The greatest artist, sculptor and architect of Athens was Daedalus, a descendant of Erechtheus. It was said about him that he carved such marvelous statues from snow-white marble that they seemed alive; the statues of Daedalus seemed to be looking and moving. Daedalus invented many tools for his work; he invented the ax and the drill. The fame of Daedalus spread far and wide.
This great artist had a nephew Tal, the son of his sister Perdika. Tal was his uncle's student. Already in his early youth he amazed everyone with his talent and ingenuity. It was foreseeable that Tal would far surpass his teacher. Daedalus was jealous of his nephew and decided to kill him. One day Daedalus stood with his nephew on the high Athenian Acropolis at the very edge of the cliff. There was no one visible around. Seeing that they were alone, Daedalus pushed his nephew off the cliff. The artist was sure that his crime would go unpunished. Tal fell to his death from a cliff. Daedalus hastily descended from the Acropolis, picked up Tal's body and wanted to secretly bury it in the ground, but the Athenians caught Daedalus when he was digging a grave. The crime of Daedalus was revealed. The Areopagus sentenced him to death.
Fleeing from death, Daedalus fled to Crete to the powerful king Minos, the son of Zeus and Europa. Minos willingly accepted the great artist of Greece under his protection. Daedalus made many wonderful works of art for the king of Crete. He also built for him the famous Labyrinth Palace, with such intricate passages that once entering it, it was impossible to find a way out. In this palace, Minos imprisoned the son of his wife Pasiphae, the terrible Minotaur, a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull.
Daedalus lived with Minos for many years. The king did not want to let him go from Crete; only he wanted to use the art of the great artist. Minos held Daedalus as a prisoner in Crete. Daedalus thought for a long time about how to escape, and finally found a way to free himself from Cretan captivity.
If I cannot, - exclaimed Daedalus, - escape from the power of Minos either by land or by sea, then the sky is open for escape! This is my way! Minos owns everything, only he does not own the air!
Daedalus set to work. He collected feathers, fastened them with linen threads and wax, and began to make four large wings from them. While Daedalus was working, his son Icarus played near his father: either he caught fluff that flew up from the breeze, or he crumpled wax in his hands. The boy frolicked carelessly, amused by his father’s work. Finally, Daedalus finished his work; the wings were ready. Daedalus tied the wings behind his back, threaded his hands into the loops attached to the wings, waved them and smoothly rose into the air. Icarus looked in amazement at his father, who was soaring in the air like a huge bird. Daedalus descended to earth and said to his son:
Listen, Icarus, now we are leaving Crete. Be careful while flying. Don't go too low to the sea so that the salty spray of the waves doesn't wet your wings. Don't get too close to the sun: the heat can melt the wax and the feathers will fly away. Fly with me, don't lag behind me.
Father and son put wings on their hands and easily flew away. Those who saw their flight high above the earth thought that these were two gods rushing across the azure sky. Daedalus often turned around to watch his son fly. They have already passed the islands of Delos and Paros and are flying further and further.
The fast flight amuses Icarus; he flaps his wings more and more boldly. Icarus forgot his father's instructions; he no longer flies after him. Flapping his wings forcefully, he flew high into the sky, closer to the radiant sun. The scorching rays melted the wax that held the feathers of the wings together, the feathers fell out and scattered far through the air, driven by the wind. Icarus waved his hands, but there were no more wings on them. He fell headlong from a terrible height into the sea and died in its waves.
Daedalus turned around and looked around. No Icarus. He began to call his son loudly:
Icarus! Icarus! Where are you? Respond!
No answer. Saw Daedalus on sea waves feathers from the wings of Icarus and realized what happened. How Daedalus hated his art, how he hated the day when he decided to escape from Crete by air!
And the body of Icarus rushed for a long time on the waves of the sea, which began to be called after the name of the deceased Ikarian. Finally the waves washed him to the shore of the island; Hercules found him there and buried him.
Daedalus continued his flight and finally arrived in Sicily. There he settled with King Kokal. Minos found out where the artist had hidden, went with a large army to Sicily and demanded that Kokal give him Daedalus.
