The sun shone on the bright feathers the breezes ruffled them. Icarus played about on the beach happily while his father worked, chasing the feathers that blew away in the strong wind that swept the island and sometimes taking bits of the wax and working it into strange shapes with his fingers. The smallest feathers he pressed into the soft wax and the large ones he tied on with thread. Daedalus then melted some wax and made a skeleton in the shape of a bird's wing. As thousands of fulls soared over the island, Icarus soon collected a huge pile of feathers. He called his son, Icarus, to him and told the boy to gather up all the feathers he could find on the rocky shore. "Minos may control the land and sea," he said,"but he does not control the air. Several times he tried by bribery to stow away on one of the vessels sailing from Crete, but King Minos kept strict watch over them, and no ships were allowed to sail without being carefully searched.ĭaedalus was an ingenious artist and was not discouraged by his failures. In time, with the help of his young son, Icarus, Daedalus managed to escape from the tower, only to find himself a prisoner on the island. When Theseus escaped from the labyrinth, King Minos flew into a rage with its builder, Daedalus, and ordered him shut up in a high tower that faced the lonely sea. According to the myth, by staying away from extremes (high or low), we'll be able to live happier, safer, and more productive lives."The Flight of Icarus" retold by Sally Benson It seems like the myth is trying to teach us a lesson in practicing moderation in our own lives. Unfortunately, he gave into temptation, and left the middle path to soar into the sky. If Icarus had resisted the urge to fly too high, he probably wouldn't have crashed and burned. Moderation or "the middle path" is a key theme in this myth. But by sticking to a middle height, Icarus and his wings will make it through the journey just fine. Getting too near the sun will cause his wings to melt, and swooping down to the water will make them damp. Before the dynamic duo takes off, Daedalus warns Icarus not to fly too close to either the sun or the ocean. We've got one more setting snack for you. Speaking of real places-after Icarus's death, Daedalus flew about 600 miles west to the Italian island of Sicily where he made himself at home, befriending the island's ruler and becoming part of his court. Daedalus names the sea where his son fell the Icarian Sea, which is part of today's Aegean Sea. With their homemade wings, he and Icarus fly over the ocean-but they only make it north about 100 miles before Icarus crashes and burns (literally). Karma can be pretty feisty.Įither way, his surroundings are pretty dark and depressing, so Daedalus decides to escape. Depending on which writer you ask, Daedalus and Icarus either get locked up in a tower, or confined to the famous Labyrinth, which Daedalus himself built. Unfortunately, Daedalus' Cretan vacation comes to an end when the island's ruler, King Minos, imprisons him. ![]() Crete is the biggest island in Greece-it was a crossroads between Asia, Europe, and Africa, giving it a cosmopolitan sensibility. We start on the scenic island of Crete, where Daedalus arrives after being kicked out of Athens for the attempted murder of his nephew (not a great start). This myth is about a journey (a partially failed journey, yes, but a journey nonetheless), so it takes place in a few different locations.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |