The Labyrinth is a large maze constructed by the mortal Daedalus at the behest of the king of the Gods himself, Zeus in order to contain the key to Pandora's Box.
The Labyrinth.
Greek Mythology
In Greek mythology, the Labyrinth was an elaborate structure designed and built by the legendary artificer Daedalus for King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Its function was to hold the Minotaur, a mythical creature that was half man and half bull and was eventually killed by the Athenian hero Theseus. Daedalus had so cunningly made the Labyrinth that he could barely escape it after he built it. Theseus was aided by Ariadne, who provided him with a skein of thread, literally the "clue", so he could find his way out again. In Daedalus' attempt to escape the Labyrinth, he and his son Icarus wore wax wings. Icarus would fall to his death after flying to close to the sun.
God of War III
The Labyrinth is being contained in the Caverns of Olympus. This simple mission consumed Zeus to the point that he did not allow Daedalus to embark on any repair duties and instead create a great structure to serve as a prison for the daughter of Hephaestus. Daedalus believed it to be his greatest work and superior to the Great Chain that kept Olympus tied to the Underworld. The heart of the Labyrinth itself hung on the Great Chain of Balance and thus meant it resided between Olympus and Hades. This meant that if ever one side began to rise or fall, the Labyrinth would shift accordingly and thus be forever shifted. Another aspect of the design involved The Three Judges being the final latch of the lock.
Sent to the Labyrinth to find Pandora, and use her as a means of destroying The Flame of Olympus, Kratos used Boreas' Icestorm to activate the Labyrinth, find Pandora and, with her help, survive the challenges and traps of the Labyrinth. Kratos then climbed Mount Olympus, pulls the Labyrinth up the mountain, and destroys most of Olympus and its supports from the inside in the process.
Trivia
- If Kratos solves the Labyrinth without dying or failing, the player will receive the Gold Trophy "aMAZEd".
- The Labyrinth of Daedalus serves as a battle map in God of War: Ascension's multiplayer. This map is full of traps, like fire,spikes, fans, grinders,sudden pitfalls, and the cube in the middle serving as a rotating platform using the Chain of Balance. Skorpius also appears to attack players at random with its pincers or roaring them off the ledges.
