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Wednesday, February 27, 2013

Daedalus: Demi-god


Daedalus:

Daedalus was a favorite of Athene and he created many things of course like the loom. He was jealous of his nephew Talos who was very talented. Envious Daedalus pushed Talos down a hill but Athene, hearing his prayer caught him and turned him into a partridge and he flew away. Daedalus no longer was her favorite. Word spread of the boy and they accused Daedalus but they had no proof against him so he just left. He went to Crete and straight to King Minos palace. They appointed him court artificer, smith extraordinaire. Queen Pasiphae came to him often to gossip. She asked him why he had left and he would say because the goddess Athene had withdrawn her favor. The Queen said she didn’t believe in the gods or goddesses especially in Aphrodite. Aphrodite had heard and planned vengeance. She made Pasiphae love a bull. Then Pasiphae gave birth to a Minotaur (half bull & half man). Minos, to hide his shame, made Daedalus create a maze with thorny hedges called the labyrinth. Here he imprisoned Pasiphae and the Minotaur. And to make sure no one knew of the secret he put Daedalus in there too. His only comfort was his son Icarus. Icarus wanted to escape so Daedalus constructed wings for them. They flew off and he told Icarus not to go too high or too low. But when Daedalus took a snooze Icarus flew to high and the sun melted the wing’s wax that kept itself on Icarus. Icarus fell down to the sea they were flying over and disappeared.

 

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