The Inventions of Daedalus (ft. Icarus) - Greek Mythology Explained

So the hero of the Minotaur myth is the Athenian prince Theseus, if we use the term hero in the absolute most technical sense. But probably the most interesting character in the tale is the inventor Daedalus. There may have been a real Daedalus at some point in Bronze Age Greece. The name appears on a Linear B tablet from Knossos, Crete, dated to 1400 BC-ish. It refers to the Daedaregio, which would have been some structure What the real Daedalus did with his life, we'll probably never know. For an overview of the mythical Daedalus life, I'm going to be referencing two sources, Pseudo-Apollodorus and Diodorus Siculus. Pseudo-Apollodorus was the author of The Library, a compendium of classical Greek myths drawing from various much older sources, most of which are now lost. It gives complete synopses of myths that elsewhere are only told in bits and pieces, so I find it to be very convenient as a reference. The Library was traditionally thought to have been written by Apollodorus of Athens in the 2nd century BCE. However, the work has since been dated later to the 1st or 2nd century CE. Thus, the author is now referred to as Pseudo-Apollodorus, because we have no idea who he actually was. We just know he wasn't Apollodorus of Athens. Diodorus Siculus was a Greek historian from the 1st century BCE. He considers Daedalus to have been a real person. However, in his writing, he is skeptical, if not outright dismissive, of the more fantastical elements of his story. And so, he presents what he considers a more plausible rendition of Daedalus' story alongside the standard mythic version. Daedalus was born in Athens, and he quickly became a famous artist for his groundbreaking innovations, such as depicting people with bendy limbs and eyes that open. However, he'd soon find his spotlight under threat after taking up his nephew Talos as an apprentice. Talos observed the jagged teeth of a snake's jawbone and was inspired to create the first saw for cutting wood. On top of that, he also invented the potter's wheel, the drafting compass, and many other groundbreaking tools for craftsmen. After realizing his nephew would soon surpass him in renown, Daedalus became immensely proud of his industrious protege. Just kidding, he pushed the kid off the Acropolis. Then he attempted to bury Talos' body in order to hide his crime, but this was in vain. Hey, is that a child's leg sticking out of the ground? Uh, no, it's a dead snake. Uh-oh, still alive. Die, snake! Oh, I'm dead now. Okay, I'm gonna call the cops. Damn it. And Daedalus was tried by the court of the Areopagus and convicted of murder. He then fled to the island of Crete, where King Minos became his new patron. But as you might know if you have good taste in YouTube videos, it wasn't long before Daedalus screwed up this gig as well. In case you don't, I'll get you up to speed. First, he made the bull suit in which Queen Pasiphae would copulate with the Bull of Poseidon. After she gave birth to the Minotaur, Minos commissioned Daedalus to create the labyrinth in order to house the monster, and there it would prey on the tribute sent from Athens. Years later, Theseus arrived on a quest to venture inside the labyrinth and slay the Minotaur. Minos' daughter Ariadne was smitten by the hero, so she demanded that Daedalus reveal a method of escaping from the monster's confounding lair. He instructed her to give Theseus a ball of thread and tell him to fasten it to the entrance of the labyrinth and unravel it as he traveled through. Then after defeating the Minotaur, he'd just need to follow the thread to find his way back to the entrance. And I need to pause for a second and rant about something. I never ever want to become Mythology CinemaSins, but this genuinely bothers me a lot. While the terms are often used interchangeably, there is a difference between a maze and a labyrinth. A maze consists of multiple paths that branch off into dead ends in order to obscure the way to the goal, while a labyrinth is a single path that just wraps around itself with no branches. And all throughout classical art, we see Daedalus' labyrinth depicted true to its name. Just one winding path leading to the Minotaur in the center. However, if we accept this model of the labyrinth for the Minotaur myth, it makes the story problematic. Because you can't get lost in a labyrinth, you just go forward until you get to the end, and then you just turn around. You don't need a string. So I just have to believe that Ariadne saw Theseus for the first time