Last semester, I took a class on Greek Mythology. In very first lesson my professor asked one simple question: what is a myth? A myth is a traditional story that holds social power in a group or community (found in the textbook). Social power is the most important part of that sentence. Greek myths were used as ways to control social and societal behaviour.
The story of Icarus is good example. Icarus and his father, Daedalus, were imprisoned on the island of Crete. Daedalus was a master craftsman, and decided to make them both a pair of wings for them to escape. He attached feathers to a wooden frame using wax. He gave one to his son, but warned him. If he flew too low, the sea would clog the wings. If he flew too high, the sun would melt the wax. They strapped the wings to themselves and left. Icarus became very excited at the fact that he was flying. He began soaring high into the skies, ignoring his father’s warning. Alas, the sun melted the wax and Icarus crashed to his death.
Jacob Peter Gowy’s ‘The Fall of Icarus‘
The story of Icarus was told to the youth of Ancient Greece. Even I was told this story by my parents when I was a child. The message is clear: listen to your parents. Otherwise bad things will happen. Is the story a tad extreme for the message? Maybe. But the point is quite clear. It would no doubt make children want to listen to their parents. The story is telling children that their parents are just looking out for them. Their rules are simply in place to protect them from harm.
What stories were told to you as a child? Leave them in the comment section below.
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