Pegasus

The Famous Winged Horse

Pegasus was the famous winged horse of Greek mythology, and his birth was anything but ordinary. When Perseus cut off Medusa’s head, Pegasus and his brother Chrysaor sprang from her body. Their father was Poseidon, which makes sense because Poseidon had a very old connection with horses. Pegasus quickly became associated with the sky, springs of water and later even poetry. One famous tradition says that the spring Hippocrene burst from Mount Helicon when Pegasus struck the ground with his hoof. The Muses were connected with the spring, helping Pegasus become a symbol of inspiration much later.

The hero most closely connected with Pegasus was Bellerophon. Modern pictures sometimes show Perseus riding him, but the ancient stories mainly connect Perseus with Pegasus’s birth. Bellerophon needed the horse to fight the Chimera, a monster that breathed fire and combined a lion, goat and snake. Athena or Poseidon helped Bellerophon obtain a golden bridle so he could tame Pegasus. Once in the air, the pair had a huge advantage. Bellerophon could stay above the Chimera’s claws and flames while attacking. Pegasus later carried him through other dangerous missions against warriors and Amazons.

Unfortunately, all those victories made Bellerophon far too proud. He eventually decided he deserved to fly directly to Mount Olympus, home of the gods. Zeus stopped the attempt, and a later story says he sent a gadfly that caused Pegasus to throw his rider. Bellerophon fell back to Earth and lived unhappily afterwards, while Pegasus continued to Olympus. There he became connected with Zeus and carried thunder and lightning for him. Pegasus was eventually placed among the stars as a constellation. I think his story has a great message hidden inside all the flying. Having an incredible talent, friend or magical horse can help you do amazing things. It does not mean the normal rules suddenly stop applying to you. Especially the rule about not trying to gatecrash Mount Olympus.

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