I is for Icarus

The story of Icarus is one of my favourite myths.
Hans Bol [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Daedalus and his son Icarus had been imprisoned in the Labyrinth (which Daedalus built himself) by King Minos of Crete, because Daedalus gave Ariadne the string which saved Theseus. Daedalus created a pair of wings each for himself and his son to enable their escape. The wings were made from wax and feathers, and Daedalus warned Icarus of the dangers of flying too close to the sun and the sea before they left.

Once Icarus began flying, however, he became so giddy with the feeling that he forgot his father’s warnings. He soared high into the sky, and the sun melted the wax holding the feathers in place. He plummeted to the sea and drowned. 

The area which he apparently fell in is called the Icarian Sea, near an island called Icaria. 

Comments

  1. Outcast10 April 2013 at 10:29

    I remember hearing this myth and finding it extremely interesting, real shame that he didn't heed his warnings because that ability would still be awesome nowadays.

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  2. Rob Z Tobor10 April 2013 at 11:22

    I do stuff Like this all the time.... Well Done Miss Laura not so far to Z now (sort of).

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  3. Cathrina Constantine10 April 2013 at 13:08

    Good Post. Thanks for sharing.

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  4. Unknown10 April 2013 at 13:45

    Someone just told me this story the other day, and I had to look read it for myself. Fascinating.

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  5. Nick Wilford10 April 2013 at 14:02

    I guess it means, freedom is great, but you also have to take responsibility about things.

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  6. S. L. Hennessy10 April 2013 at 14:24

    How have I been missing your A to Z posts? Uncool. And soon to be rectified. This is an AWESOME theme. And I love the story of Icarus. It's so tragic and interesting at the same time. It's one of my very favorite greek myths.

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  7. wsbhark10 April 2013 at 15:39

    I love how imaginative the Greek Myths are. Enjoyed your post.

    Nice to meet you through the A to Z!

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  8. MadelineAnn10 April 2013 at 15:55

    Lovely to see these stories nice and short! I am fascinated by the Minoan culture, and love the way the Greeks turned Knossos into a maze, when in fact it was just an architectural style that had no corridors, so every room opened off another room. I had fun in my novel, writing about Ancient Crete, and making up a religion for them!

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  9. Unknown10 April 2013 at 16:49

    I've actually heard this story before! I think it was when we covered ancient Greece in history when I was in grade school. I think the Greek myths are absolutely fascinating.

    What a fun theme for your A-Z posts! Well done! :)

    Jaimie
    Living in the Light
    A to Z Ambassador

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  10. jaybird10 April 2013 at 18:03

    Nice I post!

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  11. SK Anthony10 April 2013 at 18:06

    Another one I didn't hear of before! I'm enjoying this theme so much ;)

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  12. Mark Means10 April 2013 at 18:59

    I've always liked this story because it reminds us not to overstep our reach.

    Left and Write

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  13. M10 April 2013 at 19:04

    Loving your A-Z theme! I recently read this story to my daughter.

    ~MPL
    http://pepperwords.com

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  14. Bevimus10 April 2013 at 21:31

    I could swear I saw an animated version of this story at some point... or claymation? One of those.

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  15. c.b.10 April 2013 at 23:00

    I remember being fascinated by the story of Icarus when I was a child. It's still a great story and I love it's message.

    Happy A to Zing! :-)

    http://cbwentworth.wordpress.com

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  16. Li11 April 2013 at 00:26

    One of my favorite myths too! I did a flash fiction last year which featured Icarus' mother :-)

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  17. The Daily Bern11 April 2013 at 01:22

    I found out about this tale from the God Of War game. It is a cool myth.

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  18. M11 April 2013 at 04:52

    I hadn't heard of this before...I will have to read more now :)
    Happy A-Z1

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  19. Anonymous11 April 2013 at 14:13

    Learnt this when I was a child!

    ReplyDelete

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