Sicilian king who sheltered the fugitive Daedalus at Camicus — and when Minos pursued the craftsman across the sea with ships and the spiral-shell riddle, Cocalus concealed his guest, promised surrender, and (with his daughters) brought the Cretan king to his death in the bath.1
When Daedalus flew from Crete after Icarus fell into the sea, he landed in Sicily and sought protection from Cocalus. Ovid says the king gathered a great army for his guest; Apollodorus places the refuge at Camicus, where Daedalus was concealed while Minos hunted him.2
Minos followed with ships, offering a reward to whoever could thread a spiral shell — believing only Daedalus could solve the puzzle. Cocalus took the shell, promised to pass the thread through it, and secretly gave it to Daedalus; when an ant crawled through bearing the thread, Minos knew the inventor was at Camicus and demanded his surrender.3
Cocalus promised to hand Daedalus over and entertained Minos — but after the Cretan king bathed, he was undone by Cocalus' daughters (some say scalded with boiling water). Hyginus names the same stratagem: Daedalus warned by the king's daughters, who killed Minos when surrender was imminent.4
Pausanias knows Cocalus at Inycus in Sicily and makes the refuge the cause of war between Sicilians and Cretans, for when Minos demanded Daedalus back, Cocalus refused — and the daughters admired the craftsman's skill.5
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the spine ignites as you read · hover a bond on the card — every mention of them lights in the story