ICARUS (son of Daedalus)

The boy playfully caught at the feathers ruffled by the breeze and softened the yellow wax with his thumb, unaware that he was handling the source of his own danger.³

Before their flight, Icarus was instructed to fly at a middle altitude to avoid water and sun.⁵ Despite these warnings, Icarus abandoned his guide to pursue a higher flight toward the heavens, and in one account, he fell due to the ignorance of youth.^5,6 He attempted to outfly birds in the air, trusting in strange arts to achieve flight.² The heat from the sun melted the wax holding his wings together, causing them to fail as he soared too close to the light.^1,7,5

Icarus fell headlong from the sky into the raging sea, having lost his wings and called for his father.^7,8,5 Daedalus searched for his son in the water, only to find the body washed ashore on the island of Doliche.^9,10 A small burial mound stands on a promontory in the Aegean, and the sea surrounding the island is named the Icarian in memory of the boy.^9,4,7,6

In another account, Icarus fell onto the island of Icaria because he could not sustain his flight, his body carried ashore by the current.^11,4 Daedalus attempted twice to sculpt Icarus's fall in gold but failed both times.¹² Homer wept for the race of Icarus while on a barren island, mourning the loss of a name that survived the death.^13,2