Bellerophon
Bellerophon
and Pegasus
by John R. Salverda
Bellerophon:
The Successor of Perseus
Following the story of Perseus in Greek mythology is the
story of "Bellerophon," he was a descendant of Sisyphus from the Corinthian
cycle of myths, not from the Argive cycle as was the Danaan Perseus. The two
stories do not appear to have been originally connected in the Greek myths.
However the story of Bellerophon was apparently recognized by the Danaans as
the follow up to the story of Perseus, it was therefore added on to it and
thus intrudes itself into the Argive mythology. later mythographers,
presumably the astrologers from the priesthood of Micah's idol (because
Pegasus is also a constellation) the same ones who added the story of Perseus
at Joppa on to the earlier stories of Perseus, (as their priesthood, these
would logically have accompanied the Danites to Mycenae) make Bellerophon out
to be the rider of the winged horse Pegasus. Homer however, the earliest of
the Greek Mythographers, says nothing about it. (Although he was well familiar
with both the Argive mythic cycle containing Perseus, and told an extensive
version of the story of Bellerophon from the Corinthian mythic cycle, Homer
apparently did not have a nexus between them, and makes no mention of
Bellerophon riding Pegasus at all.)
Because they thought it reasonable to place Bellerophon
chronologically right after Perseus, we can ourselves draw some conclusions in
regards to placing his deeds into the sequence of mythological events. We have
learned from abundant ancient sources, that Pegasus was born out of the blood
that flowed at the slaying, by Perseus, of Medusa. While Homer is silent on
Pegasus, Hesiod nearly as ancient, tells us; "But when Perseus had cut off the
head of Medusa there sprang from her blood, stout-hearted Chrysaor and the
horse Pegasus so named from the pegai (springs) of Okeanus, where he was
born." (Hesiod, Theogony 280 ff). Ovid tells us that Perseus "looked at her
ghastly head reflected in the bright bronze of the shield in his left hand,
and while deep sleep held fast Medusa and her snakes, he severed it clean from
her neck; and from their mother's blood swift-flying Pegasus and his brother
sprang." (Metamorphoses 4.770). From Apollodorus we get, "Perseus, therefore,
with Athene guiding his hand, kept his eyes on the reflection in a bronze
shield as he stood over the sleeping Gorgons, and when he saw the image of
Medusa, he beheaded her. As soon as her head was severed there leaped from her
body the winged horse Pegasus and Chrysaor the father of Geryon. The father of
these two was Poseidon." (Apollodorus 2.38-46). In keeping with the theory
that the slaying of Medusa was a Greek version of the Hebrew law giving, we
shall extend the logic to assign the mythical battles of Bellerophon, to the
time shortly after the Scriptural Exodus. As this was the time when Joshua,
taking over from Moses, undertook the conquest of Canaan, so we are compelled
to attempt to coordinate the deeds of the conquering Greek hero Bellerophon,
with the activities and attributes of the conquering Hebrew hero Joshua.
The Scriptures tell us that Joshua was an Ephraimite
descendant of Joseph, while according to the Greek myths, Bellerophon, was a
citizen of Ephyra, and was a descendant, the grandson, of the Ephyraean
Sisyphus. As Homer puts it; "There is a city Ephyra, ' there lived Sisyphus,
Aeolus' son, and he had a son named Glaucus, and Glaucus in turn sired
Bellerophon the blameless." (Iliad Book 6. Page 144 ff) Therefore the
identification of Bellerophon with Joshua is consistent with not only the
Perseus being Moses association, but also with the Sisyphus being Joseph
association that I have made elsewhere.
Bellerophon was famous for being exceptionally chaste. (Homer
and Hesiod in the most ancient of accounts, both introduce him as, "Bellerophon
the blameless.") The wide spread notion that Bellerophon exhibited a superior
morality when it comes to controlling his sexual desires, displays itself in
the Greek myth in just the way one would expect the descendants of the
Biblical Joseph to display it. For the well known story of Joseph and the wife
of Potiphar, which would have been very familiar to people from the tribe of
Joseph, was also used to illustrate the virtue of Bellerophon. The Israelites
had the following account about Joseph; "And Joseph was a goodly person, and
well favored. (Ginzberg, from "Legends of the Jews" puts it this way; "Joseph
was of ravishing beauty, and the wife of his master was filled with invincible
passion for him.") And it came to pass after these things, that his master's
wife cast her eyes upon Joseph; and she said, Lie with me. But he refused, ...
And she caught him by his garment, saying, Lie with me: and he left his
garment in her hand, and fled, and got him out. ... And she laid up his
garment by her, until his lord came home. And she spoke unto him according to
these words, saying, The Hebrew servant, which thou hast brought unto us, came
in unto me to mock me: And it came to pass, as I lifted up my voice and cried,
that he left his garment with me, and fled out. And it came to pass, when his
master heard the words of his wife, which she spoke unto him, saying, After
this manner did thy servant to me; that his wrath was kindled." (Gen. 39:7-19)
Now, notice the similarities in structure, detail, and order, that we get from
the very ancient Homeric account concerning the "mythical" Bellerophon; "To
Bellerophon the gods granted beauty and desirable manhood; ... Beautiful
Anteia the wife of Proetus was stricken with passion to lie in love with him,
and yet she could not beguile valiant Bellerophon, whose will was virtuous. So
she went to Proetus the king and uttered her falsehood : '... Bellerophon who
tried to lie with me in love, though I was unwilling.' So she spoke, and anger
took hold of the king at her story." (Homer, Iliad 6. 144 ff ), remarkably
coincidental indeed for two supposedly unrelated stories.
