Daedalus and Icarus

Leyends of Ancient Greece. 1985

A descendant of the royal house of Cecrops, Daedalus was the first architect and sculptor of the world.

Daedalus was in fact so famous, that Minos, the powerful King of Crete, called him to his island to entrust him with a very important work. Daedalus was to build a prison-palace in which to keep his misshaped son the Minotaur- a man with the head of a bull who fed on human flesh. Minos had fathered such a son because of a curse from Poseidon.

Daedalus travelled to Crete with his young son Icarus and there planned and built a masterpiece which was to gain immortal fame: the labyrinth.

The labyrinth was a palace built partly on ground level and partly underground. It was made up of halls, rooms, stairways, passages, corridors, caves and galleries designed to form an inextricable maze. Whoever entered it would never find the way back -however hard they looked for it. They would become confused, lose their sense of direction and be doomed to wander there for ever. The Minotaur lived in the labyrinth where he was fed slaves and prisoners and, every year, fourteen young Athenians.

After many years of work, Daedalus completed the labyrinth and asked permission to King Minos to return to Athens.

'No Daedalus, you will remain in Crete forever, where all the honours you deserve shall be bestowed on you. If I let you go you might reveal the secret of the labyrinth.'

'No, my lord', Daedalus rep1ied, 'not even I hold the plan or the secret of the labyrinth. Were I to enter it I would not find the exit. Please let me go as I prefer to live in Athens than here.'

These words offended Minos and he ordered Daedalus and Icarus to be thrown into the labyrinth. The two were desperate, they knew there was no way out and should they encounter the Minotaur they would be killed and devoured. Some rooms in the maze had no ceiling and as Daedalus watched the birds flying above, an idea suddenly came to him.

'I have found the way out of here!' he exclaimed and with some wood he began to shape the frame of two pairs of wings which he covered with the feathers dropped by birds. As he worked he said to his son, 'When these wings are finished, Icarus, we shall fix them to our arms and shoulders with some wax, and then we shall escape by flying!'

'It will be wonderful, Father!' rep1ied Icarus. Some time later the wings were ready. Daedalus fixed his and attaching the other pair to his son, he advised him, 'Icarus, remember that if we fly too close to the sun it will melt the wax and if we fly too low the humidity from the sea will wet them. In either case we will no longer be able to fly, so stay close to me.'

'I shall do as you say " Icarus reassured his father, and soon the two men flew off, up and away from the earth, rising from the labyrinth and leaving Crete behind.

'It's beautiful,' cried the airborne Icarus, and Daedalus shouted 'Stay by my side!' And so they flew over land and sea. But Icarus was not looking down, instead he kept his eyes towards the sun. Oh, to be able to reach it! To touch the heavens and the stars! Overwhelmed by this desire, the youth began to fly upwards, vigorously flapping his wings, rising and rising.

'Where are you going?' cried Daedalus as he saw his son far above him. 'Stop, come down!'

But Icarus could not hear him and flew further upwards. Alas! The heat of the sun became more intense, the wax began to melt; soon the wings dropped off the young man 's shoulders. With a cry of despair he plunged into the sea and was instantly engulfed by the waves. Such was the price Icarus had to pay for his crazy dream!

Daedalus flew for many days over the blue waves which had buried his son and then sadly returned to Greece. The sea where Icarus fell and the island over which he flew became known as Icaria.