Dedalus

Dedalus is a name that may refer to several subjects in myth, literature, and onomastics. In classical contexts, the legendary Daedalus, an Athenian craftsman and inventor best known for constructing the Labyrinth at Crete, is sometimes rendered as Dedalus in English translations or later transliterations. The alternate spelling appears in various literary and scholarly works, though Daedalus remains the common form in most ancient sources.

In modern literature, Stephen Dedalus is a central fictional character created by James Joyce. He appears as the protagonist in A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1916) and as a recurring figure in Ulysses (1922), where he serves as Joyce's literary alter ego and as a lens for exploring themes of art, religion, and identity.

The name Dedalus is also used as a surname or given name in various contexts. Because of its associations with Daedalus and Joyce, it is sometimes employed in literary, critical, or artistic contexts to evoke classical craftsmanship, ingenuity, and self-reflection.