Ariadne, in Greek mythology, was a daughter of Minos, king of Crete. She fell in love with the Greek hero Theseus when he went to Crete to slay a monster called the Minotaur. The Minotaur lived in a confusing network of passageways called the Labyrinth. Ariadne gave Theseus a ball of thread as he entered the Labyrinth so that he could leave a trail and later find his way out. Theseus killed the Minotaur and fled from Crete. He took Ariadne with him but deserted her on the island of Naxos. The god Dionysus found Ariadne there and married her.
