In the classic story of complacency and hubris, Daedalus warns Icarus to fly neither too close to the sun, for fear of the heat melting the waxen wings, nor too close to the sea, for fear of the moisture from the water dampening the feathers. Evening (The Fall of Day) by William Rimmer So, who is Icarus?Īccording to ancient Greek mythology, Icarus was the son of the master craftsman Daedalus, whom had crafted wings for his son out of feathers and wax in order to escape from Crete. Though much speculation exists on whether the logo actually represents Icarus, the official Led Zeppelin website sells merchandise with the symbol on it and refers to it as Icarus, so that’s what we’re going with here. The original artwork is said to be a depiction of Apollo, the Olympian god of the sun and light, though others have considered it to be a depiction of Lucifer, or in Led Zeppelin’s case, Icarus. Rimmer’s drawing is called Evening (The Fall of Day), naturally his most famous work due to the connection with Zeppelin, and it currently resides in the Boston Museum of Fine Arts. The Led Zeppelin Icarus symbol was initially based upon a drawing done sometime around 1870 by the American painter William Rimmer, which the band saw and decided to adopt into their Swan Song Records logo.

In time, of course, the Icarus symbol became synonymous with the band itself, and today it can certainly be counted in the ranks of Led Zeppelin logos, right along with the four symbols (i.e Zoso) that initially appeared on the inner sleeve of Led Zeppelin IV. You’ve certainly seen the Icarus symbol on Led Zeppelin t-shirts, posters, and the works, but it’s important to note that the logo was initially not for the band itself but rather just for the label. This label was called Swan Song Records, and it launched in May of 1974 featuring an artists rendition of the angel Icarus as its mascot.

In 1973, the five-year contract agreement that Led Zeppelin had made with Atlantic Records expired, and instead of signing a new deal with Atlantic or another label, the band decided to start their own record label.

Led zeppelin logos