Who was Daedalus?

Answer 1

Daedalus was a magnificent craftsman and he had a son named Icarus. He also had an amazing nephew who was blessed by the gods. His nephew's name was Talos and he could fix anything. Talos' talent made Icarus look like a complete fool and clutz next to him. This made Daedalus angry, because Talos was everything that Daedalus had wanted Icarus to be. One day, Daedalus became so angry at Talos that he swung him around and around on a rooftop and suddenly tripped so that Talos flew over the side of the building and hung onto Daedalus' hands. But Daedalus couldn't hold on and finally Talos slipped through his fingers. The boy died when he hit the ground. Daedalus was so horrified at what had happened (and guilt-stricken that it was all his fault) that he took Icarus and fled Athens. He came to Crete and the king there, Minos, was very impressed by Daedalus' inventions. Minos showed Daedalus a creature that cursed his family, but he could not kill. It was the Minotaur. It had been born of his wife and bull, when his wife had been cursed to fall in love with a bull. The Minotaur was half man and half bull. It was a monstrous creature and fed on human flesh. Minos wanted Daedalus to build a holding place for this creature, so that it could never escape. Daedalus used his brilliant mind and constructed a labyrinth so complex that it was impossible for anyone to find their way out of it once inside. Well, except Daedalus himself. For reasons that I still don't understand (I think it was because Minos didn't want Daedalus to go free now that he knew about the Minotaur or something), Minos locked Daedalus and Icarus in the labyrinth with the Minotaur. But Daedalus knew every passage way and knew that there were secret exits, if you could find them. He was able to find one of those exits and Icarus and Daedalus escaped the labyrinth. On the island, they killed many birds and used the feathers to make wings. They found a bee's nest and took the wax from it. They glued the feathers together with the wax and eventually had big wings that they lashed onto themselves. Before they started flying, Daedalus said very carefully to Icarus, "Do not fly too close to the sea, for the ocean spray will weigh down the wings and make you fall. And do not fly too close to the sun, for the sun will melt the bee's wax." Then they took off flying and Daedalus yelled for Icarus to stay close to him. But Icarus did not stay close. He was too full of awe in the fact that he was flying that he flew higher and higher and higher until the sun melted the wax bead by golden bead, and down Icarus fell, down, down, down, to his watery death. Daedalus was stricken with grief. He lived in a daze after Icarus' death. He came to another land where there was a kindly king with two young daughters. Daedalus worked for the king and his joy was in the two girls. Daedalus began making little figures of winged boys. They reminded him of Icarus.

Ah, but I've forgotten the wicked king Minos. He found out that Daedalus and Icarus had escaped, and wanted to track them down. He went all over the land with a shell and a string. His test was to see who could get the string through the shell's complex passages. He knew only one person could: Daedalus. Minos gave the kind king the shell and string and the king's daughters gave it to Daedalus. He used honey to apply the string to an ant and sent the ant through the shell. When Minos saw the string through the shell, he knew that Daedalus was around. Minos demanded that the kind king give him to Minos. So the night before Daedalus was to be taken away and executed, Minos took a bath in one of the baths that Daedalus had designed. Daedalus knew every pipe leading to the bath and he boiled some water and poured it down into the bath, killing the evil king Minos. So Daedalus lived. But sometime he wished he had died, because he felt so dead inside, since Icarus was gone. He lived the rest of his life in grief.

And that is the story of Daedalus! I hope that helped!!!

Answer 2

Dang, so many completely wrong (or TV) answers ...
Daedalus was an architect and inventor, builder of the labyrinth, who was held prisoner with his son Icarus by King Minos on the island of Crete. Minos was the step-dad of the Minotaur (his wife had lain with Zeus who was disguised as a bull at the time).
In order to escape, Daedalus invented wings made of feathers and wax. He and Iccy put the wings on and set out for mainland Greece. Dad Daedalus warned little Iccy not to fly too close to the sun, but boys will be boys and will die as a result.
Daedalus landed, heartbroken, on the mainland and lived out a long, if not particularly joyous, retirement.

