Daedalus invented wings to help him and his son Icarus escape from the Labyrinth. After watching seabirds flying around the tower, Daedalus figured out a way to escape. He asked his son Icarus to help him gather feathers left by the birds, and they also picked up pieces of wood that were scattered around the place. They collected available wax from candle drippings around the area. The materials were used as follows:

• The pieces of wood became the frame.
• The feathers were placed to create lift.
• The candle wax became the glue that held the feather to the frame.

When the wings were finally finished, the two executed their plan but not before Daedalus warned Icarus about two things:

• Not to fly too close to the water.
• Not to fly too close to the sun.

Icarus ignored his fathers warning and flew too close to the sun, causing the wax to melt and him to fall into the sea and drown.