Daedalus, a descendant of King Erechtheus, lived in Athens, he was a great architect, artist and sculptor of ancient Hellas. He built many beautiful buildings and temples, created many wonderful statues, which were of such great skill that they were said to be moving and seeing. Daedalus invented many tools useful for people.
Daedalus had a nephew, his disciple Taloe. He was distinguished by even greater talent and skill than Daedalus. As a boy, he invented the saw without the help of his teacher - this idea prompted him to look at a fish bone. He invented compasses, potter's wheel, chisel and many other useful items.
And so Daedalus, jealous of his gifted student Talos, decided to kill him. Once he threw him from the high Athenian Acropolis. They learned about this, and in order to avoid the punishment that threatened him, Daedalus left his hometown of Athens and fled to the island of Crete, to the power-hungry King Minos, who joyfully accepted the skilled craftsman.
Minos instructed him to build a huge building for the terrible bull Minotaur with many winding, intricate passages.
And there was a Minotaur half-bull-half-man, he had a body of a bull. And so the inventive Daedalus built a huge labyrinth for the monster, consisting of many long underground corridors, from where it was impossible for anyone who did not know them to get back. This is where King Minos settled his Minotaur.
But Daedalus soon realized that the king was looking at him as his prisoner, that they were watching him and did not want to let him go, but he wanted to leave Crete and return to his homeland.
Once Daedalus presented a gift to Pasiphae, the wife of Minos, without telling the king about it. For this, the cruel Minos decided to take revenge on the artist.
He ordered to conclude Daedalus, along with his son Icarus, in a terrible labyrinth, but they managed to escape from there. And so Daedalus firmly decided to leave the island of Crete, but it was almost impossible to do this. And then Daedalus thought: “If the sea routes are closed to me, only the free sky remains for me. The evil and greedy Minos can take over everything, but not the sky! And he began to think about how he could rise into the air and master the free element.
Daedalus thought for a long time, and, carefully watching the flight of birds, he began to skillfully fit the bird feathers one to one, starting from the smallest to the longest, and tied them in the middle with linen threads, and fastened them with wax at the bottom. So he made them look like real big wings, then he gave them a slight bend, which happens with the wingspan of birds.
The young son of Daedalus, Icarus, closely followed the work of his father and began to help him. When the wings were ready, Daedalus put them on and, waving them like a bird, rose into the air. Icarus began to ask his father to make the same wings for him and take him on a flight with him. Daedalus made wings for Icarus and began to instruct him before departure:
- My son, hold on, flying, the middle. If you go too low, the waves of the sea can wet your wings and you will drown in the sea, but if you rise high, the hot sun can scorch them and the wax that holds the wings together will melt. Keep your path between the sea and the sun, fly after me.
Having made wings for Icarus, he soon taught him to rise above the ground.
On the day when it was decided to fly from the island of Crete, Daedalus, early at dawn, attached wings to Icarus, hugged him, kissed him and flew into the air. Icarus followed him.
As a bird that has flown out of its nest for the first time with its chick looks back, encourages it and points out how easier it is to fly, so Daedalus looked back timidly at his son Icarus. The fishermen looked at them in amazement, pulling a net on the seashore; the shepherds and farmers, who followed the plow, wondered if it was the gods flying over the fields. And there was already an open sea under Daedalus and Icarus, the islands of Samos, Patmos and Delos, Lebint and Kalymna remained behind them, and the shores of Hellas were already visible in the distance. Many people marveled at the brave aeronauts. Icarus began to fly bolder and, forgetting his father's advice, rose high to the sky to refresh his chest in the cold ether. But the hot sun melted the wax that fastened the feathers on the wings, they fell apart and hung on the shoulders of Icarus.
In vain, the unfortunate young man stretched out his hands to his father, the air no longer held him, and now Icarus is rapidly falling into the sea. In fright, he only managed to shout the name of his father and drowned in the raging waves. Daedalus looked around, hearing the cry of his son, but he looked for him in vain. - Icarus, where are you? Daedalus shouted for a long time. But only feathers floated on the waves of the sea. Delal landed on the nearest island, and for a long time he wandered, sad, along the seashore. Soon the body of Icarus was washed ashore by the waves.
Daedalus buried his beloved son, and from that time on the island that Ikaria began to be called, and the sea in which Icarus drowned was named Ikarian in memory of him.
Directed his way Delal from Ikaria to Sicily and was there cordially received by King Kokal. He did many wonderful works for him and his daughters: he built a beautiful palace on a high rock, built a deep cave in which he arranged underground heating, erected a temple to Aphrodite and made golden honeycombs for him so skillfully that it seemed they were filled with real transparent honey . Minos, trying to find Daedalus, came up with a trick. He announced that he would give a big reward to whoever could thread a thread through a winding shell. Kokal, seduced by the reward, instructed Daedalus to complete this task. A skilled craftsman tied a thread to the ant's leg, and the ant pulled it through the shell. Kokal reported this to Minos, and he then guessed that Daedalus was at Kokal. Then Minos arrived in warships in Sicily to bring Daedalus back to him. But the daughters of the Sicilian king, who loved Delalus, decided to destroy the evil Minos: they prepared a warm bath for him and, while he was sitting in it, poured boiling water over him.
Having lost his son, Daedalus from that time on was no longer happy. Having done a lot of wonderful things for people, he lived to a very sad old age and died, according to some legends, in Sicily, and according to others - in Athens, where after him there was a glorious family of Daedalides, that is, the descendants of Daedalus.

