Myth we now call something fantastic, fictional, something that did not exist in real historical reality. Our word "myth" comes from the ancient Greek word "mythos". Among the ancient Greeks, or Hellenes, as they called themselves, this in translation meant "word, speech or conversation, intention, proverbs, hearing, statement, stories, translation, tale, content of the story." Therefore, the word had more meanings than the modern "myth". When we want to say that in fact something was not in the documented history, we use the adjective "mythical". For example, the famous Hercules (or Hercules, as the Romans called him) is a mythical person, the hero of many ancient Greek myths. There is also the word "mythology" (also of Greek origin). We call it both the totality of the myths of a particular people, and the branch of knowledge, the science that studies myths.
Attitude towards myths in Ancient Greece
Almost any nation from ancient times has traditions in which the historical is intertwined with the fictional, reality with fantasy. In these talesnot only people act, but also amazing creatures - the fruits of creativity. These are immortal gods and demigods, unprecedented creatures. Amazing miracles happen. In ancient times, people perceived myths as reliable stories about what happened before. But centuries passed, and they gradually turned into ordinary grandmother's tales. Already only small children believed in their reality. Legends began to be interpreted no longer in a direct, but in a figurative sense. Myths were the embodiment of human dreams. For example, in the work "Daedalus and Icarus" the desire for flight is clearly reflected. However, there is also a moral here. The myth "Daedalus and Icarus" teaches that even from unattainable heights one can be overthrown down.
Myths as the basis of ancient Greek culture
In ancient Greece (or Hellas), myths were the basis of sculpture, literature, painting, theatrical art. They took shape long before writing spread there - the Greek alphabet. One and the same legend about some god or hero could exist in various versions and interpretations: local, temporary (originated at different times) and author's (everything depended on who invented or retold). The work "Daedalus and Icarus" was no exception. Similar myths were among different tribes and peoples. The point here is not only that one tribe could borrow this or that legend from another. Most often this happened when different peoples stood at a similar level of development, lived in similar conditions. Sometimes the similarity of the myths of various tribes is explained by the initial relationship,the common origin of these communities, for example, Greeks, Romans, Celts, Germans, Slavs, Iranians, Indians. The ancient Greek legend "Daedalus and Icarus" is very interesting. Pictures and sculptures dedicated to him, as well as a summary of him can be found in this article.
Ancient Greek Pantheon
Between the younger gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Hero, Hestia, Demeter and others) and the older ones - the titans - there was a terrible ten-year war. Finally, the former, with the help of the hundred-armed and cyclops released from the underworld, defeated the latter and settled on Olympus. There were a lot of myths about the deeds of the gods - useful, and sometimes destructive for mortal people. They are like humans with their strengths and weaknesses.
Mythical creatures
Fantastic creatures - monsters often act in myths. For example, the ancient Greek myth "Daedalus and Icarus" tells, along with the main storyline, about the terrible Minotaur - the beast of King Minos. The fantasy of the ancient Greeks created centaurs - half-humans, half-horses, formidable Gorgons with snakes instead of hair, the seven-headed hydra (the myth of Hercules), the three-headed dog Cerberus, who guarded the underground kingdom of Hades, etc.
Myths and astronomy
The names of almost all constellations are somehow connected with ancient Greek myths. The constellation Andromeda evokes in our memory the legend of Perseus, and he himself also gave the name to the cluster of stars, like Andromeda's parents - Cepheus and Cassiopeia. Pegasus is that winged horse on whichthe hero Bellerophon opposed the chimeras. Ursa Major is the nymph Callisto (mother of Arkad, the ancestor of the Arcadians), Ursa Minor is the nymph Kinosura. Aries is the ram on which Phrixus and Gella flew to Colchis. Hercules also turned into a constellation (Hercules), Orion is a hunter who was a satellite of Artemis. Lyra is the cithara of Orpheus, etc. Even the planets of the solar system owe their names to myths. Next, the legend of Daedalus and Icarus will be told. This is a cautionary tale.
"Daedalus and Icarus": summary. Event Link
Once upon a time, in ancient times, in Athens, there lived a talented artist, carver and builder Daedalus - the offspring of the royal family. It was believed that Athena herself taught him various crafts. Daedalus built large palaces and temples that amazed everyone with their harmony. For them, he himself carved figures of immortal gods from wood, so beautiful that people then carefully kept them for centuries.
Dedalus' student was his nephew Tal, still a teenager. Once the guy looked at the fish bone, looked closely at it and soon made a saw - a new thing for people. He invented the potter's wheel to make it easier to sculpt dishes. Tal also invented the compass.
Tal's death and exile
The Athenians learned about the extraordinary ability of Daedalus' disciple and rightly believed that the latter would soon surpass his teacher. And how terribly Athens was struck by the news that Tal, walking with Daedalus along the Acropolis, stumbled and fell from a height. The Athenians blamed the teacher for his death and sentenced the artistto exile. Daedalus sailed to Crete, where Minos reigned. There he got married. He had a son, Icarus. However, Daedalus greatly missed his native land. Then the king got in trouble. Instead of a son, his wife gave birth to a monster - the Minotaur. The master built a labyrinth for the monster to hide it from the eyes of people.
Daedalus and Icarus (narration): the road home
Years have passed. Daedalus and Icarus were going to Athens. However, Minos did not let the master go. Daedalus got out of this situation and made wings for himself and his son, like those of birds, in order to fly across the sky, if the sea is already closed to them. The master taught his offspring to fly and ordered him not to fly too high, otherwise the sun would melt the wax (a component of the wing construction). It was also not ordered to soar low above the sea, so that the water would not wet the flying device. The master taught his son to stick to the golden mean. However, Daedalus and Icarus did not find a common language (pictures with wings can be seen in this article).
Death of Icarus
The next day they starred in a cloudless sky. No one in the ruler's palace saw this. Only the plowmen in the field observed the flight, the shepherd who drove the flock was seen by the fisherman. They all thought it was the immortal gods soaring. At first, Icarus obediently followed his father. However, the feeling of flight, unknown and surprising, filled him with inexpressible joy. After all, great happiness is to wave like a huge bird with big wings and feel that they take you even higher.
In indescribable delight, Icarus forgot his parent's warning and rose very high - togolden sun. Suddenly, with great horror, he began to feel that the wings no longer held him as tightly as before. The hot sunbeams melted their wax, and the feathers fell down. Now in vain the young man tried to wave his wingless arms. He called for help from his father, but Daedalus did not hear him. Then he searched long and desperately for his son. But I found only feathers on the waves. Realizing what had happened, he was mad with grief. The body of Icarus was buried by Hercules, and the sea into which he fell was called the Icarian.
Dedalus himself was in Sicily for a long time, and then moved to Athens, where he became the founder of the Daedalid family of artists.
