Daedalus and Icarus

Daedalus was the archetypal master-architect. Originally the stories say he was from Crete, and after designing Minos’ palace, a cow-suit for Minos’ wife Pasiphae, and then a maze-enclosure for the dread child of Pasiphae and the white bull, Minos imprisoned Daedalus and his son, Icarus, in a Tower in the palace so that no one else could take advantage of his art and his knowledge.

Inspired by the birds that visited the tower, Daedalus collected feathers to make artificial wings for him and his son. It’s common knowledge that this did not end well for Icarus.

Daedalus went on to be adopted by the Athenians, who later retold his story with him as originally Athenian which fit their ‘cradle of knowledge’ Mythos, and fit with the anti-Minos theme of the original Minotaur story.

You May find it interesting to know that ‘labyrinth’ means ‘place of the labrys (double-headed axes’, and not actually ‘maze’. Thus, ‘labyrinth’ could actually refer to the palace itself, not a special place constructed as a maze. Read more here: https://greekmythcomix.com/comic/theseus-and-the-minotaur-pt2/

Picture 1 taken of the reconstructed tower room above the ‘Throne Room’ at Knossos Palace, Crete.

Picture 2 taken at Kalathas beach, North-East Crete.

Comix drawn in transit!