Based on: Katarzyna Marciniak, Elżbieta Olechowska, Joanna Kłos, Michał Kucharski (eds.), Polish Literature for Children & Young Adults Inspired by Classical Antiquity: A Catalogue, Faculty of “Artes Liberales”, Warsaw: University of Warsaw, 2013, 444 pp.

The story is a brief retelling of Daedalus’ myth. It begins with a version of the story of the Minotaur, without a mention of Pasiphaë mating with the bull but with the birth of a monstrous offspring attributed to Minos’ hubris. The King’s excessive pride seeks to hide this shame. Daedalus, a famous architect and inventor, who happens to need a commission and shelter, may help. King Minos commissions Daedalus to build the Labyrinth. Then follows a description of Daedalus’s great engineering talent and a mention the death of his nephew, Talos, which forced him to leave Athens. Then comes the story of Daedalus’ and Icarus’ flight from Crete on the wings that Daedalus constructed and of the death of Icarus, who flew too close to the sun. We also learn how Daedalus hid in the Sicilian town of Camicus, under the protection of King Cocalus, and how Minos found him by announcing a great prize for anyone who could pull a thread through a snail’s shell without damaging it; Daedalus rose to the challenge by putting inside an ant attached to a thread; in order to escape from the shell, the insect found its way through and at the same time marked the passage with the thread. The story ends with King Minos’ attempt to take back Daedalus. He was thwarted by Cocalus’ daughters, who saved the inventor by substituting boiling water for the cold water prepared for Minos to rinse himself after his bath. Minos died instantly.

This adaptation of Daedalus’ myth was published 30 years after Zieliński’s death as a separate short story prepared for young readers of the bi-weekly Płomyk [The Flame]. It was adapted with minor changes from a chapter (“Mądrość Dedala” [Daedalus’ Wisdom], accessed: March 7, 2022) of Zielinski’s Polish edition of Сказочная древность [The Fabulous Antiquity]. The extensive chapter was abbreviated to create a coherent short story, and the spelling was updated according to the rules current in 1974. It covers Daedalus’ life story, from his young years spent in Athens to the stay at the Sicilian court of King Cocalus.  

The story is well adapted to children’s perception skills: the narrative is divided into chapters, subchapters and even smaller sections following the convention of bedtime stories. The language is elegant and straightforward; difficult issues are not left without explanation, comment or, if required, a word of comfort. Although some themes were removed as inappropriate, like for instance, Pasiphaë’s lust for the bull, other plots, rarely appearing in children’s adaptations of Daedalus’ myth because of cruelty or violence, were not eliminated. They provide the young reader with an indication of the complexity of human nature, with the possible impact of circumstances on human behaviour and further consequences of various decisions.

The first difficult issue presented is Minos’ excessive pride. He is not explicitly accused of being guilty of hubris, but as he considers himself almost equal to gods, he is obviously asking for punishment. The Minotaur is born to Minos as a warning from the gods not to cross the line between high self-esteem and impiety. Wicked deeds are punished and bring shame to the perpetrator. The second issue often considered inappropriate for children is the reason for Daedalus’ exile – his involvement in his nephew’s death. Many authors remove this narrative from their adaptations to avoid shocking child readers. Zieliński, however, prefers to be honest with the reader – in this version, Daedalus causes the boy’s death, but the reader is left with an impression that it was manslaughter, not cold-blooded murder. While he is still guilty of an unintended death, an excuse is suggested: the nephew became haughty and lacked respect for his master. It was easy for Daedalus to lose his temper during an argument. Of course, Zieliński does not absolve the protagonist and emphasizes his feeling of remorse; because of the blood he spilt, Daedalus was haunted by nightmares. It is impossible not to conclude that – according to the fairy-tale logic of life for a life – the nephew’s death is paid for with Icarus’. Similarly, Minos also gets his just deserts. The first warning – the birth of the monstrous son – misses the mark, as he does not improve, remains imperious, ruthless. He relentlessly pursues Daedalus, and with his overwhelming might, terrorizes the poor King Cocalus. But fate catches up with Minos: he expires in a boiling bath, leaving Daedalus to live the rest of his natural life in peace, as he already dearly paid his dues.

An original aspect of Zieliński’s tale is that he demonstrates to the reader that life does not end with the death of a dear one. Many other authors who adapted Daedalus’ myth for children conclude the story at the exact moment of Icarus’ fall, as if there were no words to describe what happened next, or as if Daedalus’ life was over at the same time. It is undeniable that Daedalus lost his son, but Zieliński gives him another important duty that he has to complete despite or because of his grief: to build a cenotaph for Icarus. An edifice for his late son’s soul was intended as redemption for building the Labyrinth for an evil ruler. Daedalus then prays to Athena and sacrifices the fatal wings to her as a “pious debt”. Once paid,  he can seek a quiet haven to spend the rest of his life.

Olechowska, Elżbieta, ed., Tadeusz Zieliński (1859–1944). W 150 rocznicę urodzin, Warszawa: IBI AL UW, 2011.

Marciniak, Katarzyna, “(De)constructing Arcadia: The Polish Struggles with History and Differing Colours of Childhood in the Mirror of Classical Mythology”, in Lisa Maurice, ed., The Reception of Ancient Greece and Rome in Children’s Literature: Heroes and Eagles, Boston and Leiden: Brill, 2015, 56–82.

Zieliński, Tadeusz, Autobiografia. Dziennik 1939–1944, do druku podali Hanna Geremek i Piotr Mitzner, Warszawa: OBTA & Wydawnictwo DiG, 2005.

"Zieliński, Tadeusz", in Zdzisław Piszczek, ed., Mała encyklopedia kultury antycznej, Warszawa: Państwowe Wydawnictwo Naukowe, 1990, 803.

Zielinski, Thaddäus, Mein Lebenslauf — Erstausgabe des deutschen Originals — und Tagebuch 1939–1944, Hrsg. und eingeleitet von Jerzy Axer, Alexander Gavrilov und Michael von Albrecht. Unter Mitwirkung von Hanna Geremek, Piotr Mitzner, Elżbieta Olechowska und Anatolij Ruban, Studien zur klassischen Philologie, 167, Frankfurt am Main: Peter Lang, 2012.