Mythological/ Archetypal Approach

THE MYTH OF DAEDALUS AND ICARUS

Analysis by Giselle C. Melendres
The myth of Daedalus and Icarus is considered one of the most well-known Greek
myths. The story is frequently taken as being fundamentally about the dangers of arrogance,
with Icarus' flight serving as a metaphor for man's overachievement. But is that what the
story really means? Let us delve a little deeper into the Icarus myth to determine its true
meaning. Let us uncover or identify the manifestations of mythology and let us know how the
author emphasizes the recurrent universal patterns underlying most literary works. One thing
that this myth accentuates is the perfect blend of the yearning to go beyond human limits and
the outcomes associated with attempting to do so. There is even a common saying taken from
this story, "don't fly too close to the sun". Myths are myths and we are told to either believe it
or not. Yet, this myth of Icarus imparts the readers to be free from being supernatural if we
are just mere humans. Never attempt to get even or close to your Creator or you will be
abased in the end.
As a backstory or highlight summary of this myth, Daedalus was a master inventor,
sculpture, and architect, who was exiled to Crete from Athens after attempting to murder his
nephew and apprentice Perdix out of jealousy. While on Crete, Daedalus created the
Labyrinth to house the Minotaur, such a confusing and challenging maze that Daedalus
barely made it out himself. His son, Icarus, is a minor character in Greek mythology, only
appearing in this one myth. Daedalus’ wife and Icarus’s mother, Naucrate, is one of Minos’
slaves and is not mentioned in Ovid’s Metamorphoses. Daedalus was in exile and longed to
return home to where he was born but could not leave by land or sea. He took feathers he
found on the island, then used string and used wax to hold them together and molded them
into wings that resembled a bird. Icarus, Daedalus’ son, would innocently play with the
feathers and wax and, after Daedalus finished the two sets of wings and was putting Icarus’s
wings on him, he urged Icarus not to fly too high or too low, as either would result in his
death. Initially, Icarus follows his father closely, but eventually, he gets too confident and
flies too high, resulting in the wax of his wings melting. He crashes into the ocean and dies,
and Daedalus swears never to build anything again as he buries Icarus.
The mythical realization of this story revolves around a father and son relationship,
Daedalus a great father and inventor and Icarus a very impulsive son. In actual life, the day
we are born, our father literally provides us with all our needs. Then, here comes Minotaur, a
true manifestation of a mythical creature which was also mentioned as a monster in mythical
stories. Sometimes when humans are drowned to being superficial, not thinking about the
limits of oneself we can meet our own demise. It is critical to know your limits and not push
yourself too far. This is a message conveyed in the Daedalus and Icarus story. Icarus was to
deemed to escape and build his own feather representing freedom from what he feels
imprisoned him. If Icarus might have listened to his father and not flown to close to the sun,
his wings would not have melted. This myth also emphasized the recurring themes of humans
which is to always take heed to parental advice. Had he not reached for an utter impossibility,
he would still be alive. Some risks are worth the effort, but this one had no positive outcome.