Theseus was able to find his way out of the Labyrinth with the help of a plan devised by Daedalus. When Minos discovered the inventor’s role in the death of the Minotaur, he threw Daedalus and his son, Icarus, into the Labyrinth.
Drawing Parallels
The story of Ariadne and Theseus is thought by some to parallel the rise of Athens and the fall of Crete. As Attica (a peninsula of mainland Greece) became the commercial and artistic center of the Mediterranean world, the old mother goddess-worshiping civilization of Crete became an increasing menace. When Theseus made his way to the heart of the Labyrinth and slew the Minotaur, metaphorically he murdered the ancient civilization that had ruled over the incipient democracy and its patriarchal culture. In the story of the escape of Theseus and Ariadne from Crete, he abandons the daughter of Minos on the island of Naxos. Some argue that Theseus's cruelty to Ariadne is a metaphor for the passing of the old tradition and the beginning of the new order of the sky god. Heedless of Ariadne's grief-stricken cries, Theseus left her weeping and sailed home alone. His punishment was that his return to Athens would cause his own father to commit suicide.
Ever the inventor, Daedalus fashioned two pairs of wings out of wax and feathers, one pair for himself and the other for Icarus. After escaping from the Labyrinth, the two flew high into the sky away from Crete. Yet only Daedalus reached safety. Icarus, ignoring his father’s warnings, flew too close to the sun. The heat melted the wax in his wings, and the boy fell to his death. Daedalus eventually found refuge in Sicily at the court of King Cocalos.
World History
