In Greek mythology, Icarus is the son of the master craftsman Daedalus. Icarus and his father are often seen in paintings trying to escape from Crete with the help of wings that Daedalus has made from feathers and wax. The story goes that Icarus ignores warnings from his father that if he flies too low the damp from the sea would clog the wings and that if he were to fly too high the sun would melt the wax. Icarus flies too near the sun, the wax melts and he falls into the sea and drowns.