►Greek Mythology: “Pegasus, The Winged Horse”🐎.-

Bellerophon, Pegasus and Khimaira. Kylix Laconian Black Figure. Ca 570 – 565 BC.

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Pegasus was a Hippoi Athanatoi, meaning an immortal horse of the Gods. he was a winged horse which sprang forth from the neck of the Gorgon Medusa when she was beheaded by the hero Perseus. 

When Perseus struck off the head of Medusa, with whom Poseidon had once had intercourse in the form of a horse or a bird, there sprang forth from her Chrysaor and the horse Pegasus.

Chrysaor (meaning “Golden Sword”) was usually represented as giant, but may also have been conceived of as a winged boar.

As to Pegasus, he obtained that because he was believed to have made his appearance near the sources (pêgai) of Oceanus.

Liz Greene calls the winged horse the bridge between opposites: “An earthy creature which has the power to ascend into the spiritual realm”. [Source: Symbol Reader].

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“The Birth of Pegasus and Chrysaor” by Edward Burne-Jones (1885).

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Pegasus was tamed by Bellerophon, a corinthian hero, who rode him into battle against the Chimera.

On a side note, the Chimera was a creature of Asia Minor, composed of the parts of more than one animal. 

Usually depicted as a lion, with the head of a goat  arising from its back, and a tail that might end with a snake´s head. The Chimera was one of the offspring of Typhon and Echidna and a sibling of such monsters as Cerberus and the Hydra.

After Pegasus had conquered the Chimera, he endeavoured to rise up to heaven with his winged horse, but fell down upon the earth, either from fear or from giddiness, or being thrown off by Pegasus, who was rendered furious by a gad-fly which Zeus had sent. But Pegasus continued his flight.

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“Bellerophon Rides to Kill the Chimera” by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov 1829.

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The winged horse was also placed amongst the stars as a constellation whose rising marked the arrival of the warmer weather of spring and seasonal rainstorms.

Hence, Pegasus became a constellation in the northern sky, which brightest star is the orange supergiant Epsilon Pegasi. 

Both Hesiod and Plato made reference to this emplacement:

“Pegasus, soaring, left the earth, the mother of sheep flocks, and came to the immortals, and there he lives in the household of Zeus, and carries the thunder and lightning for Zeus of the counsels”. (Hesiod, Theogony).

“A pair of winged horses and a charioteer. Now the winged horses and the charioteers of the gods are all of them noble and of noble descent… Zeus, the mighty lord, holding the reins of a winged chariot, leads the way in heaven, ordering all and taking care of all; and there follows him the array of gods and demigods, marshalled in eleven bands [the twelve Olympians]”.  (Plato, Phaedrus, 246).

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Pegasus with the foal Equuleus next to it, as depicted in Urania’s Mirror, a set of constellation cards published in London in 1825. The horses appear upside-down in relation to the constellations around them.

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From a symbolic point, Pegasoi or winged horses occur in ancient art drawing the chariots of various gods and goddesses, including Helios, the sun and Selene, the moon.

The hero Pelops was also given a chariot drawn by winged horses by the god Poseidon.

Furthermore, Pegasus is a Pterippus (pteros in Greek means “winged” and hippos means “horse”).

The symbolic meaning of the horse is pretty intense with themes of power and mobility.

The horse alone also carries archetypal themes of unifying grounded stability (four feet on the ground) with higher ideals (from speed and mobility).

This theme really comes to life when the horse is winged. The Pterippus, or winged horse, is a symbol of aspiring to the greatest heights of accomplishment.

Grounded by the stability of its body, yet in flight by the ephemeral power of its wings, Pegasus offers a great analogy because of the dichotomy it offers. 

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“Perseus on Pegasus Slaying Medusa “by John Singer Sargent. 20th century.

Perseus and Andromeda, detail of “Pegasus”, by Peter Paul Rubens. 1622.

