This place is deep, I always have a very weird feeling when I'm there, it's like starring in those movies, where everyone is happy and joyful, however you know that something mysterious is lurking below all of this.
There are places that still are called by their Minoan names.
If you ever get there, don't miss the archaeological museum in Heraklion. Here is a small sample:
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Clay_oxen_wheel,_a_t...
https://interestingengineering.com/the-history-and-evolution...
She tells me that the feeling you get in Crete and the way Cretans think of life and death (what you call "something mysterious is lurking below") can be explained by the story of the Arkadi Monastery [1]: during the Cretan Revolt against the Ottoman empire in 1866 943 Greeks, mostly women and children, sought refuge in the monastery. After three days of battle and under orders from the hegumen (abbot) of the monastery, the Cretans blew up barrels of gunpowder, choosing to sacrifice themselves rather than surrender.