Talos - Bronze Giant Of Crete In Greek Myths | Talos Explained | Greek Mythology And Folklore

Talos was a giant robot or more correctly, a Cretan god or titan forged from bronze or brass and fueled by Icor, the same Icor which runs through veins of the gods. The name Talos means sun in the Cretan dialect, and he was the equivalent of Helios, the sun titan in Cretan chronicles. There are different versions concerning who crafted Talos and for what purpose he was made. One version stated that Talos was crafted by Hephaestus at the request of Zeus, to protect Europa and Crete from pirates and people who would want to kidnap her. Another version said that Talos was a gift from Hephaestus to Minos, forged with the aid of the Cyclopes in the form of a bull and gifted to Minos the king of Crete, in order to protect the island and its people. In yet another version, Talos was forged from bronze by the inventor Daedalus, father of Icarus and creator of the famous Cretan labyrinth, inhabited by the Minotaur. Still another version, Talos was brought to life when Zeus breathed Icor into a lifeless bronze statue constructed by Hephaestus, then gifted to Europa to protect her from invaders. And in the last and less known version, Talos was not a robot or automaton of any sort, but was the son of Kres, the personification of Crete. In deciding which version to go with, the versions about Hephaestus are more befitting, mainly because no mortal could craft a being as magnificent as Talos if not the mighty craftsman of a god Hephaestus. Talos had a vein which ran from his neck down to his ankles, and flowed with Icor which was his life source. Icor is what runs through the veins of gods, titans and other immortals instead of mortal blood. However, it was toxic to mortals and killed them instantly. It was Icor that gave Talos life, just like the Greek gods and titans. This is why Talos is better referred to as a Cretan god, or titan because of his size. The vein through which the wonderful fluid flowed was secured by a bronze nail in each ankle. Talos was tasked with protecting Europa or more commonly, the island of Crete from invaders as the island had no walls protecting it. Three times a day, this powerful giant circled the whole island which was over 3,000 miles. Whenever Talos sighted foreign ships approaching the Cretan coastline, he would hurl giant rocks at their vessels. If that failed to deter or destroy the enemy, Talos would magically set himself on fire and heat up his metal exterior until it was red hot. In this state, his is called the Infernal Talos. The intruders would then suffer his agonizing legendary deathly scream or embrace which will leave them both crushed and burned to death at the same time. In addition, the victim's charred corpse would be left with a hilarious smoke of pure terror and pain on its face. Aside protecting Crete, Talos was tasked with another important role. He helped to enforce the divine law on the island. He would carry massive bronze tablets with all the laws inscribed on them to all the villagers on the island three times a year. Everything went on well and as planned, until the arrival of Jason and the Argonauts. It happened that the powerful sorceress and wife of Jason Medea was accompanying Jason and the Argonauts to Crete on the ship Argo. They had just acquired the Golden Fleece and desperately needed to get fresh water and other supplies as they neared Crete. Knowing what they were going to encounter, Jason pleaded with Talos to let them take the little things they were in dire need of, and then get off the island as quickly as possible. But Talos knew only his duty and nothing else. So he responded by hurling rocks at their vessel as they neared. Hence, Jason and his men had only two options, to die a painful death or to use trickery and sorcery to overcome the invincible Talos. So Medea the sorceress quickly set to work before it was too late. She began to charm Talos with her seductive incantations. After quite a while, Talos began to succumb to Medea's magic. Not wasting a moment, she removed the bronze pegs from his ankles, and all the icor drained from his body. The great giant then collapsed to the ground and gradually died. In slightly different version of this story, Medea controlled him with her bewitching gaze and had him remove the pegs himself. The story and defeat of Talos is very much similar to the story and defeat of Achilles. Both thought to be totally invincible, yet had very unusual flaws. Subscribe For More Videos On Mythology And Fantasy. Thank You For Watching. Remain Blessed.