Back in the ancient years Daedalus was the son of Metion who was a descendant of the craftsman God Hephaestos. He lived in Athens with his wife Nausicrates and his son Icarus. He was a great architect, artist and inventor. As a sculptor became famous because he was the first who curved the wooden statues with the left foot forward, thus giving them motion.In brief he was a Leonardo da Vinci of his age.

    His reputation was great and King Minos of Crete (Island of the South Aegean sea),invited him to build a palace in the city of Knossos, where he could hide his treasures from his enemies. Daedallus succeeded to build a complicate complex of rooms and corridors, the Labyrinth. So if an enemy was entering in the Labyrinth could not come out. For additional security let live in there Minotaur, who was half man and half bull.

    King Minos was grateful to Daedallus but he could not let him go from the island, being afraid that he will tell the secret to the Athenians. The secret was that somebody had to pull with him a sewing thread, before entering to Labyrinth, so he could find his way out. Deadallus told the secret to King Minos daughter named Ariadni. She fell in love with Thesseus, who was the son of King Aegean of Athens and told him the secret as well. Theseus entered into Labyrinth and killed Minotaur who was eating 7 virgin Athenians girls per year, who where offered to King Minos as a peace gift.

    Deadallus had ready the solution for this difficult situation and by using his talent built wings glued with wax for him and Icarus. Test pilot was Icarus who managed to get from DHV (Daedalus Heat Vortex) a temporal certification according to which he should not fly near the sun.

    King Minos believed that Daedallus betrayed him and the two pioneer pilots escaped by air. Icarus flew near the sun and after his wings melted, dropped into the sea near the island, that is called today Ikaria. Deadallus arrived safe in Athens and then traveled a lot running away from King Minos who was chasing him .He built a temple to Apollo at the city of Kyme and dedicated his wings to God. He finally went to Sicily at the services of King Cocallus.

    A trick was inverted by King Minos to locate Deadallus. He put a puzzle to people, giving anonymously a great award,if anyone could pass a thread through a shell twisted round and round. Deadallus said to King Cocallus how to solve the puzzle, by tiding a thread to an ant and then let the ant go round and round in a spiral shell and finally come out from the other side. Although King Minos knew that he was close to Deadallus, did not succeed to find him because he was killed by the three daughters of King Cocallus. Icarus was worshiped as a hero for his sacrifice, among the very few of the Greek mythology and still in our days keeps the most of the family's reputation.

    Panayiotis Kaniamos info@paragliding.gr