What is the story of Icarus and his wax wings?

In Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus. Imprisoned by King Minos after Theseus escaped the labyrinth, father and son constructed wings from feathers, thread, leather, and beeswax to escape. Despite warnings not to fly too close to the Sun, Icarus ignored his father's advice, causing his wax wings to melt and leading to his fatal plunge into the sea.

What we know

• Icarus was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus and his wife Naucrate. [1, 2]
• King Minos imprisoned Icarus and Daedalus because he suspected they revealed the secrets of the labyrinth. [2]
• Daedalus constructed wings using molted bird feathers, blanket threads, sandal leather straps, and beeswax. [2]
• Icarus flew too close to the Sun, melting the wax on his wings, which caused him to fall from the sky and drown. [2, 4, 5]

Still open

• Sources vary on whether Icarus and Daedalus were imprisoned in a large tower overlooking the ocean or inside the labyrinth itself, or if they escaped by ship instead of wings.

Where to go next

• whoWho was Daedalus in Greek mythology?
• how it workedHow was the labyrinth of Crete built?
• what followedWhere did the idiom fly too close to the Sun come from?
• how we knowHow is the fall of Icarus depicted in art?
• the bigger pictureWhat are other tales of Greek mythological figures?
• an unexpected connectionHow does Pablo Picasso connect to the fall of Icarus?Pablo Picasso created a mural depicting the fall of Icarus for the UNESCO headquarters in Paris.

Sources

• [1]Icarus (Wikidata Q34041) · CC0 1.0
• [2]Icarus · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [3]Icarus (disambiguation) · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [4]Daedalus · CC BY-SA 4.0
• [5]The Fall of Icarus · CC BY-SA 4.0