View source for Talos

{{Short description|Giant automaton in Greek mythology}}
{{Other uses|Talos (disambiguation)}}
{{anchor|Phaistos coin anchor}}[[File:Didrachm Phaistos obverse CdM.jpg|thumb|Winged "{{math|ΤΑΛΩΝ}}" armed with a stone. Obverse of silver [[Ancient drachma|didrachma]] from [[Phaistos]], [[Crete]] ({{c.}} 300/280–270 BC) ([[Cabinet des Médailles]], Paris)]]
In [[Greek mythology]], '''Talos''', also spelled '''Talus''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|eɪ|l|ɒ|s}};<ref>[http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/talos "Talos"]. ''[[Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary]]''.</ref> {{langx|el|Τάλως}}, ''Tálōs'') or '''Talon''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|t|eɪ|l|ɒ|n|,_|ən}}; {{langx|el|Τάλων}}, ''Tálōn''), was a man of [[bronze]] who protected [[Crete]] from [[pirates]] and [[Invasion|invaders]]. Despite the popular idea that he was a giant, no ancient source states this explicitly.<ref name=Gantz>{{cite book | last=Gantz| first=Timothy |title = Early Greek Myth: A Guide to Literary and Artistic Sources |publisher=The Johns Hopkins University Press|year=1993 |isbn=0-8018-4410-X|page = 365}}</ref>

== Narrative ==
Different literary sources provide a wide variety of accounts of in relation to Talos' role and genealogy. The most popular variant of the myth of Talos is that found in the ''[[Argonautica]]'' of [[Apollonius of Rhodes]] (fl. first half of 3rd century BCE). In this account, Talos is described as being a descendant of the [[Ages of Man#Hesiod's Five Ages|bronze race]] (χαλκοῦ γένους) who sprang from ash-trees. He is described as being bronze and also invulnerable with the exception of a vein in his ankle which was protected by only a thin layer of skin. 

He was given to [[Europa (consort of Zeus)|Europa]] by [[Zeus]] in order to protect Crete, which he does by running around the island three times.<ref>''Argonautica'' 4.1638-1644</ref> The [[Argonauts]] encounter him on their return voyage after obtaining the [[Golden Fleece]]. As the ''[[Argo]]'' approached Crete, Talos kept them at bay by hurling great boulders at the ship. [[Medea]] then declares that only she will be able to defeat Talos, which she does by performing a feat of magic from the ''Argo''. Summoning the ''[[Keres (mythology)|keres]]'' (female death-spirits), Medea causes Talos to graze his ankle, leading to the [[ichor]] draining from his body, and thus killing him. In describing his death Apollonius employs a metaphor comparing Talos to 'monstrous pine tree' (πελωρίη πεύκη, ''pelōriē peukē'') being felled, which could be taken to imply a larger-than-human size.<ref name="buxton-89">{{cite book |last=Buxton |first=Richard |date=1998 |editor-last=Atherton |editor-first=Catherine |title=Monsters and Monstrosity in Greek and Roman Culture |publisher=Levante Editori |page=89 |chapter=The Myth of Talos|isbn=887949290X}}</ref>
[[File:Comparable_to_the_Group_of_Polygnotos_ARV_extra_-_death_of_Talos_-_draped_youths_02.jpg|thumb|right|alt=A red figure Column Krater showing Talos falling backwards into the arms of Castor and Pollux while a crouching male figure tampers with a small nail-like circle on Talos' ankle. |The Death of Talos depicted on a column krater (Museo Archeologico Nazionale del Sannio Caudino, Montesarchio)]]

