DAEDALUS AND AND ICARUS ICARUS SUMMARY The Short Story Daedalus is a brilliant inventor—the Thomas Edison o his day! Unortunately" he an#ers $in# Minos" the ruler o the island Crete" and he has to hi#htail it out o there! Des%erate to lee the island" Daedalus uses &a' to build some &in#s or himsel and his son I(arus! Daddy Daedalus &arns his son to ly at a middle hei#ht) the sea&ater &ill dam%en the &in#s and the sun &ill melt them! *Not #ood either &ay!+ I(arus heeds his ather,s advi(e or a bit" but then he #ets (o(-y! .e,s havin# so mu(h un lyin# that he or#ets the &arnin# and lies too (lose to the sun! Sure enou#h" his &in#s melt" and I(arus %lummets into the sea and dro&ns! Daedalus is *o (ourse+ devastated by his son,s death" but the sho& must #o on! .e lies on to Si(ily" &here he mourns I(arus and builds a tem%le in honor o the #od A%ollo!
The Less Short Story •
Daedalus is an Athenian (ratsman" amous or his ability to invent and build thin#s! Thin- Leonardo da /in(i" but &ith more %o&ers!
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Unortunately" he also has a 0ealous strea-! 1hen his ne%he& *Talus+ invents the sa&" Daedalus reali2es that the boy mi#ht be more talented than he is! Not #ood!
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In a it o 0ealousy" Daedalus thro&s Talos o the A(ro%olis" a tall monument in Athens! That,ll tea(h tea(h him not not to invent invent any more more (ar%entry (ar%entry tools! tools!
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Some %eo%le say that Athena sa& the boy allin#" and transormed him into a %artrid#e! 3ut others ar#ue that Talos died and that Daedalus tried to hide the murder by buryin# him! 1ell those are very dierent endin#s!
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Either be(ause he &as eelin# #uilty or be(ause he &as banished" Daedalus leaves Athens and heads to the island o Crete!
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1hile he,s han#in# out there" Daedalus beriends $in# Minos" the island,s ruler! *It %ays to have riends in hi#h %la(es!+
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Daedalus still has the tou(h in Crete and he (ontinues his buildin# strea-! 4irst" he builds a (o& suit so that Crete,s 5ueen *6asi%hae+ (an #et it on &ith a bull! Yes" &e said bull!
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6asi%hae,s union &ith the bull results in a horrible hal7man" hal7beast (alled the Minotaur! .eard o him8
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Ne't u%" $in# Minos *the hal7beast,s ste%7dad+ as-s Daedalus to desi#n a ma2e *the Labyrinth+ in &hi(h to %ut the terrible Minotaur! The Minotaur demands human sa(rii(es" and every nine years" $in# Minos sends seven youn# men and &omen into the Labyrinth to meet their doom!
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9ne o these vi(tims sent to his death is the hero Theseus! This #uy is tou#h and he de(ides to i#ht ba(- and try to -ill the Minotaur!
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$in# Minos, dau#hter" Ariadne" alls madly in love &ith Theseus! And sin(e Daedalus built the Labyrinth" she as-s him to hel% Theseus saely navi#ate it!
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Al&ays the hel%ul one" Daedalus #ives Theseus a ball o yarn" and tells the hero to trail it behind him" (reatin# a roadma% or ho& to #et ba(- out! :enius" &e say; And sure enou#h" ater Theseus -ills the Minotaur" he is able to es(a%e! *.e and Ariadne leave Crete to#ether!+
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$in# Minos is not ha%%y &ith Daedalus or hel%in# Theseus" so he lo(-s Daedalus and his son" I(arus" in the Labyrinth! *This seems to be his %unishment o (hoi(e!+
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*Some versions o the story say that $in# Minos a(tually im%risoned them in a to&er! Still others say that Minos 0ust ordered every shi% surroundin# the island to be sear(hed" ma-in# it im%ossible or Daedalus and I(arus to es(a%e! Any &ay you loo- at it" Daedalus and I(arus are tra%%ed on Crete!+
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Clearly our #enius inventor &on,t ta-e this sittin# do&n! $no&in# that the land and &ater are #uarded by $in# Minos, army" Daedalus de(ides to es(a%e by air! 3rilliant!
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Daedalus uses t&ine" eathers" and &a' to build lar#e &in#s or himsel and his son!
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*A((ordin# to 9vid" I(arus #ooed around &hile Daddy Daedalus &as ma-in# the &in#s! .e %layed &ith the eathers and &a' and 0ust #enerally #ot in his dad,s &ay! Ah" -ids!+
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4inally" the &in#s are inished! Daedalus tries his set on and—9M:—they totally &or-! .e han#s in the air or a e& se(onds" la%%in# his a-e &in#s! Ni(e;
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3eore %uttin# &in#s on I(arus" Daedalus #ives his son some &arnin#s) he should ollo& him (losely and ly at a middle hei#ht! I he lies too lo&" the sea&ater &ill dam%en the &in#s" and i he lies too hi#h" the sun &ill melt them! :ot it8 :ood!
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Daedalus is still a little s(ared about the 0ourney) the bi# soty (ries &hile tyin# the &in#s onto his son" and #ives his little #uy a hu#!
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And o they #o; Daedalus loo-s ba(- at his son" (heerin# him on!
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A bun(h o %eo%le on the #round" in(ludin# a she%herd and a %lo&man" sto% their &or- to #a2e u% at Daedalus and I(arus! They,re (om%letely blo&n a&ay at the si#ht o t&o %eo%le lyin# in the air—they i#ure that Daedalus and I(arus mi#ht be #ods" sin(e no human has ever a(hieved li#ht beore! 1hat,s u% no&" humans8
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In all the e'(itement" I(arus or#ets his ather,s &arnin# and starts to ly hi#her!
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Sure enou#h" he #ets too (lose to the sun) the heat sotens the &a'" and his &in#s all a%art!
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I(arus %lummets into the sea" (ryin# <4ather" ather;< on his &ay do&n! *1e,ll &ait &hile you brea- out the tissues!+
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Daedalus tries to save his son" but it,s too late—he has dro&ned! The only thin# Daedalus (an ind are eathers loatin# in the &ater!
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4or the irst time ever" Daedalus (urses his
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Daedalus names the %art o the o(ean &here I(arus ell the
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Still mournin#" Daedalus lies on&ard to the Italian island o Si(ily! 1hen he #ets there" he %erorms uneral rites or his son *these &ere su%er im%ortant ba(then+! 9h" and a((ordin# to 9vid" a %artrid#e &at(hes Daedalus as he does all this! This is no ordinary %artrid#e" but Talos" the ne%he& that Daedalus on(e tried to murder!
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Ne't" Daedalus (onstru(ts a tem%le to A%ollo *N3D+" &here he han#s his &in#s!
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1hile livin# in Si(ily" Daedalus stri-es u% a riendshi% &ith $in# Co(alus" the ruler o the island! 1hen $in# Minos (omes sear(hin# or Daedalus" Co(alus ta-es %ity and hides the inventor! 9h" and even better" $in# Co(alus, dau#hters -ill $in# Minos &ith s(aldin# &ater" reein# Daedalus rom his hunt orever!
