Pegasus - Story 1

    As we entered the doors between the massive stone horses, we saw the first exhibit. It was, as in most museums, a "box" of sorts, corded off by velvet ropes. In the actual box was a beautiful winged horse that I recognized immediately as Pegasus. He was like a real, life-sized moving horse but he made no movements to indicate that he realized that we were there! I could feel the wind against my face that his wing beats created. There were even feathers on the floor of his exhibit. He was a beautiful silver-white color with enormous wings that were all of the colors of fire and he floated in mid-air.
    Our guide began, "Everyone undoubtedly knows the name of our first exhibit. He is Pegasus, the winged horse. In your day any drawing of a horse with wings is called a pegasus, but what you must understand is that this was a single creature - an entity born by un-natural means. His mother was Medusa and his father was rumored to be Poseidon."
    "You see", she continued, "Medusa was a gorgon. The gorgons were three sisters who were all cursed. They all had snakes for hair and their bodies were covered with scales. Medusa was unusual, for she alone was mortal. She was once a beautiful woman but she dared to be vain and say that she was more beautiful than Athena. When Athena heard this, she turned her into a monster with snakes for hair. Anyone who dared lay eyes on her would be instantly turned to stone. Perseus was sent to kill her because she was terrorizing his home land. When he succeeded in killing her, Pegasus sprang from the blood that seeped from her severed neck. A beast called a Khrysaor also came from the same blood."
    One gentleman in our group raised his hand in the air to ask a question. The guide turned to him and nodded. "Let me get this straight...this gorgeous horse with wings came from a lady with snakes for hair?" He cocked his head in skepticism.
    "You have to understand that times were different. Magic was common place and everywhere. Your time has dispelled all magic, even the magic that naturally exists within yourselves. Now, on with our story." The skeptic didn't look impressed.
    "During Pegasus' life on the mortal plane, he assisted in many great deeds. One of these was the slaying of the Chimaera. The hero Bellerophon was sent to kill the Chimaera but knew that he would need help. He sought the assistance of Athena who gave him a golden bridle to use in the capture of Pegasus. Bellerophon used the bridle and succeeded in capturing him while he was drinking. They flew off together to slay the Chimaera and they triumphed. When Bellerophon tried to take the horse back to his home and place him in a stable, the horse bolted. He did not want to be kept as a beast of burden. He had his own plans and chose to fly to the heavens and become a constellation. He is still there today." Our guide had finished her story.

    Pegasus stopped flying in mid-air and landed. He came to the front of the roped area and placed his head on the shoulder of a woman in our group. She was moved and began to stroke his muzzle. "How could he try to keep him in a stall? Didn't he realize that animals have feelings and he might not want to stalled for the rest of his life?" she said. The guide turned to her and said, "I think that there are many sides to every story." The woman only continued to look surprised. This time, she was surprised that she hadn't thought of that!
    "One side note to our story," she said while we were passing into the next exhibit area, "Some believe that the beast that came from her blood was the curse that was placed on her and the horse was the beauty and virtue that she used to have." She turned to me. "What do you think?"
    I had never considered all of the elements in the story before and told her so. She simply stated, "Hopefully, by the time we are finished, you will have." And with that, we passed through another door.

Web Sources:
Take Wing, the Story of Pegasus
http://members.cnetech.com/kctells/pegasus.htm
Twilight Gallery
http://home1.gte.net/selene/Stories/story2.html
Encyclopedia Mythica
http://www.pantheon.org/articles/p/pegasus.html
Bulfinch's Mythology
Thomas Bulfinch, The Age of Fable: Or Stories of Gods and Heroes (1855)
http://www.bulfinch.org/fables/bull16.html
Gorgon
http://webhome.idirect.com/~donlong/monsters/Html/Gorgon.htm

Author's Notes
I chose to tell the story of Pegasus and Bellerophon for my first story. The museum setting is mine and the way that Bellerophon tried to take Pegasus home is mine but the myths contained in the story can be found in the websources above.

E-mail Micah Carlson

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