Introduction
Pegasus is a winged, divine horse, born, along with his brother Chrysaor, from the blood of Medusa at the instant Perseus beheaded her, since she was already pregnant by Poseidon at the time of her death. He became closely associated with poetic inspiration in later tradition, and with the hero Bellerophon, whom he carried into legendary battle.
Family
- Father: Poseidon
- Mother: Medusa
- Siblings: Triton, Orion, Theseus, Chrysaor, Polyphemus
Birth
Pegasus sprang fully formed from Medusa's neck alongside his brother Chrysaor, the moment Perseus struck off her head, an event tied directly to her earlier union with Poseidon.
Bellerophon and the Chimera
Pegasus's best-known adventure involves the hero Bellerophon, who, with a golden bridle given to him by Athena, managed to tame the wild horse and ride him into battle against the fire-breathing monster Chimera, which he defeated from the air, a feat impossible on the ground.
Poetic inspiration
In later Greek and Roman tradition, particularly from the Hellenistic period onward, Pegasus became associated with the Muses and poetic inspiration: a spring called Hippocrene ("horse's fountain"), said to have sprung from the ground where his hoof struck Mount Helicon, was believed to grant poetic inspiration to those who drank from it.