S2E4 - Daedalus and Icarus

The stories featured in Greaking Out are original adaptations of classic Greek myths.

This week's story features a man with a plan, the mysterious death of rivals, children who don't listen to their parents, and someone falling into the sea.

We're told in Greek mythology.

Breaking out gods and heroes, amazing feats.

Listen, and you'll see it.

Greaking

out:

Daedalus and Icarus.

This is the story of one of the most interesting heroes in Greek mythology.

His name was Daedalus, and he was an inventor, but he was also a builder, an artist, a sculptor, a designer, and an architect, all rolled into one.

An architect is someone who designs and oversees the construction of buildings and structures.

They create the plans for homes, skyscrapers, and even entire cities.

Mostly, Daedalus was a problem solver.

If you had a problem that required a machine or building something, you came to him.

Daedalus lived in the city of Athens and everyone knew how great he was.

He made statues and sculptures that were breathtaking and amazingly lifelike.

And he also made intricate figurines, small statues that children could actually play with because the arms and legs actually moved.

Yes, in a way, Daedalus was the father of the action figure.

But Daedalus was also the father of Icarus.

And Icarus was kind of a handful.

He was smart, but kind of lazy, not exactly a straight A student, and he was a little spoiled.

He was an only child and used to getting his way a lot.

His mother decided that he should start going to work with his father so he could learn a craft and maybe understand the value of hard work.

Icarus was impressed with his father's skill, but he didn't have the patience for sculpting.

He would try now and then, but each time he would grow frustrated with how slow the process was and then just give up.

At which point, Daedalus would have to find something for him to do, and that was usually something boring, like sweeping floors, sanding wood, winding twine.

It was the worst.

That was until Daedalus's nephew arrived.

Daedalus had a sister and she had a son named Talos who showed signs of promise as an inventor and an artist.

So she sent him to Athens to live and work with Daedalus and Icarus as an apprentice hoping that he could learn from her brother.

Turns out Talos was a quick learner.

Like his uncle, he had a knack for creating sculptures and he had a vision for inventions too.

He seemed to have an active interest in how things worked.

One day, he actually created a saw after looking at the back of a fish and seeing how the spines could cut through things.

there is a unique species of fish called a sawfish that is characterized by a long, narrow nose lined with teeth.

It actually looks like the blade of a modern chainsaw.

Okay, I'll keep that in mind the next time I go fishing.

Regardless, Daedalus was impressed and pleased with his nephew.

The two got along really well.

They seemed to have a lot in common, and as you might expect, this made Icarus more than a little jealous.

Soon, Talos was almost as popular and well known as his uncle.

Talos also had an obsession with flying.

He thought there might be a way to create an invention for humans to take to the air like birds.

Daedalus thought the idea was interesting and exciting too, so Talos decided to work on the invention to please his uncle.

One day, Talos and Icarus went all the way to the top of the Acropolis to test out a theory that Talos had.

Unfortunately, only Icarus came back.

The Acropolis of Athens was a castle or citadel located on a rocky outcrop high above the city of Athens.

This is where a number of important buildings were housed, including the famous Parthenon.

Talos had mysteriously fallen to his death from the top of the Acropolis.

Once the news got around, many people in Athens blamed Icarus and Daedalus for the death of young Talos.

Daedalus had his own suspicions about how the accident actually happened, but as the word spread further and further around Athens, he began to realize that he and his son were in danger.

So they fled.

And this is where the story really begins.

For about a year or so, Daedalus and Icarus moved from town to town, village to village, selling small carvings and figurines that Daedalus created.

No more grand designs or sculptures, but it was a living, and it kept them away from the angry mob from Athens who might be searching for them.

One day, after Icarus and Daedalus had set up shop in a marketplace, they noticed an elegant man in fancy clothes admiring the carvings that Daedalus had made.

These are exquisite, he said, smiling down at Icarus.

Are they yours?

