Sisyphus had a son, the hero Glaucus, who ruled in Corinth after the death of his father. Glaucus had a son, Bellerophon, one of the great heroes of Greece. Bellerophon was as beautiful as a god and equal in courage to the immortal gods. Bellerophon, when he was still a youth, suffered a misfortune: he accidentally killed one citizen of Corinth and had to flee from his hometown. He fled to the king of Tiryns, Proetus. The king of Tiryns received the hero with great honor and cleansed him of the filth of the blood he had shed. Bellerophon did not have to stay long in Tiryns. His wife Proyta, the godlike Antheia, was captivated by his beauty. But Bellerophon rejected her love. Then Queen Antheia was inflamed with hatred of Bellerophon and decided to destroy him. She went to her husband and told him:
- Oh, king! Bellerophon is seriously insulting you. You must kill him. He pursues me, your wife, with his love. This is how he thanked you for your hospitality!
Proytes became angry; he himself could not raise his hand against his guest, as he was afraid of the wrath of Zeus, the patron saint of hospitality. Protes thought for a long time about how to destroy Bellerophon, and finally decided to send him with a letter to Antheia’s father Iobates, king of Lycia. In this letter, written on a double folded and sealed tablet, Proetus wrote to Iobates how grievously Bellerophon had insulted him, and asked him to take revenge for the insult. Bellerophon went with a letter to Iobato, not suspecting the danger that threatened him.
After a long journey, Bellerophon arrived in Lycia. Iobates joyfully received the young hero and celebrated him with feasts for nine days. Finally Iobates asked him about the purpose of his arrival. Bellerophon calmly handed Proetus's letter to the king of Lycia. Iobates took the double sealed tablet and opened it. He was horrified when he read what was written on it. He had to kill the young hero, whom he had already fallen in love with during these nine days. But Iobates himself, like Protes, did not dare to violate the sacred custom of hospitality. To destroy Bellerophon, he decided to send the hero on a feat that threatened him with inevitable death. Iobates instructed Bellerophon to kill the formidable monster Chimera. She was given birth to by the terrible Typhon and the gigantic Echidna. In front the lion was the Chimera, in the middle was the mountain wild goat, and in the back was the dragon. It spewed fire from three mouths. There was no salvation for anyone from the formidable Chimera. Her very approach brought death with it.
Bellerophon was not stopped by the danger of this feat - the mighty hero boldly took on the task of carrying it out. He knew that only he could defeat the Chimera who owned the winged horse Pegasus, which flew out of the body of the gorgon Medusa killed by Perseus, and he knew where to find this marvelous horse. Pegasus often went down to the top of Acrocorinth and drank water from the Pyrene spring there. Bellerophon went there. He came to the source just at the time when Pegasus, who had descended from the clouds, was quenching his thirst with the cold, crystal-clear water of the Pirena spring. Bellerophon wanted to catch Pegasus right away. Days and nights he pursued him, but all in vain, no tricks helped. Pegasus was not given into the hands of Bellerophon. As soon as the young hero approached the winged horse, flapping his mighty wings, with the speed of the wind the horse flew beyond the clouds and soared in them, like an eagle. Finally, on the advice of the soothsayer Polyidus, Bellerophon went to sleep at the source of Pyrene, near the altar of Pallas Athena, in the place where he first saw Pegasus. Bellerophon wanted to receive a revelation from the gods in a dream. Indeed, in a dream, the beloved daughter of the thunderer Zeus, Athena, appeared to him, taught him how to catch Pegasus, gave him a golden bridle and ordered him to make a sacrifice to the god of the sea Poseidon. Bellerophon woke up. With amazement he saw that the golden bridle was lying next to him. Bellerophon thanked the great goddess in fervent prayer. He now knew that he would take possession of Pegasus.
Soon a marvelous horse flew to the source of Pirena on its snow-white wings. Bellerophon boldly jumped on him and threw a golden bridle over his head. For a long time, Pegasus carried the hero through the air faster than the wind, finally he humbled himself and since then has faithfully served Bellerophon.
The hero quickly rushed on Pegasus to the mountains of Lycia, to where the monstrous Chimera lived. The chimera sensed the approach of the enemy and crawled out of the dark cave, powerful and menacing. A scorching fire flew out of its three mouths, clouds of smoke clouded everything around. Pegasus flew high with Bellerophon, and from above Bellerophon sent his arrows one after another at the Chimera. In a rage, she hit the rocks and overturned them; frantic, she rushed through the mountains. Everything around was perishing from its flame. Bellerophon followed her everywhere on his winged horse. The chimera could nowhere hide from the hero’s small arrows; deadly arrows overtook her everywhere. Bellerophon killed the formidable monster and returned to King Iobates with great glory.
But Iobates gave him another task. He sent a hero against the warlike Solims[4]. Many heroes lost their lives in battles with the Solims, but Bellerophon defeated them. And this feat was not enough for Iobates - after all, he sought to destroy the hero. Therefore, he sent a hero against the invincible Amazons. And Bellerophon emerged victorious from this war. Then Iobates sent the strongest men of Lycia to meet the hero, who was returning in the glory of victory, so that they would kill the invincible Bellerophon, attacking him by surprise. The Lycians lured the hero into an ambush, but he did not die here either. All the strongest men of Lycia fell at the hands of the mighty hero. Iobates then realized what a great hero he had received as a guest. He met the glorious winner with great honor. Iobates gave him his daughter as a wife, and with her half his kingdom as a dowry. The Lycians gave Bellerophon a gift of the most fertile land from their fields and gave it to him for possession.
Since then, Bellerophon remained in Lycia and lived there, surrounded by honor and glory. But Bellerophon ended his life unhappily. The great hero became proud.
He wanted to become equal to the Olympian gods, so great glory blinded him. Bellerophon decided to fly to bright Olympus to the immortal gods on his winged horse Pegasus. Zeus punished Bellerophon for such arrogance. The Thunderer sent a furious fury at the winged Pegasus. Pegasus threw Bellerophon to the ground when he sat on him to ascend to Olympus. From falling to the ground, the mighty hero lost his mind. He wandered for a long time, mad, through the “valley of wanderings,” until the gloomy god of death Tanat flew in on his black wings and snatched away his soul. Thus the great hero Bellerophon descended into the sad kingdom of shadows.
Translated from Russian · original on wisdomlib.ru