Ariadne (; ; ), in
Greek mythology, was the daughter of
Minos, King of
Crete, and his queen
Pasiphaë, daughter of
Helios. She is mostly associated with mazes and labyrinths because of her involvement in the myths of the
Minotaur and
Theseus. Her father put her in charge of the labyrinth where sacrifices were made as part of reparations (either to Poseidon or to Athena, depending on the version of the myth); later, she helped Theseus overcome the Minotaur and save the would-be sacrificial victims. In other stories, she became the bride of the god
Dionysus, with the question of her being mortal or a goddess varying in those accounts.