dactyli

Century Dictionary and Cyclopedia

1. In classical antiquity, a class of mythical beings, guardians of the infant Zeus, inhabiting Mount Ida in Phrygia or in Crete, to whom the discovery of iron and the art of working it were ascribed. They were servants or priests of Cybele, and are sometimes confounded with the Curetes, the Cabirli, and the Corybantes. The traditions about them and their place of abode vary.
2. n. Plural of dactylus.