In Greek mythology, Bellerophon (pronounced buh-LAIR-uh-fun) was a hero and warrior who accidentally killed his own brother. He tamed the winged horse Pegasus (PEG-uh-suhs) and fought a ferocious beast called the Chimaera (pronounced kye-MEER-uh).
After accidentally killing his brother and another man, Bellerophon sought protection from King Proteus (pronounced PRO-tee-uhs) of Tiryns (pronounced TEER-ins), who granted Bellerophon shelter. Proteus’s wife, Anteia (pronounced ahn-TAY-uh), tried to seduce Bellerophon, but he resisted her. Angry at being rejected, Anteia told her husband that Bellerophon had tried to rape her. Proteus was furious but did not want to kill his guest. Instead, he sent Bellerophon to Anteia’s father, King Iobates (pronounced eye-OH-buh-teez) of Lycia
Bellerophon fighting the Chimaera. © MARY EVANS PICTURE LIBRARY/THE IMAGE WORKS.
(pronounced LISH-ee-uh). He also sent a note explaining what had happened and asking Iobates to kill Bellerophon.
Iobates, too, was reluctant to kill his guest, so he sent him on dangerous missions instead. First, he asked Bellerophon to kill the Chimaera, a fire-breathing monster with the head of a lion, the body of a goat, and the tail of a serpent. With the help of the gods, Bellerophon tamed the winged horse Pegasus and then used it to fight the Chimaera. He still could not get near the beast because of its fiery breath, but the gods helped him formulate a plan. He put a block of lead on the end of his spear and lodged it into the Chimaera’s throat. The heat of its breath melted the lead, which went down the creature’s throat and suffocated it. After the defeat of the Chimaera, Iobates ordered Bellerophon to defeat two armies, including the fierce Amazons. Bellerophon succeeded in these missions as well.
Afterward, Bellerophon told the sea god Poseidon (pronounced poh-SYE-dun) that Iobates seemed ungrateful for his help. In response, Poseidon caused a great flood to strike Lycia. Iobates finally realized that Bellerophon must be innocent of the charges against him. When he discovered that his guest did not rape Anteia, Iobates gave Bellerophon one ofhis daughters as a bride and made him heir to the throne ofLycia.
Proud of his success, Bellerophon tried to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus (pronounced oh-LIM-puhs), home of the gods. Zeus (pronounced ZOOS) sent a fly to bite Pegasus, who bucked and threw Bellerophon to the ground. Bellerophon survived the fall but was crippled for life. He spent the rest of his days wandering the earth as a beggar.
World History