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►Gallery: “Creatures, Characters and Gods featured in this post”:

“Perseus and Medusa” by Benvenuto Cellini, 1554. Pegasus was Medusa and Poesidon´s son.

Poseidon sits enthroned. Attic Red Figure. 475 – 470 BC. Poseidon was Pegasus´father.

Chrysaor from the west pediment of the Temple of Artemis on Corcyra (Corfu). Chrysaor was Pegasus´brother.

“Bellerophon, riding Pegasus, slaying the Chimera” by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo. 18th century.

Chimera, V century b.C. Found in Arezzo, Italy, it represents a monster with a lion face, a goat head coming out from its back, and a tail in the shape of a snake. Florence Archaeological Museum. Bellerophon rode Pegasus in his battle against the Chimera.

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►Gallery: “Pegasus, The Winged Horse”:

“Fame Escorting Pegasus” by Eugène-Louis Lequesne. 1875.

Pegasus, Medusa and the Gorgons. Pyxis. Black Figure (White Ground). ca 525 – 475 BC

Above. Pegasus. Attic Red Figure Attributed to Skythes. C5th B.C. Down. On the left Pegasus and Chimera. Attic Red Figure. C4th B.C. Down. On the right, Pegasus, Apulian red-figure vase. C4th B.C.

Bellerophon riding Pegasus, against Chimera. Attic Black Figure. Ca 560 – 550 BC.

The hero Bellerophon, riding on the back of the winged horse Pegasus, spears the Chimera. Floor Mosaic. Period: Imperial Roman

“Perseus riding Pegasus” by Paul Joseph Blanc. 19th century.

“Pegasus” by Toshiyuki Enoki. 20th century.

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►Anex: A List of More Types of Horses in Greek Mythology (Gallery Below):

•The Centaur, a creature with the head and torso of a man and the lower body of a horse. 

•The Hippocampus, a creature with an upper body that resembles a horse and a dolphin-like lower body.

•The Hippogriff, a beast with a head and front legs of an eagle whilst the rest of its body is that of a horse.

•The Ichthyocentaur, a creature which supposedly was one-third horse, one-third fish, and one-third human. Also known as Sea Centaur.

•The Ipotanes, a being that looked overall human, but had the legs, hindquarters, tail, and ears of a horse.

•The Sileni, bipedal beings that appear human form the waist up and horse the waist down. They were  were rustic spirits in the train of the God of Wine, Dionysus.

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Centaur. Etruscan vase, red figure amphora. c 530 BC.

Hippocampus. Poseidon in a chariot drawn by two Hippocampoi. Imperial Roman Mosaic. C3rd AD.

Hippogriff. The painting Roger délivrant Angélique by Louis-Édouard Rioult (1824) depicts the scene of Orlando Furioso where Ruggiero rescues Angelique while riding on a hippogriff.

Ichthyocentaurs “The Birth of Venus” by William-Adolphe Bouguereau (1879)The two named ichthyocentaurs were Aphros (“Sea Foam”) and Bythos (“Sea Depths”). They were usually portrayed alongside Aphrodite at her birth, like in this painting.

Ipotane. Copy of a Greek original, circa 4 BC.

Sileni. Amphora. Attic Black Figure. 520 BC.

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►Links Post:

http://www.theoi.com/Ther/HipposPegasos.html

http://www.theoi.com/Ther/Hippoi.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chimera_(mythology)

http://www.space.com/16743-constellation-pegasus.html

http://rabirius.me/2016/01/03/feeding-pegasus/

http://www.whats-your-sign.com/meaning-of-wings.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Perseus_and_Andromeda_(Rubens)

http://symbolreader.net/2013/08/11/light-and-matter-the-perseid-meteor-shower/

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►Greek Mythology: “The Centaurs” / Poem: “Perpetual Time, at @LapoesianomuerD”

“Centaur and Cupid” by Gustave Moreau. 19th century.

