Pegasus and Bellerophon

In his whole life, the young man truly flew up into the sky only three times. The first two times, he came home to the cheers of a whole kingdom. The third time, he fell back to the earth, and he never flew again.

His name was Bellerophon. The creature that carried him into the sky was Pegasus, the most beautiful winged horse in all the Greek stories.

The poets of ancient Greece said that Pegasus was not born the way other horses are. He sprang from the blood of the monster Medusa, just after a sword stroke from the hero Perseus. The goddess Athena caught this strange horse and tamed him.

But Pegasus comes into this story a little later. Bellerophon's story begins in a land called Lycia, where a monster named the Chimera was spreading terror everywhere. The front of the Chimera was a mix of lion and goat, and the back was a dragon's tail. Fire poured from its mouth every time it roared. Day and night, King Iobates racked his brains for a hero strong enough to face it.

Just then, a young man appeared at the city gate. It was Bellerophon. He carried a letter from Proetus, the son-in-law of King Iobates. The letter praised Bellerophon to the skies and called him a warrior no one could defeat. But the end of the letter hid a very different line. Proetus was secretly asking his father-in-law to kill the very man who carried it. Bellerophon had no idea that he was carrying his own death sentence.

King Iobates read the letter and did not know what to do. To kill a guest under his own roof was a grave wrong. Yet he had no wish to anger his son-in-law either. Then the king thought of a way out. He would not kill Bellerophon with his own hands. Instead, he would give him the task of facing the Chimera, the monster that terrified all of Lycia.

Before setting out, Bellerophon went to the seer Polyidus for advice. Polyidus told him that if he wanted any chance of winning, he must first win Pegasus. The seer told him to sleep for one night in the temple of the goddess Athena. That night, in a restless sleep, Bellerophon saw the goddess appear. She placed in his hand a bridle gleaming with gold. When he woke, the bridle still lay in the palm of his hand, warm and real.

The goddess also led him to the spring of Pirene, where Pegasus was bowing his head to drink. Bellerophon raised the golden bridle high. Pegasus lifted his head and looked at the glittering gold. Then he slowly came closer and gently let Bellerophon slip the bridle over his head. There was not one neigh of protest, not one kick to break away. It was as if the horse had been waiting for him for a very long time.

For the first time in his life, Bellerophon climbed onto the back of Pegasus. The horse's wings spread wide and beat up a strong wind. Then the two of them left the ground and flew straight up into the sky over Lycia. From high above, Bellerophon saw the Chimera below, with streaks of bright orange fire shooting from its mouth. But the monster could only roar on the ground, while Pegasus ruled the whole sky. Rider and horse circled, dodged the jets of flame, and then swooped down from the heights. The fight ended so fast that the Chimera fell before Lycia even had time to be afraid. That was the first flight, and Bellerophon came back to cheers that rang through the whole palace.

Still, King Iobates did not fully believe. So began Bellerophon's second flight. It lasted not a single morning but a long stretch of trials, which the king set for him one after another. Yet every time, as soon as Pegasus spread his wings, Bellerophon came home safe amid the cheering, standing taller than the time before. In the end, the king had no doubt left. He saw that this young man was surely loved by the gods. Iobates gave his daughter to Bellerophon in marriage, and promised to hand him the throne when the king grew old. The young man who had unknowingly carried his own death sentence was now about to become a king.

But as his glory grew, pride grew along with it in Bellerophon's heart. He had flown higher than monsters, and farther than anyone had ever dared to dream. He saw no reason not to fly all the way up to the home of the gods. One morning, without a word to anyone, Bellerophon climbed onto the back of Pegasus. He urged the horse straight up, higher and higher, heading for the peak of Olympus. That was the third flight.

But this time, Pegasus did not fly as smoothly as before. The god Zeus saw the pride of the young man riding on the horse's back. He sent a tiny gadfly to sting Pegasus. The horse startled, neighed loudly, and reared in midair. Bellerophon could not hold on. He fell from the horse's back, falling and falling, until the ground caught him. When he opened his eyes, Bellerophon was no longer the young man who had made all of Lycia cheer. He stood up, still trembling, and quietly walked away alone. There were no wings left to carry him into the sky.

Pegasus, though, did not fall with his rider. Another old Greek poem adds that he kept on flying, on and on, until he reached the home of Zeus. From then on, Pegasus lived in the god's palace. Whenever a storm broke, it was he who carried the thunder and lightning for Zeus. So when thunder rolls through the rain, perhaps it is the sound of his hooves: the horse that flew higher than anyone dared to dream, and is flying still.