Myths and legends of ancient Greece. Illustrations.

On Crete, Daedalus built, on behalf of Minos, a labyrinth for the monstrous Minotaur, born of a bull by Minos' wife Pasiphae. Ariadne, he arranged a platform for dancing. Daedalus helped Ariadne free Theseus from the labyrinth: find a way out with a ball of thread. Upon learning of his complicity in the flight of Theseus and his companions, Minos imprisoned Daedalus, together with his son Icarus, in a labyrinth, from where they were freed by Pasiphae. Having made wings, Daedalus and his son flew away from the island. Icarus, having risen too high, fell into the sea, because the heat of the sun melted the wax. After mourning his son, Daedalus reached the Sicilian city of Kamik to King Kokal. Minos, pursuing Daedalus, arrived at the court of Kokal and decided to lure Daedalus out by cunning. He showed the king a shell into which it was necessary to thread a thread. Kokal asked D. to do this, he tied the thread to the ant, which, climbing inside, pulled the thread behind him into the spiral of the shell.

Minos guessed that Daedalus was at Kokal, and demanded that the master be handed over. Kokal promised to do so, but suggested that Minos take a bath; there he was killed by the daughters of Kokal, pouring boiling water over him. Daedalus spent the rest of his life in Sicily. The myth of Daedalus is characteristic of the period of late classical mythology, when heroes are put forward who assert themselves not by force and weapons, but by resourcefulness and skill.

Icarus, son of Daedalus in Greek mythology. Icarus died when he hoped to fly to the Sun on the wings that Daedalus made for him.

Even in ancient times, people dreamed of mastering the sky. The legend that the ancient Greeks created reflected this dream.

The greatest painter, sculptor and architect of Athens was Daedalus. He carved such marvelous statues from snow-white marble that they seemed to be alive. Daedalus invented many tools for his work, such as the drill and the axe.

Daedalus lived with King Minos, and Minos did not want his master to work for others. Daedalus thought for a long time how to escape from Crete, and finally came up with.

He picked up feathers. He fastened them with linen thread and wax to make wings out of them. Daedalus worked, and his son Icarus played near his father. Finally Daedalus finished the work. He tied the wings on his back, put his hands through the loops that were attached to the wings, waved them and smoothly rose into the air. Icarus looked in amazement at his father, who soared in the air like a bird.

And the body of Icarus for a long time rushed along the waves of the sea, which since then has become known as Ikarian.