[[Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)|Pseudo-Apollodorus]] collected several traditions regarding the origin, form, and death of Talos. In relation to his origin, two theories are given: either he belonged to the [[Ages of Man|Race of Bronze]], or he had been given to [[Minos]] by Hephaestus (no reason is given). Another two theories are provided regarding his form: he was either a bull or a bronze man. Pseudo-Apollodorus further states that Talos guarded Crete by running around the island three times daily and that he had a single vein running from his neck to his ankles, which was stopped with a bronze nail at the end.<ref name=Ps.Apollodorus>{{cite book |author=pseudo-Apollodorus | author-link=Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus)#Pseudo-Apollodorus |title-link=Bibliotheca (Pseudo-Apollodorus) |title=Bibliothēkē |trans-title=Library |script-title=el:{{mvar|Βιβλιοθήκη}} |at=[https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0548.tlg001.perseus-grc1:1.9.26 1.9.26]}}</ref>

Pseudo-Apollodorus also gives three variants regarding his death. The first two are at the hands of Medea: either she drove him mad with drugs, or, promising to making him immortal, she pulled the nail from his ankle, which caused the ichor to flow out. The final variant is that he was killed by the Argonaut [[Poeas]], who shot an arrow into his ankle.<ref name=Ps.Apollodorus/>

==Artistic sources==
Artistic sources linking Talos with the Argonauts significantly predate the account of Apollonius.<ref name="Sparks=1996-RedBlk">{{cite book |last=Sparkes |first=Brian |author-link=Brian A. Sparkes |title=The Red and the Black: Studies in Greek pottery |publisher=Routledge |year=1996 |isbn=0-415-12661-4 |page=124}}</ref> On three [[Krater|kraters]] from around 400 BCE, his death at the hands of the Argonauts is depicted. One [[Red-figure pottery|red-figure vase]], now in the [[Jatta National Archaeological Museum]], is the [[name vase]] of the Talos Painter. It shows Talos falling backwards, into the arms of the [[Castor and Pollux|Dioskouroi]]. In order to distinguish his form from that of the other figures on the vase, Talos is painted in white, with details painted in brown and yellow.<ref name="LIMC">{{cite encyclopedia |last=Papadopoulos |first=John |encyclopedia=Lexicon Iconographicum Mythologiae Classicae (LIMC)|title=Talos I|volume=7: Oidipous - Theseus|date=1994 |publisher=Artemis & Winkler Verlag |pages=834–837}}</ref> To the left stands Medea, holding a bowl, and looking across at Talos. Behind her is the Argo, with two more seated figures, inscribed as [[Boreads|Zetes and Calais]], whilst a third, unnamed figure, disembarks. To the right, the seated figures of [[Poseidon]] and [[Amphitrite]] look on. Below them a woman, identified by some as a representation of Crete, and by others as Europa, is shown fleeing from the scene.<ref name="LIMC"/>

Another vase, from [[Caudium]] (modern [[Montesarchio]]), has been identified as depicting the death of Talos.<ref name="Lesky">{{cite journal  |first=A. |last=Lesky |author-link=Martin Robertson  |year=1973  |title=Eine Neue Talos-Vase  |journal=Archäologisher Anzeiger  |volume=88 |pages=115–119}}</ref><ref name=Robertson>{{cite journal  |first=M. |last=Robertson |author-link=Martin Robertson  |year=1977  |title=The death of Talos  |journal=Journal of Hellenic Studies  |volume=97 |pages=158–160 |doi=10.2307/631029 |jstor=631029 |s2cid=162062500 }}</ref> A bearded Talos, slightly larger than the other figures, falls to the right, into the arms of the Dioskouroi.<ref name="LIMC"/> An unnamed youth kneels to the left, tightly holding an implement of some sort with which he is manipulating a small, circular object — potentially a nail — on Talos's ankle.<ref name="Buxton-90"/> A woman stands behind the youth, bending down towards him. One arm is obscured, but in the other she holds a bowl.<ref name="LIMC"/> Behind her stands another unnamed woman. Suggestions as to her identity include a representation of Crete as a nymph or an attendant of Medea's.<ref name="Lesky"/><ref name="Robertson-90">{{cite journal  |first=M. |last=Robertson |author-link=Martin Robertson  |year=1977  |title=The death of Talos  |journal=Journal of Hellenic Studies  |volume=97 |page=159 |doi=10.2307/631029 |jstor=631029 |s2cid=162062500 }}</ref> A small, winged, and bearded figure hovers next to Talos's ankle, gesturing closely to the site with the circular object. This figure is probably [[Thanatos]].<ref name="Robertson-90"/>

