Daedalus and Icarus

Daedalus, a descendent of King Erichtheus of Athens, was known across Greece for being both an inventor and master craftsman. So great were his talents, that many suspected his teacher was none other than the goddess Athena herself. It came about that Daedalus took as an apprentice the son of his sister Polycaste. The boy whose name was Talos (also known as Calus), was an excellent student and it was not long before he started to surpass Daedalus with his artistic abilities. When he was just twelve years old Talos picked up the spine of a fish and used it to cut a stick in half.

Finding this to be a handy tool, he copied his invention in iron, resulting in the creation of the first saw. Along with the saw, Talos was given credit for developing the potter's wheel and the compass, which to this day is still used to help accurately draw circles.

These inventions earned the young boy a great reputation across Athens. Unfortunately his glory was short lived, for Daedalus was so envious of his nephew's new found notoriety that he devised a plan to rid himself of his competition. He led the boy to the top of the Acropolis and when Talos was looking off into the distance, he pushed the young man over the side.

Daedalus quickly tried to cover up the boy's death by pretending to those passing by that he was merely performing an act of civic duty. A serpent was dead at the base of the hill and he was giving it a proper burial. In Athens a serpent was treated with reverence because King Erichtheus was said to be one himself from the waist down.

Try as he may, Daedalus was unable to keep the murder a secret for long. He was soon tried before the Areopagus and exiled from the city that he loved so dearly. The spirit of Talos took the shape of a partridge and flew away, while the boy's body was placed beneath the area of earth that broke his fall.

Unable to cope with her extreme feelings of grief, Polycaste took her own life by hanging herself. The people of Athens were so filled with remorse that they built a sanctuary in her honor beside the Acropolis. Daedalus took refuge at the court of King Minos of Crete, where he was greatly welcomed for his talents as a craftsman.

While living in Crete, Daedalus was secretly petitioned by Pasiphae, the wife of Minos to construct for her an unusual instrument. It had come to be that the queen had fallen in love with a beautiful white bull that belonged to Poseidon. Desiring to consumate the illicit relationship, Pasiphae turned to her husband's new artisan for help. Daedalus thought hard and came up with an idea. He fashioned for her a wooden cow that would enable the Queen to hide inside it's hollow stomach.

This proved to be a perfect disguise and Pasiphae soon conceived a child as a result of her union with the bull. Unaware of his wife's actions, Minos believed the unborn baby to be his own. Needless to say he was shocked when Pasiphae gave birth to a half man, half bull creature that came to be known as the Minotaur.

In order to hide the embarrassment of Pasiphae's indiscretions, Minos ordered Daedalus to construct a maze-like prison to serve as a home for the monster. This is the famous Labyrinth of Crete. The dark corriders were so intricately twisted, it made it virtually impossible for those imprisoned inside to ever find their way out again.

Every nine years the city of Athens paid tribute to Minos by sending seven maidens and seven youths to be sacrificed to the Minotaur. One year Theseus, the son of King Aegeus arrived in Crete as part of the offering. After one look and some help from Aphrodite, Minos' daughter Ariadne fell madly in love with the youth. She was determined to save his life by helping him slay her half-brother, the Minotaur.

Knowing Daedalus was her only hope, Ariadne set out to pay him a visit. She was given a magic ball of thread and instructed tell Theseus to fasten one end to the entrance of the maze. He was then to allow the ball to unwind behind him as he made his way through the black tunnels. When the Minotaur was dead, the young hero would be able retrace his steps by following the trail of twine back to the entryway.

Theseus successfully slew the beast and escaped Crete not only with his life but with Ariadne too. Minos was furious at Daedalus' act of betrayal, and in a fit of anger condemned both he and his son Icarus to a life of misery inside of the prison walls.

So secure was the labyrinth of Crete that even the designer himself could not find his way out. Not wanting to die within the confines of the great maze, Daedalus used his creative talents to fashion two pairs of wings out of bird feathers, thread and wax. He gravely told his son that freedom came to them through the sky alone. Fitting the one pair to Icarus' body, he warned him against flying too close to the sun god's chariot, for the heat of the rays would melt the wax holding the small feathers together and he would surely die. Daedalus also cautioned the boy against flying too close to Poseidon's sea.

He warned that the waves would surely spray the wings with water and cause him to fall to his death. The two prisoners made an effortless escape from Crete, but soon after being airborne, Icarus, who was very much enjoying both his new freedom and the feeling of flight forgot the words of his father.

The careless young man soared closer and closer to the shining sun, too absorbed in its warmth to notice that one by one he was losing his feathers. When Daedalus looked back over his shoulder, he found that his son was nowhere in sight.

Daedalus searched frantically across the vast water before his worst fears came to life. There upon the frothy waves floated the feathers that had once been worn by Icarus. The intense heat of the sun had melted the wax on the boy's wings, causing him to fall head first into the deep water. Over and over Daedalus frantically circled the area, until he finally caught sight of his son's body gliding on top of the glistening waves. He removed Icarus from the sea and sadly flew him to an island which since been called Icaria. It was there that he buried his son under the watchful eye of a partridge who sat perched in a nearby tree. It was there that he buried his son under the watchful eye of a partridge who sat perched in a nearby tree.

It has been said that the bird chattered with delight before disappearing into the heavens. Could this have been the spirit of Talos, finally receiving justice for the dishonorable death he suffered at the hands of his jealous uncle?

Daedalus then flew off to the island of Sicily where he received a warm welcome from the king, but in Crete things were not as peaceful. Outraged over the escape, Minos had contrived a plan that would return the fugitive back to his prison cell.

He decided to declare that a great prize would be given to anyone who could pass a thread through a closely spiraled shell. Confident that Daedalus was the only one who could accomplish this feat, Minos sat back and waited patiently. Hearing the news, Daedalus at once began working on the project. He drilled a hole into the closed end of the shell and then attached a thread to the body of an ant. Next, he smeared the opening of the shell with honey and placed the insect inside, closing up the hole behind him. As the ant tunneled to reach the honey, he also wove the thread through all of the shell's twists and turns.

Knowing that only Daedalus would be cunning enough to devise such an invention, Minos sailed to Sicily to retrieve his prisoner. Fortunately, the king of Sicily refused to hand over the artist and Minos lost his life in the battle.

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