The poems of A Cretan Cycle are not translations, but rather evocations of the Cretan myths in their various elements. The characters include Minos, his wife Pasiphae, the Minotaur, Ariadne, Theseus, Bacchus, Daedalus, the Earth, the Sea, Zeus, Europa, Crete, the Labrys, the Labyrinth, Poseidon, the Bull from the Sea. These figures belong in the Minoan civilization, dominant in Greek culture until a volcanic eruption caused the downfall of Minoan power in the Eastern Mediterranean. The poet is Marilyn Coffey, also noted for Marcella, Pricksongs, and other works.