Dactyls
creatureMythical beings of Mount Ida who discovered metalworking and iron smelting, associated with the Corybantes and the protection of the infant Zeus.
The Myth
The Dactyls (meaning "fingers") were born from the impression left by the nymph Anchiale's fingers as she gripped the earth of Mount Ida during the birth pangs of creation — or, in other versions, from Rhea's hands as she gave birth to Zeus. There were five male Dactyls on the right hand (associated with smithing) and five female on the left (associated with sorcery). They discovered iron working on Mount Ida in Crete and were credited with introducing metalworking to humanity. Heracles the Dactyl (distinct from the more famous hero) was said to have founded the Olympic Games at Olympia, establishing athletic competition between the five brothers. They were also associated with the Corybantes who protected the infant Zeus and with the Curetes of Crete. Their name connected them to measurement and counting — early mathematics arising alongside metalworking in Greek mythological thought.
Parents
Anchiale (or Rhea)
Symbols
Fun Fact
The poetic metre "dactyl" — one stressed syllable followed by two unstressed (DUM-da-da), like the word "poetry" — is named after the Dactyls because a finger has one long bone and two short ones. Homer's Iliad and Odyssey are composed in dactylic hexameter. Every line of the two most influential poems in Western literature follows a rhythmic pattern named after mythological blacksmiths from a Cretan cave. Metallurgy and metre share an origin myth.
Words We Inherited
English words and phrases that trace back to this myth:
Explore Further
Corybantes
conceptEcstatic male dancers and drummers associated with the worship of Cybele and Rhea, whose frenzied...
Cretan Bull
creatureThe magnificent bull sent by Poseidon to Minos that became the father of the Minotaur, later...
Hera
godQueen of the Olympian gods and goddess of marriage. Known for her jealous rages against Zeus's...
Hera Teleia
godAn epithet of Hera as goddess of marriage and its fulfilment, worshipped as the divine model of the...
Heracles
heroThe greatest hero of Greek mythology, son of Zeus and the mortal Alcmene. Famous for his...
Heracles (Labours)
heroHeracles performed twelve seemingly impossible labours as penance for killing his family in a...
Mount Olympus (Sacred)
placeThe highest mountain in Greece and mythological home of the twelve Olympian gods, whose...
Mount Parnassus
placeMount Parnassus was the mountain above Delphi sacred to Apollo and the Muses — the symbolic home of...
Olympia
placeOlympia was the sanctuary in the Peloponnese where the ancient Olympic Games were held every four...
Olympic Truce
conceptThe sacred truce declared before and during the ancient Olympic Games, protecting athletes,...
Rhea
titanMother of the Olympian gods and wife of Kronos. Rhea saved the infant Zeus from being devoured by...
Zeus
godSupreme ruler of the Olympian gods and lord of the sky. Zeus overthrew his father Kronos and...