Pegasus, << PEHG uh suhs, >> was an immortal winged horse in Greek mythology. He was the offspring of Medusa, a monstrous, snake-haired woman, and Poseidon, god of horses and of the sea. The hero Perseus slew Medusa by cutting off her head. Pegasus sprang full-grown either from her head or neck, or from the blood from her neck.
The hero Bellerophon wanted to tame Pegasus. A prophet advised him to sleep on the altar of the goddess Athena. There, Bellerophon dreamed that the goddess gave him a golden bridle and ordered him to make a sacrifice to Poseidon. When he awoke, Bellerophon found a bridle on the altar. He sacrificed a bull to Poseidon and later came upon Pegasus at a spring, waiting to be bridled.
Bellerophon rode Pegasus on many adventures. Their most famous feat was destroying the fire-breathing Chimera (see Chimera). Bellerophon attempted to ride Pegasus up to Mount Olympus, the heavenly home of the gods. Zeus, king of the gods, was angered by the mortal’s presumption in attempting to reach the heavens. Zeus sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus. The horse bucked, throwing Bellerophon down to earth and permanently disabling him. Pegasus arrived on Olympus without a rider. The horse remained there, carrying Zeus’s lightning and thunderbolts.
