Sterling Silver Pendant (Necklace Not Included) Axe Approx 35mm (.98 in) length x 15mm (.59 in) width Approx 35mm (1.3 in) length Of all the Minoan (ancient Cretan civilization) religious symbols, the axe was the holiest. Stylized double axes consecrated shrines in ancient Cretan homes and palaces. Full sized double axes were used by priests to kill sacrificial bulls in ceremonies to propitiate Zeus. In Greek mythology, the Minotaur (linked to the cult of the bull and the double axe in the primitive tribes of Crete) is a monstrous double, sometimes with the head of a bull and the body of a man or, conversely, with the body of a bull and the head of a man.