Aviation history: The desire to fly in the mythology
The history of flight is the history of a dream. Human beings have been obsessed by the idea of flight since the dawn of recorded history. Men have always imagined themselves cavorting among the clouds, wheeling and soaring like birds. The mythology of many cultures abounds with gods and kings borne through the air; the power of flight was often attributed to gods. Allegorical figures and fantastic creatures representing flight abound and frequently take the form of flying beasts or human figures equipped with wings. Myths and legends have played an important part in man’s conquest of the air; if he could fly, man would escape the troubles of earth, be free as a bird and be closer to the gods. The intensity of ancient man’s desire to fly can be found in many philatelic reproductions.
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40th Anniversary of ICAO - Icarus in Flight |
One of the best-loved stories in mythology concerning flight is the tale coming from Greece about Daedalus and his son Icarus. Daedalus was a famous architect, inventor, and master craftsman. He worked for King Minos of Crete and built the labyrinth in which the monstrous Minotaur was imprisoned. Incurring the King’s displeasure, Daedalus and his son Icarus were jailed in the labyrinth. As Minos controlled the sea around Crete, Daedalus realized that the only way to escape was by air and built wings for him and Icarus, fashioned with feathers held together with wax. They successfully flew from Crete, but Icarus grew exhilarated by the thrill of flying and soared too close to the sun god Helios; the wax holding together his wings melted from the heat and he fell to his death, drowning in the sea. Daedalus’s flight long has stood as a symbol of safety, success and progress in flight. But flying was also for the gods; Icarus, a mortal, shouldn't have tried and was punished for his arrogance. Several stamps have pictured this story. The picture of Icarus was recommended to ICAO Contracting States as one of the designs for stamps commemorating its 40th anniversary in 1984. Several countries took the opportunity to celebrate this anniversary with the suggested design.
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First day cover commemorating the 53rd anniversary of Santos-Dumont’s first sustained flight in Europe at the Bagatelle, Paris on 23 October 1906 with his machine, the No. 14-bis; it was issued for the Semana Da Asa (Aviation Week) in October 1959. The cachet and the stamp show allegorical figures representing flight and the great desire to flight and symbolize man’s long-time fascination with the impossible notion of flying like a bird through the air. |
First Day Cover with handmade design showing Pegasus for the ICAO Diplomatic Conference on International Air Law held at Roma in 1952. This Conference adopted a new air law convention on damage caused by foreign aircraft to third parties on the surface. |
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ICAO 40th anniversary Hang‑glider over the Caicos. Icarus flying over Caicos Islands towards the sun and losing his wings |
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The mural in anodized aluminum, Man in Flight, commissioned by Switzerland from Hans Erni’s design, was originally planned for the entrance lobby to ICAO’s prior headquarters on 1000 Sherbrooke West and was installed there in 1975. It covered three sides of the main elevator core of the building. The main side of the mural shows Daedalus on the left and a winged horse on the right.
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The mural Man in Flight was relocated in the lobby of ICAO’s current headquarters on 999 Boulevard Robert-Bourassa.
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The main figure of Erni’s mural, adapted to become Icarus flying towards the sun, was the picture of ICAO’s 40th anniversary poster, and later was regularly used by ICAO on covers for its documents and CDs. |
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Yemen - 40th Anniversary of ICAO Winged figure. |
40th Anniversary of ICAO in 1984. The winged horse Pegasus on the Somali miniature sheet. |
Another mythological trend is that of flying horses. Pegasus is a winged horse that played part in several legends of the Greek mythology. A version of the legend reports that this magical winged horse was born on earth. One day, as it was drinking from the spring of Pirene in Corinth, Bellerophon broke him in. Mounted on the miraculous steed, the latter accomplished great exploits, showing that thanks to gods’ mankind can tame the elements. Bellerophon wanted eventually to ascend into the heavens. Zeus, the king of the gods in Greek mythology, unseated him and the winged horse was changed into a constellation. Pegasus can be compared to today’s finest raced horses and represents a kind of immortality, i.e., the rider of Pegasus could fly through the air to reach the heavens. Therefore, Pegasus symbolizes mankind’s desire to take the air, as well as the capricious nature of the element.
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Odin in the Nordic mythology. |
The Christian Annunciation. |
Other flying horses are found in the Valkyries, courageous warriors at the service of Odin and illustrated in Scandinavian mythology on the backs of winged horses, or in Tulpar, a winged or swift horse in Turkic mythology, etc.
While the Greek and Roman mythologies are filled with gods who fly, nearly all ancient cultures contain myths, legends, folklore and popular fiction about flying, such as, to name only a few: in China, the many legendary emperors flying in chariots or with the use of wings; in Persia, King Kay Kāvus who attached eagles to his throne and flew around his kingdom; in Africa, Kibaga the warrior who flew invisibly over his enemies and dropped rocks on them; the mythical and legendary British King Bladud, who killed himself while flying over New Troy (now London) site with artificial wings; Fūjin, the Shinto god of the wind, one of the most ancient figures in the Japanese religion, etc. The legendary failures bear the message that man was never meant to fly. The ancient Hebrews had traditions of placing wings on the seraphim and on the cherubim.
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Māori Kite |
Kites appear in myths and legends in Asia and Polynesia and provide a link between deities and humans; man was so determined that he built himself a kite big enough to carry him into the sky so high that he became an immortal deity. For Balinese Hindus, kites were originally used to send messages to the gods and to implore for a bountiful harvest. Kite (or Manu) mythology is prolific in Māori folklore; ancient Māori kite flying traditions have a highly symbolic connection to Matariki, a small cluster of stars, also known as Pleiades.
If human beings have always been eager to attribute magical properties to what they don't understand, the Middle Ages showed faint glimmers of reasoning for apprehending flight.
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