Divine birth: Pegasus, born from Medusa’s blood
Pegasus, the divine, winged white horse, was the offspring of the god Poseidon and the gorgon Medusa. He was born from Medusa’s blood after she was beheaded by Perseus, arising from her head or from the blood that had seeped into the earth. Because he created the spring of Hippocrene, held sacred by the Muses, he is regarded as a symbol of fame and a source of inspiration for poets.
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.
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| 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
