S9E7 - Bellerophon and Pegasus pt 1 - Horse Bros

stories featured in Greaking Out are original adaptations of classic Greek myths.

This week's story features a large amount of siblings, diplomatic relations, attempted horse thievery, treacherous letter writing, and a boy and his horse.

Listen and you'll see it's Greaking

Out.

So you've heard of Pegasus, right?

The great big white horse with wings that carried his hero into battle?

Chances are, when you think of Pegasus, you probably think of Heracles or maybe Perseus.

But the truth is, Pegasus' real partner in heroics was someone else entirely.

His name was Bellerophon.

You've probably never heard of him, and that's okay.

You see, Pegasus was the immortal child of Poseidon and Medusa.

Don't ask me how an ocean god and a snake-haired gorgon can have a flying horse baby, but that's their story and nobody questions it.

Some say Pegasus was born from the blood of Medusa when Perseus cut off her head.

But I know you like the romantic version better.

Yes, I do.

Anyway, Pegasus spent his early horse years in the care of the great goddess Athena, who actually gave him over to the muses of Mount Helicon for safekeeping.

He lived his days there happily, roaming the fields, chomping on delicious grasses, and doing this amazing trick where he could stamp his hoof and create a fresh stream of water out of the ground.

There are at least two famous springs in Greece that were supposedly created this way.

Both of these springs are named Hippocrene, which means horse spring.

And many believed that drinking from them would inspire you and fill your mind with amazing ideas.

Meanwhile, Bellerophon wasn't exactly living the rough life himself.

He was a Greek prince, the son of King Glaucus and Queen Eurony.

Well, actually, he was the son of Queen Eurony and Poseidon, but of course nobody knew that but Queen Eurony, and she was wise enough to keep that quiet.

Demigods had exciting but short lives and she wanted a normal life for her son.

And at least in the beginning, that's what he had.

The only thing that was unusual about Bellerophon was his fascination with horses.

He loved horseback riding, and he was particularly fascinated by the stories he heard of a great white flying stallion called Pegasus.

He had a strange longing to ride him someday and decided to make that his personal goal.

He was going to seek out the mythical horse.

Of course, this could be influenced by the fact that they were technically half-brothers, but who knows?

Poseidon has over 100 children.

So maybe it wasn't that.

Yeah, but but how many of those half-siblings were horses?

More than you would think.

Okay.

Well, anyway, let's just say that from the start, Bellerophon felt he had a unique connection to Pegasus, and at the advice of his father, Bellerophon decided that he needed professional help, so he sought out the seer Polyitis.

A seer is another term for an oracle.

or a prophet.

In many Greek myths, the heroes need guidance from the gods and oftentimes this guidance comes through people like these rather than from the gods themselves.

Polyitas told Bellerophon that Pegasus belonged to Athena so he would need to go to her temple, make an offering and pray.

Bellerophon wasted no time in heading to the temple and as soon as he arrived, he dropped to his knees and began to pray and pray and pray all day and into the night, at which point he fell asleep.

Well, Athena was touched by Bellerophon's enthusiasm for Pegasus, and maybe that was why she granted his wish.

Or maybe it was the half-brother thing, but either way, when Bellerophon woke up on the cold, hard floor of the temple the next morning, there was a shimmering golden bridle beside him and an idea in his mind of a nearby meadow where he would find the winged horse.

A bridle is the headgear that riders use to control a a horse.

It consists of straps with a bit on one side and the reins on the other.

Bellerophon thanked Athena for this great gift and hastily left the temple, bounding down to the meadows.

He ran and ran and ran until finally, breathless, he stumbled into a clearing and there was Pegasus.

His wings folded behind him and his white coat gleaming in the morning sun.

He regarded Bellerophon carefully.

It was obvious this human was young and impulsive, but Athena was right.

There was still something about him that seemed special.

The horses we know today are just one branch of all the ancient horses that existed for the last 55 million years.

Some had three toes, and some were the size of dogs.

Well, this mighty horse slowly lowered his head and Bellerophon cautiously approached, slowly fitting the bridle over the head of the demigod horse.

And just like that, it was done.

Pegasus turned to one side and Bellerophon leaped upon his back.

The horse spread his massive wings and in moments, the pair rose into the sky.

From that point forward, Bellerophon and Pegasus were never far apart.

