Icarus

Daedalus and his son Icarus were confined in Crete after King Minos learned that Daedalus had helped the Athenians escape from the Labyrinth. Minos guarded the ships, so escape by land or sea was difficult. Daedalus made two pairs of wings from feathers joined with wax. He fitted one pair to Icarus and prepared to leave the island by air.

Before they flew, Daedalus warned his son to keep near him. Sea spray would make the wings heavy, while the sun’s heat would melt the wax holding the feathers together. Daedalus rose first and urged Icarus to follow. Ploughmen and shepherds stopped to watch them, believing that they were gods. They passed Samos and Delos on the left, and Lebynthos on the right, as Crete grew smaller behind them.

Icarus soon rejoiced in the power of flight and ignored his father’s instructions. He soared upwards towards the sun. Daedalus, flying ahead, looked over his shoulder and could no longer see him. The heat softened and melted the wax. The feathers came loose, and Icarus fell into the sea and drowned.

Daedalus circled until the body rose to the surface. He carried it to a nearby island and buried it there. The island became known as Icaria, and the surrounding sea took the name Icarian Sea. One account says that a partridge watched Daedalus from a holm-oak, chattering with delight. It was said to be the soul of his sister Polycaste, avenged at last.