No, sir, Icarus replied.

They were made by my father.

He's an excellent artist and inventor as well.

His name is Daedalus, and his skill is second to none.

Now, Daedalus was trying to keep a low profile here, so when he heard his son mention his name, he immediately rushed to his son's side and, placing a firm hand on his son's shoulder, asked the rich man what he could do to help.

I am King Minos of Crete, and I would like to offer you a position at my palace.

Now, if that name sounds familiar to you, it may be due to the fact that Minos is the guy who had the famous Minotaur we told you about a few episodes ago.

Episode one of this season of Greaking Out tells the story of the Minotaur and the Maze.

Right, same guy.

So if you haven't listened to that episode yet, you might want to go do that now, because we have some spoilers coming up.

You can just pause here.

We'll wait.

A spoiler in this context is a piece of information that reveals plot elements to someone unfamiliar with the story.

I am told it can be very annoying.

You don't care if people spoil things for you, Oracle?

There's no such thing as a spoiler when you know everything.

I guess that's true.

Well, in case you don't know everything, we'll remind you what happened along the way.

The first thing to know is that King Minos is cursed by the gods and has to take care of the Minotaur, which is a terrible half-man, half-bull monster.

But that happens later, after Daedalus and Icarus move into the palace of Crete, which they do.

Living in a palace and being a king's sculptor is a big improvement over life on the run, and Daedalus was grateful for the job.

Life on Crete was pretty great in general.

Icarus explored the palace and enjoyed a safe and privileged childhood while Daedalus was free to create exquisite sculptures, paintings, and clever inventions.

He even designed the first dance floor in history for Ariadne, daughter of the king, who loved to dance but couldn't find a place to bust a move on the rocky terrain of Crete.

A designated surface on which to dance is essential, but a good dance tune may be more important.

In ancient Greece, composers of songs became famous alongside their tunes.

Sailors brought songs from island to island, and even today, Greeks know the steps of some of these ancient

But things changed over time.

Minos failed to honor the gods for his promotion to king which resulted in Minos having a pretty significant Minotaur problem to deal with.

Minos ordered Daedalus to design and build the labyrinth to give the beast a place to live and roam where he couldn't escape and terrorize the people of Crete.

But when Minos started using the labyrinth as a punishment and what's more throwing the children of Athens into it to feed the monster, well, Daedalus wasn't happy about it.

He remembered his home of Athens well and sometimes missed it.

But Minos ignored any complaints from Daedalus and even began to have his guards stand watch over the inventor and his son.

There was nothing Daedalus could do.

That is, until Theseus arrived.

You already know the story.

Theseus was all, I'm gonna kill the Minotaur.

And Minos was like, nuh-uh.

And then Ariadne was like, you will definitely die if I don't help you, Theseus.

But what you might not know is that Ariadne came to Daedalus for help.

He'd built the labyrinth, after all, so he might know how to defeat it.

Together, they worked out a plan, and well, the rest is history.

Well, as you can imagine, King Minos was pretty upset.

It didn't take much for him to figure out how all of this had happened, and he immediately had his guards arrest Daedalus and his son Icarus and then imprison them in the very maze that Daedalus had built.

As the doors slammed shut behind them, Daedalus and Icarus were immediately plunged into the darkness of the labyrinth.

You see, this maze was built inside a mountain, so you have a maze as you imagine it with incredibly high walls, but on top of that, there is the rest of the mountain.

While it's true that there was no longer a Minotaur for them them to worry about, they still had problems.

Icarus flung himself to the ground and burst into tears immediately.

He was sure they were doomed to die of thirst and starvation, fumbling around in the dark.

A bad attitude is a way of looking at things that is detrimental to others, yourself, and/or the situation.

It tends to aggravate problems, causes distractions, and lowers the opinion others have of that person.

I see what you're getting at here, and you're not far off, Oracle.

