From early childhood, we liked to listen to mystical stories about the exploits of the heroes of antiquity, especially myths and legends. After all, they told us about the strength, dexterity, wisdom of man, about love and hatred; we plunged into a fantasy world that was inaccessible to us.
Myths What are they telling us about?
Myth is an ancient tradition that conveys an understanding of the world around us by our ancestors, and therefore humanity will never cease to be interested in them. Different peoples have their own legends, but the myths of Ancient Greece gained the greatest popularity. The ancient population of Greece was famous for its tireless activity, energy, the ancient Greeks tried to find an explanation for the appearance of all life on Earth, natural phenomena and determine the true position of man in this world. The myth of Daedalus and Icarus was born in ancient Athens. In those days, this city was a center of commerce, crafts, it was engaged in science, and all kinds of arts.
Daedalus was an honorary resident of Athens, and the inhabitants of the city respected him for the unsurpassed art of a builder, sculptor and stone carver. But not only the Athenians knew and respected Daedalus, in other cities of Greece he was famous for his sculptural and construction works: everyone said that his statues stand as living.
My nephew lived in Daedalus' disciples, and he began to surpass his mentor: in his early years he came up with a new machine for working with clay, a saw made of snake teeth and many other necessary devices. Thanks to his inventions, even at a young age, he became famous, this made him proud and presumptuous. Uncle began to envy the young master, he was afraid that the student would surpass his mentor, and he decided on a crime: late in the evening he threw his nephew from the city wall. After the crime, he was overcome by fear: after all, he would be considered the murderer of his nephew.
What is the fate of Daedalus?
After all these experiences, as the myths of ancient Greece tell, Daedalus found refuge and protection under the Cretan king Minos: he made the architect his own painter. Minos ordered Daedalus to create a special shelter for the Minotaur, a mythical animal with the body of a man and the head of a bull so that people would not see him.
The famous builder built the Labyrinth (as the myth of Daedalus and Icarus narrates), where there were many moves and intricate transitions, it was easy to get lost in it. They went forward and backward, and it was simply impossible to get out of there. It was in such a confused place that the Minotaur was supposed to live.
To nourish the Minotaur, the Athenians sent seven girls and young men each, this was their tribute to the Cretan king.
But Daedalus was a witty man, and when the captives were brought, he gave the tsar’s daughter Ariadne a ball of thread with which they could come back if Theseus won the battle with the Minotaur. The Cretan king found out about this and put Daedalus in prison.
How to cross Daedalus across the sea?
As the myth about Daedalus and Icarus tells further, the celebrated master did not like imprisonment, and he began to think about how to quietly leave his prison. He realized that the Cretan king would not let him go voluntarily, and decided to fly through the air. To realize his dream, he collected different bird feathers, tied them in a special order, like a bird, and from afar his creation could be mistaken for real bird wings. He used linen laces and wax to hold feathers together, and bent them a little.
Little Icarus, son of Daedalus, loved to look at his father's work, but over time, and he began to help him craft wings. At the end of the work, Daedalus attached wings to his body, and began to soar over everyone, like a bird. After the father landed, Icarus ran up to him and began to tearfully beg to make the same wings for him to travel together through the air. At first, the father was very angry with his son for the request, but soon he softened his heart and made the boy wings.
Daedalus warned his son that the wings were fastened with wax, and you need to fly carefully, not rising high into the sky, where the sun was very close. But the disobedient Icarus did in his own way - he rose too high, the wax began to melt from the hot sunlight, the wings collapsed, and he fell into the sea. Later, people named the sea in his honor - it is still called Ikari. The body washed ashore, and the mighty Hercules betrayed him to earth on a small island, which also bears the name of a proud young man - Ikariy.
What is the myth about Daedalus and Icarus about?
After reading this legend, a person will want to engage in exalted affairs himself, moving away from everyday routine. After mankind learned to move on land and water, it began to think about moving through the air.
The image of Icarus embodies the idea that any, most exalted dream can be realized, to achieve the goal with his hard work, diligence and skill. And the wings created by Daedalus can be a symbol of the highest skill.
Icarus neglect of his father's advice led him to death, but he, forgetting everything in an exciting flight, sought to fly to the sun. The Olympic gods did not like this, and they severely punished him.