Daedalus, of Greek legend, was known throughout the land as a great sculptor, architect and inventor. Unfortunately for him, he made the king mad one day and was locked away in a high tower with his son Icarus. The master inventor formed a plan to escape. Innocently requesting candles so that he might continue to read and study, he used the wax and the feathers of the birds that flew around the tower to construct a pair of wings.

Carefully observing the birds, Daedalus placed large feathers over small ones so as to form an increasing surface. The larger ones were secured with thread and the smaller ones with wax and he gave the wing a gentle curvature like the wings of the birds. When at last the work was done, Daedalus waved the wings and, to his delight, found himself up near the ceiling of his cell. He was flying! He quickly constructed a smaller pair of wings for his son and the two practiced flying around in their cell. Daedalus warned Icarus. "Stay at a moderate height. Fly too low and the dampness of the sea will clog your wings. Fly too high and the heat of the sun will melt them.": And with that, out the window they flew.

Icarus became entranced with the joy and power of flight and forgot his father's warnings. He tilted his wings and soared upward as if to the heavens. Soon the blazing sun softened the wax which held the feathers together and they began to drop off. Icarus noticed that he was descending and fluttered his arms faster and faster. As Daedalus watched in horror, Icarus plunged into the sea. His father circled again and again over the spot where his son had gone down but nothing rose to the surface except a handful of feathers.

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Last modified: Sat Aug 16 09:12:59 PDT 1997

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