This is a story of a rider who tamed the mythical horse Pegasus with a little help from a goddess.
Pegasus was a winged white horse, rumored to have sprung from the blood of the Gorgons. The Gorgons were three wretched sisters with snakes for hair. They possessed the power to turn a person into stone with a simple gaze of their eyes.
There was a young man named Bellerophon who wanted nothing more than to tame and ride the magical horse. A seer, or fortune-teller, advised him to sleep in the Temple of Athena because the gods often spoke to people in their dreams. In the temple, Bellerophon dreamed Athena had visited him. When he awoke, he found a golden bridle beside him. When he stepped outside of the temple he saw, to his amazement, Pegasus, quietly munching on grass. With the golden bridle, Bellerophon was able to take Pegasus wherever he wished.
Bellerophon visited a kingdom on one of his journeys with Pegasus. The queen of the land fell in love with him, but he ignored her affections. Bitter and angry, the queen told her husband, King Proteus, that Bellerophon had wronged her.
King Proteus could not kill a guest of his palace, so he sent Bellerophon to his father-in-law, Iobates, along with the message, “You must find a way to cause Bellerophon’s death.”
Iobates had the perfect plan. “Bellerophon,” said Iobates. “I am lucky that you have chosen to visit me. I need a courageous man to go up against the fire-breathing monster, Chimera. This evil beast, with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a snake is terrorizing my kingdom!”
Bellerophon bridled Pegasus and took off into the sky. Pegasus was able to fly out of the reach of the fierce Chimera, allowing Bellerophon to stuff lead into its fiery mouth. The lead melted and ran down Chimera’s throat, killing the ferocious beast.
Unfortunately, Bellerophon’s victory made him so conceited that he decided to ride to Olympus and join the immortals. Zeus was so angered by this that he sent a horsefly to bite Pegasus. Bellerophon was tossed from Pegasus and plummeted back to Earth. From that time forward he spent his days miserably wandering the lands—a warning to all who may be vain enough to try to join the gods.
Zeus allowed Pegasus to enter Mount Olympus, where the majestic horse was given the important task of carrying Zeus’s thunderbolts. To further honor this most remarkable horse, Zeus placed the constellation of Pegasus in the night sky.
