Historiae Romanorum

Daedalus

The greatest architect and inventor of the heroic world.

Daedalus first lived in Athens.  There, he gained a reputation as the best architect, and he in fact invented the idea of statues.  He accepted as his tutor Talus, who was the son of Daedalus' sister Perdix.  Talus soon became the equal of his uncle, if not his superior.  Talus apparently invented the saw, using a snake's jawbone as his tool.  Jealous, Daedalus refused to be outshined by his pupil.  He took Talus up to the top of the Acropolis, and hurled the boy down from the top of it, killing him.

Daedalus was convicted in a trial and exiled.  Daedalus then journeyed to Crete, where he worked for Minos, king of the Minoans.  Daedalus' first task was not for Minos, but for his wife Pasiphae.  Minos had not sacrificed a bull, which he had promised to Poseidon.  As revenge, Poseidon caused Pasiphae to fall in love with the bull.  In order to facilitate a union, Pasiphae asked asked Daedalus for his help.  He constructed for her the body of a cow, into which Pasiphae could climb.  In this way, she was able to have intercourse with the bull, and become pregnant by it.  Pasiphae named her child Asterius, but he would forever be known as the Minotaur (the bull of Minos).  This is because he had the body of a man, but the head of the bull.

Instructed by oracles not to kill the child, Minos had Daedalus construct a labyrinth to contain the Minotaur.  He did so, and the labyrinth was so confusing that no man could possibly escape.  When Theseus came to Crete, Minos' daughter Ariadne fell in love with him.  She came to Daedalus to ask his advice on how she might save Theseus.  He advised her to give the hero a ball of thread, which he could tie to the exit and use to retrace his steps.

After Theseus killed the Minotaur and escaped with Ariadne, Minos decided to punish Daedalus.  He imprisoned both Daedalus and his son Icarus in the labyrinth.  Daedalus constructed two sets of wings, however, and he and his son Icarus flew away. 

Before their flight, Daedalus warned Icarus to not fly too close to the sun or sea, for either extreme heat or moisture would melt the glue.  Once in the air, however, Icarus forgot his father's warning, for he was having too much fun.  He flew too close to the sun, destroying the wings.  He plunged back to the earth and drowned in the sea, which was then called the Icarian Sea (the south-eastern Aegean Sea).  Daedalus, however, safely flew to Sicily.

Minos pursued Daedalus, using a clever ruse.  He went to each land, asking the king if he could thread a spiraled shell.  He knew that only Daedalus was clever enough to achieve this.  When Minos arrived in Crete, he once again asked the question.  The king of Crete took the shell to Daedalus, who threaded it using an ant tied to the thread.  Knowing Daedalus was there, Minos demanded him.  The king agreed, but then had Minos killed by his daughters while he was bathing.

Source(s):

1. Apollodorus.  Bibliotece.

This page was last updated on July 21, 2004.