A third, fragmentary vase from [[Spina]] shows the same scene, with a very similar composition to the Motesarchio vase. Talos whose head and feet have not been preserved, is depicted in white, and is falling backwards into the arms of two men, most probably the Dioskouroi.<ref name="LIMC"/> To his left a crouching female figure, mostly lost but labelled by an inscription as Medea, holds a blade in one hand and a box resting on her knee in the other.<ref name="LIMC"/> To the right of Talos's lower leg is a small, winged, male figure, stretching his arms as if gesturing to Talos's ankle.<ref name=Robertson/> An unnamed female figure stands further to the right, but the head and torso are not preserved. The small figure and the unnamed female figure have sometimes been interpreted as [[Eros]] and [[Aphrodite]] but the winged figure is more probably Thanatos and the identification of Aphrodite is unlikely.<ref name="LIMC"/><ref name=Robertson/>

Talos also appears on three coins from Phaistos dated to the [[Classical Greece|Classical]] and early [[Hellenistic period|Hellenistic]] periods. He is depicted as a naked winged figure in the act of throwing a stone; on one coin there is a hound between his legs.<ref name="LIMC"/> The wings have been interpreted by Richard Buxton as a visual representation of the speed which Talos would have to possess in order to rapidly circuit the island of Crete.<ref>{{cite book |last=Buxton |first=Richard |date=1998 |editor-last=Atherton |editor-first=Catherine |title=Monsters and Monstrosity in Greek and Roman Culture |publisher=Levante Editori |page=91 |chapter=The Myth of Talos|isbn=887949290X}}</ref>

== Other variants ==
===Immolation of victims===

Discussing the origin of the phrase ''sardonios gelos'' (σαρδόνιος γέλως){{snd}}'[[Sardonicism|sardonic laugh]]'{{snd}}both [[Photios I of Constantinople|Photius]] in his ''Lexicon'', and [[Zenobius]] in his ''Proverbs'' cite [[Simonides of Ceos|Simonides]] (c. 556-468 BCE) for a story which involves Talos.<ref>Simonides 204. in {{cite book | translator-last=Edmonds| translator-first=John |title = Lyrae Graeca | volume= 2 |publisher=Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press|year=1924 |pages = 404–407}}</ref> Photius's summary of the account by Simonides is that some [[Sardinia|Sardinans]] refused to take Talos to king [[Minos]] of [[Crete]], in response to which Talos grabbed them and jumped into some flames whilst holding them tight, killing them. [[Zenobius|Zenobius's]] summary states that Talos lived in Sardinia before going to Crete, and killed many of the inhabitants without mentioning how or why. Not enough remains to establish whether Simonides associated Talos with the Argonauts.<ref name="Gantz"/> 

Talos is also mentioned in two fragments relating to a lost [[Sophocles|Sophoclean]] drama, ''Daidalos'', the plot of which in unknown.<ref name="sophocles">{{cite book| editor-last=Lloyd-Jones |editor-first=Hugh |title=Sophocles Fragments |publisher=Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press |year=2003 |isbn=0-674-99532-5 |page=64}}</ref> The fragments indicate that in this source, too, Talos killed his victims by burning them.<ref name="sophocles"/> Outside of Simonides and Sophocles, no other surviving source mentions this method of execution.<ref name="Gantz"/>