Daedalus continued his flight and flew to Sicily.

Daedalus and Icarus

Fleeing from death, Daedalus fled to Crete to the mighty king Minos, the son of Zeus and Europe. Minos willingly took under his protection the great artist of Greece. Many marvelous works of art were made by Daedalus for the king of Crete. He also built for him the famous palace of the Labyrinth, with such intricate passages that once entering it, it was impossible to find a way out. In this palace, Minos imprisoned the son of his wife Pasiphae, the terrible Minotaur, a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull.

Daedalus descended to earth and said to his son: “Listen, Icarus, now we will fly away from Crete. Be careful while flying. Don't get too close to the sea so the salt spray can wet your wings. Do not rise too high, close to the sun, so that the heat does not melt the wax, then all the feathers will scatter. Follow me, keep up with me."

The father and son put on wings and easily took to the air. Daedalus often turned around to see how his son was flying. The fast flight amused Icarus, he flapped his wings more and more boldly. Icarus forgot his father's instructions. Strongly flapping his wings, he flew high, under the very sky, to get closer to the sun. The scorching rays of the sun melted the wax that held the feathers of the wings together, the feathers fell out and scattered far through the air, driven by the wind. Icarus waved his hands, but there are no wings on them. He fell from a terrible height into the sea and died in its waves.

Daedalus turned around, looking around. No Icarus. Loudly he began to call his son: “Icarus! Icarus! Where are you? Reply!" No answer. Daedalus saw feathers in the sea waves and understood what had happened. How he hated his art and the day when he planned to escape from Crete by air!

The death of Icarus

Before the flight, Daedalus explained to his son Icarus how to fly. He warned that if you get too close to the sea, the water will wet the feathers and make them heavier. On the other hand, if you fly too close to the sun, it will melt the wax and the wings will be destroyed.

Icarus listened to his father, but he was so carried away by flying that, contrary to his father's instructions, he rose high into the sky, so high that the sun melted the wax, he fell into the sea and drowned.

Icarus fell near Samos. and his body was thrown onto a nearby island, which was named after him - Ikaria and the sea around the island was named Icario Pelagos.

The instructive nature of the myth is obvious: the stupidity and frivolity of young people who ignore the advice and experience of their parents, and in general the elders, have irreversible consequences for their lives.

In everything you need to adhere to the cold middle. Not too high near the Sun and not too close to the sea, Daedalus advised, but Icarus disobeyed him and lost his life.

Sources: mifologija.dljavseh.ru, naexamen.ru, teremok.in, www.litrasoch.ru, www.grekomania.ru

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Daedalus' crime. There lived in the Greek city of Athens a master named Daedalus; no one could compare with him in art: as if the statues sculpted by him were alive, it seemed that they were about to leave their place and speak. Daedalus invented many tools, including the ax, which people have been using since then. But Daedalus was jealous of his glory, and when he noticed that his nephew and student Tal could surpass him, he lured the young man to the edge of the cliff and threw him out. For this crime, the Athenians expelled him from his native city, and Daedalus found refuge on the island of Crete, with the powerful king Minos.

Creations and dreams of Daedalus. Many marvelous works of art were created by Daedalus by order of Minos; among them is the famous Labyrinth, where Minos concluded the terrible man-bull Minotaur. Daedalus began to be tormented by homesickness, but Minos did not let him go, and there was no way to escape: the ships of the Cretan king vigilantly guarded all the approaches, it was impossible to get to the island or get out of it unnoticed.

Daedalus often looked at the boundless sky, where swift-winged birds flew by, and thought: “It would be nice for me to rise up and fly away from here!” And an audacious plan arose in his mind. He decided to make wings and fly away from Crete with his son Icarus. “Minos owns everything,” he thought, “but the air is not subject to him. Let him try to catch us in the sky!”

