From early childhood, we loved 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 is inaccessible to us.
Myths. What are they telling us?
Myth is an ancient legend that conveys the 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 are the most famous. The ancient population of Greece became famous for its tireless activity, energy, the ancient Hellenes 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 distant times, this city was a center of trade, crafts, sciences, and all kinds of arts.
Dedalus was an honorary resident of Athens, and the inhabitants of the city respected him for his unsurpassed skill as 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 building works: everyone said that hethe statues stand as if alive.
Daedalus had a nephew as a student, and he began to surpass his mentor: even in his youth, he invented a new machine for working with clay, a saw made of snake teeth, and many other necessary devices. Thanks to his inventions, even in his youth, he became famous, from this he became proud and arrogant. The 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 with 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 shelter and protection from the Cretan king Minos: he made the architect his own painter. Minos ordered Daedalus to create a special hiding place 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 about Daedalus and Icarus tells), where there were many moves and intricate transitions, it was easy to get lost in it. They went forward, then back, and it was simply impossible to get out of there. It was in such a confusing place that the Minotaur was supposed to live.
The Athenians sent seven girls and boys to feed the Minotaur, it was their tribute to the Cretan king.
But Daedalus was a witty man, and when the captives were brought, he gave the king's daughter Ariadne a ball of thread, with the help ofwhich they could return back if Theseus won the battle with the Minotaur. The Cretan king found out about this and put Daedalus in prison.
How to get Daedalus across the sea?
As the myth of Daedalus and Icarus tells further, the famous 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 fulfill his dream, he collected different bird feathers, tied them in a special order, like a bird's, and from afar his creation could be mistaken for real bird wings. To fasten the feathers, he used linen laces and wax, and bent them a little.
Little Icarus, the son of Daedalus, loved to look at his father's work, but over time, he began to help him make wings. At the end of the work, Daedalus attached wings to his body, and began to soar above everyone, like a bird. After his father landed, Icarus ran up to him and began to tearfully beg to make exactly the same wings for him in order to travel through the air together. At first, the father was very angry with his son for asking, but soon softened his heart and made wings for the boy.
Daedalus warned his son that wings were held together with wax, and one should fly carefully, not rising high into the sky, where the sun was very close. But the disobedient Icarus did his own thing - he rose too high, the wax began to melt from the hot sun rays, his wings collapsed, and he fell into the sea. Later, people named the sea in his honor - it is up tostill called Icarian. The body washed up on the shore, and the mighty Hercules betrayed him to the ground on a small island, which also bears the name of the proud young man - Icarius.
What is the myth of Daedalus and Icarus about?
After reading this legend, a person will want to engage in lofty deeds himself, moving away from everyday routine. After mankind learned to move on land and water, it began to think about moving by air.
The image of Icarus personifies the idea that any, the most ex alted dream can be realized, to achieve the goal with your diligence, diligence and skill. And wings created by Daedalus may be a symbol of superior skill.
Icarus' disregard for his father's advice led him to his death, but he, forgetting everything in a breathtaking flight, strove to reach the sun. The Olympian gods did not like this and severely punished him.