Icarus was obviously terrified and distraught, but Daedalus was a problem solver.

He had spent years inventing things to fix people's problems and he was ready for this one.

He was already working on a plan for their escape.

This is called positive thinking.

Research done at the world-famous Mayo Clinic has shown that positive thinking helps with stress management and can even have actual physical health benefits.

Now, Daedalus was scared and upset, too, but he and his team had built the labyrinth and he knew all of its secrets.

Surely one of them would help now.

Daedalus began feeling around in the dark.

Once he found the wall of the tunnel, he took his son's hand and they made their way deeper into the maze.

Shouldn't we stay here?

asked Icarus.

I mean, closer to the doors?

But Daedalus slowly guided them further into the maze.

No, he told his son, they won't let us out and we'll never get through those doors.

Our only chance is to find another way out.

Icarus wasn't convinced.

He rolled his eyes and he stamped his feet.

He thought their best bet was calling to be let out, begging for mercy from the king, and he didn't want to lose sight of the entryway.

You forget, my son, said Daedalus, it was I who designed this maze.

It will not be easy, but there is no one better to guide you through.

We will find a way

And so they continued, deeper and deeper into the labyrinth.

But first, a word from our sponsor.

Hey there, do you ever wonder what would happen if Cinderella started her own rock band or if Medusa realized just how cool her hair was?

Well, there's a Webby award-winning show called Girl Tales that takes classic stories and puts a unique twist on them, giving girls the chance to save the day, use their intelligence and bravery, and show that they can be the heroes of their own stories.

If you are ready for an adventure, find Girl Tales wherever you get your podcasts.

The world's best-selling National Geographic Kids Almanac is bursting with fun tent, including interviews with explorers in each chapter, incredible photos, tons of facts, and fascinating features on animals, science, nature, technology, and conservation.

You can also check out the practical reference material, including fully updated maps of every country and homework help on key topics.

There's something for everyone, available wherever books are sold.

Discover more at bit.lead slash goalmanac.

That's bit.ly forward slash G-O-A-L-M-A-N-A-C.

They walked very slowly at first, taking small, careful steps one at a time, but after a while, while, Daedalus and Icarus grew more confident and began to walk almost normally.

They turned occasionally.

If they came to a dead end or an intersection, Daedalus would stop, think for a moment, and then move confidently in one direction or another.

After a few hours, Daedalus suddenly stopped dead in his tracks.

Icarus bumped into him so hard they both almost fell.

Do you feel that?

Daedalus asked his son.

Feel what?

Hold your hand hand out above your head.

At first, Icarus felt nothing.

Just a small breeze, maybe.

And then he realized, I feel a breeze.

Fresh air, of course.

There has to be a way for air to get in here.

Daedalus chuckled with pride.

They could indeed feel air coming from the vent, even if they couldn't see it.

Daedalus had ordered the vent be put in, leading straight out onto the mountain's cliff face.

That was going to be their way out.

The movement of air through the atmosphere is called wind.

Wind is created mainly by uneven heating of the planet by the sun, causing changes in atmospheric pressure.

When air molecules are moving from regions with high pressure to those with low pressure, this is wind.

The father and son moved through the maze carefully, but with a purpose.

They stopped every now and then to feel for the slight breeze, just a slight flow of air.

After a few turns, they wound up in what seemed to be a far corner of the maze.

It was cooler here, and in the ceiling above the corner, they felt a strong push of air.

Although it was almost impossible to see, Daedalus knew there was a narrow passage that would lead to the outside.

Icarus helped his father up to the opening, and Daedalus returned the favor by pulling his son up into the small tunnel.

Slowly, the pair scraped and crawled their way forward through the cold stone air shaft, working their way ahead on their bellies, banging elbows and knees on rocks and gravel.

It took forever, hours that seemed like days, but eventually the air grew fresher and the darkness lessened until they pulled their way out into the sun.

They had done it.

They had escaped the labyrinth.

