In both myths, the sun becomes a metaphor for objects and life events that are just too dangerous for young people to handle. And if Icarus had heeded his father's advice, he would have avoided the sun. If Phaeton had listened to dad's words of wisdom, he wouldn't have insisted on driving the dangerous chariot. Like the Daedalus and Icarus myth, Phaeton's story is a lesson in listening to your parents' advice. But finally, Zeus convinces Apollo that he had to destroy Phaeton, because the boy had become a public menace. Apollo is totally devastated by the loss of his son: he even refuses to drive the new chariot that the god Vulcan builds for him. The creatures of the earth beg Zeus to do something about this catastrophe, so Zeus throws a lightning bolt at Phaeton, shattering the chariot and burning up the boy. Just like Apollo said, the horses are way too strong for Phaeton, and the boy zigzags all over the earth, terrorizing its inhabitants with the sun's heat. The god lets Phaeton drive the chariot-and surprise, surprise, it's a complete disaster. But the boy insists, and eventually, Apollo caves. Apollo tries to persuade Phaeton against this wish (would a nice big ice cream cone be better?), saying that the horses that draw the chariot are too strong for Phaeton. Immediately, Phaeton asks to drive Apollo's chariot, which contains the sun. Apollo says yes (gasp!), and as a reward for having traveled so far, Apollo offers to grant Phaeton one wish. The wax melted, his wings collapsed and he fell fatally into the sea. Phaeton confronts Apollo, dramatically asking him if he really is his father. While escaping, Icarus ignored his father’s instructions to maintain a course between the heavens and the sea and flew too close to the sun. Determined to prove this fact, Phaeton travels to Apollo's house near the end of the world. Phaeton is a young man living in Ethiopia who believes that his father was the sun god Apollo. The flight of Daedalus and Icarus though had left no clue as to direction travelled, and so King Minos was in for a long search.Wait a second: another Greek myth? Yep. Some sources though claim that the Greek hero Heracles had witnessed the death of Icarus, and recognising the boy as the son of Daedalus, Heracles was said to have performed the necessary funeral rites which Icarus’ father had been unable to do.īack on Crete the escape of Icarus and Daedalus which had gone unnoticed was eventually discovered, and Minos would set out with his fleet to recover Daedalus, for the king of Crete did not want the craftsman working for anyone else. Phaeton is a young man living in Ethiopia who believes that his father was the sun god Apollo. The area of water where Icarus hit would become known as the Icarian Sea, whilst the previously unnamed island where the body of Icarus washed up was subsequently called Icaria.ĭaedalus of course had to watch his son fall to his death with no way of intervening, the grieving Daedalus would have to fly on alone to safety. In a very short time, all that Icarus was left clinging onto were the wooden frames, and so Icarus plunged seawards, dying as he hit the water. The worst fears of Daedalus were soon realised for as Icarus flew closer to the sun, the wax began to melt, and the feathers soon became detached from the wooden frame. Icarus had become over confident, and ignoring the warnings previously given by Daedalus, he started to fly higher and higher. Minos though did not want to lose the services of the master craftsman, and so rather than being executed, Daedalus and Icarus were instead locked away in a tall tower (or in other sources father and son were locked within the Labyrinth). Initially though, King Minos was more angry about the help given by Daedalus than he was about the intrigue of his own daughter Ariadne. Theseus was thus able to slay the Minotaur, and soon the Greek hero and Ariadne were fleeing from Crete. Despite his father’s warnings, Icarus flew too close to the sun, causing his wings to melt and leading to a tragic ending. Daedalus, a skilled inventor, crafted wings for himself and his son, Icarus, to escape imprisonment in Crete. To aide Theseus, Ariadne had enlisted the help of Daedalus, the man who had designed the Labyrinth beneath the palace at Knossos, and so Theseus entered the domain of the Minotaur with a ball of twine and a sword. The Greek myth of Daedalus and Icarus delves into the cautionary tale of arrogance and disobedience. Ariadne, the daughter of King Minos, though, had spied Theseus as he arrived upon the island, and had fallen in love with the Greek hero. Theseus was due to be one of the Athenian youths scheduled to be sacrificed to the Minotaur as part of the tribute paid to King Minos by Athens. The fall from grace for Daedalus, and the downfall of King Minos, was to follow several years later, for the Athenian hero Theseus was destined to arrive upon Crete.
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