Welcome back to our series World Mythology Warnings for Today. In case you missed our previous (and first) episode, be sure you click here to explore what happened in Persia. In today’s second episode, we’ll revisit Ancient Greece as we present a tale that has been told across generations: Icarus’s Flight. This particular legend captures a dangerous moment of human ambition gone awry; and where balance (neither too much nor too little) was meant to be the guiding principle. Icarus is the famed young lad in Ancient Greek legends who flew too close to the sun, and faced dire consequences that cost him his youthful life. His tale is a tragic legacy that has found new life in today’s interpretations—especially when it comes to people who take modern technological advancements too far to the extremes. Let us begin with a bit of the myth’s background story to set things into motion: Read Part 1 Of Flight and Fall This story first begins on the island of Crete. It was here where the brilliant craftsman Daedalus and his young son Icarus found themselves trapped in a sprawling labyrinth. Furthermore, this very labyrinth happens to be a complex prison built by Daedalus himself for the tyrannical King Minos. The despotic king decided to have Daedalus imprisoned so that the former could abuse the latter’s gifted craftsmanship for his own gain, whilst also preventing Daedalus from sharing his genius inventions to the outside world. In addition, the king feared that Daedalus would reveal his secrets (and scandals) to other rival realms. As a means to control Daedalus on a tighter leash and to ensure the craftsman’s allegiance, Icarus was held hostage by King Minos as collateral. Daedalus, however, was determined to break free… and so the craftsman turned to his own ingenuity to come up with a solution. The craftsman began to make plans by fashioning wings from feathers gathered on the island and then using wax to bind them. He made wings for himself as well as for his son Icarus, and the two were ready to make their escape. Before taking flight, Daedalus gave his son this one solemn warning: Stay in the middle course. Do not fly too low where the sea’s spray could weigh down the wings, and do not fly too high where the sun’s heat would melt them. With the hope of freedom at last, both father and son leapt from the cliffs and soared above the Aegean. As Icarus made his first flight and finally felt the taste of liberation, the young lad was caught in the thrill of flying… and thus he forgot his father’s words. The rush of freedom pulled him higher and higher, with the sun’s warmth getting dangerously close. As Icarus increased altitude, the wax in his wings softened before dripping away. Eventually the feathers scattered, and Icarus lost control of his flight. Thrill turned into terror, and alas… the boy plummeted into the ocean below to his tragic demise. Today this part of the ocean is called the Icarian Sea in his memory. Daedalus felt both horror and helplessness, having just witnessed his son vanish beneath the waves. This legend is a stark reminder of what happens when caution is swept aside by dangerous exuberance when left unchecked. Icarus as a Warning to the Modern World Fast forward to today and Icarus’s wings feel much closer than ever. The myth has found new life as a metaphor for our era’s bold ventures where we reach for heights once thought of as impossible. Space exploration echoes Icarus’ flight as a big example. When NASA’s Apollo missions landed humans on the moon during 1969, the event embodied the triumph of humanity’s ingenuity. However, notable disasters like the 1986 Challenger explosion remind us about the risks when ambition outpaces caution. The drive to explore distant planets pushes technology to its limits, yet each mission carries the haunting shadow of Icarus’ molten wings. Artificial intelligence offers another parallel warning. As we build systems that mimic human thought, the potential for breakthroughs is staggering. Think of medical diagnostics to autonomous vehicles, or even AI-generated videos as well as deep fakes. With that being said, warnings from experts (like those in a 2023 open letter calling for AI safety protocols) highlight the dangers of unchecked development. Could AI soar too high and give us an Icarian-level mishap that leads to unintended consequences? Who knows. What is known is that the classic myth urges us to pause for a moment… and to weigh the risks. Genetic engineering invites the Icarian comparison too. CRISPR technology is a major example which edits DNA with precision, with the potential to fix and cure genetic diseases. However, CRISPR and designer babies are such controversial topics for they mess with the ethics of what makes us human. The idea of tweaking embryos to pick traits like eye color, height or even intelligence would freak morals out. It’s like we’re playing God, and there’s a real fear it could lead to a world where only the rich get “perfect” kids, widening the gap between the haves and have-nots. Plus, the science isn’t foolproof. Screwing up a gene edit could cause serious health problems that might even last for generations. Then there’s one more ethical issue: babies can’t consent to being edited. Some worry we’re sliding toward a creepy eugenics vibe as a result. It’s like a tug-of-war between hope for curing diseases and dread of a sci-fi dystopia. Human Hubris and Respecting Dangerous Situations At its essence, the flight of Icarus is a cautionary tale about hubris—the dangerous sensation of pride that tempts humans to overstep their limits. Hubris was a grave offense in Ancient Greece as a whole, as it’s a defiance of the natural order that the gods upheld. Icarus’s flight wasn’t just a physical act. It also symbolized a challenge to boundaries set by Nature and wisdom. His fall served as a warning to those who dared too much and
The Gods of Greece, the Autocrats of the Ancient World (Part Three)
There were twelve “core” gods of the ancient Greek pantheon. In the first of these articles we looked at the Big Three, that is Zeus, Poseidon and Hades, and in the second we looked at the main goddesses. Now we get into the really interesting stuff: the specialists. The greater gods may have had responsibilities, but they acted rather as a beneficiary of a charity might: showing an interest, bestowing patronage and holding ultimate responsibility, but not actually doing that much work. The other gods though, they had jobs to do. The twelve Olympian gods include Hermes, for example, forever zipping between gods and mortals and delivering (usually) Zeus’s messages when the latter was too busy elsewhere to attend in person. Demeter, goddess of agriculture is responsible for the harvest, Hephaestus the god of the hearth is constantly making stuff. These gods are occupied, they like to keep busy. There is also a tiny amendment for those keeping track of these twelve gods. While there are twelve Olympians this number does not include Hades, who was separate as king of the underworld and considered a “Chthonic Deity” unlike his siblings. He was included before because no story of the gods of Olympus would be complete without him but in truth he is not one of their number. It is worth the diversion to explore why. Sure, he had his own kingdom (or rather set of kingdoms) but then both Zeus and Poseidon had their own domains, the sea and the sky, and yet they lived on Olympus. What was it that made Hades different? The division between Hades and, say, his brother Zeus is not one of lands divided between the two. The difference comes from the people they rule: Zeus and the Olympians rule over the lands of the living, Hades over the lands of the dead. Hades is even known as “Chthonic Zeus” in some sources, and has his own pantheon of subterranean gods over whom he rules much as Zeus does. Anything that dies belongs to them, but also anything that grows: if it comes from the ground it is Hades, ultimately, that you have to thank. But for most the gods of Greece are those musclebound half naked figures atop their mountain, bronzed and idealized. At least, idealized in their outward appearance: as we have noted with Zeus, their physique may be flawless but their behavior is very flawed indeed. Header Image: Apollo, prettiest of the gods of Greece, hanging out with Hyacinthus and Ciparis. Source: Alexander Ivanov / Public Domain.
