Pegasus - what is this creature in ancient mythology?

Pegasus is considered a symbol of eloquence, inspiration, glory, spiritual growth. In the European heraldry it was reproduced on the arms of philosophers and wise men, during the Second World War its image along with the rider was the distinctive sign of the British airborne troops. Today his name is used to refer to speed.

Who is Pegasus?

Pegasus is the son of Poseidon and the terrifying jellyfish of the Gorgon . This favorite muses is the patron of arts and sciences. He flew across the sky with the speed of the wind, knocked out mountain springs by the impact of a hoof and was the object of the desire of many hunters who aspired to possess a winged horse. But it was worthwhile to track down the animal and reach out to it with his hand, trying to saddle as a mistrustful horse fled and soared into the skies. And to this day he lives in the sky, opening his eyes to clear, cloudless nights in the form of a constellation of the same name, though without huge wings.

How did Pegasus appear?

There are two versions of his appearance:

  1. The first legend about Pegasus says that he left the body of his mother Jellyfish Gorgon in the company of his brother warrior Chrysaor, when Perseus beheaded her and rid the world of a terrible and evil monster.
  2. According to another version, the horse spawned the blood of his mother, the Gorgon of the jellyfish, which landed on the ground.

The father of the winged horse is Poseidon, the powerful and majestic god of the seas, and Pegasus appeared on the light off the ocean, so he received a name that, in Greek, means "a stormy stream." This horse was a faithful assistant to Perseus in the rescue of Andromeda and the Greek warrior Bellerophon, who had lost the life of the three-headed Chimera . Subsequently, Zeus gave Pegasus to the goddess Dawn of Eos, who found him a place in the sky, turning into a constellation.

What does Pegasus look like?

Pegasus is a horse with wings, depicted with wool of white, black, brown or golden color. His enemies in mythology were considered hippogriffs, having the form of half-cones-half-birds and griffins - animals, which had the torso of a lion and the head of an eagle. This freedom-loving animal flew above the highest peaks. There is a legend about Pegasus, according to which the mountain Helikon, delighted by the singing of the muses, began to stretch out to the sky. Then, at the behest of Poseidon, the horse struck his hoof at her peak, and she froze in place.

Where does Pegasus live?

According to legend, he had a stall in Corinth, but those who are interested in where Pegasus is located, it is worth noting that most of the time he spent in the mountains - on Parnassus in Phocis and Helikon in Boeotia. On the last mountain near the grove of the Muses, after the hoof hit, a source of Hippocrenus appeared, which is also called "The key of the horse". From it they drew inspiration from the poets in their work.

Pegasus - Mythology

It will become clearer who Pegasus is in ancient mythology, if you recall the story of his rider Bellerophonte. There are two versions of how he became his master:

  1. According to the first, the horse was presented to the hero by Poseidon himself.
  2. According to the second, he watched the animal near the source of Pireni, which is on the top of Acrocorinth. But Bellerophon did not immediately manage to saddle a horse. This became possible only after the daughter of Zeus Athena gave the hero a gold bridle. Throwing it around the horse's neck, Bellerophon boldly jumped on him and subsequently killed with his help the formidable monster Chimera.

That's who saddled Pegasus, but when Bellerophon set out to reach the top of the sky on his horse and fly to Olympus, Zeus was angry with him for it and sent a horsefly to sting Pegasus under the tail. A distraught animal threw Bellerophon, and he died. According to other stories, he fell himself, looking down from the bird's flight and greatly frightened. And the horse remained to serve Zeus faith and truth, and for a long time he brought to Olympus the thunder and lightning that Hephaestus minted for him.

What does Pegasus symbolize?

The animal represents the life force and power of the horse, along with the overcoming of gravity, as birds do. This causes an association with the unbridled, overcoming everything in its path by the poet's inspiration. If we consider that the source of Hippocrena, which arose after the impact of the hoof, was the source of the muses, it gave rise to the winged expression: "Saddle Pegasus." The question of who becomes a man, riding a Pegasus, is to answer that he becomes a poet, a creator, a man rising above the ordinary and creating genius works.