Kokal's daughters did not want to lose an artist like Daedalus. They came up with a trick. They persuaded the father to agree to Minos’ demands and accept him as a guest in the palace. While Minos was taking a bath, the daughters of Cocalus poured a cauldron of boiling water on his head; Minos died in terrible agony. Daedalus lived in Sicily for a long time. He spent the last years of his life at home, in Athens; there he became the founder of the Daedalids, a glorious family of Athenian artists.
The dream of flight originated in man in ancient times. The desire to fly like a bird is reflected in ancient legends and myths. Over time, attempts appeared to realize this plan. The path to it, it seemed, was obvious - one should make large wings from twigs and linen or feathers and, imitating the movements of birds, rise into the air. But in reality, everything turned out to be not so simple. The experimenters could not fly on such “wings” and often paid for their courage with their lives.
Legend of Icarus
The greatest artist, sculptor and architect of Athens was Daedalus, a descendant of Erhetheus. They said that he carved such marvelous statues from snow-white marble that they seemed alive; the statues of Daedalus seemed to be looking and moving. Daedalus invented many tools for his work; he invented the ax and the drill. The fame of Daedalus spread far and wide.
This artist had a nephew Tal, the son of his sister Perdika. Tal was his uncle's student. Already in his early youth he amazed everyone with his talent and ingenuity. It was foreseeable that Tal would far surpass his teacher. Daedalus was jealous of his nephew and decided to kill him. One day Daedalus stood with his nephew on the high Athenian Acropolis at the very edge of the cliff. There was no one around. Seeing that they were alone, Daedalus pushed his nephew off the cliff. The artist was sure that his crime would go unpunished. Tal fell to his death from a cliff. Daedalus hastily descended from the Acropolis, picked up Tal's body and wanted to secretly bury it in the ground, but the Athenians caught Daedalus when he was digging a grave. The crime of Daedalus was revealed. The Areopagus sentenced him to death.
Fleeing from death, Daedalus fled to Crete to the powerful king Minos, the son of Zeus and Europa. Minos willingly took him under his protection. Daedalus made many wonderful works of art for the king of Crete. He also built for him the famous Labyrinth palace with such intricate passages that, once entering it, it was impossible to find a way out. In this palace, Minos imprisoned the son of his wife Pasiphae, the terrible Minotaur, a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull. Daedalus lived with Minos for many years. The king did not want to let him go from Crete; he only wanted to use the art of the great artist. It was as if Minos Daedalus was holding a prisoner in Crete. Daedalus thought for a long time about how to escape, and finally found a way to free himself from Cretan captivity. “If I cannot,” exclaimed Daedalus, “escape from the power of Minos either by land or by sea, then the sky is open for escape! This is my way! Minos owns everything, only he doesn’t own the air!”
Daedalus set to work. He collected feathers, fastened them with linen threads and wax, and began to make four large wings from them. While Daedalus was working, his son Icarus played near his father: either he caught fluff that flew up from the breeze, or he crumpled wax in his hands. Finally Daedalus finished his work: the wings were ready. Daedalus tied the wings to his back, threaded his hands into the loops attached to the wings, waved them and smoothly rose into the air. Icarus looked in amazement at his father, who was soaring in the air like a huge bird. Daedalus descended to earth and said to his son:
Listen, Icarus, now we are leaving Crete. Be careful while flying. Don't go too low to the sea so that the salty spray of the waves doesn't wet your wings. Don't get up close to the sun: the heat can melt the wax and the feathers will fly away. Fly with me, don't lag behind me.
Father and son put wings on their hands and easily rose into the air. Those who saw their flight high above the earth thought that these were two gods rushing across the azure sky. Daedalus often turned around to watch his son fly. They have already passed the islands of Delos and Paros and are flying further and further.
The fast flight amuses Icarus; he flaps his wings more and more boldly. Icarus forgot his father’s instructions; he no longer flies after him. Flapping his wings vigorously, Icarus flew high into the sky, closer to the radiant sun. The scorching rays melted the wax that held the feathers together, they fell out and scattered far through the air, driven by the wind. Icarus waved his hands, but there were no more wings on them. He fell headlong from a terrible height into the sea and died in its waves. Daedalus turned around and looked around. No Icarus. He began to call his son loudly:
- Icarus! Icarus! Where are you? Respond!
No answer. Daedalus saw feathers from the wings of Icarus on the sea waves and understood what had happened. How Daedalus hated his art, how he hated the day when he decided to escape from Crete by air!
