Ariadne (air-ee-AD-nee). The daughter of King Minos whose help made it possible for Theseus to slay the Minotaur and survive the Labyrinth. Ariadne fell in love with Theseus at first sight, as he disembarked from the ship bearing him to his intended sacrifice. She gave him the clew, or ball of thread, that kept him from getting lost in the Minotaur's maze. But Theseus abandoned Ariadne on an island after his escape from Crete.