Pegasus
In Greek mythology the winged horse was the son of
Poseidon, god of the sea, and the Gorgon Medusa.
Pegasus sprang from Medusa's neck when she was killed
by the hero Perseus. Shortly after its birth, the
magic steed struck the ground on Mount Helicon, and on
the spot a spring, later sacred to the Muses and believed
to be a source for poetic inspiration, began to
flow. All longed in vain to catch and tame the creature,
and this became the obsession of Bellerophon,
prince of Corinth. On the advice of a seer, Bellerophon
spent a night in the temple of the goddess Athena.
As he slept, the goddess appeared to him with a
golden bridle and told him that it would enable him to
capture Pegasus. When Bellerophon awoke, he
found the golden bridle beside him, and with it he
easily captured and tamed the winged horse. Pegasus
thereafter proved to be a great help to
Bellerophon and aided the hero in his adventures
against the Amazons and the Chimaera. Bellerophon
was overcome by his own pride, however. When he
attempted to fly to the top of Olympus to join the
gods, the wise horse threw him, leaving
Bellerophon to wander disconsolately about,
hated by the gods. Pegasus found shelter in the Olympian
stalls and was entrusted by Zeus with bringing him his
lightning and thunderbolts.
