Daedalus, the great inventor of Greek mythology

Daedalus was a mythical Greek inventor, architect and sculptor. In Greek mythology, Daedalus is said to have built, among other things, the paradigmatic Labyrinth for King Minos of Crete. The name Daedalus means ‘skillfully forged’.

Daedalus is a mythical character, but behind his name lies an immense number of characters. In Daedalus, various Greek writers personified the development of the arts of sculpture and architecture, especially among the Athenians and Cretans.

He is said to have lived in the early heroic period, in the age of Minos and Theseus. However, Homer does not mention it, except in one dubious passage.

What is the origin of Daedalus?

Ancient writers generally represent Daedalus as an Athenian, of the royal race of the Erechtheidae. Others called him Cretan, due to the long time he lived in Crete.

According to Diodorus, who gives the fullest account of him, Daedalus was the son of Metion, who was the son of Eupalamus, and the latter the son of Erichthonius. Other authors suggest that Daedalus was, in fact, the son of Eupalamus, or Palamaon. His mother was called Alcippe, or Iphinoë, or Phrasimede.

Daedalus devoted himself to sculpture and made great improvements in art. T He had two sons: Icarus and Iápige. In his story, his nephew, Talos (or Perdix), becomes important.

The envy of the creator

Daedalus was so proud of his achievements that he could not bear the thought of having a rival. The architect’s sister had placed her son in the care of Daedalus to be taught mechanical arts.

The young man’s name was Perdix, although he is also known as Talos or Calos. Perdix turned out to be a scholar of art and showed surprising evidence of ingenuity.

According to Greek mythology, Perdix, walking along the seashore, picked up a fish bone. Inspired by the shape of the thorn, he took a piece of iron and forged it imitating the thorn and thus inventing the saw.

On another occasion, Perdix put two pieces of iron together. Connecting them at one end with a rivet, and sharpening the other ends he invented the compass.

Daedalus was so envious of his nephew’s achievements that he took advantage of an opportunity to push Perdix off the Acropolis. The Goddess Athena turned Perdix into a partridge, allowing him to land safely. At the same time, he left a scar that looked like a partridge on Daedalus’ right shoulder.

Daedalus was convicted of this crime and left Athens after a time in hiding.

Crete, a labyrinth and a wooden cow

Upon arriving in Crete, Daedalus was received at the court of King Minos and his wife, Pasiphae. Unfortunately, within a very short time, he found himself involved in another dire situation.

It happened that Minos had chosen to keep a magnificent white bull that the god Poseidon had given him, instead of offering it as a sacrifice to the god of the sea. In his anger, Poseidon had induced Pasiphae to physically desire the bull.

Pasiphae asked Daedalus to create a wooden cow in which she could hide and mate with the bull. In this way, she became pregnant and gave birth to the Minotaur, a creature with a human body and the head of a bull.

Minos also went to Daedalus and asked him to build a labyrinth, to enclose the Minotaur there so that he could not escape. This is the famous minotaur labyrinth.

Commissioned by King Minos to build a prison house for the Minotaur, Daedalus built one of the greatest architectural works. The maze had endless corridors and complicated turns, which would confuse anyone who entered it to the point that finding the exit would be impossible.

Every seven years, the Athenians were to send seven young men and seven maidens to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. This sacrifice was intended to maintain peace between the two parties, due to the unjust murder of Androgeos, a son of Minos.

With the next ‘shipment’ of Athenians, Theseus arrived as a volunteer and immediately fell in love with Ariadne, daughter of King Minos. The princess did not want to see her beloved die and, therefore, she asked the craftsman for help.

Daedalus gave Theseus a ball of thread. Theseus could achieve an escape: by securing a linen thread to the entrance to the Labyrinth and following that thread again to return. This helped the hero find a way back once he had slain the beast.

The flight of Daedalus and Icarus

King Minos was furious at the treacherous act of building the wooden cow. As punishment, King Minos imprisoned Daedalus and his son Icarus in the endless labyrinth.

Daedalus knew a way out of the labyrinth; However, they could not escape the island because all sea routes were constantly guarded. Therefore, Daedalus had to manage to escape and built two pairs of wings from wooden sticks, which served as supports for waxed royal feathers.

Daedalus gave Icarus specific instructions on how to fly. Daedalus told Icarus not to fly too low, because the water could soak the feathers, but not too high because the Sun could melt the wax.

They managed to escape and headed towards Sicily, p But soon, Icarus put aside his father’s advice and flew higher and higher. The sun melted the wax, destroying his wings and making him fall into the sea where he would drown.

Icarus fell into the sea near Samos and his body washed ashore on a nearby island. This island was called Ikaria in honor of him and the sea around the island was called the Sea of ​​Ikaria.

Daedalus the Innovator

A wealth of anecdotal details built Daedalus’s reputation as an innovator in many areas. Arts. In the Natural History of Pliny, he is credited with the invention of carpentry.

In Greek mythology, he is said to have conceived masts and sails for ships for the navy of Minos. Pausanias, for his part, attributed to Daedalus the construction of numerous archaic wooden cult figures that impressed him throughout Greece.

It is also said that he sculpted statues with great detail that, due to their high realism, seemed alive. Such statues would have escaped if not for the chain that tied them to the wall.

Thus, Daedalus gave his name to any anonymous Greek gunner. In addition, many Greek devices that represented exquisite skill were attributed to him.

Interpretation of the legend

Daedalus and Icarus are depicted on numerous Greek vases, gemstones, and Pompeian murals. A famous Roman relief shows Daedalus modeling the wings with which they escaped from Crete.

Later artists as varied as Pieter Brueghel, who painted the Fall of Icarus, as well as Anthony van Dyck and Charles Le Brun have also paid tribute to him. In addition, Daedalus is represented in Brill’s painting and the set of sculptures by Antonio Canova.

Writers such as James Joyce and WH Auden were inspired by the legends of Daedalus and have helped keep his name and legend alive in the 21st century.

The story of Daedalus encourages others to consider very carefully the long-term consequences of their own inventions. Daedalus functions as a dialectical resource for creations, trying to prevent these inventions from doing more harm than good.

Just as in the story of Icarus’s wings, Daedalus is depicted helping in the creation of something that has negative consequences later.

This is the case with the creation of the monstrous, almost impenetrable labyrinth of the Minotaur. Its construction made killing the beast an endeavor of legendary difficulty.

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