Carry On My Wayward Son
Did Icarus listen to his father’s advice? Of course not. He did it all so we could have a cool allegory to point to when people attempt feats beyond their means and fail. That’s dedication, holmes.
The story of Icarus and Daedalus is probably one of the most well known tales from Greek culture. It has spawned numerous stories and even a video game (though that was pretty loosely based on the story). This is one of those stories from myth and legend that you know isn’t true, couldn’t possibly have been true, and which you can be pretty sure most people probably didn’t actually believe. One of the interesting things about myth is that it wasn’t all a part of some dogmatic religion. Looking at stories from the past through the prism of modern religion can be a dangerous thing and awfully misleading. What the tale illustrates remarkably well is the foolishness of youth and the failure that comes from trying to push too far beyond your limitations. That’s sort of depressing to us now, especially in the US where we tell our children “Anyone can grow up to be president!” but it is helpful in teaching us that we all have limitations and we should be aware of them.
Icarus is such a passing figure in myth, it’s a bit sad. You’d think the child of a brilliant inventor who crops up with a fair degree of consistency would be a bit more intelligent and cautious. I guess the story also shows us that not everyone takes after their parents.
Daedalus, on the other hand, is incredibly interesting for a variety of reasons. You’ve got this genius figure who is very nearly the embodiment of scientific thought for his time. He’s making mazes to cage horrifying monsters, he’s building wings for flight and inadvertently burning his son, and he’s crafting some of the simple tools we now take for granted today (the saw, for example). Yet, despite his intelligence and ingenuity, he’s a bit of a confused figure. Some of his work does incredible good for mankind and some of it does accidental evil. The character himself is still very representative of science as a whole. The act of discovery and invention can have unintended consequences.
But in the end, it seems the work of Daedalus and those like him is simply too important. Without risk there is no reward and if one learns from one’s mistakes then progress can be made and that’s important to recognize.
You are so cool.
I think I’ve said this already but I love your little mythology lessons.
but think about all of the popular culture references that could come of such a feat!
thank you for writing this comic man, it’s always a treat to see a new happle tea . . . i’d love to see a shirt with icarus mid-flight, wings already melting, daedalus running along behind him, (mayhap with red string attached to his suddenly kite-like son, or is that mixing myth too much?), and the tag . . . ‘do it for the awesome allegories’ but that may be just me
It seems Icarus is in fashion this week! I’ve seen him hanging out over on Kate Beaton’s site http://www.harkavagrant.com/
Self-awareness can be a dangerous thing. Also, I think more comics need the tag ‘oh shit’.
I hate to be the one to point this out, because I love your comics–but weren’t the wings made in order to escape from the tower prison that Icarus and Daedalus had been locked up in by some angry king?
Everyone is making comics about Icarus ‘__ ‘
Gotta wake up at the crack o’ noon.
@Hall To the best of my knowledge you’re mostly right (and being corrected surely doesn’t upset me haha). However, Daedalus and Icarus were, in the original tellings of the story, kept on Crete by King Minos for whom the master inventor had built the Labyrinth. There wasn’t much in the stories about exactly HOW they were imprisoned except for details on how they could not escape by sea due to the might of Minos’ navy, causing them to take to the air. It wasn’t until Ovid (a Roman poet) that the story was embellished and a tower was added to keep them locked up. Ovid is responsible for a lot of these embellishments to older Greek tales. Normally I’d use his iteration but I didn’t have time to draw a tower hahah
Anyway, I’m fairly sure that’s correct but it can be terribly difficult when dealing with stories like this that have been edited and messed around with for a long time.
@Nina I loooooove Hark a Vagrant! Kate Beaton is amazing but I wish she’d get on some kind of schedule because I keep missing strips for a week or more!
Interesting timing. Nintendo just revealed the new game Kid Icarus: Uprising over at E3. 😛
i love the tags “Oh shit son, Wings!”
Holy crap, this fits perfectly with Nintendo’s Press Conference at E3
– New Kid Icarus game, and it actually looks decent
K, i just want you to know that i just read all the comics in one day, and i could not be happier. you inspire me. Happle Tea and xkcd are now tied for my favorite webcomic. I am not a good artist but i would like to be as good as you one day.
My sister-in-law named her cat Icarus. Nerdiest 10-year-old ever. ^_^
I’ve been following this comic for awhile, and every new strip makes my day. The price of the shirt was well worth supporting future of Happle Tea. Keep ’em coming!
“Melting point of wax” -Thrice
Good song, check it out! :3
…Ironic how the long lost Kid Icarus franchise was announced a new game after a decade for the Nintendo 3DS just a day after this comic
In fashion indeed
“Bark like a dog”
And even after all that, people still whine like a bunch of babies because we -might- create a black hole with the LHC.
That’s some Tower of Babel shit right there, son.
this was really cool. I enjoyed the comic and your description.
Watch and Listen to this video, i think you may like it much.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Olw-y3G8iUs
Great comic, except for one thing. Icarus and his father created the wax wings in order to escape a prison tower located on an isolated cliff. Then he flew too close to the sun.
Wanted to let you know:
First of all, as you have probably already heard numerous times, great comic.
Second of all, I love your naming of this one, as it alludes to the Kansas song “Carry On My Wayward Son”, and playing on the idea as well, Kansas also did a song called “Icarus (Borne On Wings of Steel)” I am not sure if you knew, that is; if it was purposely done, or a happy accident. Either or, well done. here’s a link to the song.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p2scCQOwBDo
Jigsaw
Try reading The Mazemaker, a novel of Daedalus. It’s got action, science, divine shenanigans, romance, and porn, all wrapped together.