Icarus Allusion
In the Greek myth of “Icarus and Daedalus,” a father and son attempted to flee from an island where they were
held prisoner. The father, Daedalus, constructed two pairs of wings out of wax and feathers. Attaching the
wings to their arms, he and his son Icarus managed to escape, flying over the ocean.
Icarus, however, overcome with the joy of flying, started soaring higher and higher toward the sun. Eventually,
the sun melted the wax of his wings and they disintegrated, causing Icarus to fall to his death. This story has had
an influence on modern media, with a number of stories about characters flying too high (literally and
figuratively) and suffering the consequences.
Modern allusions
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The first Iron Man film had Tony fly toward the moon, causing a buildup of ice on his suit. He later solves
this problem and uses it to his advantage against an enemy.
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In Eragon, neither Eragon nor his dragon, Saphira, knows that air gets thinner the higher you go. One
night, they fly too high. The lack of air makes it impossible for Saphira to concentrate and communicate
mentally with Eragon, and she doesn't realize there's a problem until Eragon passes out.
Referenced in Kansas' song "Carry On Wayward Son".
Once I rose above the noise and confusion
Just to get a glimpse beyond this illusion
I was soaring ever higher
But I flew too high
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In an episode of My Little Pony Friendship Is Magic, Twilight Sparkle makes some magical wings for
Rarity, warning her that they are very delicate. Ignoring this, Rarity enters a flying competition, deciding to
fly as high as possible so that the sun would shine through her wings and cover Cloudsdale in colorful light.
The sun burns her wings up, and Rarity plummets nearly to her death, being saved only at the last moment
by Rainbow Dash.
Icarus also shows up in the Hercules animated series. Naturally, he has a permanent tan and lightning boltshaped hair. The opening even shows him flying up against the sun, buring his wings, and falling.
In the South Park episode "Cartman's Incredible Gift" Cartman tries to fly from his roof with cardboard
wings and ends up in the hospital recovering from head trauma. The cops believe that he now has psychic
abilities because they have heard of similar cases; they take his advice and dismiss Kyle's. Kyle concludes
he has to be as stupid as Cartman to be acknowledged. Before he does so, Butters tells him not to fly too
close to the sun.
After reading the myth of Icarus and Daedalus, compare and contrast it to Iron Maiden’s “Flight of Icarus”
"Flight of Icarus"
As the sun breaks, above the ground,
An old man stands on the hill.
As the ground warms, to the first rays of light
A birdsong shatters the still.
His eyes are ablaze,
See the madman in his gaze.
Fly on your way, like an eagle,
Fly as high as the sun,
On your way, like an eagle,
Fly and touch the sun.
Now the crowd breaks and a young boy appears
Looks the old man in the eye
As he spreads his wings and shouts at the crowd
In the name of God my father I fly.
His eyes seem so glazed
As he flies on the wings of a dream.
Now he knows his father betrayed
Now his wings turn to ashes to ashes his grave
Fly, on your way, like an eagle,
Fly as high as the sun,
On your way, like an eagle,
Fly as high as the sun.
On your way, like an eagle,
Fly, touch the sun
On your way, like an eagle,
Fly
Fly as high as the sun.