Pegasus
The Exodus from Egypt was accompanied by an aerial
phenomenon, the pillar of cloud and fire flew around in the sky and
accomplished many of the major miracles of the story. That is why the Greek
myths have Perseus, the "mythical" Moses, flying around on winged sandals as
he accomplished his fabulous tasks. The defeat of the Amorites by Joshua was
also an aerial manifestation "' Yahweh cast down great stones from heaven upon
them ' more died from hailstones than Israel slew with the sword. "(Joshua
10:11). That is why the Greek myths have Bellerophon, the "mythical" Joshua,
flying around on the winged horse Pegasus as he accomplished his fabulous
tasks. The two airborne incidents were considered to be related by the Jews as
well, for according to Ginzberg's research, "The hot hailstones which, at
Moses' intercession, had remained suspended in the air when they were about to
fall upon the Egyptians, were now cast down upon the Canaanites." ("Legends of
the Jews"). The character known as Pegasus was apparently developed as a
symbolic poetic devise that was specifically designed to link the two stories,
the Danaan tale of Perseus to that of the Corinthian story of Bellerophon.
Accordingly we can find the links between Moses and Joshua integrated
throughout the "myth" of Pegasus.
Because of the way in which the Greek myths depict the winged
horse Pegasus as having been born, not just of Medusa, but from her spilt
blood, the result of the successful quest of Perseus, it may be surmised that
Bellerophon, the rider of Pegasus, owed his miraculous conquering abilities,
as well as his commission, to the famous act of Perseus. This mythological
point has it's Scriptural parallel in that Moses had turned over to Joshua the
"reins of power," so to speak, for the conquest of Canaan (Num.27:15-23;
Deut.31:7-8,23; Josh.3:7-10). But why did Moses have to give up his office to
Joshua' We are told in the Scriptures that Moses would have been allowed to
lead the people to the promised land except for one thing, he had committed
the sin of presumptuous arrogance when he struck a rock to produce a spring.
Pegasus (whose name means, "of the springs," or wells) was more than once
associated with the wonderful creation of springs by striking rocks at certain
mountains. The spring Hippocrene miraculously sprang from a rock that laid
below Mount Helicon, the mountain of the Muses, (That's Muses not Moses, they
both had a mountain where a rock was struck to produce a spring and both were
attributed with inspired writing, but the gender, the number, and the
spelling, were all different. I'll explain their relationship, but it will
have to wait until a future article.) when Pegasus struck the rock with his
hoof. Here quoting Hyginus, "Pegasus, offspring of Poseidon and the Gorgon
Medusa, who on Helicon, a mountain of Boeotia, opened up a spring by striking
the rock with his hoof. From him the spring is called Hippocrene (Horse
Fountain)." (Astronomica 2. 18). Strabo tells us the equivalent, "The same
horse (Pegasus), it is said, caused Hippocrene to spring up on Helicon when he
struck with his hoof the rock that lay below that mountain." (Geography 8. 6.
20). Also, there is the very Moses like story about how the rider of Pegasus
was not allowed to enter Olympus when he was thrown from the back of the
winged horse. "Bellerophon ' after the creation of the spring, as he was
attempting to fly to heaven, and had almost reached it, he became terrified
looking down at the earth, and fell off and was killed." (Pseudo-Hyginus,
Astronomica 2. 18) Notice here that striking the rock is connected to the
denial of entrance to the "sacred" place. And also see how there was a lofty
vision of the earth just before the hero died. "And Yahweh spoke unto Moses
that selfsame day, saying, Get thee up into this mountain ' and behold the
land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Israel for a possession: And
die in the mount whither thou goest up, ' Because ye trespassed against me
among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribah ' Yet you shall see the
land before thee; but you shall not go thither '" (Deut. 32:48-52) Also, from
Hyginus again, "When Bellerophon had come ' riding on Pegasus, and he is said
to have fallen in the Aleian plains and to have dislocated his hip." (Fabulae
57). "And as to Levi he said: ' put to the test at Massah. You began to
contend with him by the waters of Meribah, ' Wound severely in their hips
those who rise up against him, ' that they may not rise up." (Deut 33:8-11)
Note the odd detail of the injured hip received for rising up.
This entire series of similar motifs leads me to believe that
this part of the Greek myth is, although somewhat garbled, a version of the
story of the Levite Moses, who following divine instructions, had struck a
rock at mount Sinai with his rod miraculously forming a spring. Then later he
tried it again without following the instructions and because of this he was
not allowed to enter the promised land. This was why he had to commission
Joshua to take over the leadership of Israel in his stead. Presumptuous
arrogance was the error and the moral of the story in each case. "Pegasus
winged high threw down to earth his lord Bellerophon, who thought to reach the
abodes of heaven, and share the company of Zeus. Sweets gained un-rightly
await an end most bitter." (Pindar, Isthmian Ode 7. 44 ff). It should perhaps
be pointed out at this juncture that it was not only Moses but Aaron, Miriam
and the entire generation of complainers that were "bucked" off on the way of
the wells to the promised land. Contrary to the Bellerophon myth, Joshua and
Caleb were the only two people allowed to complete the journey.
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