And the body of Icarus rushed for a long time on the waves of the sea, which began to be called after the name of the deceased Ikarian. Finally, the waves washed the body of Icarus to the shore of the island, where Hercules found him and buried him. Daedalus continued his flight and finally arrived in Sicily. There he settled with King Kokal. Minos found out where the artist had hidden, went with a large army to Sicily and demanded that Kokal give him Daedalus.
Kokal's daughters did not want to lose an artist like Daedalus. They persuaded their father to agree to Minos' demands and accept him as a guest in the palace. While Minos was taking a bath, the daughters of Cocalus poured a cauldron of boiling water on his head; Minos died in terrible agony. Daedalus lived in Sicily for a long time. He spent the last years of his life in his homeland, in Athens; there he became the founder of the Daedalids, a glorious family of Athenian artists.
Vladimir Kartashov
Galina Shilina "Icarus"
Galina Shilina "I want to fly"
Leighton Frederick, (1830-1896) "Daedalus and Icarus"
"The Fall of Icarus"" Jacob Peter Gowey, c. 1636-1637 Madrid, Prado Museum
Pieter Bruegel the Elder "The Fall of Icarus"
Tamara Kolesnichenko "Icarus. Flights in a dream and in reality" (from the series "Icarus")
Nikolay Moskvin "Icarus"
Karen Sarkisov
Sergey Belov
Kuznetsov V.I.
Victor Mitroshin
The dream of flight originated in man in ancient times. The desire to fly like a bird is reflected in ancient legends and myths. Over time, attempts appeared to realize this plan. The path to it, it seemed, was obvious - one should make large wings from twigs and linen or feathers and, imitating the movements of birds, rise into the air. But in reality, everything turned out to be not so simple. The experimenters could not fly on such “wings” and often paid for their courage with their lives.
The Legend of Icarus.
The greatest artist, sculptor and architect of Athens was Daedalus, a descendant of Erhetheus. They said that he carved such marvelous statues from snow-white marble that they seemed alive; the statues of Daedalus seemed to be looking and moving. Daedalus invented many tools for his work; he invented the ax and the drill. The fame of Daedalus spread far and wide.
This artist had a nephew Tal, the son of his sister Perdika. Tal was his uncle's student. Already in his early youth he amazed everyone with his talent and ingenuity. It was foreseeable that Tal would far surpass his teacher. Daedalus was jealous of his nephew and decided to kill him. One day Daedalus stood with his nephew on the high Athenian Acropolis at the very edge of the cliff. There was no one around. Seeing that they were alone, Daedalus pushed his nephew off the cliff. The artist was sure that his crime would go unpunished. Tal fell to his death from a cliff. Daedalus hastily descended from the Acropolis, picked up Tal's body and wanted to secretly bury it in the ground, but the Athenians caught Daedalus when he was digging a grave. The crime of Daedalus was revealed. The Areopagus sentenced him to death.
Fleeing from death, Daedalus fled to Crete to the powerful king Minos, the son of Zeus and Europa. Minos willingly took him under his protection. Daedalus made many wonderful works of art for the king of Crete. He also built for him the famous Labyrinth palace with such intricate passages that, once entering it, it was impossible to find a way out. In this palace, Minos imprisoned the son of his wife Pasiphae, the terrible Minotaur, a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull. Daedalus lived with Minos for many years. The king did not want to let him go from Crete; he only wanted to use the art of the great artist. It was as if Minos Daedalus was holding a prisoner in Crete. Daedalus thought for a long time about how to escape, and finally found a way to free himself from Cretan captivity. “If I cannot,” exclaimed Daedalus, “escape from the power of Minos either by land or by sea, then the sky is open for escape! This is my way! Minos owns everything, only he doesn’t own the air!”
Daedalus set to work. He collected feathers, fastened them with linen threads and wax, and began to make four large wings from them. While Daedalus was working, his son Icarus played near his father: either he caught fluff that flew up from the breeze, or he crumpled wax in his hands. Finally Daedalus finished his work: the wings were ready. Daedalus tied the wings to his back, threaded his hands into the loops attached to the wings, waved them and smoothly rose into the air. Icarus looked in amazement at his father, who was soaring in the air like a huge bird. Daedalus descended to earth and said to his son:
- Listen, Icarus, now we will fly away from Crete. Be careful while flying. Don't go too low to the sea so that the salty spray of the waves doesn't wet your wings. Don't get up close to the sun: the heat can melt the wax and the feathers will fly away. Fly with me, don't lag behind me.