===Cretan lineage===
{{anchor|death of Talos krater anchor}}[[File:Vaso di Talos particolare.JPG|thumb|The death of Talos depicted on a Volute [[Krater]] circa 400 BCE ([[Jatta National Archaeological Museum]] in [[Ruvo di Puglia]])]]
In a different tradition, Talos is the son of [[Cres (mythology)|Cres]], the personification of Crete. Hephaestus is his son, and [[Rhadamanthus]] – a mythical king of Crete – his grandson. This tradition is reported by [[Pausanias (geographer)|Pausanias]], who cites the poet [[Cinaethon of Sparta]] as his source.<ref>{{cite book |author=Pausanias |author-link=Pausanias (geographer) |title=[[Description of Greece]] |at=[http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.perseus-eng1:8.53 8. 53.2–5]}}</ref> Pausanias states at another point that Talos was one of the sons of [[Oenopion]], without giving a source.<ref>{{cite book |author=Pausanias |author-link=Pausanias (geographer) |title=[[Description of Greece]] |at=[http://data.perseus.org/citations/urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0525.tlg001.perseus-eng1:7.4.8 7.4.8]}}</ref> Pausanias gives no details of Talos outside of his genealogy.<ref name="buxton-89"/>

According to [[Athenaeus]], the lyric poet [[Ibycus]] wrote of [[Rhadamanthus]] as the lover of Talos, rather than grandson.<ref>Ibycus Fragment 32 in {{cite book |editor-last=Edmonds |editor-first=J. M.|title=Lyrae Graeca Vol. 2|publisher=Loeb Classical Library, Harvard University Press|year=1924 |page=101}}</ref> The [[Suda]], a Byzantine encyclopedia from the tenth-century CE, adds to this that Talos and Rhadamanthus introduced homosexuality to Crete.<ref>Suda s.v. Theta 41. [https://www.cs.uky.edu/~raphael/sol/sol-entries/theta/41  Θάμυρις].</ref>  

===Rationalisation===

A [[Euhemerism|euhemeristic]] interpretation of Talos is provided – along with many others – in the [[Minos (dialogue)|''Minos'']], a dialogue which was attributed to [[Plato]] in antiquity, but which is regarded by most scholars today as being written by someone else.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Lewis |first=V. Bardley |title=Plato's "Minos:" the Political and Philosophical Context of the Problem of Natural Right |journal=The Review of Metaphysics |date=September 2006 |volume=60 |issue=1 |pages=17–53 |jstor=20130738}}</ref> In this source, Talos is rationalised as a man who guards the laws of Crete by travelling around the villages of the island three times per year at the behest of Minos, in order to show the inhabitants the laws of the city, which were inscribed of tablets of bronze.<ref>{{cite book |title-link=Minos (dialogue) |title=Minos |at=[http://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=Perseus%3Atext%3A1999.01.0180%3Atext%3DMinos%3Asection%3D320c 320c.]}}</ref><ref name="Buxton-90">{{cite book |last=Buxton |first=Richard |date=1998 |editor-last=Atherton |editor-first=Catherine |title=Monsters and Monstrosity in Greek and Roman Culture |publisher=Levante Editori |page=90 |chapter=The Myth of Talos|isbn=887949290X}}</ref>

== See also ==
* ''[[Jason and the Argonauts (1963 film)|Jason and the Argonauts]]'' – a 1963 movie in which Talos is depicted as a giant who is  killed by Jason.
* ''[[Talos No. 2]]'' – an abstract bronze sculpture in [[Portland, Oregon]].
* ''[[The Talos Principle]]'' – a 2014 video game, the premise of which is that Talos is akin to a human being.
* The [[Talos Dome]] in [[Antarctica]], which is named after him.
* [[5786 Talos]], an asteroid discovered in 1991 named after Talos.

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

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[[Category:Ancient piracy]]
[[Category:Anti-piracy]]
[[Category:Automata in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Characters in the Argonautica]]
[[Category:Greek giants]]
[[Category:Legendary creatures in popular culture]]
[[Category:LGBTQ themes in Greek mythology]]
[[Category:Mythological Cretans]]