Daedalus and Icarus in flight. Gathered Daedalus bird feathers and set to work. He made four large wings, fastened the feathers with linen threads and wax, they turned out to be very bird-like. Daedalus called Icarus to him and said to him: “Listen, my son! Today we will leave the island of Crete, we will rush into the sky, like birds. Look, be careful: do not rise high - the radiant Helios will melt the wax, and the feathers will scatter. Follow me and don't fall behind."

Daedalus put on wings, and they soared with Icarus into the air. With amazement and horror, they looked at them from below: what a thing that people have been flying through the air! Daedalus and Icarus flew further and further, from time to time the master glanced at his son.

Death of Icarus. And Icarus mastered with wings; his feeling of flight intoxicated him, cities, islands, ships swept under him ... Icarus forgot his father's instructions: he soared to the very heights, and Helios scorched his wax wings. Feathers scattered far through the air, picked up by the wind, Icarus waves his hands, but there are no more wings on them! He fell into the sea and died in its waves. Since then, this sea has been called Icarian.

Daedalus in Sicily. Daedalus saw feathers floating on the water and understood what had happened; he cursed his art and the day when he decided to flee from Crete. But he could not circle for a long time in one place if he wanted to reach the earth. He flew on wailing further and finally reached the island of Sicily. He decided to stay on it: Sicily is far from Crete, the vengeful Minos will not get him. Daedalus was accepted by the Sicilian king Kokal, and the master began to live in his palace.

Minos is on the trail of Daedalus. But the quiet life of Daedalus did not last long. He learned that Minos had gone in search of him. The Cretan king understood what the masters could hide from him, and this is what he came up with. He sent messengers to all cities and islands, who proclaimed: “Whoever manages to thread a thread through a sea shell, so that it enters one end, goes through all the convolutions and exits the other, will be generously rewarded by the great Minos!” The king knew that only Daedalus could take on such a task.

The messengers of Minos also arrived in Sicily. Kokal wanted to receive the promised reward; Daedalus was grateful to him for his hospitality and taught him how to complete the task. Kokal tied a thread to an ant and launched it into the shell. The ant rushed to the exit from it, he ran along the walls of the shell, and a thin thread stretched behind him. The ant went through all the convolutions of the shell and got out. Kokal thought that a generous reward would be in his hands - but no: “Immediately give me the fugitive Daedalus - I know for sure that he is hiding with you.” It was terrible for Kokal to disobey the order of the formidable king, but they did not want to part with Daedalus of his daughter, with whom the master made wonderful dolls.

Death of Minos. Kokal decided to get rid of Minos, and Daedalus taught him how to do it. He invited Kokal Minos to a feast in his palace, and before the feast he offered to take a bath. Suspecting nothing, Minos went to the bath, but when he enjoyed bathing, Daedalus poured boiling water on him, and the king of Crete died in terrible agony. So Daedalus got rid of his pursuer. For a long time, the master lived in Sicily, and when old age set in, he moved to Athens, where a family of skilled craftsmen, the Daedalides, descended from him.

In ancient times, the great artist Daedalus lived in Athens, who carved such amazing figures of gods and people from marble that they seemed alive. For his hard work, he made many different tools, including an ax and a drill that easily screwed into the rock. The Athenians loved the artist very much, praised him in every possible way and did not imagine that Daedalus was capable of committing a crime.

He brought up a nephew named Tal. Daedalus taught him the trade of painter and sculptor. Tal soon impressed his teacher with many talents, in addition, he invented many new useful tools. Daedalus was frightened by the talents of his nephew, he realized that soon he would surpass him in skill. Anger and a desire to get rid of his nephew arose in his soul.

Somehow they ended up together on the Athenian Acropolis and came to the edge of the cliff. There was no one around. And then Daedalus unexpectedly with force pushed his nephew into the abyss. And then he ran downstairs. Finding a dead body, he began to dig a grave for him. The Athenians caught him doing this. A trial took place, and Daedalus was found guilty of the death of Tal, the artist was sentenced to death.