Father and son put wings on their hands and easily rose into the air. Those who saw their flight high above the earth thought that these were two gods rushing across the azure sky. Daedalus often turned around to watch his son fly. They have already passed the islands of Delos and Paros and are flying further and further.
The fast flight amuses Icarus; he flaps his wings more and more boldly. Icarus forgot his father’s instructions; he no longer flies after him. Flapping his wings vigorously, Icarus flew high into the sky, closer to the radiant sun. The scorching rays melted the wax that held the feathers together, they fell out and scattered far through the air, driven by the wind. Icarus waved his hands, but there were no more wings on them. He fell headlong from a terrible height into the sea and died in its waves. Daedalus turned around and looked around. No Icarus. He began to call his son loudly:
- Icarus! Icarus! Where are you? Respond!
No answer. Daedalus saw feathers from the wings of Icarus on the sea waves and understood what had happened. How Daedalus hated his art, how he hated the day when he decided to escape from Crete by air!
And the body of Icarus rushed for a long time on the waves of the sea, which began to be called after the name of the deceased Ikarian. Finally, the waves washed the body of Icarus to the shore of the island, where Hercules found him and buried him. Daedalus continued his flight and finally arrived in Sicily. There he settled with King Kokal. Minos found out where the artist had hidden, went with a large army to Sicily and demanded that Kokal give him Daedalus.
Kokal's daughters did not want to lose an artist like Daedalus. They persuaded their father to agree to Minos' demands and accept him as a guest in the palace. While Minos was taking a bath, the daughters of Cocalus poured a cauldron of boiling water on his head; Minos died in terrible agony. Daedalus lived in Sicily for a long time. He spent the last years of his life in his homeland, in Athens; there he became the founder of the Daedalids, a glorious family of Athenian artists.
On this page you can read one of the myths Ancient Greece- Daedalus and Icarus. Many works have been created based on this myth. Here are 2 versions of the text - as presented by Vera Vasilyevna Smirnova (1898 - 1977) - a Russian Soviet writer, and as presented by Nikolai Albertovich Kun (1877 - 1940) - a Russian historian, writer, teacher and author popular book"Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece" 1922. Select the presentation option that interests you and read its contents.
The ancient Greek myth “Daedalus and Icarus” as presented by Smirnova V.V.
Excerpt from the book: Smirnova V. Daedalus and Icarus // Heroes of Hellas
Moscow "Children's Literature", 1971
In those distant times, when people still had neither tools nor machines, he lived in Athens great artist Daedalus. He was the first to teach the Greeks how to build beautiful buildings. Before him, artists did not know how to depict people in motion and made statues that looked like swaddled dolls with eyes closed. Daedalus began to carve magnificent statues from marble depicting people in motion.
For his work, Daedalus himself invented and made tools and taught people how to use them. He taught building builders how to test, with a stone on a string, whether they were laying walls correctly.
Daedalus had a nephew. He helped the artist in the workshop and learned the arts from him. One day, while examining the fins of a fish, he hit upon the idea of making a saw; invented a compass to draw a perfect circle; cut a circle out of wood, made it rotate and began to sculpt pottery on it - pots, jugs and round bowls.
One day Daedalus and a young man climbed to the top of the Acropolis to look at the beauty of the city from above. Lost in thought, the young man stepped on the very edge of the cliff, could not resist, fell from the mountain and crashed.
The Athenians blamed Daedalus for the boy's death. Daedalus had to flee from Athens. On the ship he reached the island of Crete and appeared to the Cretan king Minos.
Minos was glad that fate had brought him the famous Athenian builder and artist. The king gave Daedalus shelter and forced him to work for himself. Daedalus built him a Labyrinth, where there were so many rooms and the passages were so intricate that anyone who entered there could no longer find the exit on their own.
The remains of this magnificent structure are still shown on the island of Crete.
