Pegasus Horse

Artist Walter Crane/Wikimedia Commons

Often on this blog I post about monsters from Greek mythology, such as the Undine or Sirens. Today I'm posting about the Pegasus horse.

A creature so well-known he has been featured in popular movies, Pegasus is the winged horse born from Medusa's very corpse. Though the origins of this animal may have come from Egyptian mythology, he is primarily remembered from the mythology and art of the Greek people. This mythology tells of his beginnings, and of his brother the giant Chrysaor's, at the hands of Perseus, a hero who cut down Medusa, who had slept with Poseidon in the shape of a horse. While Pegasus' battles at the reins of Bellerophon are noteworthy, his best known journey with Bellerophon's was when the hero eventually attempted to take Pegasus into the heavens themselves.

Though Bellerophon was cast back down when Pegasus bucked him off, Pegasus was able to travel all the way to the heavens and become Zeus' own horse, becoming the beast of thunder and lightening. Pegasus has, however, had other owners other than the high god himself, including Aurora and the Muses.

As horse of the Muses, Pegasus was known to merely have to stamp his foot for a well of inspiring waters to come forth. For this reason, people are most familiar with him for the symbolism of inspiration and flight; this symbolism can still be seen today in the logos of popular companies and with his inspiration for creatures in popular literature. Due to this lasting image in the minds of many, in our contemporary society, "pegasus," the plural of which is "pegasi," can now be any horse with wings.




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