But Daedalus did not want to die, he managed to escape from Athens. He hid on the island of Crete, began to serve the mighty king Minos. He built for him the famous palace Labyrinth with intricate passages. In this palace, Minos kept the son of his wife Pasiphae, the Minotaur, a terrible monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull.

Daedalus made many beautiful works of art for King Mynos, but the king kept him as a prisoner. And Daedalus planned to leave him. He thought for a long time about which way to escape. He could not sail away by sea, he would have been immediately caught. Only the sky remained. And he decided to make wings.

Daedalus set to work. He picked up different feathers, fastened them together with thread and wax. His son Icarus was always by his side. Finally two pairs of wings were ready. Daedalus attached a large pair to himself, waved them and rose into the air. When he sank to the ground, he said to Icarus, who was watching him with surprise:

My son, now you and I will fly away from Crete. Fly for me. Be careful not to approach the sea, so as not to wet your wings, nor to the sun, so as not to melt the wax.

They put on wings, flapped them and rose above the ground. The father waved harder, and they flew high above the ground. People who saw them thought that it was two gods flying. They passed the island of Delos, followed by Paros. Daedalus in front, followed by Icarus. He liked such a free flight, he forgot his father's instructions, waved his wings more strongly, rose high, high. The hot sun's rays melted the wax, the feathers crumbled, Icarus flew into the water and crashed.

Daedalus did not immediately notice that Icarus was not flying after him. Only in the waves did he see his body without wings and understand everything. But he did not descend, flew further, and the body of Icarus was washed ashore by the waves. And from that time the sea began to be called Ikarian. Daedalus continued his flight and landed on the island of Sicily, where King Kokal lived. Daedalus settled with him.

But King Minos soon found out where his fugitive artist was hiding, and arrived in Sicily with an army. He demanded that Kokal give him Daedalus. The daughters of Kokal, who did not want to part with him, stood up for the artist. They persuaded their father to accept Minos as a guest, invite him to take a bath, and then pour a cauldron of boiling water over his head. They did the same with Minos. He died in terrible agony, and Daedalus remained in Sicily.

Over time, Daedalus nevertheless moved to his homeland in Athens, where he became the founder of the school of Athenian artists.

On this page you can read one of the myths of Ancient Greece - Daedalus and Icarus. Based on this myth, many works have been created. Here are 2 versions of the text - as presented by Vera Vasilievna Smirnova (1898 - 1977) - a Russian Soviet writer, and as presented by Nikolai Albertovich Kun (1877 - 1940) - a Russian historian, writer, teacher and author of the popular book "Legends and Myths of Ancient Greece" 1922. Choose the version of the presentation that interests you and familiarize yourself with its content.

The ancient Greek myth "Daedalus and Icarus" as presented by Smirnova V.V.

Excerpt from the book: Smirnova V. Daedalus and Icarus // Heroes of Hellas
Moscow "Children's Literature", 1971

In those distant times, when people still had neither tools nor machines, the great artist Daedalus lived in Athens. He was the first to teach the Greeks how to build beautiful buildings. Before him, artists could not depict people in motion and made statues that looked like swaddled dolls with their eyes closed. Daedalus began to carve magnificent statues from marble depicting people in motion.

For his work, Daedalus himself invented and made tools and taught people how to use them. He taught the builders of buildings how to check, with a stone on a string, whether they were laying walls correctly.

Daedalus had a nephew. He helped the artist in the workshop and studied the arts with him. Considering once the fins of a fish, he guessed to make a saw; came up with a compass to draw the right circle; He cut a circle out of wood, made it rotate and began to sculpt earthenware on it - pots, jugs and round bowls.

Once Daedalus and a young man climbed to the top of the Acropolis to look at the beauty of the city from a height. Thinking, the young man stepped on the very edge of the cliff, could not resist, fell down the mountain and crashed.

The Athenians blamed Daedalus for the death of the boy. Daedalus had to flee from Athens. By ship, he reached the island of Crete and appeared before the Cretan king Minos.