Pegasus was careful at first, but to his credit, Bellerophon was a skilled rider and it wasn't long before they streaked across the sky to the delight of people everywhere.

In fact, over time, Bellerophon became kind of a celebrity, and not everyone was happy about that.

In fact, some were very jealous of the young man.

King Proteus ruled a neighboring kingdom, and he was determined to have that white horse for himself.

So he sent a messenger to King Glaucus asking for an audience with Bellerophon.

The names Proteus and Glaucus are kings named after famous people in ancient Greece.

So these are not the same people from other myths.

Ah, okay, good.

I was wondering about that.

It's kind of like meeting a toddler named Beyoncé, you know?

Exactly.

The toddler is obviously not superstar recording artist Beyoncé Giselle Knowles Carter.

Exactly, right.

Okay, so this Glaucus, who is not the same as the other Glaucuses, Glaucus, Glaucusi, Glauci, whatever.

Anyway, not the same as the other Glaucus people we were talking about.

This Glaucus sent the messenger, and the messenger asked for an audience with Bellerophon.

When the prince emerged, the messenger demanded to see Pegasus.

Bellerophon hesitated.

There was something about this man that he didn't quite trust, but since he really wanted to impress the king next door, he brought the messenger to the stables to get a peek at the great Pegasus.

The minute the man entered the stable, Pegasus became restless.

He snorted.

He looked away.

Obviously, he got the same vibe that Bellerophon did.

Bellerophon tried to calm the horse, but Pegasus still seemed uneasy.

That is when the messenger tried something extremely silly.

and jumped right on Pegasus's back.

It's clear the messenger didn't understand that this was not just a regular horse you could ride on.

This was Bellerophon's demigod horse brother and he did not like being treated like a common horse.

Pegasus leapt into the air and once he was high enough, flung the man from his back.

The messenger flew high into the air and then smacked down upon the ground, dead in an instant.

A study in 2021 indicates that horseback riding is more dangerous than other sports, including football, skiing, and motorcycling.

More people are hospitalized from horse riding injuries than from other challenging sports.

Well, Bellerophon knew that he had to apologize to King Proteus.

Even though the death was not his fault, he still felt responsible for bringing the man to the stables in the first place.

So the next morning, he packed a bag and mounted Pegasus and flew to Proteus' court to ask for an audience with the king.

You know, I'm feeling a commercial break right now.

I I think this is a good place to take a moment.

We'll get a break.

We'll come back with more greaking out in just a little bit.

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Okay, back to the story.

Proteus's court was welcoming at first, but the audience with the king was an awkward affair, to say the least.

Bellerophon had to tell Proteus about his messenger's death, and to top it all off, when Proteus asked to ride Pegasus himself, Bellerophon had to tell him no, because...

You know, he didn't want Proteus to die.

Proteus seethed with anger, but he wasn't sure what to do about it.

You see, in ancient Greece, harming a house guest was an insult to the gods, and Bellerophon was a pretty popular guy, so it wouldn't be a good idea for Proteus to raise a hand against him.

But that didn't mean others couldn't.

I will grant you a pardon for this offense, young Bellerophon, the king told the prince.

But in recompense, you must deliver a letter to my father-in-law, King Iobates, who lives in the kingdom of Lycia.

Bellerophon let out a sigh of release.

Of course, the prince said.

It would be my honor.

Bellerophon would never be so rude as to open someone else's mail, so when he arrived on Iobates' doorstep the next day, he had no idea that he was walking into a trap.

In the U.S., deliberately opening or destroying mail items that are not addressed to you is actually a crime.

Obstruction of correspondence is a felony.

King Iobades was happy to welcome the famous Bellerophon into his home, and they sat together in the king's chambers as Iobades read over the letter.

This was the trick.

Proteus' letter made Bellerophon sound like a criminal.

He exaggerated the death of the messenger, making it look like murder, and he totally made up a bunch of stuff about Bellerophon attacking his wife as well as various other crimes.

Remember, King Proteus' wife was Iobades' daughter, and he was a very protective father.

His face turned darker and darker and darker as he read through the letter.

Finally, he put down the note and turned to Bellerophon, his eyes blazing with anger.

Gods, arrest this criminal, he shouted.

Wait, wait, hold on, Bellerophon said.

