Pegasus – The Winged Horse
Pegasus, the winged steed, is certainly one of the most renowned and admired mythological beings.
His story is derived from Greek mythology. Pegasus is an equine with wings and a pure heart. The winged steed is the son of Medusa and Poseidon. He was born after the death of the Gorgon Medusa, who was beheaded by the hero Perseus.
For his service and loyalty, Zeus honored him with a special immortality turning Pegasus into a constellation on the last day of his life.
Pegasus, Son Of Medusa And Poseidon
Pegasus was born from the blood spilt by Medusa’s neck, and so did his brother, the golden giant Chrysaor. Medusa was pregnant from Poseidon, but the curse that turned her into a Gorgon prevented her from seeing the light. Pegasus only came to this world after her death.
The winged horse flew to Mount Helicon, the place where his inspiring muses lived. There he hits the ground with his hooves as much as he could and materializes the spring Hippocrene. The one who drank water from it would be inspired by the muses to carry out the most beautiful artistic feats coining the term Source of Inspiration.
But the most common version of the myth about him says that the goddess Athena tamed the winged horse and gave him to Perseus, who later needed to fly far away to help his lover Andromeda.
Pegasus And The Muses
Due to his fame, many were those who tried to tame him, without success. But, with the help of the Goddess Athena, the Hero Bellerophon was able to tame Pegasus with a golden lace offered by the goddess. Riding the winged horse, the Hero managed to defeat the dreaded Chimera. The monster who was ravaging the kingdom of Lycia.
On Mount Olympus
At last, after the fall of Bellerophon who tried to use Pegasus to reach the Olympians, Zeus decided to pay tribute to the formidable creature by turning it into the constellation of Pegasus. The magnificent animal started to be seen as a symbol of creativity, poetic inspiration and impetuosity.
Pagesus has had a long lasting history throughout time, appearing on heraldry, crests and coats of arms. His sysmbol has been adopted as military insignia as well. In World War II the british parachute regiment used an image of Bellerophon riding the winged horse as the emblem on their upper sleeve. After an operation during the invasion of Normandy the division wearing the emblem captured a vital bridge, in memory of their actions the bridge has since been known as the Pegasus Bridge.
Pegasus has also feature in corparate logos and has been a prominent figure in many works of art inlcuding statues, films, literature, music and video games.