Minos was glad that fate had brought him the famous Athenian builder and artist. The king gave shelter to Daedalus and forced him to work for himself. Daedalus built a labyrinth for him, where there were so many rooms and passages so tangled that anyone who entered there could no longer find the way out himself.

Until now, the remains of this magnificent structure are shown on the island of Crete.

Daedalus lived for a long time with King Minos as a prisoner on a strange island in the middle of the sea. He often sat on the seashore, looking towards his native land, remembered his beautiful city and yearned. Many years have passed, and, probably, no one remembers what he was accused of. But Daedalus knew that Minos would never let him go and no ship sailing from Crete would dare to take him with them for fear of persecution. And yet Daedalus constantly thought about returning.

Once, sitting by the sea, he raised his eyes to the wide sky and thought: “There is no way for me by the sea, but the sky is open for me. Who can stop me on the airway? Birds cut through the air with their wings and fly wherever they want. Is a man worse than a bird?

And he wanted to make himself wings in order to fly away from captivity. He began to collect the feathers of large birds, skillfully tied them with strong linen threads and fastened them with wax. Soon he made four wings - two for himself and two for his son Icarus, who lived with him in Crete. Wings were attached crosswise to the chest and to the arms with a bandage.

And then the day came when Daedalus tried his wings, put them on and, smoothly waving his arms, rose above the ground. The wings kept him in the air, and he directed his flight in the direction he wanted.

Going down, he put wings on his son and taught him to fly.

- Wave your arms calmly and evenly, do not descend too low to the waves so as not to wet your wings, and do not rise high so that the rays of the sun do not scorch you. Fly after me. That's what he said to Icarus.

Daedalus teaches Icarus to fly

And early in the morning they flew away from the island of Crete.

Only the fishermen in the sea and the shepherds in the meadow saw how they flew away, but they also thought that these were winged gods flying over the earth. And now the rocky island was far behind, and the sea stretched wide under them.

The day flared up, the sun rose high, and its rays burned more and more.

Daedalus flew cautiously, keeping closer to the surface of the sea and timidly looking back at his son.

And Icarus liked free flight. He cut the air faster and faster with his wings, and he wanted to rise high, high, higher than the swallows, higher than the lark itself, which sings, looking straight into the face of the sun. And at that moment, when his father did not look at him, Icarus rose high up, to the very sun.

Under the hot rays, the wax that held the wings together melted, the feathers disintegrated and scattered around. In vain Icarus waved his arms, - nothing else kept him high. He fell rapidly, fell and disappeared into the depths of the sea.

Daedalus looked around - and did not see a flying son in the blue sky. He looked at the sea - only white feathers floated on the waves.

In despair, Daedalus landed on the first island he met, broke his wings and cursed his art, which killed his son.

But people remembered this first flight, and since then the dream of conquering the air, of spacious heavenly roads has lived in their souls.

The ancient Greek myth "Daedalus and Icarus" as presented by Kun N.A.

The myth is stated by N.A. Kuhn based on Ovid's Metamorphoses.

The greatest artist, sculptor and architect of Athens was Daedalus, a descendant of Erechtheus. It was said about him that he carved such marvelous statues from snow-white marble that they seemed alive; the statues of Daedalus seemed to be watching and moving.

Many tools were invented by Daedalus for his work; he invented the ax and the drill.

Ax and drill

The glory of Daedalus went far. This great artist had a nephew Tal, the son of his sister Perdika. Tal was a student of his uncle. Already in his early youth, he amazed everyone with his talent and ingenuity. It could be foreseen that Tal would far surpass his teacher. Daedalus was jealous of his nephew and decided to kill him. Once Daedalus stood with his nephew on the high Athenian Acropolis at the very edge of the cliff.