Answer 3

He was Icarus' father. A farmer and inventor who along with Icarus was taken into captivity and exiled to an island in the Mediterranean. Daedalus plotted an escape with his son by taking great quantities of wax and infusing them with gull feathers to make wings. He noticed how maleable the wax was in the sun, and warned Icarus to not fly too high above the water, as the cooler air and water vapor would help hold the wings together. But Icarus, being happy with his newfound ability to fly, started soaring, and flapping and trying to imitate the birds he and Daedalus watched, and soon began soaring upward on light warm air currents, and drifted so high that his wings melted and he plunged into the sea and was drowned.

Answer 4

Daedalus was the father of Icarus. The whole story here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Daedalus

Answer 5

Daedalus was an Athenian architect, and the first inventor of images.Daedalus, who received his craftsmanship from Athena, belonged to the royal Athenian clan called the Metionids, and among his ancestors are Erichthonius, who was king of Athens and was said to be the son of Athena and Hephaestus, and also King Erechtheus. Daedalus was condemned in Athens for murder, and he fled to Crete, being followed in his exile by one of his pupils, Endoeus. This Endoeus is known for having made a statue of Athena seated that could be seen in Athens where other constructions by Daedalus, for example a folding chair, were also shown. It could be seen in Corinth a wooden statue of Heracles made by Daedalus, which showed that his works were always distinguished by a special kind of inspiration.Daedalus was held responsible for the murder of one of his pupils, Talos, because, they say, he feared that Talos, with his talents, might surpass him. Talos, also called Calos and Daedalus' nephew (his sister's son), received his education in the home of Daedalus, and was considered more gifted than his teacher.

But others say that Daedalus envied the skills of Perdix, the inventor of the saw, and that he threw him down from a roof; they add that Perdix was then turned into a partridge by Athena. Perdix invented the saw from the spine of a fish, and he is said to have invented the compass as well.

Whatever happened in Athens, Daedalus came as an exile to Crete, where he made images for Minos and the latter's daughters, building several marvels. He constructed a hollowed wooden cow on wheels for Pasiphae so that she could couple with a bull; as a result of this invention, Pasiphae gave later birth to the Minotaur. He made the famous Labyrinth to which the Athenians every year sent seven youths and as many damsels to be fodder of the same Minotaur. This Labyrinth which Daedalus constructed was a chamber whose passageways were so winding that those unfamiliar with them had difficulty in making their way out. In this Labyrinth, the Minotaur was maintained and here it devoured the youths who were sent from Athens. He also designed a dancing floor for Ariadne in the town of Cnossus.

The residence of Daedalus at Cnossus gave the Cretans a reputation for the making of wooden images that lasted for a long period. After Daedalus' second exile in Sicily, his renown spread over the island and many regions of Italy. Yet it is also told that Theseus, after slaying the Minotaur, brought Daedalus back to Athens.

Answer 6

In Greek mythology, Daedalus was a most skillful artificer and was even said to have first invented images.

Answer 7

You have received many answers about what the myth says and what archeology has discovered!
Pleas, allow me to say something different about Daedalus!
His name is related to Fire! He is the one who can create and utilize fire! Now, looking at the level of civilization of people we see that the highest we can control temperatures, the higher level of civilization we have! Thus, the one who can produce and control fire (Daedalus) is the representing level of civilization of the people!

Answer 8

Father of Icarus. You probably remember Icarus...he and his father were escaping from an island by wearing wings they fashioned from feathers and wax. Icarus didn't heed his father's warnings and flew to close to the sun. The sun melted the wax causing the wings to fall apart and Icarus plummeted from the sky to die in the ocean.

Moral of this story? It's either listen and obey your parents or always look behind you before you back out of a parking space. I can never remember which.

Answer 9

you're just begging to have the entire history of mythology cut and pasted to your question.

daedalus - architect that dared to defy his king, was imprisoned, tried to escape with his son by flying away. ended up with a dead son who couldn't follow directions.

Answer 10

You will find a full answer on www.answers.com if you type in the word Daedalus on that site.