Daedalus lived for a long time as a prisoner with King Minos on a foreign island in the middle of the sea. He often sat on the seashore, looking to the side native land, remembered his beautiful city and was sad. Many years had already passed, and probably no one remembered what he was accused of. But Daedalus knew that Minos would never let him go and not a single ship sailing from Crete would dare to take him with them, for fear of persecution. And yet Daedalus constantly thought about returning.
One day, sitting by the sea, he raised his eyes to the wide sky and thought: “There is no way for me by sea, but the sky is open for me. Who can stop me on the air route? Birds cut the air with their wings and fly wherever they want. Is a man worse than a bird?
And he wanted to make himself wings to fly away from captivity. He began collecting feathers from large birds, skillfully tying them with strong linen threads and fastening them with wax. Soon he made four wings - two for himself and two for his son Icarus, who lived with him in Crete. The wings were attached crosswise to the chest and arms using a sling.
And then the day came when Daedalus tried his wings, put them on and, smoothly waving his arms, rose above the ground. The wings kept him in the air, and he directed his flight in the direction he wanted.
Going down, he put wings on his son and taught him to fly.
- Wave your arms calmly and evenly, do not go too low to the waves so as not to wet your wings, and do not rise high so that the rays of the sun do not scorch you. Follow me. - This is what he said to Icarus.
Daedalus teaches Icarus to fly And so early in the morning they flew away from the island of Crete.
Only fishermen in the sea and shepherds in the meadow saw them fly away, but they also thought that these were winged gods flying over the earth. And now the rocky island was far behind them, and the sea spread wide beneath them.
The day was heating up, the sun rose high, and its rays burned more and more.
Daedalus flew carefully, staying closer to the surface of the sea and timidly looked back at his son.
And Icarus liked free flight. He cut the air faster and faster with his wings, and he wanted to rise high, high, higher than the swallows, higher than the lark itself, which sings, looking straight into the face of the sun. And at that moment, when his father was not looking at him, Icarus rose high up, towards the very sun.
Under the hot rays, the wax that held the wings together melted, the feathers disintegrated and scattered around. It was in vain that Icarus waved his arms; nothing could hold him up anymore. He fell rapidly, fell and disappeared into the depths of the sea.
Daedalus looked around and did not see his flying son in the blue sky. He looked at the sea - only white feathers floated on the waves.
In despair, Daedalus landed on the first island he encountered, broke his wings and cursed his art, which had destroyed his son.
But people remembered this first flight, and since then the dream of conquering the air, of spacious heavenly roads, has lived in their souls.
The ancient Greek myth “Daedalus and Icarus” as presented by Kuhn N.A.
The myth is presented by N.A. Kuhn based on Ovid's poem "Metamorphoses".
The greatest artist, sculptor and architect of Athens was Daedalus, a descendant of Erechtheus. It was said about him that he carved such marvelous statues from snow-white marble that they seemed alive; the statues of Daedalus seemed to be looking and moving.
Daedalus invented many tools for his work; he invented the ax and the drill.
Ax and drill The fame of Daedalus spread far and wide. This great artist had a nephew Tal, the son of his sister Perdika. Tal was his uncle's student. Already in his early youth he amazed everyone with his talent and ingenuity. It was foreseeable that Tal would far surpass his teacher. Daedalus was jealous of his nephew and decided to kill him. One day Daedalus stood with his nephew on the high Athenian Acropolis at the very edge of the cliff.
There was no one visible around. Seeing that they were alone, Daedalus pushed his nephew off the cliff. The artist was sure that his crime would go unpunished. Tal fell to his death from a cliff. Daedalus hastily descended from the Acropolis, picked up Tal's body and wanted to secretly bury it in the ground, but the Athenians caught Daedalus when he was digging a grave. The crime of Daedalus was revealed. The Areopagus sentenced him to death.
Fleeing from death, Daedalus fled to Crete to the powerful king Minos, the son of Zeus and Europa.
Minos willingly accepted the great artist of Greece under his protection. Daedalus made many wonderful works of art for the king of Crete. He also built for him the famous Labyrinth Palace, with such intricate passages that once entering it, it was impossible to find a way out.
Knossos palace labyrinth In this palace, Minos imprisoned the son of his wife Pasiphae, the terrible Minotaur, a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull.
Daedalus lived with Minos for many years. The king did not want to let him go from Crete; only he wanted to use the art of the great artist. Minos held Daedalus as a prisoner in Crete. Daedalus thought for a long time about how to escape, and finally found a way to free himself from Cretan captivity.
