A History of Aeronautics by Evelyn Charles Vivian;William Lockwood Marsh
page 6 of 480 (01%)
page 6 of 480 (01%)
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In a study of the first beginnings of the art, it is worth while
to mention even the earliest of the legends and traditions, for they show the trend of men's minds and the constancy of this dream that has become reality in the twentieth century. In one of the oldest records of the world, the Indian classic Mahabarata, it is stated that 'Krishna's enemies sought the aid of the demons, who built an aerial chariot with sides of iron and clad with wings. The chariot was driven through the sky till it stood over Dwarakha, where Krishna's followers dwelt, and from there it hurled down upon the city missiles that destroyed everything on which they fell.' Here is pure fable, not legend, but still a curious forecast of twentieth century bombs from a rigid dirigible. It is to be noted in this case, as in many, that the power to fly was an attribute of evil, not of good--it was the demons who built the chariot, even as at Friedrichshavn. Mediaeval legend in nearly every cas,attributes flight to the aid of evil powers, and incites well-disposed people to stick to the solid earth--though, curiously enough, the pioneers of medieval times were very largely of priestly type, as witness the monk of Malmesbury. The legends of the dawn of history, however, distribute the power of flight with less of prejudice. Egyptian sculpture gives the figure of winged men; the British Museum has made the winged Assyrian bulls familiar to many, and both the cuneiform records of Assyria and the hieroglyphs of Egypt record flights that in reality were never made. The desire fathered the story then, and until Clement Ader either hopped with his Avion, as is persisted by his critics, or flew, as is claimed by his friends. |
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