Daedalus

Mythical Greek inventor

Daedalus is a figure from Greek mythology, a master craftsman and inventor who built the Labyrinth on Crete to contain the Minotaur.

He is best known for fashioning wings of feathers and wax so he and his son Icarus could escape imprisonment—a flight that ended in Icarus's death when he flew too close to the sun.

The name has become synonymous with ingenious invention and complex, maze-like design.

The architect's daedalian approach produced a building of bewildering intricacy.

labyrinth

maze

Puzzle of passages

KnossosAncient Cretan city
MinotaurBull-man of Greek myth
intricateElaborately detailed, many parts

complex · winding · pathways · architect · prison · inescapable · design · passages · twists · turns

Icarus

father

Male parent

sonMale child relation
flightAerial journey by aircraft
wingsLimbs for flight

wax · feathers · hubris · fall · tragedy · warning · escape · soar · plummet · sun

inventor

craftsman

Skilled manual worker

artisanSkilled manual tradesperson
artificerSkilled mechanical creator
ingeniousCleverly original in design

inventive · creator · maker · fabricator · architect · builder · innovator · genius · clever · resourceful

mythology

Greek

Of Athenian origin

CreteLargest Greek island
MinosAncient Cretan sovereign
TheseusAthenian hero, beast-slayer

Ariadne · Athens · exile · antiquity · legend · myth · Hellenic · ancient · bull · Poseidon

flight

wings

Limbs for flight

waxPliable waterproof substance
feathersBird's lightweight covering
glideMove with effortless continuity

soar · escape · aerial · invention · altitude · ascent · airborne · birdlike · contraption · aviation

Daedalus

maze

father

craftsman

Greek

wings

Daedalus

Opposites

Categories