Bellerophon, the chimera slayer

Bellerophon was a famous Greek hero, mostly known for defeating Chimera, a fire-breathing mythical monster. He was also recognised by riding Pegasus which was a sort of a gift from Athena for his devotion to the goddess. Bellerophon was, according to Apollodorus and Hesiod's catalogs by Hyginus, a son of Poseidon by Eurymede which makes him a semi-god. Alternatively, according to Homer's Iliad, he was a son of Glaucus and Eurymede of Corinth. There are no records of him having special powers yet he was one of the most favoured heroes by the gods, in a time before Heracles.

Bellerophon had an adventurous life which started on the day he was banished from home, after accidentally killing his own brother. In his days of glory, after killing the horrendous Chimera and completing many more tasks, he became famous among people and gods. His growing pride led him into the temptation to reach Mount Olympus and preside together with the gods. This bold attempt was punished by Zeus who made him suffer in delusion and solitude for the rest of his life.

Appearance in the works of art

Most of the time, Bellerophon is depicted as a young man holding a spear in one of his hands and riding or feeding Pegasus. In some arts, he is also depicted slaying Chimera.

Myths of Bellerophon, the plot, his quests and his downfall

The following grouped sections are available:

• The Plot to kill Bellerophon
• The Chimera Quest
• More quests before peace was made
• Twice the pride, double the fall

The Plot to kill Bellerophon

Like mentioned above, his adventure began when he was exiled from his home. It was not long before he arrived to Tiryns where he was accepted and cleansed from his crimes by the King Proetus. They enjoyed a great friendship until the king's wife Stheneboea fell in love with Bellerophon and wanted to have an affair with him. But when he rejected her, she falsely accused him of wanting to violate her. Proetus wanted to kill him but didn't want to satisfy his anger by killing a guest and risking the wrath of the gods.

Consequently, Bellerophon was sent to Lycia to the King Iobates, his father-in-law, along with a sealed tablet, containing a message for the king. In the message it was written that Bellerophon wanted to violate his daughter and that he should get rid of him. However, before the king opened the tablet, he feasted with Bellerophon for nine days and treated him as an honored guest. When he finally learned about the message from his son-in-law Proetus, he feared the Erinyes bringing their wrath upon him, if he was going to kill the guest. As a result, Iobates sent Bellerophon on a quest, deemed as impossible to survive in.

The Chimera Quest

The quest was to slay Chimera, a monstrous fire-breathing female creature composed of parts of lion, goat and serpent. It had a body and head of a lion, with another head of a goat rising from its back and a serpent instead of a tail. The beast was terrorising local countryside, killing cattle and men. Bellerophon was advised, by a local seer in Lycia, to find and tame the winged Pegasus in order to prevail in the battle against Chimera.

Bellerophon then went to pray night and day in a temple of Athena. When the goddess finally appeared in his dreams, she gave him a golden bridle with which he could successfully tame Pegasus. He was also led to the well of Peirene, on the Acropolis of his birthplace in Corinth, to find Pegasus and tame it when the animal was drinking from the well. After successfully bonding with the creature, Bellerophon flew back to Lycian lands and spotted the monster. He engaged in the battle but, because of the fire expelled by Chimera, couldn't come close enough to hit it with arrows or a spear. Soon, the hero came up with a solution by attaching a block of lead to his spear and flew over the fire-breathing monster, dropping the lead from his spear into its mouth. The fire then melted the lead, blocking its air passage and consequently suffocating the monster.

More quests before peace was made

With this deed Bellerophon gained reputation among gods. He then returned before surprised Iobates who then sent him on more suicidal missions. He was sent against the great warriors of Solymi and after the Amazons. Both of the battles were the same for him, he flew with the Pegasus above the reach of arrows while throwing down large boulders until he finished them off.

Next assignment was a band of Carian pirates, led by an ogre named Cheimarrhus. It is said that the pirates were men, once serving under Iobates and then exiled. They had a dispute with the kingdom of Iobates but were so ruthless that no one wanted to challenge them. Well at least until Bellerophon came on his Pegasus and easily overcame them, much to the delight of the people of Lycia. 

However, King Iobates still persisted with following his mission to kill the hero and sent his elite guards to assassinate him. Soon it became clear to Bellerophon what the king's intent was and he rode to the palace to confront him. While on the journey, he called upon his father Poseidon who replied by flooding the entire Xanthian Plain. The waters even threatened to overwhelm the entire region, including the citadel. Everyone begged him to stop the flood and when Iobates finally saw that he was no ordinary man, he decided to stop this nonsense from the letter and made peace with Bellerophon, offering him his daughter in marriage and half of his kingdom.

The flood stopped and they made peace. Great days were ahead of the hero who married the king's daughter Philonoe and together they had three children. Everything seemed to be in place. Bellerophon's fame grew fast but so did his pride and arrogance.

Twice the pride, double the fall

One day, he decided that his victory over Chimera was enough to ascend to Mount Olympus and preside with the gods. He flew with Pegasus towards the heaven and when he nearly reached the gates of Olympus, Zeus decided to stop this arrogance by sending a gadfly to sting Pegasus which caused the creature to unsaddle Bellerophon and made him fall all the way back to earth. Bellerophon fell into a bush on the plains of Aleion, injuring himself badly. He was crippled and blinded and left alone to live out the rest of his life in misery, grieving and shunning the haunts of men.