In Greek mythology, Daedalus was an inventor and artist and the father of Icarus. He fashioned wings from wax and feathers for himself and his son and, together, they used them to escape their island prison. During their esacpe, Daedalus warned his son not to approach the sun, as the heat would melt the wax. Ignoring his father, as he was swept up in the exhiliration of flying, Icarus flew too close to the sun and his wings melted. He plunged to his death in the sea. The latter part was dismissed as poetic license by Tom Paris.