The term “Roman Candle”, most commonly used within the fireworks industry, is in reference to a horrible execution method used most commonly by the Roman Emperor Nero. Nero would instruct his soldiers to forcibly coat the bodies of enemies and victims within pitch, oil, wax, and other flammable materials before lighting the feet of these victims to be used as human candles during formal parties, purposeful in its design to create the most prolonged and agonizing torture possible
In Greek mythology, Icarus, the son of the master craftsperson Daedalus, is the creator of the Labyrinth. Icarus and his father attempt to escape from Crete by means of crafted wings which Icarus’ father constructs from feathers and wax. Daedalus warns Icarus of complacency and hubris, instructing that he fly neither too low nor too high, so that the seas dampness would not clog his wings but also so that the sun’s heat would not melt them. Icarus ignored his father’s instructions not to fly too close to the sun and when he did, the wax in his wings melted causing him to tumble out of the sky and into the sea where he drowned