The myth of Daedalus and Icarus

Once upon a time in Athens there was a great architect and sculptor named Daedalus. He was so famous for his work that he was invited in Crete by King Minos who wanted him to construct various architectonic monuments.

Daedalus accepted King Minos’ invitation and he went there with his son Icarus. One of the most important construction of Daedalus in Crete was the famous ‘Labyrinth’. Labyrinth was a strange monument full of confusing paths, pathways and seemingly endless passages that once somebody got in,it was impossible to get out. There King Minos imprisoned ‘Minotaur’, a monster half man and half bull, which caused terror to everybody. Furthermore he constructed a place where king Minos’ daughter Ariadne and her friends would dance, the so-called ‘Chorostasi’. In fact many architectonic monuments found in Crete are attributed to Daedalus since he was given the opportunity to unfold his great talent.

Then there was a time when Daedalus after having completed his work, he wished to leave Crete and return to Athens but King Minos being afraid of his revealing the secrets of his art to other kings, he decided to imprison him and his son and never let them go.

Daedalus wanted desperately his freedom, it was impossible for him to live all his life like a prisoner. Freedom and the way to succeed it was the only thing he could think of. Since there was no other way for him and his son to leave Crete, he decided that the only way to escape was by ‘flying’. Being a man of great talent and imagination, he came up with the idea to create a pair of wings made of wax and by fastening them on their back to fly away from Crete with his son, imitating the birds.

This idea was very difficult to be put in practice because of the fact that he had to teach young Icarus to fly wisely. He advised him not to fly too low because there was the danger for the wings to get wet by the waves and not too high too, because the sun could melt the wax, the wings were made of.

Finally a sunny morning, after they had rehearsed o lot their escape, they went to a hill. Fastened the wings on their back and with a boost they started flying in the sky above Crete like birds. People who saw them flying couldn’t believe their eyes and they thought they were Gods. That was the first attempt of mankind to conqer the sky.

The sense of flying was so magic that Icarus was thrilled, he couldn’t control his enthousiasm and he started diving in the sky going over the waves or too high wishing to ‘touch’ the sun. This last act led to his fatal loss. Unfortunately the sun melted the wax of his wings and he suddenly fell into the sea. His father, Daedalus was trying in vain to track him somewhere in the sky but he all of a sudden saw his pair of wings floating on the waves. Obviously Icarus was gone forever, giving his name to that sea which meant to become his grave. The ‘Ikarion Pelagus’ is still there to remind us this first attempt of man to exceed himself and ‘touch’ the impossible.

13 Nov. 2006: Photo from dramatization of the myth of Dedalus and Icarus.