In the Greek mythology we found several hybrid beings: the centaurs, half man, half horse, the harpy, the taps, the chimeras or mantícoras among others. However, there is one that is special, a winged horse capable of reaching Olympus and that is the son of one of the 12 of the Olympic pantheon . Join us to discover Pegasus in mythology and you will find out if it really was the horse of Hercules as explained by Disney .
Pegasus in mythology
Pegasus in mythology Greek offers one of the most beautiful prints and as such was reproduced in many works of art. A horse with wings, that since the flight started after its birth, crosses the skies to the service of Zeus bringing him the lightning, the lightning, the thunder and also messages.
Birth of Pegasus
Pegasus's mother was Medusa, the Gorgon, and his father Poseidon . Medusa was a beautiful young woman with golden hair unlike her sisters who were monstrous but immortal beings. One day he was offering a sacrifice in the temple of Athena, Poseidon saw her and ignited by the desire he threw himself on her and raped her. The goddess Athena , instead of punishing Poseidon, he attacked jellyfish for having profaned his virginal sanctuary. He turned her into a monster like her sisters, with snakes instead of hair.
The hero Perseus was tricked by King Polidectes, who wanted to marry his mother, to bring him the head of Medusa. Perseo with a mirror-shield managed to get rid of the gorgon's petrifying gaze and sliced off his head. Cutting Pegasus and the giant Crisaor were born since Medusa had become pregnant with Poseidon. The fact that Pegasus was a horse is not strange since some versions of the myth explain that Poseidon to rape Medusa took the form of a horse.
In some pictures of the Renaissance and later times we see Perseus riding the winged horse. Scholars consider that this is a license because Pegasus in mythology He is never ridden by this hero. Perseus did not need to climb on his back since he had slippers with wings that allowed him to fly.
Pegasus and Bellerophon
The name that always goes next to Pegasus in mythology it's Bellerophon's. According to some Greek authors the union between these two characters is because they were half brothers since Bellerophon was also the son of Poseidon.
Bellerophon had to flee his country after involuntarily killing his brother. He took refuge in the court of King Preto in Tiryns. The queen fell in love with him and as the young man did not pay attention to her, in a rage, he denounced him for trying to rape her. The king, who because of his hospitality duties could not kill him, sent him to his father-in-law's kingdom to be murdered there. Yóbates de Licia, so as not to stain her hands with blood directly, sent him to kill Chimera. Bellerophon consulted a fortune teller who told him that he needed Pegasus horse to carry out his mission. The hero managed to tame him with the help of gold reins that Athena provided and together they defeated Chimera and passed other tests. Finally, Yóbates, seeing his extraordinary heroism offered him the hand of one of his daughters.
However, the end of Bellerophon is tragic. One day he decided that he was worth as much as the gods and he wanted to dwell with them on Olympus, so he spurred Pegasus to heaven. The gods sent him a mosquito that stung the winged horse causing him to startle and dismount to Bellerophon, who fell to Earth and was crippled forever.
Pegasus and the fountain of the muses
Pegasus was one of the animals preferred by the muses. A myth tells that the muses won in a poetry contest the Piérides and Pegasus to reward them gave a blow with one of their helmets on the mountain and made sprout a source so they could bathe. The muses considered the fountain sacred and its waters provided inexhaustible inspiration to poets. Several places in Greece they dispute to be the source of Pegaso.
Pegasus and the constellation that bears his name
It tells the myth that when Pegasus dropped Bellerophon he went on his way to heaven and Zeus, grateful for all his services, turned it into the constellation that bears his name: Constellation of Pegasus .
Pegasus and Hercules did not coincide
Hercules or Heracles for the Greeks was great-grandson of Perseus by maternal line. This is the whole relationship we have been able to find between the winged horse and the hero. In none of his works does Pegaso appear as the horse of Hercules , nor is there any myth that unites them. Disney took the license to do it the Horse of Hercules although there was no mythological basis for this.
The horse of Hercules according to Disney
Disney made an animated film in 1997 entitled "Hercules" in which the hero's adventures were narrated. His inseparable companion was a winged horse. We have already seen that there are no myths in which Pegasus appears as the horse of Hercules However, it is true that he was at the service of Zeus and that Hercules was the son of this god. Therefore, the license taken by the Disney company is lower because, why could not Zeus give his horse to his son?
Pegasus in mythology it is white. White is rare in horses since many of the horses considered white are actually very light gray. The Greeks in saying that Pegasus was white affirmed their exceptional and supernatural nature. Disney respected the white color of Horse of Hercules .
Another feature of Pegasus in mythology is that when it flies it moves its legs as if it were running in the air. Disney, as you can see in the gif, respected this mythological concept.
Did you know these stories of Pegasus in mythology ? Did you know that it was not really the horse of Hercules?