Ariadne Earrings

The labyrinth pattern on these eye-catching earrings is inspired by the ancient meander pattern, or the Greek key. Our Ariadne earrings are a part of our modern collection, designed by Elena.

According to Greek mythology, Ariadne was the daughter of King Minos of Crete, and granddaughter of the sun god Helios. She is perhaps best known for her involvement in the episode with Theseus and the Minotaur. The Minotaur was half-bull, half-man; a creature that lived in a vast maze beneath Minos' palace and was to be given an annual sacrifice of fourteen boys and girls from the city of Athens. At one point, the hero Theseus, son of King Aegeus of Athens, was sent to Crete to kill the Minotaur and end the annual sacrifice. When Theseus arrived on Crete, the princess Ariadne fell in love with him, and helped arm him for the battle with the Minotaur. Specifically, she gave him a sword to kill the Minotaur, and a ball of thread, that he might tie one end of it to the beginning of the labyrinth, and let it unroll as he entered the maze to find and kill the Minotaur. Once he had completed this task, then, he could follow the thread back out of the labyrinth. Because of Ariadne's help, Theseus was successful; the children of Athens were saved. When Theseus left Crete, Ariadne went with him, and married him.