About

Icarus

In Greek mythology, Icarus (Ἴκαρος, Íkaros, Vikare) is the son of the master craftsman Daedalus. Often depicted in art, Icarus and his father attempt to escape from the island of Crete by means of wings that his father constructed from feathers and wax. Icarus' father warns him first of complacency and then of hubris (denoting highly unacceptable, arrogant behaviour) asking that he fly neither too low nor too high, because the sea's dampness would clog or the sun's heat would melt his wings. Icarus ignored instructions not to fly too close to the sun, and the melting wax caused him to fall into the sea where he drowned. This tragic theme of failed ambition is one thing The Icarus Institute sets out to challenge and overcome.