The Mythology Of Bellerophon Explained

Maybe because he was one of the few epic demigods who was not fathered by the almighty Zeus, Bellerophon has not received the amount of respect and recognition that he deserves. Especially in recent times, the impressive saga of Bellerophon has been partially erased as the hero Perseus is now associated with a major part of his story. The amazing steed Pegasus has captured the imaginations of many for thousands of years, but it was only Bellerophon who managed to ride the impressive animal, not Perseus, who does so in the popular "Clash of the Titans" films.

And while demigods like Perseus and Hercules gained massive renown for slaying notorious monsters — such as Medusa, the Hydra, the Nemean lion, and so on — Bellerophon has rarely received credit for defeating another horrific beast, the Chimera. Hercules was far from perfect, but there were some lines that should never be crossed in ancient Greek society. Bellerophon made the unforgivable mistake of crossing a line and became an ever-lasting example of what not to do in the classical world. Somewhat surprisingly, that negative image may have survived up through modern times, which could explain why such an incredible story is largely unknown.

The young demigod's link to the heavenly realm became even more clear after he encountered the impressive winged horse, Pegasus. The origin of the amazing steed was quite strange because after the hero Perseus slew the Gorgon Medusa and hacked off her head, Pegasus was born and emerged out of the severed skull.

Some accounts state that Poseidon gave Bellerophon the flying horse, but Hesiod tells the tale with Bellerophon finding the unique steed at the sacred spring of Pirene (per World History Encyclopedia). The moment he saw the beautiful creature, he became obsessed. Yet every time he tried to get close to Pegasus, the horse flew away from him. Eventually, with the help of Athena, the demigod managed to tame the beast and gained the incredible ability of flight for most of his heroic life. As Stephen Fry says in his book, "Heroes: The Greek Myths Reimagined," Bellerophon was the only one that Pegasus ever trusted to ride him.

When Bellerophon left his home, he traveled to Tiryns (pictured above) to receive purification from the king of the city, Proetus. According to Stephen Fry's "Heroes," the neighboring ruler was not just a friend of Bellerophon's family but was also known for his ability to purify souls worthy of redemption.

After Bellerophon was cleansed, he enjoyed life at the palace until the queen, Anteia, fell in love with him and tried to seduce him. One night, she came to the young man's room, which put him in a very tough position. Out of respect for Proetus, who had so kindly welcomed him to his home, Bellerophon turned Anteia down. But in an effort to make sure that her attempts were forever put to a halt, he may have been too harsh in his rejection — the queen quickly left and was furious at the young man.

For Proetus' plan to work, Bellerophon was instructed to give the sealed letter to Iobates, who would read it and immediately become aware of the crime committed against his daughter. According to Robert Graves in his book, "The Greek Myths," the note only said (via World History Encyclopedia), "Pray remove the bearer from this world; he has tried to violate my wife, your daughter."

Bellerophon did as he was told, but for several days and nights, Iobates entertained the newcomer as a respected guest without reading the letter (via Stephen Fry's "Heroes"). By the time he finally got to it, Iobates also decided it was too late to get rid of his guest himself and came up with a new plan that he was sure would lead to the young man's early demise. The king gave Bellerophon the mission to slay a ferocious monster known as the Chimera.

The Chimera had been terrorizing the nearby countryside of Methian near the border of Caria and Pamphylia. As it freely moved about the land, the beast left a trail of burned buildings and corpses, both livestock and villagers. Sending Bellerophon off to deal with the fearsome creature was a win/win scenario for Iobates because even if the young man somehow managed to kill the Chimera, it would no longer be ravaging his lands. Regardless of the overwhelming danger, the brave hero accepted the challenge to face the monster.

Iobates must have been pleased to no longer have the Chimera terrorizing the land, but he still wanted Bellerophon to die. So, when the hero triumphantly returned to the palace, celebrations were cut short as the king sent the hero to battle with the Solymi of Pisidia. These barbaric warriors were a threat to Iobates; therefore, it was another opportunity to kill two birds with one stone by creating circumstances where his enemies could kill each other.

Bellerophon, once again, obeyed the king's wishes and set off on Pegasus to confront the Solymi. Once he hovered above their city, the hero did not rain down arrows but instead used large boulders to dispatch his foes. According to Stephen Fry's "Heroes," the Solymi eventually surrendered after 70 of their best men were slain from the onslaught.

After defeating them, Bellerophon was then ordered to fight the legendary warrior women known as the Amazons, who he conquered using the same strategy. Still, Iobates would not give up and sent the hero on his fourth mission to remove the threat of a large band of Carian pirates. As with all the other tasks set before him, Bellerophon succeeded.

Bellerophon and Philonoe were happily married in Lycia for many years and raised three children — Isandros, Hippolochos, and Laodameia (via World History Encyclopedia). When news reached Anteia that the hero was not only to become the heir to the Lycian Kingdom but was also wed to her sister, the queen knew everyone would discover the truth of her deception. In shame, she then took her own life, or so the story goes (per Stephen Fry's "Heroes").

In a more damning account of Bellerophon in Philip Freeman's "Oh My Gods," the hero may have returned to Tiryns and tricked both Proetus and Anteia into thinking he wanted to make amends. There was no way the queen could then turn down an offer to soar through the sky upon Pegasus, but while she was up high above the ground, Bellerophon took the opportunity to knock her off the steed and send her tumbling down to her death.

The once-great hero's downward spiral continued as his immense hubris led him to think he was worthy of becoming a god. Whether he received celestial approval or not, Bellerophon decided he would take his fate into his own hands and act.

The most optimistic telling of the Bellerophon saga ends with him landing relatively unscathed in Cilicia (a region to the south of modern-day Turkey) and establishing the city of Tarsus. A grimmer possibility was that he fell to his death. However, the much more common account has an even more depressing conclusion. Stephen Fry says in "Heroes" that Bellerophon crashed into rocks upon his fall and devastated his hip, leaving him crippled.

Society shunned Bellerophon for challenging the gods, and he was forced to live the rest of his life as an outcast (via Philip Freeman's "Oh My Gods"). Abandoned by all, not even his loved ones interacted with him until his bitter end. From then on, Bellerophon was then forever used as an example of one's fate for showing the deities such disrespect. The cautionary tale must have worked, for there was no one else willing to commit such a grievous act of sacrilege after Bellerophon.