Greek Mythology #5 The Life of Daedalus

Daedalus lived with his son Icarus in the city of Athens, he was an inventor and very famous, known as the best in the world. One day Daedalus' sister asked him if he could teach his son to become an inventor. Daedalus taught his nephew (Perdix) to become a great inventor. Icarus didn't really care about working. Perdix became a really great student going on to invent the potter's wheel, the saw, and the compass. The townspeople praised Perdix for being such a good inventor. Daedalus got distracted the people of Athens thought Perdix was a better inventor than him. He couldn't believe it. So one day when Perdix went to the top of a cliff to show Daedalus about his next invention idea, wings that made you fly, Daedalus pushed him off the cliff. As Perdix fell off the cliff, Athena, the Goddess of wisdom, took pity on him and turned him into a partridge. And for remembrance of the murder, Athena placed a tattoo of a partridge on Daedalus neck.

Daedalus and Icarus had to flee Athens. They wandered for a while before they were excepted into Crete by King Minos. But they weren't excepted for free. Daedalus had to build the labyrinth for King Minos' minotaur. So Daedalus worked, it was his biggest and greatest creation. He saw Icarus everyday and was truly happy. Until Minos started putting children in the maze for the minotaur to eat. When Theseus came and said he would kill the minotaur, Daedalus was delighted. He gave Ariadne some string to help Theseus navigate the labyrinth. It ended up working and they both escaped Crete. But King Minos found out what Daedalus had done. He locked him in the labyrinth, and he only got to see Icarus once a week for an hour. So he got a bunch of feather and some beeswax, and used Perdix ideas of the wings to help fly. One day when Icarus was visited they strapped the wings on and escaped through a vent Daedalus has installed. They took off, and Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too low or the water will soak the wax and not to fly too high or the wax will melt. Icarus kept gliding thinking it was fun, he flew too high and then too low. He did this on and on and Daedalus warned him. Icarus told his father just one more time and that it wouldn't hurt. Icarus wings fell one an he fell into the ocean which later became known as the Icarian Sea.

Daedalus landed in Sicily and took refuge from King Cocalus. Daedalus taught the daughter of Cocalus about his wisdom. For a while, life was good. But word spread that Minos had a question for a big chunk of money, so Daedalus and Cocalus excepted. Minos could not recognize Daedalus but he knew that hew would be the only one who could solve the riddle. He gave them a seashell and they had to tie a string through a little hole. Daedalus took an ant ant splashed him with honey. He then put the string on the ants back and the ant slipped through hole. Cocalus got his cash prize. But Minos demanded that he hand over Daedalus but Cocalus convinced Minos to take a bath at his place first. Cocalus daughters helped Minos into the bath when Minos screamed in pain. He burned to death in the bath which was filled with burning hot water by Daedalus and Cocalus daughters. Minos eventually became a judge of the underworld. Daedalus lived out the rest of his days teaching and inventing doing the things he loved.

See you next time when we talk about; Really excited nymphs, more about the death of Orpheus, Dionysus' parties, and a floating head.