Talos (inventor)

This article is about the mythological Greek inventor. For other uses, see Talos (disambiguation).

Talos, is probably Perdix and nephew of Daedalus, invented the saw after seeing a fish's jawbone. Daedalus was so jealous of the invention that he tried to murder him, but Athena intervened and turned Talos/Perdix into a partridge to save his life. (Bibliotheca 3.15.8)

According to Ovid, Talos/Perdix used fish spine as the prototype of the saw. (Metamorphoses 8.244-246)

According to a version of Apollodorus ([Library of Greek Mythology, 3.15] transl. Robin Hard), Daedalus was successful in killing his nephew Talos/Peridix and, as punishment, was exiled to the court of Minos: "After the corpse was discovered, Daedalus was tried...and went into exile at the court of Minos."

In some sources, Talos and Perdix are most likely the same person.