Divine birth: Pegasus, born from Medusa’s blood

Pegasus was captured and tamed by the Greek hero Bellerophon, who proved mighty in battle as he rode on him and hurled rocks at his enemies. But when the hero tried to reach Mount Olympus, Zeus threw him off the horse with a thunderbolt, then transformed Pegasus into a constellation high up in the sky among the immortals where he really belonged.

 

Medusa Pegasus Poseidon
Medusa, ca. 1597
Caravaggio
Oil on canvas mounted on wood
Uffizi, Florence, Italy
Pegasus, 1865
Aristodemo Costoli
Boboli Garden, Florence, Italy
Poseidon
National Archaeological
Museum of Athens, Italy

 


 

George Dunea, MD, Editor-in-Chief

 

Highlighted in Frontispiece Fall 2012 – Volume 4, Issue 4
Fall 2012   |  Sections  |  Birth, Pregnancy, & Obstetrics