Phaethon: Shining Hero Flashcards
1
Q
Who is Phaethon and what does he do?
A
- Phaethon is the son of Clymene and Helios
- He wants confirmation from his father that he is the sun god
- Bound by oath, Helios allows him to drive the chariot of the sun
2
Q
How does Phaethon die?
A
- He is unable to keep the horses on tracks and he scorches the earth
- Zeus kills Phaethon with a lightning bolt to prevent more destruction
- Catasterization: he is transformed into a constellation called Auriga; ‘the Charioteer’
3
Q
Tell the story of Daedalus and Icarus
A
- Daedalus was the Athenian inventor in Crete who made the labyrinth
- He had a son Icarus, whom he was imprisoned with in Minos
- To escape, he made wings of feather made from wax
- As the story goes, Icarus soared towards the sun, the wax melted, and he falls into the sea
- Flying is hubris (humans should not be able to do it)
- As the story goes, Icarus soared towards the sun, the wax melted, and he falls into the sea
