Ariadne
Cretan princess who saved Theseus with a ball of thread, was abandoned on Naxos, and became the immortal wife of Dionysus.
The Legend of Ariadne
She saved the hero's life — and he left her sleeping on a beach. Then a god married her and made her immortal. Ariadne fell in love with Theseus and gave him the thread (or a glowing crown) that let him navigate the Labyrinth. She fled Crete with him, betraying her father Minos. On Naxos, Theseus left her. Why is debated: divine command (Dionysus wanted her), cowardice, or simple cruelty. Dionysus arrived and married her, giving her a golden crown that became the constellation Corona Borealis. She was granted immortality. The myth has two readings: a tragedy of abandonment, or a story where divine love surpasses mortal love. Strauss's opera Ariadne auf Naxos uses the ambiguity.
Parents
Minos, Pasiphae
Symbols
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