He was also incredibly bitter towards King Minos for treating Daedalus poorly. A youth, Icarus was reportedly uninterested in his father’s trade. The Minotaur had been recently killed by the Athenian hero-king, Theseus. Legends do little to flesh-out Naucrate, with Pseudo-Apollodorus simply citing her as a slave within the court of Minos.īy the time Daedalus’ welcome ran out at the court of Minos, Icarus was between 13 and 18 years old. Their union came after Daedalus created the famed Labyrinth at the behest of King Minos of Crete at Knossos. Icarus is the son of the legendary Greek craftsman, Daedalus, and a Cretan woman named Naucrate. What is the Meaning of the Story of Icarus?.Icarus in English Literature and Other Interpretations.What Does “Don’t Fly too Close to the Sun” Mean?.Hubris may have cemented his death in Greek mythology, but it has made Icarus live on in modern literature. That, and the ability to be applied to various settings and characters has made Icarus a popular literary figure. The popularity of Icarus outside of Greek mythology is found mainly in the tragedy of the tale. His plummet into the sea became a cautionary tale for those whose ambitions burned all too close to the sun. However, more famous than the flight of Icarus is his fall. Indeed, Icarus and his daring attempt to escape Crete alongside his father was a harebrained scheme that, granted, would’ve worked. In Greek mythology, the myth of Icarus has become synonymous with excessive pride and foolhardiness. This cautionary legend has proven its resilience against the passing of time, being reimagined and retold several times.

Initially recorded in 60 BCE by Diodorus Siculus in his The Library of History, the most popular variation of the tale is written by the Roman poet Ovid in his Metamorphoses in 8 CE. He is infamously known as the “boy who flew too high,” who crashed to earth after melting his waxen wings. The story of Icarus has been told for centuries.

The story of icarus and daedalus