August 16: Rollercoaster Day

The most famous horse in Greek mythology is of course Pegasos, not in the least because it could fly. Some say that the hero Perseus rode him after slaying Pegasos’ mother Medousa. But most agree that he galoped freely over Mount Helikon and/or Parnassos, where the Muses resided, patronesses of arts. With a kick of his hoof, he created the spring Hypokrene, said to inspire all who drank from it. With the help of the goddess Athena, the hero Bellerophon managed to tame him. Together, they fought the Amazons, blood thirsty pirates and the horrific monster Chimaira. For Bellerophon, reason enough to steer his horse to Mount Olympos, expecting a hero’s welcome. As if there weren’t enough tales about human hubris…  Zeus sent a gadfly, Pegasos bolted, and Bellerophon was tragically thrown off. The horse itself did receive a warm welcome and got the honorary task of carrying Zeus’ thunderbolts around. Millennia later, Pegasos is still providing chills and thrills: as a beautiful constellation by night. And in quite some theme parcs by day.

Bellerophon, Lekythos, The Metropolitan Museum of Arts, New York, USA

Pegasos/Pegasus and Bellerophon, National Memorial Arboretum, Staffordshire, UK

Did you know?

• About Bellerophon: cfr. “Bellerophon’s Letter”.

• The goddess Athena/Minerva (cfr. “Extra Vergine”) had a soft spot for Pegasos/Pegasus, probably out of guilt, as she was responsible for killing his mother Medousa/Medusa, cfr. “Victim Blaming”.

• Many believed that the horse of Alexander the Great, Bucephalus, might have been a descendant of Pegasos/Pegasus. It achieved almost the same legendary status.

• Not all agree on the constellation Pegasus. In Euripides’ tragedies “Melanippe the Wise” and “Melanippe in Bonds”, the constellation Pegasus represents Hippe, daughter of Cheiron/Chiron (cfr. “Boarding School”), who was assaulted by Aiolos/Aeolus and prayed to the gods to hide her from her father. After Hippe had given birth to her daughter Melanippe, Artemis/Diana changed her into a horse and put her at the night sky, out of sight of the constellation Centaurus, which would represent father Cheiron in this case.

• The Chimaira/Chimaera was part of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna (cfr. “Monsters and Co”). It was composed of a lion’s body, a goat’s head on its back and a snake’s head on its tail.

• The spring Hippokrene, literally “horse’s fountain”, was said to bring inspiration to artists.

• About the Muses: cfr. “Messing with the Muses”.