reading on the subject I was inclined to think it was just another representation of the horns of the bull. I haven't seen anything in writing to support my theory, but that's still what I think.

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