They squirmed out of the passage and squeezed through a small crevice near the top of the mountain, happy to be far away from the maze concealed below it.

But now the two had another problem.

They were on a high ledge up the side of a mountain without any way down.

From their vantage point, they could see what seemed like all of Crete, the palace, the towns.

They could even see all the way out to the beautiful sea.

The ancient Greek storyteller Homer uses the term wine dark sea to describe the Mediterranean Sea five times in the Iliad and twelve times in the Odyssey.

Wine Dark Sea?

Was it red back then?

Some scholars have theorized that the sea just looked different back then, and some think it was because the Greek language at that time did not have a word for blue.

Others say it is just poetic fancy talk.

This is worse than before, Icarus cried.

But Daedalus just shook his head.

He was in problem-solving mode.

There has to be a way to get down safely, Daedalus said.

Icarus was not a happy camper.

He was more than a little afraid of heights since his cousin Talos had died trying to learn how to fly.

He wanted to go back down.

He wanted to be anywhere but up here.

Icarus started to say something, but Daedalus shushed him impatiently.

Icarus had seen that look on his father's face many times before.

Daedalus had an idea, and he was working on a plan.

And and once those wheels started turning, there was no stopping them.

Daedalus made them explore the area of the mountain they could reach, making Icarus pick up sticks as they went, rolling his eyes and stomping his feet the whole time.

Soon their arms were getting full as they trudged along, stopping only occasionally to watch the birds fly overhead.

There were eagles nesting in the rocks nearby, and every time he caught sight of one, Daedalus would stop and stare, focusing on the giant birds as they flew out over the sea.

The golden eagle is a majestic animal and the most dominant bird of prey in all of Europe.

Unfortunately, the species in Greece is endangered, with only a few pairs left, mostly on the island of Crete.

The two decided to stop for the night after a long day of escaping.

After moving around so much throughout the years, both father and son were used to roughing it.

They trapped a rabbit for dinner, and Daedalus made a fire.

He left Icarus with instructions on how to cut and sharpen the sticks they'd gathered and went off to search the nearby area.

When Daedalus returned with a honeycomb from an old beehive, Icarus was thrilled.

Honey with their supper!

But Daedalus actually had another plan in mind.

He hollowed out a bowl from the wood and slowly boiled the honeycomb down and strained it through the cloth of his tunic until he had beeswax.

Today, the average person in Greece consumes approximately 3.6 pounds of honey a year, the largest amount per person in the EU, and more than double U.S.

consumption.

According to a 2013 study, Greece has the densest population of bee colonies in Europe, with 11.4 colonies per square kilometer.

After a night of rest, Daedalus had Icarus climb up to the eagle's nest and return with as many feathers feathers as he could find.

Daedalus then tied the sticks together as two frames.

He and Icarus painted them with the sticky wax and then covered them with feathers.

Once they were done, they had two giant sets of eagle wings.

Obviously, at this point, Icarus knew where this was going and he was not on board.

With the wings on his back, looking out over the sheer cliff face, he couldn't help remembering Talos and his ill-fated attempt at flight.

The winds up here were strong, so Dalus had to shout to make sure his son heard the instructions.

Listen very carefully to what I say, he told his son.

It is important that you remember this.

Do not fly too low.

If you get too close to the sea, the ocean spray will make your feathers wet, the wax will slip, and your wings will fall apart.

And do not fly too high.

If you get too close to the sun, the wax will melt, your feathers will come loose, and your wings will fall apart.

Just follow me, and we will soon be resting on another island across the ocean.

Moments later, Daedalus jumped.

For a moment, he dropped.

But then, he spread his arms, pushed his wings out, and flew.

Icarus was quick to follow.

He knew he had to act fast or he'd lose his nerve.

Spreading his wings as he dove forward, Icarus felt the air push his wings upwards, his shoulders caught the weight, and he soared.

