Daedalus
built a labyrinth that surrounded the Minotaur. The passageways were designed
with twists and turns that seemed to have no end. Once inside the labyrinth,
the Minotaur couldn’t find the way out. Only Daedalus knew how to escape.
After
the Minotaur was imprisoned, its hungry roars kept the people awake at night.
King Minos had to find a way to quiet the Minotaur so people could live in
peace. He sent a message to King Aegeus of Athens. He demanded hostages from
Athens to feed the Minotaur. Aegeus knew that he had no choice. King Minos’s
army was much stronger than his. He was forced to send fourteen youths and
maidens to feed this monster.
Theseus,
an Athenian hero and the son of King Aegeus, volunteered to go with the
hostages. If he could kill the Minotaur, no more Athenians would have to be
sent to Crete.
When
Ariadne, King Minos’s daughter, saw the handsome prisoner, Theseus, she fell in
love with him. She asked Daedalus to help Theseus slay the Minotaur and then
help him escape from the labyrinth. Ariadne gave Theseus a magic ball of
string.
Ariadne
told Theseus she would help him if he would take her back to Athens and marry
her. Theseus, in love with the beautiful princess, agreed.
Theseus
entered the labyrinth when the Minotaur was sleeping. He set the magic string
Ariadne had given him on the ground. It rolled in front of him, leading him to
the snoring monster. Theseus surprised the Minotaur and killed it. After his
victory, Theseus followed the string to the entrance of the labyrinth.
Ariadne
and Theseus freed the other prisoners and set sail for Athens.
On the
way, the god Dionysus came to Theseus. The god wished to marry Ariadne, and
told Theseus to leave her on the island of Naxos.
Although
Theseus loved Ariadne, he had to obey the god’s command. When Ariadne fell
asleep, the broken-hearted Theseus left her on the island and then sailed on to
Athens.
King
Minos knew that Daedalus was the only one clever enough to help Theseus escape
the labyrinth. He blamed Daedalus for the loss of his daughter, and locked him
and his son Icarus in a high tower.
“King
Minos controls the land and the sea,” Daedalus said to his son, “so we must
leave by air.”
Daedalus
made a giant set of bird’s wings from feathers set in wax. He strapped them to
his arms and soared through the air. Next he set about making wings for his
son. The boy gathered feathers and helped his father fasten the feathers to the
wax.
Daedalus,
like a mother bird teaching her young, taught Icarus to fly. After a few days
of practice, the boy could soar across the sky.
“We
will set out when the sun rises,” said Daedalus. “Heed my warning, Icarus.
Follow close behind me. Whatever you do, don’t sail too close to the sun.”
The
next morning, they strapped the wings on their outstretched arms and flew over
the sea.
Late in
the afternoon, Icarus felt chilled by the sea breezes. He flew a little closer
to the sun. The warmth made him feel much better. Forgetting his father’s
warning, he soared higher. When he was close to the sun, the wax holding the
feathers in place melted. The feathers drifted down to the sea. Icarus, moving
his arms back and forth, struggled. He called out to his father, but the wind
swallowed his words. Icarus fell into the sea and, being mortal, drowned.
Daedalus,
tired from the long flight, decided it was time to find a landing place and
rest for the night. He looked behind him. Icarus was gone! Below him, he saw
the feathers from Icarus’s wings floating on the water. His son had fallen into
the sea.
Daedalus
landed on a nearby island. Grieving, he named the sea the Icarian Sea, in
memory of his son.
No comments:
Post a Comment