We now call a myth something fantastic, fictional, something that was not in real historical reality. Our word "myth" comes from the ancient Greek word "mutepos". For the ancient Greeks, or Hellenes, as they called themselves, this translated means "word, speech or conversation, intention, proverbs, hearing, statement, stories, translation, story, content of the story." Consequently, the word had more meanings than modern “myth”. When we want to say that there really wasn’t anything in the documented history, we use the adjective “mythical”. For example, the famous Hercules (or Hercules, as the Romans called him) is a mythical person, the hero of many ancient Greek myths. There is also the word "mythology" (also of Greek origin). We call them the totality of myths of this or that nation, as well as the branch of knowledge, the science that studies myths.
Attitude to myths in ancient Greece
Almost every people from ancient eras holds traditions in which the historical intertwines with the fictional, reality with fantasy. In these tales, not only people act, but also amazing creatures - the fruits of creativity. These are immortal gods and demigods, unprecedented creatures. Amazing miracles happen. In ancient times, people perceived myths as reliable stories about what happened before. But centuries passed, and they gradually turned into ordinary grandmother's tales. Only small children believed in their reality. Legends began to be interpreted not literally, but figuratively. Myths were the embodiment of human dreams. For example, the work Daedalus and Icarus clearly reflects the desire for flight. However, there is also its own morality. The myth "Daedalus and Icarus" teaches that even from unattainable heights you can be thrown down.
Myths as the basis of ancient Greek culture
In ancient Greece (or Hellas) myths were the basis of sculpture, literature, painting, theatrical art. They took shape long before the letter spread there - the Greek alphabet. One and the same legend about a god or hero could exist in different versions and interpretations: local, temporary (arising at different times) and author's (it all depended on who invented or retold). The work “Daedalus and Icarus” was no exception. Similar myths were among different tribes and peoples. The point here is not only that one tribe could borrow one or another legend from another. Most often this happened when different nations stood at a similar degree of development, lived in similar conditions. Sometimes the similarity of the myths of different tribes is explained by the initial kinship, the common origin of these communities, for example, Greeks, Romans, Celts, Germans, Slavs, Iranians, Indians. Very interesting is the ancient Greek legend "Daedalus and Icarus." Pictures and sculptures dedicated to him, as well as a summary of him can be found in this article.
Ancient Greek Pantheon
Between the younger gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Hero, Hestia, Demeter and others) and the elders - the Titans - there was a terrible ten-year war. Finally, the former with the help of the hundred-armed and cyclops released from the underworld defeated the latter and settled on Olympus. There were a lot of myths about the deeds of the gods - useful, and sometimes destructive for mortal people. They are like people with their strengths and weaknesses.
Mythical creatures
Often in myths there are fantastic creatures - monsters. For example, the ancient Greek myth "Daedalus and Icarus" tells, along with the main storyline, about the terrible Minotaur - the beast of King Minos. Fantasy of the ancient Greeks created centaurs - half-humans, half-horses, formidable Gorgons with snakes instead of hair, seven-headed hydra (the myth of Hercules), the three-headed dog Cerberus, who guarded the underworld of Hades, etc.
Myths and Astronomy
The names of almost all the constellations are somehow connected with ancient Greek myths. The constellation of Andromeda evokes in our memory the legend of Perseus, and he also gave the name to a cluster of stars, as did the parents of Andromeda - Kefey and Cassiopeia. Pegasus is the winged horse on which the hero Bellerophon opposed the chimeras. Ursa Major is the nymph Callisto (mother of Arcade, the founder of the Arcadians), Ursa Minor is the nymph Kinosura. Aries is a ram on which Frix and Gella flew to Colchis. Hercules also turned into a constellation (Hercules), Orion is a hunter who was a companion of Artemis. Lyra is Kifar Orpheus, etc. Even the planets of the solar system are obliged by their own names to myths. Next will be told the legend of Daedalus and Icarus. This is an instructive story.
Daedalus and Icarus: Summary. Event set
Once, in ancient times, a talented artist, carver and builder Daedalus lived in Athens - the offspring of the royal family. It was believed that Athena herself taught him various crafts. Daedalus built large palaces and temples that amazed everyone with their harmony. For them, he himself carved from the tree figures of immortal gods, so beautiful that people then carefully kept them for centuries.
Daedalus' disciple was his nephew Tal, still a teenager. Once, a guy looked at a fish bone, carefully looked at it, and soon he made a saw - a new thing for people. He invented a potter's wheel to make it easier to sculpt dishes. Tal also invented compasses.
Death of Thal and Exile
The Athenians learned about the extreme ability of Dedalov’s pupil and rightly believed that the latter would soon surpass his teacher. And how terribly struck Athens the news that Tal, strolling with the Daedalus in the Acropolis, stumbled and fell from a height. The Athenians accused the teacher of his death and sentenced the artist to exile. Daedalus sailed to Crete, where Minos reigned. There he got married. He had a son, Icarus. However, Daedalus was very homesick. Then the king had trouble. His wife gave birth to a monster - the Minotaur instead of his son. The master also built a maze for the monster to hide it from the eyes of people.
Daedalus and Icarus (presentation): the road home
Years passed. Daedalus and Icarus climbed into Athens. However, Minos did not let the master go. Daedalus got out of this situation and made wings for himself and his son, like birds, to fly away in the sky, even if the sea is closed to them. The master taught his offspring to fly and ordered not to rise too high, otherwise the sun would melt the wax (a component of the wing structure). Low above the sea, too, was not ordered to soar that water would not wet the flying device. The master taught his son to adhere to the golden mean. However, Daedalus and Icarus did not find a common language (pictures with wings can be seen in this article).
The death of Icarus
The next day they starred in cloudless azure. No one in the palace of the ruler saw this. Only the plowmen observed the flight in the field, the shepherd who drove the herd was seen by a fisherman. They all thought that it was the immortal gods who soared. At first, Icarus obediently followed his father. However, a sense of flight, unknown and surprising, filled him with indescribable joy. After all, great happiness is to flap, like a huge bird, large wings and feel that they carry you even higher.
In indescribable delight, Icarus forgot the warning of his parent and rose very high - to the golden sun. Suddenly, with great horror, he began to feel that his wings were not holding him as tightly as before. Hot sun rays melted their wax, and feathers crumbled down. Now, in vain, the young man tried to wave his wingless hands. He called for help from his father, but did not hear Daedalus. Then for a long time and desperately he sought his son. But found only feathers on the waves. Realizing what had happened, he was distraught with grief. The body of Icarus was buried by Heracles, and the sea into which he fell was called Icarius.
Daedalus himself was in Sicily for a long time, and then he moved to Athens, where he became the founder of the kind of artists of the Daedalids.