Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos. It was Ariadne who helped Theseus to escape the Labyrinth (which was the Minotaur's lair) by supplying the hero with thread used to navigate the tangled passages. Theseus promised to make Ariadne his bride, and he brought her with him when he left Crete and sailed for his home in Athens.

But something happened on the way to Athens. During their journey, Theseus stopped to rest on the island of Naxos (also known as Dia). However, when he again set sail, the Greek adventurer did not have Ariadne on board - he simply left her alone on the island.

Ariadne was devastated. Her love had abandoned her. As she was crying and lamenting her cruel fate, a miraculous event took place. The god Dionysus appeared, in all his divine glory, and rescued the forsaken heroine. In some versions of the myth, Dionysus then married Ariadne.

Heroes 

• Achilles
• Heracles
• Oedipus
• Theseus

Heroines

• Alcmene
• Andromache
• Ariadne
• Cassandra
• Cassiopeia