Androgeus was the son of Minos who was killed in Athens before the tribute associated with the Minotaur. He was renowned for winning contests at the Panathenaic Games, but his death led to conflict between Minos and Athens in later mythological accounts.
Ancient and later versions differ about how Androgeus died. Some say Athenian rivals killed him because they were jealous of his victories; others connect his death with a dangerous encounter involving the Marathonian Bull. Minos blamed Athens and demanded compensation.
The resulting punishment is commonly described as a recurring tribute of Athenian youths sent to Crete, where they were placed in the Labyrinth and exposed to the Minotaur. Theseus eventually ended the cycle by killing the monster.
Androgeus should not be confused with Minos’s brothers Rhadamanthus and Sarpedon. He was Minos’s son and the brother of Ariadne, Phaedra, and Glaucus in common genealogies.