Into the Labyrinth: Revealing the Mantic Minotaur

Few creatures from mythology have captured the imagination of mankind quite like the legendary Minotaur. A half-man, half-bull behemoth that is said to guard the halls of the impenetrable labyrinth of Crete. The ancient sagas stated that only the bravest of warriors would be able to match its incredible strength and escape its mystifying maze.

Computing, on the other hand, should not feel like you’re trapped in a maze. In just a few short weeks, all will be able to experience the freedom that Ubuntu 23.10 Mantic Minotaur has to offer. Access the latest and greatest open source software built on a trusted, secure and stable foundation. This upcoming release represents another important step in our quest to craft a desktop experience that fully embodies our future vision and values.

A prophetic eye

The word Mantic is used to describe one’s ability to prophesy or reach into the future. Our lead designer, Marcus Haslam, pulled inspiration from the ancient past when creating our iconic Minotaur Mascot and new official wallpapers.

“The idea is always to create a compelling and memorable mascot, and now more recently to animate it. I used the maze and not a labyrinth. The maze was introduced in the Renaissance period by the horticulturists, this was visually more interesting. I liked the Minotaur being part of the puzzle keeping the same line thickness so there is a sort of illusion.”

To download the new Mantic Minotaur Wallpapers in a variety of sizes and styles, please visit the new Ubuntu release assets drive.

More mythological wallpapers

A legendary mascot demands a legendary slate of wallpapers and the Ubuntu Community was willing and able to provide. The Mantic Minotaur Wallpaper Competition received over 70 community submissions covering a diverse range of artistic styles and interpretations. As much as we would love to include them all, we gave the community the difficult task of narrowing it down to 9 compositions worthy of their chimeric muse. 

We’re excited to showcase the winners of the Ubuntu 23.10 Wallpaper Competition:

Getting involved

The Ubuntu Wallpaper Competition is just one of the many ways you can contribute to the Ubuntu community. Discover how you can get involved at: https://ubuntu.com/community/contribute