King Proteus said I was forgiven.

Now this was a dilemma for King Iobates.

He was still extremely furious, but not only was Bellerophon forgiven by King Proteus, he was also under the protection that all guests should receive in the ancient Greek world.

So of course, King Iobates resorted to the time-honored tradition of murder by extremely difficult task.

This is also why Perseus attacked Medusa and why Heracles was sent on his labors.

Exactly.

If you want to be absolved of your crimes, you must prove yourself in battle, the king snarled.

I will provide you with three tasks that only the most skilled and honorable warriors could attempt.

If you succeed, you will be known to all as a true hero and worthy of pardon.

Bellerophon was a bit miffed because, of course, he hadn't done anything to IO bodies, but he was still being treated like a criminal.

He was also cautious about what these tasks might entail.

But a small part of him really wanted to prove himself a true hero.

He had a cool flying horse, which was very impressive, no doubt, but he also hadn't really done anything anything truly heroic yet.

So, Bellerophon's first challenge was a big one.

He had to hunt down and kill the dreaded chimera, a monster that had been terrifying nearby villages and towns for months, attacking people, destroying farms, stealing livestock.

It was a huge, savage beast with the head and body of a lion and the tail of a venomous serpent.

And it could breathe fire.

Also, it had an extra goat head growing out of its midsection.

I'm not really sure why.

That just seems sort of extra, but you know.

Goats can actually be dangerous and harmful to humans.

When threatened, they will lower their heads, pull in their chins, and show their horns.

They may also charge an opponent, swiping at them with their horns.

Yeah, but it's like growing out of his tummy, which anyway, never mind.

Regardless of extra heads and tails, this was still a ferocious beast and Bellerophon didn't have much experience but he did have Pegasus the two were able to track down the beast from above they found it on a rocky hillside feasting on a small animal Bellerophon used his bow at first but the arrows couldn't penetrate the chimera's hide so that didn't do much but startle the beast and send it running

Pegasus caught up with it in no time and swooped down quickly so Bellerophon could reach the creature with a swipe of his sword.

The chimera lunged at the flying horse, but Pegasus was quick, and Bellerophon was smart and agile enough to hold tight as they dodged every swipe of the monster's claws or burst of its fiery breath.

They fought for hours.

Every time they thought they had the monster down, Pegasus would land and Bellerophon would jump off, sword in hand, ready to slay the beast.

But the chimera was clever.

That was the moment the monster would leap at Bellerophon, roaring flames and swiping with its massive claws.

So Bellerophon would climb back on Pegasus, they'd soar into the air and the fight would continue.

Finally, they chased the chimera all the way up a mountainside near the top.

Pegasus hovered in the air and used the beating of his wings to make a wind that blew the monster back towards the edge of a cliff.

Instead of a sword, Bellerophon grabbed his lance and fastened a chunk of lead to the tip.

When the chimera opened its jaws to breathe out fire, Bellerophon threw the lance with all his might.

But the spear was awkwardly balanced, and it looked like the chimera was about to catch it easily in his mouth.

For a moment, Bellerophon thought all was lost.

But then, Bellerophon's spear struck true, and the chimera was vanquished at last.

Bellerophon returned to King Iobades with his trophy, and the king was both surprised and impressed, and also a little annoyed.

King Iobades really thought that terrifying creature would make short work of this unwelcome guest.

But the king knew that he had two more chances to get it right.

Okay,

we're going to take a break and end our story here for today.

The tale of Bellerophon was just too big to fit into one episode, so we've broken it up into two parts.

There was too much going on.

Yeah, it's a lot.

So instead of racing through the details, we're telling the rest of the story next time.

We'll see you then.

Thanks for joining us for part one of the Bellerophon and Pegasus story.

You can look forward to the second half next week.

Gods and Heroes, amazing feats.

Listen and you'll see it's Greaking

Out.

National Geographic Kids Greaking Out is written by Jillian Hughes and Kenny Curtis and hosted by Kenny Curtis, with Tori Kerr as the Oracle of Wi-Fi, audio production and sound design by Scotty Beam, and our theme song was composed by Perry Gripp.

Dr.

Diane Klein is our subject matter expert.

Emily Burkette, Laurie Boda, and Juliana Schiavo are our producers, and Emily Everhart is our senior producer.