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The Mountain Aerie
You adjust the back pack on your shoulders and lean heavily on your walking stick. You've been
following this rocky trail up the mountain for most of the day now. You know you don't have too
much further to go, however. As you look up to the sky, you notice dark clouds setting in. You
hope it doesn't decide to rain. Heaving a sigh, you continue up the mountain.
A little while later, you pause for a rest. More dark clouds have gathered over the mountain.
Looking down on the valley, you can see that it is still quite sunny down there. You glance up at
the sky and notice an oddly shaped white cloud that seems to be moving fairly quickly. Shrugging,
you gather your stuff up and resume your hike. It's not more than five paces when a strong
wind nearly knocks you off balance. And it's accompanied by a strange sound - a sound that
reminds you of beating wings. You look up but don't see anything besides the dark clouds hoovering
over the mountain. Sighing, you continue your journey.
You hike for awhile, making considerable progress. Then, rounding a curve, you stumble on some
rocks and come very close to crashing down on your knees. As you regain your balance, grumbling
at the rocks for tripping you, something moves in the corner of your eye. You become very still,
almost instinctively, and listen. You hear a couple of rocks tumbling, falling down the side
of the mountain from the same direction as the movement. Turning your head slowly, you look around.
You see nothing at first. All of a sudden, a loud clap of thunder booms, causing you to nearly
jump out of your skin. You laugh at yourself for being so skittish. Then, you hear more rocks
tumbling down the mountain. Looking up, you see a cliff ahead of you, above the trail. Your eyes
travel up the cliff and you blink in surprise. There, above you, stands a magnificiant white
stallion, standing out against the darkened sky. But that's not the truly amazing thing. For upon
his back stretches a pair of white feathered wings. It is the wings that sets this creature
apart from any normal horse. You watch in awe, as the creature rears up on his hind legs, front
hooves beating in the air and bellows a long shrill neigh to the wind. The wings spread out against
the sky. Lightening crashes around you and you know him to be - Pegasus.
Origin of Pegasus
Pegasus was a great flying horse of Ancient Greece. He was completely white with white feathered
wings on his back. He was the son of Poisdon, god of the sea, and the gorgan, Medusa. When the
hero Perseus (who was the son of Zeus) slew Medusa by cutting off her head, Pegasus sprang from
her neck and blood. He had been waiting to be born, and could only do so upon her death. Shortly
after his birth, the horse struck the ground with his hoof on Mt. Helicon, creating a spring that
was to be called Hippocrene. This spring was said to have been a source of poetic inspiration
and was held sacred to the muses.
Pegasus roamed free across the land. There was many who wanted to catch and tame him, but tried
and failed. Then a prince of Corinth, named Bellerophon, was able to, with the help of a golden
bridle given to him by Athena (goddess of war). Bellerophon rode him on his many of adventures,
and he was riding the steed when he killed the Chimera (a firebreathing monster). Afterwards, Bellerophon, in his pride and believing himself to
be a god, attempted to ride Pegasus to Mt. Olypus, home of the gods. This angered the gods, so
Zeus (father of the gods) caused Pegasus to throw him from his back. Thereafter, Bellerophon
wandered the world, blind and lame, hated by the gods and men, until his death.
In the meantime, Pegasus went to live at Mt. Olympus. He carried thunderbolts and lightening for
Zeus, who was also god of sky. He was ridden by Eos, goddess of the dawn, and evidentually was
placed among the stars.
Pegasus among the Stars
The constellation Pegasus can be found in the northern sky, southeast of Andromeda. As a matter
of fact, the two share a star on one corner of what is known as the Square of Pegasus. He appears
in the autumn sky and only his head, neck and front half are potrayed in the stars. Long before
the Greeks, these stars were probably recognized by the early Mesopotamians as a horse. Scholars
speculate that originally there may have been a complete horse. It is possible that when the zodiac
was defined, and the constellation Aries (the Ram) was formed, some of the stars from Taurus (the
bull) and Pegasus became part of Aries. This would explain why both of those constellations only
show the upper halves of the animals they represent. A modern mythologist has suggested that
the rear half of the horse fell to Earth to found the line of modern politicians.
Flying Horse - The Modern Pegasus
Though Pegasus was the name of an important creature in mythology, his name is now used to mean
any horse with wings. Pegasi (plural form) come in all colors and sizes. There are even flying unicorns.
The wings are what make this creature different and important. Without them, Pegasus would be merely an ordinary horse. Only in the last 150 years has man been able to take to the skies. Before that, flight was beyond him and viewed as a power of the gods. Also, only in the past 150 years has man had the automobile. Before that, in most cultures (though not all), horses were the main means of transportation. The same was true in Ancient Greece. They pulled carriages and carts and people rode upon their backs. Therefore, the logical way to obtain flight would be to add wings to the horse. Flying is also an universal symbol for freedom. Today, in a world bustling with technology and crowded cities, horses have also become a symbol for freedom - freedom from the stress of the modern workplace, where one can relax and life is simple, and where one can gallop headlong into the wind beneath the deep blue sky. Thus, we have the modern Pegasus.
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