The myth of Pegasus and the chimera - Iseult Gillespie

898,652 views ・ 2022-09-29

TED-Ed


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Shielded from the gorgon’s stone-cold gaze,
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Perseus crept through Medusa’s cave.
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When he reached her, he took a deep breath,
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and in one sudden movement,
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drew his sickle and brought it down on her neck.
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Medusa’s head rolled to the ground and from her neck sprung two children.
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One of them was Chrysaor, a giant wielding a golden sword;
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The other was the magnificent, white, winged horse, Pegasus.
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He was swifter than any other steed, and with the stomp of his hooves,
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he could alter mountains and draw streams from dry rock.
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No bridle could contain him— until one fateful day.
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Bellerophon, prince of the Greek city-state of Corinth,
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seemed to have it all.
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But his ambitions exceeded his earthly circumstances.
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What he truly wanted was to be a hero so great
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that the gods would welcome him on Mount Olympus.
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Bellerophon believed that Pegasus would be key in helping him reach such heights.
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One night, he visited the temple of Athena,
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the goddess of war and wisdom,
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and prayed for the power to appease the mighty animal.
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When Bellerophon woke, he found a magical golden bridle,
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and sped to the fountain that Pegasus drank from.
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As soon as the horse bent towards the water,
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Bellerophon jumped on his back and slipped the bridle on.
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Finally, Pegasus was subdued.
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With this conquest, Bellerophon felt that he was on his way to becoming
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a legendary hero.
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He trained for battle day and night.
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But one training session went horribly wrong,
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and Bellerophon mortally injured his brother, Deliades.
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Disgraced, he was exiled to Argos, where King Proetus purified him.
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Bellerophon was resolved to repair his reputation,
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but the Queen of Argos had her eye on him.
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And when Bellerophon rebuffed her advances,
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she accused him of trying to seduce her, further tarnishing his honor.
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King Proetus soon devised a plan to exact revenge.
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He banished Bellerophon and Pegasus and sent them to the kingdom of Lycia,
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carrying a note to Iobates, Lycia’s king.
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But unbeknownst to Bellerophon, he was carrying a decree for his own death.
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Iobates considered how to dispose of the youth
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and picked just the right monster for the job:
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the fire-breathing lion-goat-dragon Chimera
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that had long been terrorizing his kingdom.
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Bellerophon— eager to achieve greatness— jumped at the challenge.
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He mounted Pegasus, and the two shot into the sky.
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Swooping above the earth, they saw the Chimera surrounded by its charred victims.
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Soon, they too were facing its firepower.
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In a sequence of agile aerial acrobatics,
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Pegasus dodged every blast from the Chimera
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as Bellerophon launched his arrows.
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Finally, Pegasus closed in on the beast at just the right angle,
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and Bellerophon dealt it a deadly blow.
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Iobates was incredulous.
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He was glad to be rid of the monster, but still needed to deal with Bellerophon.
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So, he set forth more challenges,
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putting Bellerophon up against fearsome warriors, highly skilled archers,
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and, ultimately, Lycia’s best soldiers.
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Every time, Pegasus’ power turned the tide in Bellerophon’s favor.
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Finally, Iobates had no choice but to concede
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that Bellerophon was a true hero.
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He even offered him his daughter’s hand in marriage.
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But Bellerophon’s sights were set far beyond the land of mortals.
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He was certain he must now be entitled to a place on Mount Olympus.
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So, he jumped onto Pegasus and urged him higher and higher.
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Zeus watched as Bellerophon, buoyed by hubris,
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neared his palace.
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To punish the youth, he released a single gadfly,
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which beelined towards Pegasus and bit into his flesh.
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This was as high as Bellerophon would ever get.
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As Pegasus flinched, he flung his rider into the air,
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and Bellerophon fell careening back to Earth.
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Pegasus, on the other hand, ascended with Zeus’s blessing.
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The gods welcomed him into the halls of Mount Olympus
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and immortalized him in a constellation.
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There in the night sky, Pegasus can be seen soaring,
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unfettered and free.
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