What is the name of the horse that sprang from the blood of the Gorgon Medusa?
Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree.... Pegasus, in Greek mythology, a winged horse that sprang from the blood of the Gorgon Medusa as she was beheaded by the hero Perseus.
What is Pegasus's story?
Pegasus’s story was a favourite theme in Greek art and literature; Euripides’ lost tragedy Bellerophon was parodied at the beginning of Aristophanes’ Peace (421 bc ). In late antiquity Pegasus’s soaring flight was interpreted as an allegory of the soul’s immortality; in modern times it has been regarded as a symbol of poetic inspiration.
Who was the servant of Zeus?
Subsequently Bellerophon attempted to fly with Pegasus to heaven but was unseated and killed or, by some accounts, lamed. The winged horse became a constellation and the servant of Zeus. The spring Hippocrene on Mount Helicon was believed to have been created when the hoof of Pegasus struck a rock. Bellerophon with his horse Pegasus, stone ...
Who beheaded Pegasus in 2021?
Pegasus, in Greek mythology, a winged horse that sprang from the blood of the Gorgon Medusa as she was beheaded by the hero Perseus.
What did Bellerophon dream about?
As he slept, Bellerophon dreamt that Athena came to him and offered him a golden bridle, which was actually there beside him when he woke up. Later, he came upon Pegasus as he was drinking from the well he had himself had brought into being at Peirene. Bellerophon slipped the bridle on the horse, and tamed him.
Why did Bellerophon ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus?
This list of victories made Bellerophon arrogant, and he decided one day to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus to take his place among the gods there. This angered Zeus, who sent a gadfly to bite Pegasus. The winged horse shied and Bellerophon fell off.
What is Pegasus associated with?
Pegasus is associated with poetry , and in one tale he was tamed by the goddess Athena and presented to the Muses. These nine daughters of Zeus and Mnemosyne the goddess of memory represent the arts, including music and poetry.
Why did Bellerophon fall off the horse's back?
In still other versions, Bellerophon simply fell off the horse’s back because he grew faint-headed. Zeus rewarded the winged stallion by placing him among the stars.
What was the name of the well that Pegasus struck?
Other wells and springs that are said to have sprung forth when Pegasus struck the earth were those at Peirene and Troezene. In one tale, Pegasus bore Perseus on his back when he went to save the Ethiopian princess Andromeda, who was chained to a rock to be a sacrifice for a sea monster.
What is the name of the horse that turned men to stone?
Pegasus is a mythological creature described as a beautiful, pure white stallion with wings. He was born from the blood of Medusa, a frightful Gorgon whose gaze could turn men to stone, when the hero Perseus decapitated her.
Who tamed Pegasus?
Bellerophon slipped the bridle on the horse, and tamed him. In other versions, Athena put the bridle on Pegasus and tamed him on Bellerophon’s behalf. Together, Bellerophon and Pegasus fought the Chimera, a fire-breathing monster that had a lion’s head, a goat’s body and a serpent’s tail.
