Icarus

Icarus was a legendary Greek character, and the son of Daedalus. Daedalus was imprisoned within his own invention, the labyrinth, for helping the hero Theseus kill King Minos’s beast, the Minotaur, and run away with Minos's daughter, Ariadne.

Bruegel's Landscape with the Fall of Icarus (ca. 1558) is a painting which is famous for making the fall to a scarcely noticed event in the background.

Daedalus and Icarus, a relief in a Roman villa.

The Legend

After several years of imprisonment, Daedelus had come up with a plan. He knew that King Minos controlled all escape routes by land or sea, so he decided to escape by air. Out of the leather from their sandals, wax from their candles, and feathers from birds, he built two sets of wings; one for himself, and one for his son, Icarus. After navigating the labyrinth, they found an exit and flew out of the highest tower.

Before escaping, Daedelus had warned Icarus not to fly too low to the ocean, as the water would soak the feathers. He also said not to fly too high into the sky, as the sun would melt the wax too quickly.

Upon escaping, Icarus forgot his father's warnings. He flew up higher and higher toward the sun, delighted with his newfound freedom. However, the wax in the wings melted and he plunged into the sea, and drowned. After escaping, Daedalus later found Icarus' body and buried it on the island of Icaria. The sea which Icarus is told to have fallen into is now called the Icarian Sea.

Idiom

The tragic tale of Icarus' fate inspired the idiom "fly too close to the sun", which warns to not be too greedy or overly-ambitious, as it can lead to an unpleasant outcome.