MYTH OF THE MONTH

Welcome to Myth Of The Month! In this article I will be explaining classic Greek myths from ancient times. In this month's edition, I will be explaining to you the myth of Daedalus and Icarus! A father and son and how they escaped imprisonment. This myth was first recorded by a Roman poet Ovid around the year 8 C.E. (Yes 8!) and has been retold by many since. I hope you enjoy!

Daedalus was said to be an unparalleled sculptor and inventor from either Athens or Crete. (Depending on your source) Midway through Daedalus’ life, his nephew, Perdix, was sent to live and study with him where he lived in Athens. Daedalus taught Perdix all he knew and the boy absorbed it all quickly, like a sponge and the Uncle soon realised his nephew wasn’t only smart, but would most definitely grow up to be smarter than him if he wasn’t already. Unused to this and not wanting to be overshadowed by Perdix, Daedalus pushed him off the cliffs of the Acropolis. (To truly understand the height of these cliffs I encourage you to look up a photo) Before Perdix could break on the ground below, Athena took pity on the boy and rescued him, turning him into a bird. Despite Perdix being alive albeit in a different form, Daedalus was tried and banished from Athens. The man found himself a home in Crete as a part of King Minos’ court. It was here that he and a slave by the name of Naukrate had a baby boy named Icarus. 

While living as a part of Minos’ court, Daedalus made a handful of inventions including the Labyrinth which was designed to hold the Minotaur (half man, half bull) at its centre. According to Ovid, Daedalus eventually grew to dislike Crete and longed to return to Athens. However, Minos would not let him go so easily. He wanted his inventor close to him, so he threw Daedalus and his son Icarus in a cell within the labyrinth so that they could not leave. Daedalus was not content to live out the rest of his days a prisoner, and so he came up with a plan

        “He may thwart our escape by land or sea but the sky is surely open to us: we        will go that way: Minos rules everything but he does not rule the heavens’.”

-Ovid, VIII . 183

Daedalus studied birds and made a device that mimicked their wing power. He then laid out rows of feathers, tying them together using beeswax and string. Daedalus made two sets of these makeshift wings - one for himself and the other for Icarus. After he tied his own wings onto his back, he strapped in his son while he explained to the boy how to use them and what he should avoid while flying. Daedalus told Icarus that he mustn’t fly too low, because the moisture of the sea may weigh him down, but that he can’t fly too high either in case the sun damages his wings. Icarus listened but did not understand his fathers worry of the dangers of their flight. Daedalus was terrified that something would happen to his son, but they had no choice.

The father and son flew and soon Crete was behind them. Ovid wrote that on their flight, a plowman, a shepherd and an angler saw them in the sky at a distance and believed them to be gods.  As they were coming up on the island of Samos, Icarus got arrogant and cocky. He wanted to fly up, as high and as close to the sun as he could get. He flew up and up, the sea getting farther and farther beneath him. He was so absorbed in his accomplishment of flight that he didn’t notice the wax on his wings had begun to melt. By the time he realized, it was too late. He was already falling. Icarus tried to flap his wings but there was nothing left of his fathers creation. He cried out for Daedalus, but not even the mighty inventor could save him and before long he crashed into the waves below. The sea swallowed him up and sucked the life from him as Icarus drowned, Daedalus flapping his still-working wings in the air above.

Written by: Claire Bernardin

Main source: https://www.thecollector.com/daedalus-and-icarus/n