Pegasus, the mighty winged horse of ancient Greek mythology, was said to have sprung forth from the blood of Medusa when the hero Perseus deftly lobbed off her head. The wild creature was eventually captured by Bellerophon, another Greek hero, who rode him to fight the Chimera and exact revenge upon Stheneboea (Anteia) before being unseated and sent to his death when he attempted to fly to heaven. None the worse for wear, Pegasus then traveled on to Olympus to become the famed constellation — whose rising marks the arrival of spring — and thunderbolt-bearing servant of Zeus.
A favored theme woven through classical Greek art and literature, Pegasus’ story was most famously featured in Euripides’ Bellerophon and Aristophanes’ Peace. Today, Pegasus is a symbol of artistic inspiration, strength, and the soul’s undying aspirations.