The myth of Icarus and Daedalus

Icarus and Daedalus are the two characters in Greek mythology. They were believed to be the first mortal beings to fly. Daedalus was the servant of king Minos and also he was very well crafted in his work. His son Icarus defied the law of both man and nature.

Daedalus was a genius inventor, craftsman, and sculptor in Athens. He was the one who invented carpentry and the tools used in it. He was the brain behind the design of the first bathhouse and dance floor. He was very talented and efficient in sculpture making that even Hercules mistook his sculpture for a real person. All the accomplishments and achievements made him egoistic and proud that even he killed his own nephew, a more skilled craftsman, fearing that he would take his position. He was punished for his deeds but later on King Minos accepted him to his palace.

Daedalus improved more on his inventory skills and he started making life like mechanical toys which gained him more attention. He also developed the ship’s sail and mast which gave humans control over the wind. Everything was going well in his life until one incident happened.

Pasiphae, the wife of King Minos, sought the help of Daedalus as she was cursed by god Poseidon to fall in love with the king’s prized bull. On her request, Daedalus made her a wooden cow which she used to seduce the bull and later on conceived and gave birth to a creature half-human and half-animal. Being so angry by this incident, Daedalus was punished to construct an inescapable labyrinth to put the creature in it. Later he and his son Icarus were jailed on the top of a tower. But nothing could stop him from being innovative.

Seeing the birds soaring high in the sky, Daedalus got the idea of creating wings. Using the feathers of the birds and the wax from a candle, Daedalus succeeded in making two giant pair of wings for him and his son. While attaching the wings on his son’s back, he warned him to fly in a midway between the sea and the sun because flying nearer to the sea would dampen the wings and flying near the sun would make the wax melt. As they both started flying, Icarus was filled with excitement and pride that he flew nearer and nearer to the sun until the wax melted his wings and he fell into the sea.

Daedalus could not help but watch his son’s ill fate. He realized his mistake of defying the natural laws of mortal men and lived a life of regret.

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