It was magnificent.

Although the mechanics are different, this is actually being done today.

The modern wingsuit adds surface area to the human body to enable a significant increase in lift when falling.

The greatest horizontal distance flown in a wingsuit is just under 19 miles.

Icarus soon got the knack of flying and before long was able to swoop and soar and bank left and right.

He whooped and cried out for joy as he did loop-de-loops and barrel rolls.

Daedalus called to him to fly straight and easy, but Icarus was having too much fun.

He would dive towards the sea, pull up quickly, and shoot back up towards the sun, going a little higher each time.

Again, Daedalus warned his son, pleading with him not to fly too high or too low.

But Icarus was having too much fun to listen to his grumpy old man.

Icarus decided to do another giant dive, and as he pulled up, his wings pulled him up further than he'd ever been.

He felt the hot sun on his face.

He could smell the heat in the air, and at that moment, He realized his mistake.

He had gone too high.

And it was too late.

The wax on his wings began to melt just as Daedalus said it would, and the feathers began to pull off the makeshift wings.

First one at a time, and then in clumps.

And in just a few seconds, poor Icarus went from flying and soaring to simply falling and falling fast.

Screaming until his throat was sore, Daedalus watched as his son vanished into the sea.

He swooped down as low as he could, but there was no sign of the boy.

Devastated and exhausted, Daedalus finally landed on the beaches of the nearby island of Sicily, where he fell to his knees in the sand and wept.

Where the body of Icarus landed, an island appeared.

It was eventually named Icaria in his honor.

Daedalus was welcomed by Cocolus, the king of Sicily, and was invited to live there for as long as he liked.

But King Minos had not forgotten Daedalus.

He learned of his escape and longed for revenge.

And he had a plan to find him.

Minos and his minions traveled the region offering a great reward for anyone who could solve a puzzle he had created.

Wherever he went, Minos would bring a large spiral seashell with him, challenging all he encountered to thread a string through its many interconnected chambers.

If they could do it successfully, they would win their reward.

When Minos's travels brought him to Sicily, King Cocolus immediately wanted the reward.

So he brought the seashell to Daedalus in secret.

Of course, Daedalus, inventor and problem solver, knew exactly what to do.

He drilled a tiny hole at the top of the shell and placed a drop of honey at the bottom of the shell.

Then, he glued a string to an ant and pushed it through the hole.

Eventually, the little ant was lured through the shell by the honey, and Cocolus was able to return to Minos with the puzzle solved.

Ants have an exceptionally keen sense of smell.

They have four to five times more odor receptors than most other insects.

This is as strong or stronger than many dogs.

Naturally, Minos knew that he had found Daedalus.

He knew that the inventor was the only person who could have possibly solved solved the seashell puzzle.

He demanded that King Cocolus turn Daedalus over to him and refused to pay the reward until he had done so.

But Cocolus wasn't like Minos.

He treated the people who had helped him well.

So now it was Cocolus' turn to be tricky.

The ancient Greeks really prized brains over brawn.

They thought a proper hero needed metis, or wisdom and cunning, in order to be a true hero.

He agreed to turn Daedalus over to King Minos the following morning, and in the meantime, he invited the king to spend the night.

During his time on the island of Sicily Daedalus was credited with creating other marvels like a perfect honeycomb made of gold and a fortified citadel that was so well designed three or four men could hold off an entire invading army.

He also built a beautiful temple to honor the god Apollo and it was there that he hung up his wings vowing never to fly again.

Thanks for listening to this week's episode of Greaking Out.

Stay Stay tuned for next week's episode where we take a tour of ancient Greece's most wanted villains.

National Geographic Kids Greaking Out is written and hosted by Kenny Curtis with Tori Kerr as the oracle of Wi-Fi.

Audio production and sound design by Scotty Beam.

Diane Klein is our expert researcher and Perry Gripp composed our themes.

Emily Everhart is our production manager.