Percy Jackson Re-read: Mythology Wednesday!

Welcome to another Mythology Wednesday!

I'm doing Pegasus this week, and Caroline's doing the Archer Twins, Artemis and Apollo, plus a small bonus of the titan Atlas! Be sure to check her's out too! :)

Pegasus can refer to two things: the immortal being, Pegasus, or the the species pegasus (plural pegasi), who are the offspring of the original Pegasus. I'll be talking about them both, so no need to worry about confusing one for another!

The immortal being Pegasus is most famously known for being a winged horse. He's known for being the son of Posedion, the god of the sea, and Medusa, the famous snake-haired monster. Pegasus came to be when Medusa was decapitated by the hero Perseus, springing into existence from the stump of her head (gross, but hey, it's mythology). Pegasus wasn't the only being born at that moment. His brother, Chrysaor, also came into being at that moment.

The story goes that Bellerophon managed to capture Pegasus with the help of Athena, and with Pegasus, was able to slay the Chimera. However, arrogance made Bellerophon attempt to fly to the top of Mount Olympus on Pegasus. Zeus wasn't too happy, and sent a gadfly to sting Pegasus, who ended up bucking and throwing Bellerophon off his back, crippling him. Pegasus then continued the journey to Mount Olympus alone, and became Zeus' steed. Since then, we always see pictures of Zeus riding Pegasus, throwing down his lighting bolts and smiting his enemies!

Hope you enjoyed this week's myth, and don't forget to check out Caroline's post too!