Daedalus built a wooden cow to help Pasiphae approach the Cretan Bull in Greek mythology. The device allowed her to conceal herself so she could mate with the bull, resulting in the birth of the Minotaur.
This episode occurs before the Labyrinth is built. Pasiphae was the wife of Minos, and the story explains the Minotaur’s unusual mixed form. Daedalus’s craftsmanship is a recurring feature of the Cretan cycle: he later constructs the Labyrinth and eventually makes wings for his escape from Crete.
The wooden cow is sometimes confused with the Cretan Bull itself. They are different objects: the bull is the living divine or extraordinary animal, while the wooden cow is Daedalus’s artificial construction. The story is mythological rather than an archaeological account of a real machine or event.