Icare


Icare had grown up among the inventions of his father Daedalus, a famous craftsman from Crete. The most famous of his creations allowed Queen Pasiphaé to seduce a bull, wearing the false costume of a beautiful heifer. But this curttrrr55ious union gave birth to a monstrous beast, half-man, half-bull, which was called the Minotaur.
Minos, king of Crete, felt humiliated by the abominable fruit of his wife's betrayal. He felt immense shame and wanted to hide the horrible animal. He called on Daedalus who, after helping the queen, flew to the king's aid...
VSHe asked him to build a labyrinth to enclose the Minotaur there. Convinced of the talent of his illustrious architect, his indignation was somewhat appeased. After days of intense work, Daedalus finally submitted his plans and started the work. The labyrinth was one of his most ingenious but also the most disturbing of his inventions. It consisted of an endless series of detours and bends which made it impossible for anyone who entered it to find the way out...
HASthus, the Minotaur was completely trapped there. Its roars rose above the high walls and its terrifying shadow endlessly paced the meanders of its vast enclosure. To calm his heartbreaking outbursts of rage, Minos had to give him human flesh. Since he could not sacrifice his citizens, he ordered the Athenians, whom he had defeated during a previous expedition, to deliver seven young men and as many young girls to him to feed them to the Minotaur. The young people who had heard of this frightening beast entered the labyrinth in fear. It was then that Theseus, a hero celebrated and recognized by all, decided to put an end to the massacre and went to Crete. Minos greeted the young man with contempt and listened to him absently, convinced that he had no chance of getting out of the labyrinth alive. But Ariadne, the king's lovely daughter, seeing the handsome young man, fell in love with him. She did not want to see her new lover succumb to the claws of the formidable monster and went to implore Daedalus to come to her aid. He convinced her to tie a long thread on Theseus' wrist which would unwind behind his steps, showing him the path he would have to take to find the exit.
Icarus - illustration 1
Thanks to this stratagem, Theseus defeated the Minotaur and a sigh of relief rose from the heart of the Athenian city. As for Minos, he felt betrayed once again and rushed to find Daedalus, whom he locked up with his son in his labyrinth! Daedalus was in despair: without a wire attached to his wrist, he knew only too well what he was condemned to as his work was infallible. He bitterly regretted having invented this terrible trap! He raised his eyes to the sky in the hope of seeing the clemency of the gods and was about to implore them when a brilliant idea came to him: there was no chance of finding the earthly exit from the tortuous labyrinth, certainly, but the air route was available to them in all its extent! He had wax with him and had no trouble obtaining feathers... He therefore began to make majestic wings for himself and his son strong enough to lift them from the ground. After having fixed them on Icarus's back, he took his face in his hands and said to him: “My son, listen to the wise advice of your father to lead our escape as best as possible. When you are transported by air, don't dare gain too much altitude, the heat of the Sun could burn your wings. Likewise, don't get too close to the ocean and its high waves which could bury you. »
Icarus - illustration 2
EExalted, Icarus pawed with impatience, because like most of us, he had many times dreamed of cutting through the air like a bird. They soared out of the labyrinth and reached the sky thanks to their ample and light wings. Carried by the wind, Icarus let himself be intoxicated by the pleasure of feeling the breeze rocking him. The father and son flew like this for a long time, overlooking the sublime landscapes of Greece, but when they reached the strait that separated them from Asia Minor, Icarus could not resist his desire and disobeyed the wise words of his father. Intoxicated by the taste of freedom, he rushed towards the heights. He approached the Sun dangerously and did not hear the desperate cries of his poor father who saw only too well where his imprudence risked leading him. Icarus enjoyed his aerial power and, gaining more and more altitude, thought himself the equal of birds. But, unable to resist the intense heat of the star, the wax on his wings began to melt, and the young boy was thrown into the void before diving into the sea which today bears his name.
DAedale, mad with pain, went to fish out the lifeless body of his son. The young man, through lack of experience and wisdom, had burned the innocence of his youth in the attractive heat of the solar star.
Icarus - illustration 3

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