Daedalus and Icarus
Icarus was the son of Daedalus, a member of the Athenian royal house. Daedalus was a skilled inventor and craftsman. Daedalus had an assistant, his nephew Perdix. Perdix invented the saw, modeled after a fish's backbone. Daedalus was so angry with jealousy that he threw Perdix from a rock. Perdix was transformed into a partridge. Daedalus had to leave Athens for being a murderer, so he went to Crete, where he worked for Minos and Pasiphaë. When Poseidon caused Pasiphaë to fall in love with his bull, she had Daedalus build a lifelike hollow cow so that she could seduce the bull. She had a child, the Minotaur, which was holed up in the labyrinth that Daedalus built.
After several years in Crete, Daedalus grew tired of life there. Minos, however, would not let him leave. Therefore, Daedalus constructed a set of wings made from wax, which he would employ to escape with his son, Icarus. Daedalus warned Icarus not to fly too close to the sun, as it would melt the wings and cause him to crash. However, Icarus did not listen, and he flew much too high. His wings melted, and he fell into the sea. From then on, it was called the Mare Icarium.
ACTIVITIES:
None
Daedalus and Icarus activity
KEY TEST WORDS: (Know the material behind these items.)
None
FOOTNOTES:
None
SOURCES:
James Isaacs
Edith Hamilton's Mythology
"Manual of Mythology" by Alexander S. Murray.