Cocalus was the Sicilian king who received Daedalus after the craftsman fled Crete in Greek mythology. Daedalus sought refuge with Cocalus after escaping from King Minos’s control.
According to the myth, Daedalus settled in Sicily and used his skills for Cocalus. Minos eventually tracked him down and demanded his return. Cocalus’s daughters, or Cocalus himself in some versions, protected Daedalus by helping kill Minos when the Cretan king visited.
The story continues the Minotaur cycle beyond Theseus’s victory. Daedalus had designed the Labyrinth for Minos, and his later flight shows that the craftsman remained entangled in the consequences of serving the Cretan court. Ancient authors place the Sicilian episodes in different locations and give varying details about Minos’s death.
Cocalus is a minor figure compared with Theseus, Minos, and Daedalus, so his name is often omitted from modern retellings. He should not be confused with Nestor, the aged king associated with Pylos in the Trojan War stories.