the air while others have magic capes Some use psychic powers to lift themselves up A few have special vehicles that help them fly Human flight is a fantastic idea but it’s not a new one People have been telling similar tales of flying legends for hundreds of years Some of the most well-known stories of flying come from myths Many ancient cultures around the world told stories of gods people and animals that could fly Gods were often said to fly because of their amazing powers Any character who could fly was more heroic simply because everyday people couldn’t fly on their own Something that was normally unable to fly could be made mythical very quickly by adding wings Greek Myths Ancient Greece had several stories of characters who could fly The Greek god Zeus was said to be able to turn into any animal he wished including flying animals Hermes the god of travel had magic sandals with wings that let him fly and travel very quickly Greek stories had mythical flying beasts too Pegasus was a legendary horse with wings Another mythical creature that could 6 The Science of Human Flight
fly was the gryphon Gryphons were described as having the head and wings of an eagle but the body and tail of a lion The idea of a ferocious lion was made more fearsome by the eagle’s flight and good eyesight This damaged statue of Icarus lies outside the Temple of Concordia in Sicily Italy Greek myth had stories about everyday humans flying too Usually these stories were told to teach a lesson One such story is that of Icarus and his father Daedalus Daedalus was a famous builder He was tasked with making a maze called the Labyrinth The Labyrinth was used to Origin Stories 7
confuse and contain the enemies of Minos who was the king of the land When Daedalus helped an enemy of the king escape the Labyrinth Minos imprisoned both Daedalus and Icarus To escape Daedalus created wings out of wax and feathers He made one pair for himself and one for his son Before they flew away Daedalus warned Icarus of the dangers of using the wings If Icarus flew too low the wings would get wet from the ocean and he’d fall If he flew too high the hot sun would melt the wax and Icarus would fall The story ends with Icarus flying too close to the sun then falling into the sea and drowning when his wings melt The point of the story was to warn against being too lazy or too overconfident Other Myths Legends of flying humans can also be found in other cultures Ancient Egyptian and Norse cultures are two examples Norse mythology has multiple characters who drove flying chariots Thor the Norse god of thunder had a chariot pulled by two flying goats Freya a hunting goddess had a feathery cloak that allowed her 8 The Science of Human Flight
This illustration shows the Norse god Odin riding his eight-legged horse Sleipnir to fly Odin the leader of the Norse gods had an eight-legged horse that could fly named Sleipnir Egyptian myths also had flying characters Horus was a god of the sun and sky He had the head of a bird and could fly Thoth the god of wisdom math and writing also had the head of a bird He could change shape into a bird Origin Stories 9
