Pegasus was born of the great sea god Poseidon and Medusa, who was at one time the most beautiful woman in the world. Poseidon approached and made love to Medusa in the form of a horse. (1) The couple foolishly consummated their relationship in the temple of Athena, the shrine of the goddess of war who sprang from Zeus' head.(2). Athena, enraged at having her temple defiled, turned Medusa's beautiful tresses into snakes and made her face so hideous that anyone who was unfortunate enough to look upon her was cast into stone. She became a cruel monster, unmerciful to everyone but the Gorgons with whom she came to live.
Some time later, the great hero Perseus promised Medusa's head as a wedding gift to the king, Polydectes. With the aid of Athena, Perseus slew and decapitated the monster Medusa, using a mirror to safely view her. With one blow, the great hero struck off Medusa's monstrous head and the winged horse Pegasus(3) came forth from the blood that dripped down. (3a)(3b) Athena uses the image of Medusa's head on her shield as a symbol of power and fearlessness.
Shortly after his birth, the magical horse was taken by the goddess Athen to Mt. Helicon to be reared by the Muses. One day the muses began to sing on Mt. Helicon. The mountain, so filled with ecstacy, it rose to the heavens until Pegasus, under Podeison's command, kicked his hoof, stopping the mountain's upward progress. A fountain of water gushed forth called the Fountain of Hippocrene. The fountain was sacred to the Muses and is believed to be the source of music and poetic inspiration. According to legend, the birth of both wine and art occurred when Pegasus' hooves unleashed the sacred Spring of the Muses.
Bellerophon, the prince of Corinth wanted to ride the magnificent but untameable Pegasus, but he knew it was impossible. Each time he approached the creature, Pegasus quickly galloped away, avoiding capture. With the advice of the seer, Polyeidus, the ambitious man spent a night at an alter to Athena. That night, Athena, also the goddess of reason, appeared to Bellerophon in a dream. She said to him, "If a human wishes for something impossible, he will not get his wish. But, a goddess or god can make the wish possible." A golden bridle which would tame Pegasus was given to Bellerophon by the goddess soon afterward (Chalintis: Gift of Athena). Bellerophon found Pegasus drinking at the well of Pirene and was able to capture and tame the creature easily. With the flying horse as his mount, Bellerophon was able to slay Chimera, a hybrid monster who breathed fire. His adventures with Pegasus also included attacking the Amazons - a female band of archers, and attack the Solymi - fierce and wild tribesmen.
As time went on, his life seemed happy and full: his heroic deeds were widely sung, he was happily married to Philonoe, and he had two sons and two daughters; Isander, Hippolochus, Laodameia, and Deidameia. As a king, his subjects and citizens loved and honored him. This was not enough for Bellerophon. The arrogant king had another wish: to become a god.(4) He mounted Pegasus one day and headed for Mount Olympus. Zeus saw what the foolish mortal was up to and sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus and cause the flying horse to throw Bellerophon to the ground(5) where he wandered the earth for the rest of his life, lame and blind.(6) He was rejected everywhere he went because of his offense to the gods and eventually died alone.
Contrary to the unfortunate fate of Bellerophon, Pegasus was permitted to spend the rest of his days in Mount Olympus in the presence of the gods. He was entrusted with bringing lightening and thunderbolts to Zeus, the most powerful of all gods. He was also used occassionally by Eos (Aurora) for her drive across the sky at dawn and Apollo (Phoebus) during his daylight drive across the sky. According to a collection of myths from Cheiron's progeny, Pegasus continues his story by obtaining a wife, Euippe, and and two children, Celeris and Melanippe. Today Pegasus is honored for his earthly and heavenly deeds as a constellation in the sky. The cluster of stars is located in the Northern Hemisphere near Aquarius. However it must now share the northeast corner of the square with Andromeda: delta Pegasus was given to Andromeda, to provide the lady with a head. To see another picture of the constellation, click here!
(1) In other versions, she took the form of a centaur; a woman from the waist up, with the lower half of a horse.
(2) The Libyans say that Athena was the daughter of Poseidon because of their similar blue eyes.(3a) Hesiod said that a warrior named Chrysaor ("golden sword"), the father of Geryon, also sprung forth from Medusa's severed head. Ovid Metamorphoses said that a twin brother sprang forth along with Pegasus.
(3b) Grimal's Dictionary of Classical Mythology states that the blood from Medusa's head fell down into the ocean, mixing with sea foam. Poseidon recognized the blood as from one of his past lovers and created a beautiful winged horse, Pegasus, from the mixture.
(4) In other versions, Bellerophon wanted to fly to Mount Olympus to pay a visit the gods.
(5) There are several versions of this: Pindar said in his book the Isthmean
(6) Some interpretations say Bellerophon fell to his death.