PERFORMER | Ian Hawkes |
DEBUT | 1991 |
Icarus was featured in The StoryTeller: Greek Myths story of "Daedalus and Icarus."
The son of Daedalus, Icarus was clumsy, awkward, and an embarrassment of his father. After the death of his cousin Talos (at Daedalus' hands), Icarus and Daedalus fled to Crete. In Crete, Daedalus constructed the Labyrinth for King Minos, who cast Daedalus and Icarus into it. After they escaped, Daedalus decided that he and Icarus had to flee Crete to get away from Minos.
Minos controlled the sea around Crete and there was no route of escape there. Daedalus realized that the only way out was by air. Daedalus built wings for himself and Icarus, fashioned with feathers held together with beeswax. Daedalus warned his son not to fly too close to the sun, as it would melt his wings, and not too close to the sea, as the sea spray would dampen them and weigh him down.
They successfully flew from Crete, but Icarus soon flew too close to the sun. The wax holding the feathers melted and he fell to his death, drowning in the sea (which was afterwards named after him — The Icarian Sea). Daedalus lamented his dead son and blamed himself for the tragedy.
Daedalus sculpted many figures of a winged boy in honor of his lost son.
Notes[]
- The falling statue of Icarus is shown in the opening sequence of each Greek Myths episode.