History Of Kites - Part 2

When they were as high as the string would allow, they called down to the Pharaoh that they were ready to build if he would bring them the brick and mortar. Since the Pharaoh was thought of as a god, this was a simple request. But obviously the Pharaoh could not fly. He knew this and so did the wily vizier. So the Pharaoh had to call the project off in order not to lose face.

The story of the Pharaoh's palace in the air is one of the first stories of wings and strings. Although the wings belonged to real birds it is, nevertheless, considered among the first kite stories. As one of the earliest recorded attempts at simulated flight, the vizier's birds are an important precursor to the kite.

Kite flying is one of the mystical sports. The kite is a symbol of man's communication with the greater powers. It is a link, a link constructed with materials of this world, with the world of the atmosphere, the unseen and the all seeing. In Malay, some 2,900 years ago, the natives flew kites with that same idea. They built their kites out of large leaves and flew them with the twisted vines that grew on the islands. These kites were offered as floating prayers to the gods of the wind. It was such a sacred sport that sailors from other lands who visited the Malay Peninsula were not allowed to witness the flying. The Malayan natives would hide their kites for fear that the holy objects would be profaned.

The kite has also been an instrument of war. It is this flexibility that has helped kiting, one of the world's oldest sports, remain to this day. A warrior general of a Korean army some centuries ago was having trouble with his unruly troops. Not only was the enemy very brave, but there was a storm brewing in the north. The general knew that he had to do something to inspire his despondent men. He constructed an object of paper and sticks a kite and attached a lantern to it. In the dead of night he sent the illuminated kite up into the wind and sent word throughout the camp that the gods were smiling on the soldiers. The superstitious troops believed in the sign and were so encouraged that they won the battle the next day with ease.

See History Of Kites Part 1

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