“If I cannot,” exclaimed Daedalus, “escape from the power of Minos either by land or by sea, then the sky is open for escape!” This is my way! Minos owns everything, only he does not own the air!
Daedalus set to work. He collected feathers, fastened them with linen threads and wax, and began to make four large wings from them. While Daedalus was working, his son Icarus played near his father: either he caught fluff that flew up from the breeze, or he crumpled wax in his hands. The boy frolicked carelessly, amused by his father’s work. Finally, Daedalus finished his work; the wings were ready.
Icarus - the work of Anna Khodyrevskaya Daedalus tied the wings behind his back, threaded his hands into the loops attached to the wings, waved them and smoothly rose into the air. Icarus looked in amazement at his father, who was soaring in the air like a huge bird. Daedalus descended to earth and said to his son:
- Listen, Icarus, now we will fly away from Crete. Be careful while flying. Don't go too low to the sea so that the salty spray of the waves doesn't wet your wings. Don't get too close to the sun: the heat can melt the wax and the feathers will fly away. Fly with me, don't lag behind me.
Father and son put wings on their hands and easily flew away. Those who saw their flight high above the earth thought that these were two gods rushing across the azure sky. Daedalus often turned around to watch his son fly. They have already passed the islands of Delos and Paros and are flying further and further.
The fast flight amuses Icarus; he flaps his wings more and more boldly. Icarus forgot his father's instructions; he no longer flies after him. Flapping his wings forcefully, he flew high into the sky, closer to the radiant sun. The scorching rays melted the wax that held the feathers of the wings together, the feathers fell out and scattered far through the air, driven by the wind. Icarus waved his hands, but there were no more wings on them. He fell headlong from a terrible height into the sea and died in its waves.
Daedalus turned around and looked around. No Icarus. He began to call his son loudly:
- Icarus! Icarus! Where are you? Respond!
No answer. Daedalus saw feathers from the wings of Icarus on the sea waves and understood what had happened. How Daedalus hated his art, how he hated the day when he decided to escape from Crete by air!
And the body of Icarus rushed for a long time on the waves of the sea, which began to be called after the name of the deceased Icarian. Finally the waves washed him to the shore of the island; Hercules found him there and buried him.
Daedalus continued his flight and finally arrived in Sicily.
There he settled with King Kokal. Minos found out where the artist had hidden, went with a large army to Sicily and demanded that Kokal give him Daedalus.
Kokal's daughters did not want to lose an artist like Daedalus. They came up with a trick. They persuaded the father to agree to Minos’ demands and accept him as a guest in the palace.
While Minos was taking a bath, the daughters of Cocalus poured a cauldron of boiling water on his head; Minos died in terrible agony. Daedalus lived in Sicily for a long time. He spent the last years of his life at home, in Athens; there he became the founder of the Daedalids, a glorious family of Athenian artists.
1 Part of the Aegean Sea between the islands of Samos, Paros and the coast of Asia Minor.
We now call a myth something fantastic, fictitious, something that did not exist in reality. historical reality. Our word "myth" comes from ancient Greek word“muthos.” Among the Hellenes, as they called themselves, this translated meant “word, speech or conversation, intention, proverbs, rumor, statement, stories, translation, tale, content of the story.” Therefore, the word had more values than the modern "myth". When we want to say that in fact something did not happen in documented history, we use the adjective “mythical”. For example, the famous Hercules (or Hercules, as the Romans called him) is a mythical figure, the hero of many ancient Greek myths. There is also the word “mythology” (also Greek origin). We call it both the totality of myths of a particular people, and the branch of knowledge, the science that studies myths.
Attitude to myths in Ancient Greece
Almost every nation with ancient eras there are legends in which the historical is intertwined with the fictional, reality with fantasy. In these legends, not 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 old wives' tales. Only small children believed in their reality. The legends began to be interpreted not in a literal, but in a figurative sense. Myths were the embodiment of human dreams. For example, the work “Daedalus and Icarus” clearly reflects the desire to fly. However, there is also a moral here. The myth “Daedalus and Icarus” teaches that even from unattainable heights one can be thrown down.
