Ariadne, in Greek mythology,
was daughter of
King Minos of
Crete and his queen,
Pasiphaë, daughter of Helios,
the Sun-titan. She loved
Theseus, and gave him the
skein of thread that enabled him
to make his way out of the
labyrinth after killing the
Minotaur. When Theseus left
Crete, Ariadne went with him,
but before they reached Greece,
he abandoned her at Naxos. There
the god
Dionysus consoled and later
married her. She bore him
several children, including
Oenopion, whom Dionysus first
taught the art of winemaking. It
was said that Zeus granted
Ariadne immortality and that
Dionysus set her bridal crown,
the Corona Borealis, among the
stars.
