Daedalus lived in Athens, and is said to have been taught by Athena.īut then Daedalus was forced to leave Athens after killing his nephew in a fit of jealous rage, fearing that his talents might surpass his own, when he saw that his nephew had invented the saw from a snake's jaw. All Pausanias says on the matter is that he 'belonged to the royal Athenian clan called the Metionidae'. He also says that Daedalus was of the clan of Erechtheids. Diodorus reverses Metion and Eupalamus, and adds that he (Eupalamus) was the son of Erechtheus. Origins of an Evil GeniusĪccording to Apollodorus, Daedalus' mother was Alcippe, and his father was Eupalamus (whose name meant 'skillful'), who in turn was the son of Metion ('knowledgeable'). These texts tell the main story of Daedalus (the latter being more interested in his work, as part of its tourist's handbook structure), and a small mention is made in Virgil's Aeneid. This entry makes use of the stories of Daedalus that are recounted in Apollodorus' Library and Epitome, Ovid's Metamorphoses, Diodorus of Sicily's (also known as Diodorus Sicullus) The Library of History and Pausanias' Description of Greece. Many writers of ancient Greece and Rome have included Daedalus in their tales and descriptions of the world around them, from the earliest epics to later compilations of myths and more factual accounts that describe various places and events to travellers and researchers. Finally, the spirit of Daedalus, and his love for invention and crafts, has inspired inventors throughout history. Scenes from this story, like the labyrinth where the Minotaur was imprisoned, and the flight and death of Icarus, the son of Daedalus, have endured to the present day, in such tales as the Birdman of Alcatraz. The story of Daedalus, the Athenian inventor and master craftsman, is a popular one one that has lasted with its story-line and meaning more or less intact for the last two and half thousand years.
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