No one was visible around. Seeing that they were alone, Daedalus pushed his nephew off the cliff. The artist was sure that his crime would go unpunished. Falling from a cliff, Tal crashed to death. Daedalus hastily descended from the Acropolis, raised the body of Tal and already wanted to secretly bury it in the ground, but the Athenians caught Daedalus when he was digging a grave. The crime of Daedalus was revealed. The Areopagus sentenced him to death.

Fleeing from death, Daedalus fled to Crete to the mighty king Minos, the son of Zeus and Europe.

Minos willingly took under his protection the great artist of Greece. Many marvelous works of art were made by Daedalus for the king of Crete. He also built for him the famous palace of the Labyrinth, with such intricate passages that once entering it, it was impossible to find a way out.

Knossos palace labyrinth

In this palace, Minos imprisoned the son of his wife Pasiphae, the terrible Minotaur, a monster with the body of a man and the head of a bull.

Daedalus lived with Minos for many years. The king from Crete did not want to let him go; only he wanted to use the art of the great artist. Like a prisoner, held Minos Daedalus in Crete. Daedalus thought for a long time how to escape him, and finally found a way to free himself from Cretan bondage.

“If I cannot,” Daedalus exclaimed, “be saved from the power of Minos either by land or by sea, then the sky is open for flight!” Here is my way! Minos owns everything, only he does not own the air!

Daedalus set to work. He collected feathers, fastened them with linen thread and wax, and began to make four large wings from them. While Daedalus worked, his son Icarus played near his father: either he caught fluff, which flew up from the breath of the breeze, or crumpled wax in his hands. The boy frolicked nonchalantly, he was amused by his father's work. Finally, Daedalus finished his work; the wings were ready.

Icarus - the work of Anna Khodyrevskaya

Daedalus tied the wings behind his back, put his hands into the loops attached to the wings, waved them and smoothly rose into the air. Icarus looked in amazement at his father, who soared in the air like a huge bird. Daedalus descended to earth and said to his son:

— Listen, Icarus, now we will fly away from Crete. Be careful while flying. Do not go too low to the sea, so that the salt spray of the waves does not wet your wings. Do not rise even close to the sun: the heat can melt the wax, and feathers will scatter. Follow me, keep up with me.

The father and son put their wings on their hands and flew lightly. Those who saw them flying high above the earth thought that these were two gods rushing through the azure sky. Daedalus often turned around to see how his son was flying. They have already passed the islands of Delos, Paros, and are flying farther and farther.

A quick flight amuses Icarus, he flaps his wings more and more boldly. Icarus forgot his father's instructions; it doesn't follow him anymore. Strongly flapping his wings, he flew high under the very sky, closer to the radiant sun. The scorching rays melted the wax that fastened the feathers of the wings, the feathers fell out and scattered far through the air, driven by the wind. Icarus waved his hands, but there are no more wings on them. Headlong he fell from a terrible height into the sea and died in its waves.

Daedalus turned around, looking around. No Icarus. Loudly he began to call his son:

— Icarus! Icarus! Where are you? Respond!

No answer. Daedalus saw on the sea waves the feathers from the wings of Icarus and understood what had happened. How Daedalus hated his art, how he hated the day when he planned to escape from Crete by air!

And the body of Icarus rushed for a long time along the waves of the sea, which became known by the name of the deceased Ikarian. Finally, his waves washed up on the shore of the island; Hercules found him there and buried him.

Daedalus continued his flight and finally flew to Sicily.

There he settled with King Kokal. Minos found out where the artist had hidden, went with a large army to Sicily and demanded that Kokal give him Daedalus.

The daughters of Kokal did not want to lose such an artist as Daedalus. They came up with a trick. They persuaded the father to agree to the demands of Minos and accept him as a guest in the palace.

When Minos was taking a bath, the daughters of Kokal poured a cauldron of boiling water over his head; Minos died in terrible agony. Daedalus lived for a long time in Sicily. He spent the last years of his life at home, in Athens; there he became the ancestor of the Daedalides, a glorious family of Athenian artists.

1 Part of the Aegean Sea between the islands of Samos, Paros and the coast of Asia Minor.