Cameo depicting Daidalos, Ikaros, Artemis, and Pasiphae
Daidalos, also spelled Daedalus,[1] was a famous and skillful inventor, architect, and a craftsman in Greek mythology, known for being the creator of the infamous labyrinth for the Minotaur.[2] He was also the father of Ikaros.
Biography[]
According to Greek legends, the Athenian Daidalos was exiled after he threw his nephew off the acropolis of Athens in jealous rage.[3] However, Daidalos found work in Knossos. At first, he played a vital part in the birth of the Minotaur by crafting a special cow suit for the queen Pasiphae, enabling her to sleep with a bull gods had cursed her to fall in love with. After the birth of the Minotaur, king Minos ordered Daidalos to create the infamous labyrinth beneath the Knossos Palace.[4] He was also said to be the creator of the statue of the hero Herakles situated near the Lykosoura Ruins in Arkadia.[5]
Legacy and influence[]
During the Peloponnesian War, a fort near the city of Gortyn in Messara was named after him, as well as the related cavern used as armory.[6]
In 1725, after the Chinese Assassins Xiao Han, Liu Qing, and Xue Yan used gliders to board the Fenghuang, the navigator John Young compared them to Daidalos and his son Ikaros.[7]
Appearances[]
- Assassin's Creed: Odyssey (first mentioned)
- Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece (mentioned only) (sculpture only)
- Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple (mentioned only)
References[]
- ↑
Daedalus on Wikipedia
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Historical Locations: "Messara: Daidalos Armory"
- ↑ Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece – Tours: Knossos: "Daidalos"
- ↑ Discovery Tour: Ancient Greece – Tours: Knossos: "Birth of the Minotaur"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey – Historical Locations: "Arkadia: Daidalos' Statue of Herakles"
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Odyssey
- ↑ Assassin's Creed: Forgotten Temple – Episode 48