Icarus and Apollo by Jay Bell

Author:Jay Bell
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: gay, lgbt, queer, legends, love story, gods, mythology, gay romance, myths, icarus
Publisher: Jay Bell

Author’s Note:

When retelling this myth, there was very little I needed to invent. Most of the events are recounted in legend, although the details often vary.

Daedalus was a recurring figure in mythology, a sort of Da Vinci who was mixed up in a number of notable stories. He did indeed face trial for pushing his nephew off the top of the Acropolis and was afterwards banished to Crete, where he got into the same trouble described in this story. Unlike his son, Daedalus completed his flight, arriving safely in Sicily, where he was welcomed by King Cocalus. Minos, still hungry for revenge, set a trap for the inventor by sending a riddle to all the kingdoms that offered a rich reward to any who could solve it. The challenge was to feed a single thread all the way through a spiral shell and back out again. Daedalus solved this by tying a thread to an ant and luring it into the shell with a drop of honey. The riddle solved, Minos now knew where the inventor was hiding, but when he went to Sicily and demanded that Daedalus be handed over, King Cocalus suggested that Minos recover from his journey with a nice relaxing bath. Minos accepted the offer, and once he was in the tub, the daughter of King Cocalus entered the room and poured boiling hot water over him, killing the cruel monarch. Good riddance. Daedalus continued to grieve the loss of his son while in Sicily. He built a temple to Apollo there and offered his wings to the god, some accounts claiming that he hung them on the temple door.

As for Icarus, the sea where he met his death was named the Icarian Sea in his memory. Hercules himself went to recover Icarus’s body, swimming with it to a nearby island, which was called Icaria from then on. In gratitude for recovering his son, Daedalus carved one of his famous wooden statues of Hercules, poised in a fighting stance. When Hercules saw the statue, he was so convinced that it was real that he felt threatened and smashed it to pieces. The mighty hero was apparently embarrassed and apologetic for the misunderstanding. I know the idea of a wooden statue sounds strange to modern ears, but if you’d like an example of just how beautiful and lifelike they can be, I highly recommend you check out this breathtaking statue of Icarus. Be warned that tasteful nudity is involved.

If you’re wondering what happened to Ariadne and the Minotaur, you can research that myth on your own, although I don’t find it very satisfying. I’d love to write my own version of the story someday. In fact, quite a few myths owe their origins to the mistake Minos made with his white bull. I bet I could fill a book with my take on them all.

Apollo had many lovers according to mythology, both male and female, although Icarus has never been counted among them. His brother, Iapyx, was unsuccessfully pursued by Apollo, according to legend.

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