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The Centaurs were a tribe of half man, half horse savages which inhabited the mountains and forests of Magnesia. 

Another tribe of Centaurs resided in the western Peloponnese where they came into conflict with the hero Heracles.

The centaurs were usually said to have been born of Ixion and Nephele (the cloud made in the image of Hera, Zeus‘ Wife):

Ixion fell in love with Hera and tried to rape her, and when Hera told Zeus about it, Zeus wanted to determine if her report was really true. So he fashioned a cloud (nephele) to look like Hera, and laid it by Ixion’s side. When Ixion bragged that he had slept with Hera, Zeus punished him by tying him to a wheel, on which he was turned by winds up in the air. The cloud bore Kentauros (Centaurus) from Ixion’s seed. [Pseudo-Apollodorus, Bibliotheca E1. 20 C2nd A.D.)].~

In the  earliest accounts, the centaurs appear merely as a sort of gigantic, savage, or animal-like beings; whereas, in later writers, they are described as monsters, with the upper body of a man, from head to loins, set upon the body of a horse.

Sometimes, they had the facial feature of a man, at other times they were portrayed with the snub nose and pointed ears of a rustic Satyr.

It is probably owing to the resemblance between the nature of the centaurs and that of the satyrs, that the former were in later times drawn into the sphere of Dionysiac beings; but here they appear no longer as savage monsters, but as tamed by the power of the god.

They are described as leading a rude and savage life, occasionally carrying off the women of their neighbours, as covered with hair and ranging over their mountains like animals. 

The Centaurs are best known for their fight against their cousins, The Lapith tribe, a legendary people of Greeks, whose home was in Thesaly. This fight was caused by the Centaurs’ attempt attempt to carry off  Princess Hippodamia and the rest of the Lapith women on the day of Hippodamia’s marriage to Pirithous, king of  Lapithae.

Pirithous and his friend, Theseus, led the Lapiths to victory over the Centaurs in a battle known as Centauromachy.

The kentauros had come to the Lapithai’s country, and now with wine he clouded his understanding and in his frenzy did monstrous things in the very hall of Peirithoos. The heroes were seized with indignation; they leapt up, they dragged the kentauros across the courtyard and out of doors, they lopped off his ears and nose with the ruthless bronze, and the frenzied creature went his way, taking his retribution with him in his still darkened mind. From this beginning came the long feud between men and Kentauroi (Centaurs) [Homer, Odyssey 21. 293 ff (Greek epic C8th B.C.)].~

The centaur is incorporated into the Zodiac sign for Sagittarius, with the bow and arrow, whose symbolism could be understood as a shamanic reference to mystic or visionary travel.

Centaurs are the antithesis of the knight and the horseman. Instead of mastering or taming their instincts, the centaurs are ruled by them. The exception is the wise Centaur Chiron.

Chiron’s mother was the nymph Philyra who was coupling with Cronos when his wife suddenly appeared on the scene. To escape notice he transformed himself into a horse, and in this way sired a half-equine son.

Chiron’s physical appearance often differs somewhat from other centaurs, demonstrating his status and heritage. In traditional Greek representations of Chiron his front legs are human, rather than equine, this is in contrast to the traditional representation of centaurs,which have the entire lower body of a horse. This clearly sets Chiron apart from the other centaurs, making him easily identifiable.

Besides, centaurs were notorious for being wild and lusty, overly indulgent drinkers and carousers, given to violence when intoxicated. Chiron, by contrast Chiron was notable throughout Greek mythology for his youth-nurturing nature. 

Myths in the Olympian tradition attributed Chiron’s uniquely peaceful character and intelligence to teaching by Apollo and his sister Artemis.

Chiron would also teach Apollo’s son, Asclepius, and Achilles, the best fighter of the Greeks besieging Troy in the Trojan War.

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“Walking Ride”, by Franz von Stuck (1903).

“Pallas and Centaur” by Sandro Botticell (1482).

