A Brief Article, Returning Fully next week
By Alex Ness
Sunday, June 19, 2022
MOMENTARY BREAK:
Between writing and researching, I've neglected my health, and have gone over the edge regarding my sleep schedule. So this will be a brief article but one I hope shows why I love the story of Daedalus and Icarus as well as why I refer to it in my work so often. I'll be back with some books to read or not, next week and will look at July from rested eyes.
THE MYTH: The story of the father and son, Daedalus and Icarus is rather amazing. The Greek myth and legends foresaw a world where man would be able to fly, so great was the urge even then. Father Daedalus was an inventor from Athens, with a reputation that suggested both great intellectual insight, as well as being somewhat able to bend nature, according to his whims.You can imagine, a mind and will such as his would be valuable. And it certainly was to Minos, the king of the island of Crete. Desiring to have Daedalus's exclusive labor, well aware of the reputation, Minos brought Daedalus and his son to Crete. First, Daedalus was tasked to design, assemble and raise the finest of palaces in the region. Then he was to create a maze or labyrinth, so complex no one could escape, in order to provide a means of punishment, cruel entertainment, and a chance to capture to dark imagination of all those familiar with the construct.
Daedalus grew to fear the potential plans and evil mind of Minos, and decided to act for his and his son's safety. He developed an escape plan to flee the grasp of the powerful and mad King of Crete. Daedalus told his son the danger of exceeding the limits of flight, and warned of the absolute risk of coming too close to the sun. Icarus was young, ignorant of the dangers of not listening to his father. Icarus both had a confidence in his father's greatness, that he felt was his own as well. He developed an arrogance about his ability, and combined with ignorance to the dangers of the world, he greatly longed to take flight.
With an artist's eye and scientists mind, Daedalus fashioned wings out of feathers and wax for both father and son, to use and escape Minos control. The plan was working, and, amazingly, both were able to fly. As Icarus flew, ever rising, he grew too close to the heat of the sun, his feathers fall away and he plummeted to his death.
DAEDALUS the Father: A man of great natural talents, he realized that his work, his fame had drawn the attention of Minos, and knowing the darkness of that mind, what motivated Daedalus to construct the wings and escape, was fear for his son's safety. Why particularly? If Daedalus was an ordinary man, no one would have the reason to imprison or enslave the father, and along with him, his son. He was chosen by Minos for being a genius, and this exposed the son to the father's fate. The great disaster in losing his son, was more than an accident, because it is clear, he already felt guilt over the fact that his son was to pay the same price he would, due to the exposure to King Minos.
ICARUS the Son: It is often said that Icarus was young and rash, perhaps foolish, ignorant, and arrogant. But the truth is, how many can be offered a gift of flight, for the first time in human history, and not experience joy in the moment? How anyone experiencing such joy could remember the warnings of a father is instructive to many lives. Some people need to experience failure and rock bottom, before they are able to perceive what there is to gain, and lose. I think it is a false notion, however, that Icarus was disobedient, or someone who felt anything but love for his father. He was simply unable to utilize the lessons and warnings, for his youth was spent upon the joy at hand.
MY TAKE: What moves me most about the story is not hubris leading to disaster. It isn't about a story of youth being prone to rash acts. It is the absolute truth, that someone might well make mistakes, might well be flawed, but the disaster doesn't happen due to anything intended, it comes from the many aspects of the event, that add up to the complete failure. Icarus was following his joy, he forgot his instruction or didn't "really" believe in it, and the danger posed by the sun was so great, there was no margin for error. One can love and respect their father or authority, and still not follow the advice. One can be innocent and yet ignorant, and make mistakes that are fatal. Perhaps I am Icarus. But I am a father, and my son is precious to me. Perhaps life allows Icarus to survive and to take upon the role in life of Daedalus. I hope so.
About Getting Reviews from Me
I
can be found on Facebook, Twitter or through email
Alexanderness63@gmail.com. I accept hard copies, so when you inquire at
any of these places, I'll follow through by telling you my street
address. I no longer have a post box, although I regret that. It was a
crushing defeat to no longer have a p.o. box, when I came to realize I
was getting so little product it made no sense to pay for the privilege
to not receive mail at both my home and at the post office. If you send
hard copies for review I will always review them, but if you prefer to
send pdf or ebooks to my email, I will review these at my discretion. I
don't share my pdf/ebooks, so you can avoid worry that I'd dispense them
for free to others.
MY LINKS:
My Poetry AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com
Published Work AlexNessPoetry.Blogspot.Com/2007/01/My-Work.html
Amazon Page Amazon.com/author/AlexNess
Cthulhu Horror CthulhuDarkness.Blogspot.Com
Atlantis & Lost Worlds AlexNessLostWorlds.Blogspot.Com
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