![]() The right leg is broken at the mid-point of the calf, and the bronze of the whole figurine shows some slight weathering. His left leg is straight while his right is slightly bent, as if to indicate walking or flying. The muscles on his torso are clearly visible, and so are his genitalia. His hair is arranged in wavy clumps, and his face is unsmiling, with eyes fixed straight in front of him. His hands reach approximately three-quarters of the way along the wings. Two wings made of overlaying feathers sprout from his back, and these are positioned directly behind his arms. He stands with his arms outstretched, and his palms are both open. The figurine is shown naked apart from four bracelets, one at the top of each arm just below the shoulder, and one on each wrist. The photograph shows a bronze figurine of a man, displayed against a black background. Aphrodite punished Helios for his exposure of her affair with Ares by decreeing that the female descendants of the sun would select and pursue inappropriate and disastrous partners. ![]() These strange sexual couplings (or attempts at them – Phaedra is scorned and takes her revenge) stem from a curse on the descendants of the sun god, Helios. Another connected myth is that of the Cretan princess Phaedra, who later married Theseus (even though he had abandoned her sister, Ariadne, his guide through the Labyrinth), and developed a destructive and tragic passion for her stepson Hippolytus. The Cretan labyrinth also featured in the exploits of the Athenian hero, Theseus, who slew the Minotaur, the half-man, half-bull offspring of queen Pasiphaë, with the help of Ariadne, daughter of King Minos. Daedalus was himself effectively imprisoned on the island (the king barred his exit by sea) and so was unable to return with his son, Icarus, to Athens or find sanctuary away from the harsh regime at Crete. Icarus’ story connects up with a number of narrative passageways centred on the island of Crete (where Daedalus, the legendary artificer and craftsman, constructed a maze, the Labyrinth, to conceal and control the Minotaur). Icarus has become the more familiar of the two characters as the ancient high-flyer who fell from the sky when the wax that secured his wings was melted by the sun. If you use any of the content on this page in your own work, please use the code below to cite this page as the source of the content.The myth of Daedalus and Icarus, the father and son who escaped from the island of Crete on wings, is told in Book 8 of Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Over time, both the Greek and Roman versions have contributed to the rich tapestry of Western literature, with the figure of Icarus serving as an enduring symbol of the dangers of unchecked ambition. Ovid’s rendition captures not just the physical fall of Icarus but the profound sorrow of a father witnessing the consequences of youthful recklessness. However, it is in the Roman adaptation, particularly Ovid’s “Metamorphoses”, that the story gains its lyrical and emotive depth. Apollodorus, in his “Bibliotheca”, provides a concise version of the myth, emphasizing the father’s warning to his son and the subsequent tragedy. To escape the king’s wrath, Daedalus fashioned wings for himself and Icarus. Within the Greek tradition, the narrative is situated within the larger story of Daedalus, Icarus’s father, an ingenious craftsman who designed the labyrinth for King Minos of Crete. The tale of Icarus, a young man who flew too close to the sun with waxen wings and met a tragic end, finds its roots in ancient Greek literature, most notably in the works of Ovid and Apollodorus. The Tale of Icarus in Roman and Greek Literature The place of his descent is said to be near an island which, after him, was named Ikaria. His tragic fall stands as a poignant reminder of the dangers of overambition and the consequences of not heeding wise counsel. The heat melted the wax on his wings, causing him to plummet into the sea and drown. ![]() Eager and emboldened by the thrill of flight, Icarus ignored his father’s counsel and soared higher, drawing near the sun. ![]() To escape imprisonment from the island of Crete, where King Minos held them captive, Daedalus crafted two pairs of wings made of feathers and wax.īefore their flight, he warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun or too near the sea. He was the son of Daedalus, the renowned craftsman and inventor. Overconfidence sometimes produces disastrous results! Even today, some people recount this story as a cautionary warning, that underscores the perils of hubris and disobedience. Who was Icarus and what was the Cautionary Tale? – A Quick OverviewĪ young man named Icarus holds center stage in a very memorable tale from ancient Greek mythology.
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