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Legend of Pegasus

Maya Pillai
The ancient Greeks held the mythical beast Pegasus in great reverence. Greek coins belonging to 360 BC had Pegasus on one side and the helmet of Athena on the other side.
Pegasus is a white stallion and the Greeks believe it carried the thunderbolts and other weapons of Zeus. He is held in high esteem in Greek mythology, and according to it, Pegasus has participated in many battles.

Birth of Pegasus

Greeks believe the god of sea, Poseidon fell in love with Medusa, the caretaker of the temple of Athena. One day, Poseidon seduced Medusa inside the temple of Athena. Athena was angered by this act. To punish Poseidon, she cursed Medusa to become a horrible monster with gruesome face and serpents for hair.
As per the curse, any living being who looked at her face would turn to a stone. As a further punishment, she was banished to live in an isolated isle of the Gorgons. According to the Greek mythology, Pegasus sprang from the blood of the Medusa when she was slayed by Perseus, the son of Zeus and Danae.
From the isle of the Gorgons, Pegasus flew to Mount Helicon. Here the nine Muses looked after him. As per the legend, this winged equine is one of the most beautiful creatures in all mythology.

The Legend

Many years later, Athena found Pegasus and presented him to Greek hero Bellerophon. She gave him, a golden bridle to tame Pegasus. Once, while Pegasus was grazing on the banks of a stream, Bellerophon threw the golden bridle over its head to tame him. Once tamed, Bellerophon and the winged equine became friends and galloped over the seven seas and mountains.
Pegasus could gallop faster than the wind. Riding on it, Bellerophon conquered Chimera, the three-headed monster. However, success made Bellerophon, an arrogant person. He now wanted to fly up to Mount Olympus, the abode of the gods.
Zeus, the king of gods, punished the insolence of Bellerophon, by causing him to fall off the steed. However, the gods of Mount Olympus welcomed Pegasus. He became the favorite horse of Zeus and carried the weapons of Zeus.
Pegasus and Perseus, son of Zeus, became thick friends. Once, when they were galloping over the Mediterranean Sea, they spotted a beautiful maiden chained to a rock to be devoured by a sea serpent.
She was Andromeda, the daughter of the Queen of Ethiopia. She told them that her mother had offered her as a sacrifice to the sea queen to protect Ethiopia. Perseus rescued her from the serpent. Later, Perseus and Andromeda got married.
Athena, the Greek goddess, presented Pegasus with a golden bridle, which would help him to fight the evil. She later took him to Jupiter, where he pulled the chariot of Jupiter. Aurora, the goddess of dawn, sometimes rode on Pegasus holding her torch to drive away the night and commence the day. The gods loved the horse.
As a reward for his service, Zeus created a constellation for the winged equine in the night sky of the earth.