DÆDALOS, A HERO OF INVENTION
Dædalos was a native of Athens and descended from one of the most
ancient kings of Attica. It was he who constructed the labyrinth in
which King Minos of Crete locked up the monster Minotaur. Dædalos was
the greatest artist of his time and was master of many useful crafts.
He produced wonderful pieces of work in a great many places of the
world.
His statues were so cleverly made that they were taken for living
beings. It was thought that they could see and walk about. For while
the artists before him sculptured their statues with closed eyes, with
their hands crossed over their breasts, and their feet turned
sidewise, Dædalos made statues with open eyes, outstretched arms, and
feet pointing forward into space.
Dædalos had Talos for a disciple, a clever and intelligent youth, who,
though but a mere boy, had invented several tools of great usefulness.
One day, finding the jaw-bone of a snake he began to cut a piece of
wood with it. It was hardly sharp enough to answer his purpose, so he
constructed a saw of iron on the same plan.
Dædalos was so jealous of the boy that he pushed him off from the
Acropolis and the lad died of the injury. When Dædalos saw what he had
done he went to Talos, but found him dead, so he hurried to bury him.
He was surprised in the act and brought before the court which met on
the hill called Areopagus. He was condemned to death by the court, and
in order to save himself he fled to Crete.
At that time Minos was king in Crete. He received the famous artist
very kindly and held him in great honor. There Dædalos did many fine
works for Minos besides the famous labyrinth for the Minotaur.
After he had stayed some time in Crete he wanted to go away. But Minos
did not wish to let him go, and when Dædalos concealed himself, the
king searched for him everywhere and gave the order that no ship
should take him away from the island.
The ingenious Dædalos then meditated a plan of flight. Suddenly he
exclaimed, "Minos may watch the sea and the land, but he cannot watch
the air. That is still free. I will make me wings and fly away."
Dædalos constructed two large wings and fastened them to his body with
wax. Moving them with his arms and hands he was able to fly like a
bird. He made another pair of wings for his son Ikaros, fastened them
to the boy's body and taught him how to move them. Then he instructed
Ikaros to keep close to him and not to fly too high lest the wax
should be melted by the heat of the sun, nor to keep too near the
surface of the sea, as he might dip his wings into the water and
render them too heavy for flight.
After he had given this advice, he flew up first and his son followed.
Away they went, cutting through the air like two eagles, and soon the
high mountains of Crete were left far behind them. Below them the wide
sea stretched out its great expanse. The sailors looked up from their
boats and wondered what these strange beings were.
[Illustration: DÆDALOS AND IKAROS.
(From the painting by Van Dyck.)]
They flew over fields where farmers were ploughing, and the farmers
gazed up with astonishment. But Dædalos and Ikaros flew on and on,
heedless of all that was going on below. The fishermen forgot to take
in their fish and the farmers forgot to urge their oxen on with the
goad, but kept gazing into the sky until the flying people were out of
sight.
At first Ikaros kept close in the wake of his father, but when his
confidence grew stronger he rose up higher. He forgot his father's
advice and flew very high into the air. Up, up to the sun as nearly as
he could go. The wax melted. The wings parted and fell to pieces, and
Ikaros was precipitated like a stone into the sea.
Dædalos missed the boy in a short time and turned back to look for
him. He could not see him anywhere, so he called: "Ikaros, Ikaros, my
son, where art thou?" But Ikaros made no answer. Dædalos flew about in
great agony, and at last he saw the wings of his son floating on the
surface of the sea.
Then Dædalos knew that his beloved Ikaros was drowned. He descended to
an island and searched the cliffs, and at length he found the body of
Ikaros, which the waves had washed ashore. With tears and lamentations
Dædalos buried his only son, and thus was he punished for the death
of his disciple, Talos. And the sea in which Ikaros was drowned was
called the Icarian Sea from that time.