Bellerophon
Sisyphus had a son, the hero Glavk, who ruled in Corinth after father's death. Glaucus also had a son Bellerophon, one of the great heroes of Greece. Beautiful as a god was Bellerophon and courage equal to the immortal gods. Bellerophon, when he was still a youth, suffered a misfortune: he accidentally killed a citizen of Corinth and had to flee from his native city. He fled to the king of Tiryns, Pass. With great honor, the king of Tiryns accepted the hero and cleansed him of the filth of the blood shed by him. Bellerophon did not stay long in Tiryns. Captivated by his beauty was the wife of Proyta, the divine Anteia. But Bellerophon rejected her love. Then Queen Anteia flared up with hatred for Bellerophon and decided to destroy him. She went to her husband and said to him:
- Oh, king! Bellerophon heavily offends you. You must kill him. He haunts me, your wife, with his love. That's how he thanked you for your hospitality!
Proyt got angry; he himself could not raise a hand against his guest, as he was afraid of the wrath of Zeus, the patron of hospitality. Proytes thought for a long time how to kill Bellerophon, and finally decided to send him with a letter to Anteia's father Jobates, the king of Lycia. In this letter, written on a double folded and sealed tablet, Proytes wrote to Iobates how Bellerophon had sorely offended him, and asked him to avenge him for the insult. Bellerophon set off with a letter from Iobath, unaware of the danger he was in.
After a long journey, Bellerophon arrived in Lycia. Jobat received the young hero with joy and honored him with feasts for nine days. Finally, Iobates asked him about the purpose of his arrival. Calmly Bellerophon gave the letter of Proyta to the king of Lycia. Iobath took the double sealed tablet and opened it. He was horrified when he read what was written on it. He was supposed to kill the young hero whom he had already fallen in love with in those nine days. But Iobat himself, like Proyt, did not dare to violate the sacred custom of hospitality. In order to destroy Bellerophon, he decided to send the hero on a feat threatening with imminent death. Iobates tasked Bellerophon with killing the formidable monster Chimera. She was born from the terrible Typhon and the gigantic Echidna. In front, the Chimera was a lion, in the middle, a mountain wild goat, and behind, a dragon. She spewed fire from three mouths. No one was saved from the formidable Chimera. One approach brought death with it.
Bellerophon was not stopped by the danger of this feat - the mighty hero boldly undertook to carry it out. He knew that only he could defeat the Chimera, who owns the winged horse Pegasus, flying out of the body of the Gorgon killed by Perseus Medusas, he knew where to find this marvelous horse. Pegasus often descended to the top of Acrocorinth and drank water from the Pyrene spring there. This is where Bellerophon went. He came to the source just at the time when Pegasus, descending from behind the clouds, quenched his thirst with the cold, crystal-clear water of the Pyrene spring. Bellerophon wanted to catch Pegasus right away. He pursued him day and night, but all in vain, no tricks helped. Pegasus was not given to Bellerophon. As soon as the young hero approached the winged horse, as, flapping his mighty wings, the horse flew away over the clouds with the speed of the wind and soared in them, like an eagle. Finally, on the advice of the soothsayer Polyid, Bellerophon went to bed at the source of the Pyrene, near the altar Athena-Pallas, in the place where he first saw Pegasus. Bellerophon wanted to receive the revelation of 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 sacrifice to the god of the sea Poseidon. Bellerophon woke up. He was surprised to see that the golden bridle was lying next to him. In fervent prayer, Bellerophon thanked the great goddess. He knew now that he would take possession of Pegasus.
Soon a wonderful horse flew to the source of the Pyrenees on its snow-white wings. Bellerophon boldly jumped on him and threw a golden bridle over his head. For a long time, faster than the wind, Pegasus carried the hero through the air, finally reconciled and since then faithfully served Bellerophon.
The hero quickly rushed on Pegasus to the mountains of Lycia, where the monstrous Chimera lived. Chimera sensed the approach of the enemy and crawled out of the dark cave, mighty, formidable. scorching aboutthe chase flew out of its three mouths, clouds of smoke shrouded everything around. Pegasus flew high with Bellerophon, and from the height of Bellerophon, one after another, sent his arrows to the Chimera. In rage she beat against the rocks and overturned them; furious, she rushed through the mountains. Everything around her was destroyed by her flames. Bellerophon followed her everywhere on his winged horse. The chimera could not hide anywhere from the small arrows of the hero, deadly arrows overtook her everywhere. Killed the formidable monster Bellerophon and returned with great glory to King Jobat.
But Iobat gave him another assignment. He sent a hero against the warlike Solim. Many heroes laid down their lives in battles with the Solims, but Bellerophon defeated them. And this feat was not enough for Iobath - after all, he sought to destroy the hero. So he sent a hero against the invincible Amazons. And Bellerophon emerged victorious from this war. Then Iobates sent out to meet the hero of the strongest men of Lycia, who was returning in the glory of victory, so that they would kill the invincible Bellerophon, attacking him by surprise. The Lycians ambushed the hero, but he did not die here either. All the strongest men of Lycia fell at the hands of a mighty hero. Then Iobath understood what a great hero he received as a guest. He met the glorious winner with great honor. Iobat gave him his daughter to wife, and with her half the kingdom as a dowry. The Lycians, on the other hand, gave Bellerophon the most fertile land from their fields as a gift and gave it to him as a possession.
From then on, Bellerophon remained in Lycia and lived there, surrounded by honor and glory. But Bellerophon ended his life unhappily. The great hero was proud.
He wanted to become equal to the Olympian gods, so blinded by his great glory. Bellerophon decided to take off to the bright Olympus to the immortal gods on his winged horse Pegasus. For such arrogance, Zeus punished Bellerophon. The Thunderer sent a violent fury on 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. For a long time he wandered, mad, through the "valley of wanderings", until the gloomy god of death Tanat flew in on his black wings and ripped out his soul. Thus descended into the sad realm of shadows the great hero Bellerophon.