Accepted symbols of power are often Mike Tyson-like figures-strong in body, but abusive to others. Most men in our society are confused about what it means to be powerful. It seems all we have to help guide us are the Marvel comic books and, more recently, the spate of successful Batman, Fantastic Four, and other superheroes. The Icarus phenomenon haunts us in our daily professional and personal lives. Many men are trapped in adolescence, frustrated by fantasies of unmodulated and unbounded power, or constricted in their experience of what it means to be a man. The Icarus myth warns us of the dangers of power, but unfortunately provides no solution to our dilemma. This experience leaves us uncertain about ourselves and unbalances our relationship with the power of manhood. Our fathers, thrust into a competitive and work-centered world, never made the time to guide us in the transition from boyhood to manhood. The growth of our culture during that period made us anonymous, and the symbols of power continue to confuse and frighten us. Power is often confusing for boys of the baby boom generation. Myths produce a response in us relevant to our own understanding of our lives. This story of a clever father and his willful sons attracts the 20 th century audience. Examining this myth in the light of the psychic experience of our adolescent years can illuminate how we internalize power in our lives as men.ĭespite its small place in the vast repertoire of Greek Mythology, the story of Icarus is well known today. The myth of Icarus and his father, Daedalus, teaches by its tragedy. Myths reflect subconscious truth power can be a dangerous and potentially fatal commodity for a boy as he transitions from boyhood to manhood. It teaches us about power in our relationship with our fathers. The myth of Icarus is especially relevant to boys of the baby boom (children born after World War II and up until the Vietnam era). Icarus had soared towards the sun, his wax melted and he fell to his death. He peered down at the ocean and saw a small cluster of feathers floating on the water. Daedalus looked around in flight and could not find his son. Drunk with his newfound power, he soared higher in the sky, ignoring his father's warning. Also, like many adolescents, Icarus moved rapidly from ungainliness to false prowess. He found flight awkward at first, but learned quickly and soon flew with the attributes of adolescence-his physical strength made up for his lack of coordination and balance. Like any adolescent boy, Icarus struggled with parental advice. Icarus took off with all intentions of following his father's sage advice. If he flew too low, his wings would get wet in the ocean if he flew too high, the sun would melt the wax and the wings would disintegrate. Just before their flight, Daedalus warned his son to be careful. In theory, the wings would allow Daedalus and Icarus to fly above the labyrinth and off the island to freedom. Ever the inventor, Daedalus built wings of feathers and wax to escape. Because he was his father's son, Icarus faced the same fate. Sometime after building it, Daedalus fell into disfavor with the king of Crete and was condemned to live the rest of his life inside the labyrinth. Even Daedalus could not find a way out of his maze. He was the son of Daedalus, an accomplished inventor, who produced an ingenious labyrinth on the island of Cnossus for Minos, the king of Crete. A few months later he presented the plans for a giant labyrinth to hold the half-man and half-bull monster, known as the Minotaur, prisoner.Icarus was a minor character in Greek Mythology, famous for not surviving the transition from boyhood to manhood. King Minos approached Daedalus to ask if he might be able to invent something less pretty but more useful and Daedalus did notĭisappoint. Instead of clocks people kept track of the time using sundials.Īnd so, the tiny mechanical bird that chirped when the sun rose – given by Daedalus to the newborn princess toĬelebrate her birth - became the talk of everyone in the land. Instead of cars, people got from place to place by walking or if they were wealthy by riding on a horse or People learned what was new in the land by listening to the gossip at the local inn. Now this was a very long time ago – and in this ancient time there were no televisions or cars or clocks. Inventor of strange and wonderful mechanical creations. Daedalus was just an ordinary man, except for one special talent – he was an On the island of Crete during the age of King Minos, there lived a man named Daedalus and his young son Icarus. © written and illustrated by Leanne Guenther DLTK's Countries and Cultures - Greek Mythology
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