The Heroes; Or, Greek Fairy Tales for My ChildrenKingsley, Charles
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The Heroes; Or, Greek Fairy Tales for My Children
Kingsley, Charles
Mythology, Greek -- Juvenile literature
Then he fled from the anger of Minos, he and Icaros his son having made
themselves wings of feathers, and fixed the feathers with wax. So they
flew over the sea toward Sicily; but Icaros flew too near the sun; and
the wax of his wings was melted, and he fell into the Icarian Sea. But
Daidalos came safe to Sicily, and there wrought many a wondrous work; for
he made for King Cocalos a reservoir, from which a great river watered
all the land, and a castle and a treasury on a mountain, which the giants
themselves could not have stormed; and in Selinos he took the steam which
comes up from the fires of Ætna, and made of it a warm bath of vapour, to
cure the pains of mortal men; and he made a honeycomb of gold, in which
the bees came and stored their honey, and in Egypt he made the forecourt
of the temple of Hephaistos in Memphis, and a statue of himself within
it, and many another wondrous work. And for Minos he made statues which
spoke and moved, and the temple of Britomartis, and the dancing-hall of
Ariadne, which he carved of fair white stone. And in Sardinia he worked
for Iölaos, and in many a land beside, wandering up and down for ever
with his cunning, unlovely and accursed by men.
But Theseus stood before Minos, and they looked each other in the face.
And Minos bade take them to prison, and cast them to the monster one by
one, that the death of Androgeos might be avenged. Then Theseus cried—
‘A boon, O Minos! Let me be thrown first to the beast. For I came
hither for that very purpose, of my own will, and not by lot.’
‘Who art thou, then, brave youth?’
‘I am the son of him whom of all men thou hatest most, Ægeus the king of
Athens, and I am come here to end this matter.’
And Minos pondered awhile, looking steadfastly at him, and he thought,
‘The lad means to atone by his own death for his father’s sin;’ and he
answered at last mildly—
‘Go back in peace, my son. It is a pity that one so brave should die.’
But Theseus said, ‘I have sworn that I will not go back till I have seen
the monster face to face.’
And at that Minos frowned, and said, ‘Then thou shalt see him; take the
madman away.’
And they led Theseus away into the prison, with the other youths and
maids.
But Ariadne, Minos’ daughter, saw him, as she came out of her white stone
hall; and she loved him for his courage and his majesty, and said, ‘Shame
that such a youth should die!’ And by night she went down to the prison,
and told him all her heart; and said—
‘Flee down to your ship at once, for I have bribed the guards before the
door. Flee, you and all your friends, and go back in peace to Greece;
and take me, take me with you! for I dare not stay after you are gone;
for my father will kill me miserably, if he knows what I have done.’
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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