> In Greek mythology, who flew too close to the sun and accidentally melted thewax on their wings?And the answer is: Icarus. Photo credit: IkarusGlobal.net [https://ikarusglobal.net/blog/icarus-legend/].His father was Daedalus, the creator of the Labyrinth. To help his son escapecaptivity, Daedalus created wings with feathers and wax, and warned his son notto fly too high, as the sun would melt the wax. Icarus ignored his father'swarnings, flew too high, separated from his wings, and fell into the ocean.In mythological ancient Greece, there was one irrevocable rule: mortals couldnot, under any circumstance, attempt to cross the line that separated god fromman. This meant that any attempts to defy mortality and live boundless under theguise of a god would be punished. Severely. And, unfortunately for geniusinventor Daedalus, such a fate befell him and his son as they attempted to taketo the sky. The painful fate of the two men begins much further back, however. Daedalus wasan incredibly talented inventor who, according to myth, invented skills such ascarpentry and designed spaces such as the first bath house and the first dancefloor. In Athens, he was widely regarded as a genius. However, jealousy soonovertook him. Fearing the talents of his nephew, Perdix, Daedalus killed him,and was consequently banished to the island of Crete. Yet, Daedalus was precededby his popular reputation, and was welcomed with open arms. But it was not to last. Daedalus helped devise an invention that led to thecreation of a monstrosity: the Minotaur, a half-man, half-bull. King Minos wasfurious, and forced Daedalus to construct a labyrinth in which the Minotaur wassentenced to wile away his days, then banished the inventor and his son Icarusto a tall tower. Soon, however, Daedalus began to devise another invention: wings. Using candlewax and the feathers of birds, Daedalus and his son soared above the sea tofreedom, becoming the first mortals to ever take to the sky. But the power wastoo great. Icarus flew higher and higher, despite the warnings from his father.Finally, fate befell him, and the wax melted from his wings. Plummeting,Daedalus received a resounding reminder which he would never forget: just asDaedalus ignored the consequences of defying the natural laws of mortal men,Icarus was carried away by his own hubris. In the end, both men paid the pricefor their departure from the path of moderation. Learn more about this ancient myth below.