Icarus
Icarus (Greek: Ἴκαρος, Latin: Íkaros, Etruscan: Vicare) is a character in Greek mythology. He is the son of Daedalus and is commonly known for his attempt to escape Crete by flight, which ended in a fall to his death.
Escape from Crete
Icarus' father, Daedalus, a talented craftsman, attempted to escape from his exile in Crete, where he and his son were imprisoned at the hands of King Minos, the king for whom he had built the Labyrinth to imprison the Minotaur (part man, part bull). Daedalus, the master craftsman, was exiled because he gave Minos' daughter, Ariadne, a clew of string in order to help Theseus, enemy of Minos, survive the Labyrinth and defeat the Minotaur.
Daedalus fashioned two pairs of wings out of wax and feathers for himself and his son. Before they took off from the island, Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, nor too close to the sea. Overcome by the giddiness that flying lent him, Icarus soared through the sky curiously, but in the process he came too close to the sun, which melted the wax. Icarus kept flapping his wings but soon realized that he had no feathers left and that he was only flapping his bare arms. And so, Icarus fell into the sea in the area which bears his name, the Icarian Sea near Icaria, an island southwest of Samos.[1]
Hellenistic writers who provided philosophical underpinnings to the myth also preferred more realistic variants, in which the escape from Crete was actually by boat, provided by Pasiphaë, for which Daedalus invented the first sails, to outstrip Minos' pursuing galleys, and that Icarus fell overboard on route to Sicily and drowned. Heracles erected a tomb for him.[2][3]
References in classical work
Icarus' flight was routinely alluded to by Greek poets in passing, but was told in a nutshell in Pseudo-Apollodorus, (Epitome of the Biblioteca) (i.11 and ii.6.3). Latin poets read the myth more philosophically, often linking Icarus analogically to artists.[1][2] In the fifteenth century Ovid became a popular source for the myth when it was rediscovered and transformed, now with Icarus acting as a vehicle for heroic audacity and the poet's own aspirations.
References in modern work
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- Christopher Marolwe's Dr. Faustus makes reference to the plight of Icarus in the Prologue. It compares the two tragic figues, Icarus and Dr. Faust "his waxen wings did mount above his reach, and melting heavens conspired his overthrow."
- In the book Airman by Eoin Colfer, Conor (Finn) trys to escape Little Saltee (a prison) by flight, and makes some reference to Icarus as he is flying with an illusion of "riding the moon". However, this is different because it is at night, while Icarus's attempt was at daylight.
- The episode The Icarus Factor of the Star Trek: Next Generation series features first officer Commander William Riker trying to make a decision about whether to accept command of another starship. Unexpectedly, Riker's estranged father is the Starfleet envoy who comes to the Enterprise to brief him on his new mission, and old wounds in their relationship flare.
- Sunshine features two spacecrafts bound for the sun named the Icarus I and Icarus II.
- Swedish guitarist, Yngwie Malmsteen, released the song "Icarus' Dream Suite op.4" on his 1984 album titled "Rising Force".
- Kansas recorded "Icarus (Borne on Wings of Steel)" on their third album, Masque, released in 1975.
- The British heavy metal band Iron Maiden released a song called the "Flight of Icarus" on their 1983 album "Piece of Mind."
- The song "Blinded" by Third Eye Blind includes the lyrics "Icarus is not a tee shirt or a swan song, no."
- The song "Light & Heavy" by Jon Foreman states "I'm on a roll. I'm feeling Icarus."
- Bing Futch's song "Icarus" features the line "how am I supposed to fly away now/I can hardly stand without support."
- Jars of Clay reference Icarus in their 1996 song Worlds Apart: "Soaring on the wings of selfish pride. I flew too high and like Icarus I collide."
- In 1996, Filipino Band Wolfgang started their song "Weightless" with the lyrics, "Let Icarus plummet as sun melts his wax".
- Ani DiFranco has a song off her album Evolve entitled "Icarus."
- Regina Spektor has a song on her album 'Songs' entitled 'Lacrimosa' with the lyrics, "Hi, I'm Icarus, I'm falling down from the dust of earth returning, man for judgment must prepare me."
- Korean hip-hop group Epik High have a short 1 minute track titled "Icarus Walks" on their album 'Pieces, Part One'.
- In the Sega Genesis videogame, Toejam and Earl, you can use a pair of Icarus wings as a power-up for a brief period of time to fly around levels.
Parallel in Hindu mythology
A near parallel to the Icarus story exists in the Hindu epic Ramayana, the demi-god Jatayu and his brother Sampaati, who had the forms of vultures, used to compete as to who could fly higher. On one such instance Jatayu flew so high that he was about to get seared by sun's flames. Sampaati saved his brother by spreading his own wings and thus shielding Jatayu from the hot flames.[3]
In the process, Sampaati himself got injured and lost his wings. Luckier than Icarus, he did not die a painful death, but had to live wingless for the rest of his life.
The Ramayana is attributed in Hindu tradition to the poet Valmiki who lived about 444 B.C, and presumably the story of Jatayu and Sampaati existed in earlier versions. Thus, it is roughly contemporary with the story of Icarus. Prior to the time of Alexander the Great there was hardly any direct contact between Greeks and Indians, but both were in contact with the Persian Empire and enough trade existed for elements of myth to pass over great distances.
Notes
- ^ Hyginus Fabulae 40
- ^ Ovid, Metamorphoses (viii.183-235), Art of Love.
- ^ "To kill a demon", Museum of myth and fable at the Morgan Library[1]
References
- Graves, Robert, (1955) 1960. The Greek Myths, section 92 passim
- Smith, William, ed. A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Biography and Mythology
- Pinsent, J. (1982). Greek Mythology. New York: Peter Bedrick Books.
- Joyce, James "A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man" : Stephen Dedalus
- Iron Maiden The Flight of Icarus (Piece of Mind)
- Thrice The Melting Point of Wax and Daedalus
- Alesana Icarus
- Ani DiFranco Icarus
External links
- Daedalus et Icarus - original Latin text by Ovid (text starts about halfway down the page)
- Daedalus and Icarus - English prose translation of Ovid'
- Spoof CAA Style Accident Report About Icarus Incident