and said, Damn, that guy is hot, but he also looks like he has the memory of a goldfish. Yeah, there is nothing going on in that head. I need to help this boy. And with that in mind, I no longer hold it against Theseus for leaving Ariadne behind. He probably just missed the object permanence patch as a toddler. Same with forgetting to raise white sails on his way home so his dad wouldn't unalive himself. It's not his fault his peanut brain failed him. Okay, that's the end of this tangent. Anyway, Minos finally got fed up with Daedalus scheming with his wife and daughter and imprisoned him inside his own labyrinth, along with his son Icarus, who he had with one of Minos' slaves. Or according to Diodorus' account, Daedalus went into hiding with his son, but Minos put a bounty on him, making it impossible to charter a ship off of Crete. Regardless, Daedalus employed yet another work of genius to get him and Icarus off the island. He took feathers and beeswax and constructed artificial wings, which the two of them used to fly up into the sky and out of captivity. All right, son, we may be free now, but it's crucial for your safety that you listen closely to my instructions. I'm listening. You mustn't fly up too high or else the heat from the sun will melt the wax keeping your feathers attached. All right. You also don't want to fly too low because the moisture from the sea could wash the feathers right off. Makes sense. The safest option is to maintain a constant altitude right through the middle in order to avoid any hazards from the sky or sea. And as long as you follow these instructions to the letter without any deviation, we should both make it safely to land without any incident. Understood. Hey, Dad, check this out. Woo! Yeah! Yippee! I'll note that Diodorus proposed an alternate account of Daedalus and Icarus' escape where Pasiphae provided a boat for them to flee in. But upon reaching another island, Icarus disembarked in a reckless manner and drowned in the sea. While certainly more plausible, I gotta admit this version isn't quite as fun. Pseudo-Apollodorus also mentions that Heracles later discovered Icarus' body washed up on the island of Delicae where he gave the boy a proper burial. And for this reason, the island has since been called Ikaria. As thanks, Daedalus constructed a statue in the hero's likeness at Pisa. But it was so lifelike that Heracles mistook the statue for another man of comparable size and strength. And naturally, his first instinct was to chuck a rock at it. And that's the entirety of that episode. Daedalus eventually made his way to Sicily where he befriended King Cocolus. And there, he built the king an impregnable fortress city, temples to the gods, countless works of beautiful art, and most importantly, a sauna. But all the while, Minos was out searching for his fugitive. In Diodorus' demythologized account, Minos found out his whereabouts and came to Sicily with his army, demanding that Coculus bring Daedalus back into his custody. Once again, the traditional mythological version is a lot more interesting. Minos traveled all over the Mediterranean with a shell and a thread, offering a reward for anyone who could thread the thread through the shell. He knew there was only one man who could discover the solution. When Minos arrived in Sicily and presented the challenge to Coculus, he took the shell and gave it to Daedalus. Daedalus bore a tiny hole at the end of the shell and tied the thread around the body of an ant. Then the ant passed through the hole and the puzzle was complete. When Minos was presented the threaded shell, he knew that Coculus was harboring Daedalus and demanded that he surrender the man to him. Coculus agreed, but first insisted that Minos make himself at home and take a relaxing bath. And while bathing, Minos was treacherously murdered by the daughters of Coculus. And after this event, Daedalus seems to just vanish from the narrative. As far as I can tell, we don't even have an account of his death until way later in the 6th century CE, in Ethnica, a dictionary of place names by Stephanus of Byzantium. By the way, huge thanks to John for digging up this source for me and Publius for translating it. You know who you are. According to Stephanus, Daedala was an Anatolian city said to be founded at the place where Daedalus, And that's about the closest we have to an ending of his story, which, admittedly, is a little unsatisfying. Though I gotta point out that Daedalus dying from a snake bite serves as great poetic justice for the murder of his nephew Talos. Good for you, kid.