Daedalus is a Greek artist, master builder, and, above all, an inventor from Athens. He was trained by none other than the goddess Pallas Athena. He is the son of Metion and Iphinoe and the father of Icarus. It is believed that Daedalus’s grandfather was King Erechtheus of Athens, though this is not entirely certain.
Daedalus took his sister’s son, Perdix, as an apprentice in his workshop. It soon became evident that Perdix had an exceptional talent for construction and invention. One day, while walking along the beach, Perdix found the skeleton of a fish. By replicating its structure in iron, he invented the saw. Later, he also invented the compass. Realizing that the boy would soon surpass his master, the jealous Daedalus led Perdix to the roof of Athena’s temple, the Acropolis, and pushed him off. As a consequence, Daedalus was sentenced to exile by the council.
Daedalus then traveled to Crete with other skilled craftsmen, where he found work under King Minos. There, he fathered a son, Icarus, with one of the king’s slave women.
Daedalus is perhaps best known for the massive labyrinth he built for King Minos. It was so large and so complex that no one who entered could find their way out without assistance. Some believe the labyrinth was located beneath King Minos’s grand palace, Knossos. The labyrinth was used to imprison the fearsome monster, the Minotaur.
The Minotaur was the son of Minos’s queen, Pasiphaë, and Poseidon’s magnificent white bull. Minos had received this beautiful bull from Poseidon to be sacrificed in the god’s honor. However, Minos was so enamored with the bull that he kept it and sacrificed one of his own instead. Poseidon, realizing the deception, took revenge by making the queen fall madly in love with the bull.
Daedalus devised a kind of “artificial cow” in which the queen could conceal herself to unite with the bull. The result was the terrifying Minotaur, a creature with a human body and a bull’s head. To hide the shame that had befallen the royal family, King Minos imprisoned the Minotaur in the labyrinth.
King Minos had lost his son, Androgeus, during ritual games and competitions in Athens. Suspecting that King Aegeus (Theseus’s father) was responsible for the death, Minos waged war against Athens. With the help of his father, Zeus, he won the war.
King Aegeus sought guidance from the oracle at Delphi. The oracle advised him to fulfill Minos’s demand: as compensation for his son, Minos required that every year, seven young men and seven young women from Athens be sent to Crete. There, they were locked inside the labyrinth, where the Minotaur devoured them. This continued for several years.
King Aegeus’s son, Theseus, volunteered to go. When King Minos’s daughter, Ariadne, saw Theseus, she fell in love with him. She asked Daedalus how she could save her beloved.
Daedalus advised her to give Theseus a ball of thread and instruct him to tie one end at the entrance of the labyrinth. Theseus found the Minotaur and killed him, then easily followed the thread back out. Together, he and Ariadne fled to Athens. However, for unknown reasons, Theseus abandoned Ariadne on the island of Naxos during a stop on their journey—perhaps because she had fallen in love with the god Dionysus there.
King Minos was furious that Daedalus had revealed the labyrinth’s secret to Ariadne. He imprisoned Daedalus and his son, Icarus, in one of the palace towers (or perhaps in the labyrinth itself—some accounts suggest that Queen Pasiphaë helped them escape).
Daedalus decided to flee, but Minos controlled both land and sea—though not the air. The clever Daedalus crafted two sets of wings from wax and bird feathers so he and his son could escape. He warned Icarus not to fly too low, lest the sea spray ruin the wings, nor too high, as the sun’s heat could melt the wax. But when have young people ever heeded the advice of their elders?
After passing Samos and Delos, Icarus grew overconfident. He soared higher and higher until the sun melted the wax. He plummeted into the sea just south of Samos. Since then, this body of water has been known as the Icarian Sea. His lifeless body washed ashore on the island of Ikaria, where the god Heracles later found and buried it.
Daedalus, however, safely reached Camicus on Sicily.
There, King Cocalus welcomed the renowned builder and invited him to stay. An enraged Minos set sail across the Mediterranean to find the fugitive Daedalus. In each port, he gifted the local king a beautifully spiral-shaped seashell and promised a great reward to anyone who could thread a string through it.
This challenge mirrored the advice Daedalus had once given to Theseus. Minos’s intent was clear: if anyone could solve this puzzle, it had to be Daedalus.
Minos arrived in Sicily and presented his challenge. The next day, the king returned with the shell successfully threaded. Daedalus had placed a drop of honey at the tip of the shell, tied a fine thread to an ant, and let it crawl through the spiral interior.
Minos, realizing immediately who had solved the puzzle, demanded that Daedalus be handed over. What happened next is unclear. Some sources claim a war broke out, during which Minos was killed. Others say that King Cocalus agreed to surrender Daedalus, but during a banquet at the palace, while Minos was bathing with Cocalus’s daughters, they poured boiling water over his head, killing him.
Daedalus later built a temple to Apollo and offered his wings as a sacrifice to the god. He created many magnificent works in Sicily for the local ruler and was renowned for making the first lifelike statues.
It is said that when Heracles saw a statue of himself, crafted by Daedalus as a tribute for burying Icarus, he was so startled that he threw stones at it, believing it was alive.
Daedalus is regarded as the ancestor of all Greek artists. After his death, he became a judge of the dead in Hades, where he passed judgment on souls.
Gl. Ryvej 2, Rodelund
DK-8653 Them
Gl. Ryvej 2, Rodelund
DK-8653 Them
At Labyrinthia, you can choose to buy food in the café and eat it indoors or outside on the south-facing terrace.
You can also bring your own food and eat it outside.
We also have two large gas grills, so you can grill your own food if you wish.
NB: There is a free “doggy bar” (fresh water) for our thirsty four-legged guests.
In the café, we offer a delicious selection of food and drinks. Enjoy freshly made sandwiches, hot dogs, fish and chips, barista coffee, slush ice, ice cream, and much more.
Create the ideal setting for your next school event, activity, or gathering with our cozy tent – perfect for outdoor teaching, teacher days, field trips, and more.
The tent accommodates up to 64 people, and you can rent the entire tent for 500 DKK or just half of it (max. 32 people) for 250 DKK, if the tent is shared with another event.
Contact us to learn more about how our tent can be used for your school or institution! Most things can be arranged.
Call us at 86 84 99 44 or send an email to labyrinthia@labyrinthia.dk
In the Puzzle Center, you will find logic games, puzzles, and educational games in various difficulty levels. The old stable building has been converted into a cozy showroom or "Puzzle Center," as we also call it.
With over 50 different tasks and games, there is something for the whole family – from beginners to experienced players. Set aside plenty of time, as it can be hard to tear yourself away from the many exciting challenges once you're started!
