Ariadne's string

Ariadne
Mistress of the Labyrinth; Goddess of Vegetation, Mazes, Paths, Fertility, Wine, Labyrinths, Snakes, and Passion
Abode	Mount Olympus
Symbol	Thread, Serpent, Bull
Consort	Dionysus, Theseus
Parents	King Minos and Queen Pasiphaë
Siblings	Phaedra, Catreus, Deucalion, Glaucus, Androgeus
Children	Staphylus, Oenopion
Roman equivalent	Ariana, Libera

Ariadne (/æriˈædniː/; Greek: Ἀριάδνη; Latin: Ariadne), in Greek mythology, was the daughter of Minos, King of Crete, Son of Zeus and his queen Pasiphaë, daughter of Helios. She is mostly associated with mazes and labyrinths because of her involvement in the myths of the Minotaur and Theseus. Her father put her in charge of the labyrinth where sacrifices were made as part of reparations (either to Poseidon or to Athena, depending on the version of the myth); later, she helped Theseus overcome the Minotaur and save the potential sacrificial victims. In other stories, she became the bride of the god Dionysus, with the question of her being mortal or a goddess varying in those accounts.

Since ancient Greek myths are passed down through oral tradition, many variations of this and other myths exist. According to an Athenian version of the legend, Minos attacked Athens after his son was killed there. The Athenians asked for terms, and were required to sacrifice seven young men and seven maidens to the Minotaur every seven or nine years. One year, the sacrificial party included Theseus, the son of King Aegeus, who volunteered to come and kill the Minotaur. Ariadne fell in love at first sight, and helped him by giving him a sword and a ball of thread, so that he could find his way out of the Minotaur's labyrinth.

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