The origins of the myth begin with King Minos and Queen Pasiaphe, who are known for the creation of The Minotaur and The Labyrinth (As well as the Myth surrounding Icarus) who had a child under normal circumstances named Glaucus. At aged 6, Glaucus discovered a huge urn of honey which had been at the palace in Knossos. He falls into the urn and drowns. King Minos and Queen Pasiaphe keep this knowledge from the public and go to see a local Minoan seer. In doing so they come across Polyidus, of whom was a magician, a healer, and a humble man. The King and Queen ask him to help, to go to their son and heal him. Polyidus responds after viewing what had happened that “My magic is not sufficient to find your son, but I can lead you to one who can find your son.” (the local seer/ seer of Delphi). The seer replies that “the person who can lead you to your son is that person, who can compose the most apt simile on the tri-coloured cow in your herd.” Polyidus composes a simile in attempt to save Glaucus. It doesn’t work, sending Queen Pasiaphe into a rage when he admits to not knowing how to go about saving their son. She orders Polyidus to be buried with Glaucus in his crypt and tells him he will be allowed to exit when Glaucus can. Polyidus is then seized by force and thrown into the crypt. Once inside the crypt a snake enters through a tiny hole, Polyidus instinctively kills it with concerns it would disrupt Glaucus’ body. When Polyidus had lost all hope, another snake enters through the same hole, looks at the dead snake’s body and retreats back into the wall. The snake then reappears with an herb in its mouth. Polyidus decides to take the herb, chew it up and spit it into Glaucus’ mouth, which as a result resurrected the child and they both could exit the crypt.
Polyidus after this had been keen on leaving Crete to return to his homeland across the Mediterranean. Queen Pasiaphe objected to his leaving as he had been such a great magician, and he was ordered to stay and pass on his knowledge to Glaucus. Polyidus reluctantly accepted and taught Glaucus for years to come. When it was Polyidus’ time to depart Crete, he asked one last favour of Glaucus on the docks of where he was to leave – and that was that he spat into his mouth. Glaucus did so, and as Polyidus left the shoreline Glaucus realised that all of his knowledge had been taught was contained and returned in the spit, given back to Polyidus.
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