All about history book of myths and legends. ( PDFDrive )

BELLEROPHON AND PEGASUS

OVERREACHERS
In Classical mythology there is a clear
hierarchy, with gods at the top, mortals
below, and animals lower still. Heroes,
however, occupied an ambiguous place in
this framework – they were mortals, but
often had one divine parent. This sometimes
made them into overreachers – beings who
aspired to a higher status than their allotted
position. Their ambition drove them to great
heights but finally brought them to grief.
Bellerophon, Icarus, and Phaeton were all
heroes who flew too high and paid the price.

THE CHIMAERA

The child of two monsters, the man-dragon Typhon

and the woman-serpent Echidna, the Chimaera

was one of the most bizarre hybrids of Classical

mythology. It was terrifying both because of its

strange compound form, and because it breathed

fire from its mouth. When it raided Iobates’s

kingdom, the king sent his men after it, but they

were all burned by the creature’s scorching breath.

PEGASUS
The name Pegasus is related to the Greek word for
“spring”, and one myth of his birth says that he was
born in the far west at the springs of the Ocean.
After his adventures with Bellerophon he
flew back to Mount Olympus, where he
caused another spring, Hippocrene (“horse
spring”) to flow from Mount Helicon during a
singing contest involving the Muses.

TIRYNS

Proetus’s kingdom, Tiryns, is a real place

on mainland Greece. It is the site of a ruined

citadel dating to the 2nd millennium bce and,

therefore, was already in existence when the

Greek myths reached their mature form about

1,000 years later. The ancient buildings of

Tiryns are constructed with stones so large

that in ancient times people thought they

had been built by giants or Cyclopes.

A Cyclopean tunnel at Tiryns

Pegasus

The Muses

Mount Helicon swelled in pleasure

when the Muses sang. Pegasus

kicked the mountain to make it

shrink again; the spring called

Hippocrene gushed from the spot

where he had kicked the ground.

Bellerophon

Although he looked invincible on Pegasus, Bellerophon

incurred the wrath of Zeus with his arrogance and

fell to Earth when he tried to fly too high.

Phaeton
Phaeton was killed when he insisted on driving the
chariot of his father Helios, the sun god. He lost control
of the horses and fell to Earth.

Daedalus and Icarus

The great craftsman Daedalus made wings so he

and his son, Icarus, could fly. But Icarus flew too

close to the sun and his waxen wings melted.

The Chimaera

The Chimaera was a fearsome creature

with a goat’s neck and head halfway along

its back and a tail in the form of a serpent.

39