Myths as the basis of ancient Greek culture
In Ancient Greece (or Hellas), myths were the basis of sculpture, literature, painting, theatrical arts. They took shape long before writing, the Greek alphabet, spread there. The same legend about some god or hero could exist in various options and interpretations: local, temporary (arising in different time) and copyright (everything depended on who came up with or retold). The work “Daedalus and Icarus” was no exception. Different tribes and peoples had similar myths. 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 stage of development, lived in similar conditions. Sometimes the similarity of myths of different tribes is explained by the original kinship, common origin these communities, for example the 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 summary it can be found in this article.
Ancient Greek Pantheon
A terrible ten-year war took place between the younger gods (Zeus, Poseidon, Hera, Hestia, Demeter and others) and the older ones - the Titans. Finally, the former, with the help of the hundred-armed men and the 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 people with their strengths and weaknesses.
Mythical creatures
Often in myths there are fantastic creatures - monsters. For example, the ancient Greek myth “Daedalus and Icarus” tells, along with the main storyline, and about the terrible Minotaur - the beast The fantasy of the ancient Greeks created centaurs - half-humans, half-horses, formidable Gorgons with snakes instead of hair, the seven-headed hydra of the three-headed dog Cerberus, who guarded underground kingdom Aida, etc.
Myths and astronomy
The names of almost all constellations are in one way or another connected with ancient Greek myths. evokes in our memory the legend of Perseus, and he himself also gave a name to a cluster of stars, like Andromeda’s parents - Kepheus and Cassiopeia. Pegasus is the one winged horse, in which the 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 Hella flew to Colchis. Hercules also turned into Orion - the hunter who was the companion of Artemis. Lyre is the cithara of Orpheus, etc. Even the planets solar system they owe their names to myths. Next will be told the legend of Daedalus and Icarus. This is a cautionary tale.
"Daedalus and Icarus": summary. The beginning of events
Once upon a time, in ancient times, there lived in Athens talented artist, carver and builder Daedalus is a scion 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 preserved them for centuries.
His nephew Tal, still a teenager, became Daedalus' student. One day a guy looked at a fish bone, looked closely at it and soon made a saw - new thing for people. He invented it to make it easier to sculpt dishes. Tal also invented the compass.
Death of Tal and exile
The Athenians learned about the extraordinary ability of Daedalus's student and rightly believed that the latter would soon surpass his teacher. And how terribly Athens was struck by the news that Tal, while walking with Daedalus along the Acropolis, tripped and fell from a height. The Athenians blamed the teacher for his death and sentenced the artist to exile. Daedalus sailed to Crete, where Minos reigned. There he got married. He had a son, Icarus. However, Daedalus was very homesick for his native land. Then the king got into trouble. His wife gave birth to a monster instead of a son - the Minotaur. The master built a labyrinth for the monster to hide it from the eyes of people.
Daedalus and Icarus (exposition): the road home
Years have passed. Daedalus and Icarus were going to Athens. However, Minos did not let the master go. Daedalus came out this provision and he made wings for himself and his son, like birds, so that they could fly across the sky, if the sea was already closed to them. The master taught his son to fly and warned him not to fly too high, otherwise the sun would melt the wax (a component of the wing structure). It was also not ordered to soar low over the sea, so that the water would not wet the flying device. The master taught his son to stick to the golden mean. However, they were never found mutual language Daedalus and Icarus (pictures with wings can be seen in this article).
Death of Icarus
The next day they took pictures in the cloudless azure. No one in the ruler's palace saw this. Only the plowmen in the field observed the flight; the shepherd who was driving the flock was seen by the fisherman. They all thought that it was the immortal gods hovering. At first, Icarus obediently followed his father. However, the feeling of flight, unknown and amazing, filled him with inexpressible joy. After all, it is a great happiness to flap your big wings like a huge bird and feel that they are carrying you even higher.
IN indescribable delight Icarus forgot his parent's warning and rose very high - to the golden sun. Suddenly, with great horror, he began to feel that the wings were no longer holding him as tightly as before. Hot Sun rays melted their wax, and the feathers fell down. Now in vain the young man tried to wave his wingless arms. He called his father for help, 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 went mad with grief. Icarus' body was buried by Hercules, and the sea into which he fell was called Icarian.
Daedalus himself spent a long time in Sicily, and then moved to Athens, where he became the founder of the Daedalid family of artists.