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►Gallery: “The Centaurs”:

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►Links Post:

http://www.ancient.eu/centaur/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Centaur

http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentauroiThessalioi.html

http://www.theoi.com/Georgikos/KentaurosKheiron.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hippodamia_(wife_of_Pirithous)

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Click above to visit the blog / Click en el logo para ingresar al blog.~

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►”My Audio Poem at La Poesía no Muerde”:

~”Tiempo Perpetuo”/ “Perpetual Time”. [July 14th, 2015].~

In this occasion, my poem “Perpetual Time” has been featured at “La Poesía no Muerde”. I both wrote and read the poem. The video poem was created by Hélène Laurent. Check out the original post here.

En este caso, mi poema “Tiempo Perpetuo” ha sido publicado en “La Poesía no Muerde”. Se trata de un poema con audio, leído y escrito por mí. El video fue creado por Hélène Laurent. Consultar el post orginal aquí.

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►La Poesía no Muerde~Audio Poem ~

“Tiempo Perpetuo”  / “Perpetual Time” 

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~Perpetual Time~

 

And now …

Where do our memories remain,

those dark splendors?

These barren wastelands were springs

and blue rains,

fruitful outdoors;

Now just grooves of Time … 

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Cracks of your footsteps.

Surreptitious hollows and shadows.

Unrelenting water flows,

like a river of time.

~~~ 

From a subterraneous mirror drops gurgling.

Your hand exchanging movements,

trapping me inside the storm that precedes any drought.

An hourglass, greedy, thirsty. 

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And a thousand ships crossing the Lethe,

the salty river of forgetfulness .

Thirst and desire, outsider lighthouses.

All memory is dryness,

vague journey  from Present to Past. 

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 Echo, repetition

[Echo] …

dissolved into nothing.

Your summer fertility

turns against me.

~~~

Crater of fire.

Unattainable …

Wind setback,

disintegrating summer abysses  

Beaches devastated by your flames

like a cup filled with ashes.

Legacy of a temporary fold …

Lost constellations.

—–

© Amalia Pedemonte. 2015.~

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►Last but not Least: “Three Awards”:

I would like to thank  bloggers from 4 Years Old Adult, The Wall Gallery Blog and Ser un Ser de Luz for nominating my blog for a Brotherhood Award, a Creative Blogger Award and a Bor Litarcihis Award, respectively.

I suggest you to check out these blogs and follow them, if you haven’t still done so…

•Rules for the Brotherhood Award and Creative Blogger Award: ♠Thank the person who nominated you. ♠Add the logo to your post. ♠Nominate ten (10) bloggers of your choice and tell them about the nomination. 

•Notes:

-As always I am not answering questions. Hence, I will just nominate ten bloggers per award.

-If you have been nominated and want to follow the Nomination Process, just click on the award for which you have been nominated for. That way you’ll be able to grab in regular size!.~🍃 🍃🍃 ~

I. Nominees for the Brotherhood Award: 1. Mind Love Misery 2. Henry West 3. Truels 4 . BerlinArt2 5. Round World and Me 6. The Reading Bud 7. The Wall Gallery Blog 8. Ser un Ser de Luz 9. Kintal 10. Aqua Compass 7.

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II. Nominees for the Creative Blogger Award: 1. Tuesdays with Laurie 2. Voices from the Margins 3. Renne Johnson Writes 4 . Upchucking Words 5. Fiesta Estrella 6. Close to Eighty 7. Friendly Fairy Tales 8. Mieux Vivre Jardin 9. 4 Year Old Adult 10. Implied Spaces.

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III. Nominees for the Bor Litarcihis Award: I will follow Silvia´s rules in this case. And I will leave this Award open to all bloggers who want to pick it up and pass it on to other bloggers. 

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July 2015.

July 2015.

July 2015.

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►Bonustrack. Some recent Photographs ….

Selfies and Evening Views. Buenos Aires

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