For thousands of years, people have told stories of wonderous beings that moved through the sky with the grace and ease of the birds. The ability to fly was seen as a sign of greatness and power. The gods and the heroes of many myths were set apart from ordinary people because they could fly. In Greek mythology , Icarus and Daedalus flew on wings made of feathers, twine and flax; King Kaj Kaoos of Persia harnessed eagles to his throne; while Count Twardowski of Poland flew to the moon on the back of a rooster. many people were inspired by visions of joining their heroes in the sky. They strapped wings to their arms and jumped off towers, high buildings and even out of balloons. Some did survive their dramatic falls. In 1507, Scotsman John Damian leapt from the walls of a castle with wings made of chicken feathers and broke only his thigh. He thought he would have been more successful if he had used the feathers of a bird that could really fly. The modern hero superman can fly "faster than a speeding bullet". It seems our desire to believe in flying heroes continues.
In Ancient Greece the inventor Daedalus was said to have been imprisoned along with his son on the island of Crete. Daedalus built wings of feathers and wax so that they could fly to freedom across the sea. But icarus was so fascinated by the power of his wings that he grew reckless and flew too close to the sun, melting the wax of his wings. He crashed into the sea and perished. Daedalus, who flew more slowly and carefully, made the journey to the distant island safely.
A Chariot of Wings
Alexander the Great was said to have flown by harnessing four griffins, mythical winged-animals, to a basket. He placed meat on his spear and enticed them to fly after it.
A Winged Horse
According to Greek legend, Bellerophon the valiant, son of the king of Corinth, captured a winged horse called Pegasus. He flew through the clouds to find and defeat in battle the triple-headed monster Chimera.
A Touch of Spring
The Egyptian goddess Queen Isis had wings like a falcon. Each year she flew over the Earth and brought spring to the land.
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