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Daedalus (Δαίδαλος) was a famous Athenian architect, inventor, and craftsman. He was the son of Metion of Athens and had a nephew named Perdix. When he killed Perdix out of jealousy, he fled to Crete with his son Icarus.

Perdix[]

Perdix was Daedalus' nephew. He was very skilled and invented the saw after he saw the way snakes use there jaws. This made Daedalus very envious and he threw Perdix off the Acropolis. For this crime he was placed in service of King Minos. While there he had a son Icarus.

The Labyrinth[]

Minos made Daedalus build the Labyrinth to imprison the Minotaur, the offspring of the Cretan Bull and his wife, Pasiphae (Pasiphae commissioned Daedalus to build a wooden cow so that she may mate with the bull). Thus the Minotaur was a half-man and half-bull

DAED

Daedalus as he appears in The Storyteller

. Minos imprisoned the Minotaur and forced Aegeus, Metion's successor in Athens, to send tributes of 14 men and women for the Minotaur to fed on. The Athenian prince and hero Theseus volunteered to go, hoping to kill the Minotaur. Ariadne, Minos' daughter fell in love with, and wanted to help Theseus.

Daedalus and his nephew were imprisoned by Minos so that the secret of the Labyrinth would not be made public. Daedalus decided they could escape if he constructed wings. He made wings from feathers and wax. Before they escaped Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly to high for the sun will melt his wings and not to low for he will fall into the ocean. Icarus, enchanted by the sensation of flying, flew too high. The wax on his wings melted off and he fell into the water. Daedalus mourned his son and escaped to Sicily.

Family[]

Ericthonid Genealogy in Greek mythology
 
 
 
 
 
Hḗphaistos
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ericthonius
 
Praxithea
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Pandion I
 
Zeuxippe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Echenais
 
Erectheus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Cecrops II
 
Telphousa
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Metion
 
Iphinome
 
 
Orneus
 
Melaina
 
 
 
Pandion II
 
Pylia
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Daedalus
 
 
Thronia
 
Peteus
 
Aethra
 
Aegeus
 
 
 
Lycus
 
Ismenis
 
 
Nisos
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Phrasimede
 
Menestheus
 
 
 
 
 
Theseus
 
Hippolyta
 
 
 
Iobates
 
Metope
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Icarus
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Demophon
 
Phyllis
 
 
 
Amphianax
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Oxyntes
 
Anchiroe
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Apheidas
 
 
 
 
Thymoetes
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