Talos
Frieze-Dennison Vergil
(Τάλως).
1. A son of Perdix, the sister of Daedalus. He himself was a disciple of Daedalus, and is said to have invented several instruments used in the mechanical arts; but Daedalus incensed by envy thrust him down the rock of the Acropolis at Athens. The Athenians worshipped him as a hero. (Apollod. 3.15.9; Diod. 4.76; Schol. ad Eur. Orest. 1643 ; Lucian, Pisc. 42.) Pausanias (1.21.6, 26.5, 7.4.5) calls him Calos, and states that he was buried on the road leading from the theatre to the Acropolis. polis. Hyginus (Fab. 39, 274) and Ovid (Ov. Met. 8.255; comp. Serv. ad Virg. Georg. 1.143, Aen. 5.14) call him Perdix, which, according to the common tradition, was the name of his father.
2. A man of brass, the work of Hephaestus. This wonderful being was given to Minos by Zeus or Hephaestus, and watched the island of Crete by walking round the island thrice every day. Whenever he saw strangers approaching, he made himself red-hot in fire, and then embraced the strangers when they landed. He had in his body only one vein, which ran from the head to the ankles, and was closed at the top with a nail. When he attempted to keep the Argonauts from Crete by throwing stones at them, Medeia by her magic powers threw him into a state of madness, or, according to others, under the pretence of making him immortal, she took the nail out of his vein and thus caused him to bleed to death. Others again related that Poeas killed him by wounding him with an arrow in the ankle. (Apollod. 1.9.26 ; Apollon. 4.1638, &c.; Plat. Min. p. 320.)
3. A son of Oenopion. (Paus. 7.4.6.)
4. A son of Cres, and father of Hephaestus. (Paus. 8.53.2.) [L.S]
(Τάλως). (1) (See Perdix.)
(2) A brazen man, the work of Hephaestus, and given by Zeus to Minos, king of Crete, to watch that island, which he did by walking about it three times every day. When strangers approached he heated himself red hot and then embraced them, or, according to another version, threw showers of stones upon them. He had one vein in his body through which his blood ran and was stopped by a nail or plug in his foot. This plug Medea drew out by magic, and he bled to death (Apollod. i.9.26; Ap. Rh. iv. 1638; Schol. ad Plato Rep. 425).
- guardian of Crete, killed by Medea: Apollod. 1.9.26
- Paus. 8.53.5
- nephew and pupil of Daedalus: Apollod. 3.15.8
- his invention: Apollod. 3.15.8, Apollod. 3.15.8
- murdered by Daedalus: Apollod. 3.15.8