Most people have heard of the wingéd (pronounced wing-ed by most astronerds like me) horse Pegasus. Its namesake constellation sits high in the south just after dark. Look for the Great Square of Pegasus, a large square of stars that forms the horse’s body.
Contemporary audiences connect Pegasus to the exploits of the Greek hero Perseus, partly because of the two “Clash of the Titans” movies. However, according to the original Greek story, Perseus plays only a minor part in how the flying horse got into the sky.
According to the most ancient star myths, Pegasus belonged to a hero whose adventures were just as great as those of the better-known Perseus. He was Bellerophon, the son of King Glaucus of Corinth.
Perseus did have something to do with the birth of Pegasus. The horse’s mother was Medusa, the Gorgon with hair made from writhing snakes. She was so hideously ugly that her gaze turned people to stone.
Perseus relieved the world of Medusa by lopping off her head. A few drops of the Gorgon’s gory neck blood fell into the sea. The water churned, and Pegasus was born.
From that odd moment of birth arose the horse’s most memorable power, which had nothing to do with flying. The horse’s name comes from the Greek word for “springs” or “waters.” Besides being able to fly, Pegasus had the magical power to create its own water supply by stamping its hoof.
The horse traveled the world, eventually alighting at Mount Helicon, home of the Muses, who were the patron gods of the arts. To their delight, Pegasus stamped his hoof and created a spring of water, which the Muses named Hippocrene, the “Horse’s Fountain.”
Surprisingly, in some early versions of the old story, Pegasus had no wings. He was simply a gorgeous, golden-maned horse of purest white.
Furthermore, Pegasus had nothing to do with saving Princess Andromeda from the wrath of Cetus, the Sea Monster. The version of the story in “Clash of the Titans” seems to be borrowed from another myth entirely.
Remember Bellerophon? King Iobates of Lycia, located on the Teke Peninsula in modern Turkey, sent the great hero to kill the Chimaera, a fire-breathing monster laying waste to Lycia.
The Chimaera was a nasty beast with a lion’s head, a goat’s body, and a snake’s tail. Bellerophon had his work cut out for him.
Luckily, the gods were watching and decided to help. Athena, the goddess of wisdom, gave Bellerophon a golden bridle and directed him to Pegasus, who was peacefully grazing in a field.
Many tried taming the wide horse, but it had always flown away. None of the others had Athene’s golden bridle, however. Using it, Bellerophon subdued the horse with ease.
Riding Pegasus, Bellerophon rose to meet the evil Chimaera. Again and again, the monster snapped at Bellerophon with its enormous teeth and singed his cloak with its fiery breath, but Pegasus quickly darted out of the way. Finally, Bellerophon slew the beast with arrows and lance, and Lycia was saved.
Bellerophon became famous for his many subsequent acts of courage. Sadly, the acclaim went to his head. He began to envy the very gods who had helped him in his time of need.
Imagining he could join the gods in the sky, he leaped onto the back of the flying horse. Zeus, king of the gods, realized that this could not be. Despite his heroic exploits, Bellerophon was still a mere mortal.
Zeus sent a gadfly to harass the horse. Bellerophon lost control of his flying steed and tumbled to the ground.
Pegasus was allowed to continue its journey. Zeus loved the horse so much that he chose it to carry his lightning bolts for a while.
Bellerophon did not die. Instead, he was left permanently limping and in constant pain. The gods condemned him to wander alone and friendless across the face of the Earth. Few remember his name, and no one marked the place or moment of his death.
Zeus put Pegasus in the sky to honor its memory, and we see the constellation to this very day. But no one visits Bellerophon’s unmarked, unknown, and forgotten grave.
Tom Burns is the former director of the Perkins Observatory in Delaware.
