Meet Pegasus, the famous winged horse from Greek Mythology. Discover his powers and other characteristics of this popular figure.
Pegasus
Pegasus, the winged horse of Greek mythology, was involved in some of the most intriguing tales of the time. From his birth until his death, Pegasus was a mysterious creature capable of anything, symbolizing divine inspiration or the journey to heaven, since riding him was synonymous with “flying” into the sky.
Who was Pegasus?
Pegasus was represented as a kind-hearted creature, gentle, somewhat naive but always ready to help. For his service and loyalty, Zeus honored him with a special immortality by turning Pegasus into a constellation on the last day of his life.
Birth and parents
Pegasus was the son of Medusa and Poseidon. The myth said that he was the son of the mortal Medusa and Poseidon, god of the sea. Pegasus and his brother Chrysaor were born from the blood of their decapitated mother Medusa, the gorgon deceived and killed by Perseus.
A more detailed version of the myth said that two of them were born when Medusa’s blood mixed with the foam of the sea. The myth says that he was born as a winged horse because his father Poseidon was in the form of a horse when he seduced Medusa. When she was born, a great thunder with lightning flashed across the sky, and that is how her connections to the forces of heaven were established.
But the most common version of the myth about Pegasus says that the goddess Athena tamed the winged horse and gave it to Perseus, who later had to fly far away to help his lover Andromeda.
Pegasus and the Muses
Back to the aftermath of his birth. Without parents, he was raised by the Muses on Mount Helicon, where he was taken by the goddess Athena. In all his excitement at being given to these women, he beat the mountainside with his hooves and his marks caused the springs to become flowing fountains of inspiration.
These springs became sacred to the Muses who loved and respected the “flying horse”. But for one of them, Urania, the muse of astronomy and universal love. She was particularly important. She saw a heroic future for Pegasus, as well as a possible heavenly honor awaiting him. Urania suffered greatly when Bellerophontes, a mythical hero, took him away.
Hesiod’s story of Pegasus’ “abduction” by Bellerophontes confirms that every time he hit his hoof, a wellspring of inspiration would immediately burst forth. One such sacred spring was the Hippocrene (meaning “horse spring”) on Mount Helicon.
On Mount Olympus
In any case, he ended up on Mount Olympus, and served Zeus with his magical powers of thunder and lightning, whenever the supreme is wished. And his chief caretaker from youth, the Muse Urania, along with other Muses, welcomed the return of Pegasus with full joy and happiness.
He lived on Mount Olympus until his last day. Since then, he became an inspiration for artists of all kinds, a fantasy for children who dream of their own Pegasus to reach the mysterious caves and labyrinths of their imagination.
