EPISODE 71

IN WHICH HERMES MEETS UP AGAIN WITH PEGASUS, THE WINGED HORSE

Previously: Perseus has accidentally killed his grandfather. Hermes has decided to take him back to his homeland and then their paths separate. He wonders what could have become of Pegasus.

Hermes was flying languidly, letting himself be carried by the air currents. He had for once no errand to carry out, no letter to deliver, no dead person to accompany to the Underworld, and he was offering himself a well-deserved break of daydreaming. As he lay on a cloud, eyes staring blankly into the distance, he suddenly saw a small white dot descending from Olympus and heading towards the earth. The white dot grew bigger and Hermes could soon make out two immense white wings. He thought that he had seen Pegasus, the winged horse occupying his thoughts. But soon the white dot and the two wings were hidden away by a cloud. Undoubtedly, it had been but a dream… But in order to make sure, Hermes got up from his cloud and flew towards where the white dot had disappeared. He landed on earth, just below the cloud. There was a fountain there. Fine lush green grass grew in front of it. Hermes’ heart gave a leap: there, in the middle of this grassy patch, was Pegasus, grazing serenely. The magnificent horse with the white wings had descended from the sky to eat this exquisite grass and to drink this pure water.

Hermes was still admiring the animal when he discovered the presence of another admirer, hidden away in the shadows. It was a young boy, barely fifteen years old. The boy’s hair bristled. He held a golden bridle in his hand. “How about that!” murmured Hermes. “This is the bridle of Athena’s horse! Why did my sister give her bridle to this child?” He did not have the time to ask himself more questions, for the boy had just come out of the shadows. The horse reared up its head sharply. It shook its mane and neighed violently. Its every muscle was tense, it was about to bolt, when the boy held the golden bridle out to him.

“Pegasus, do not go! I am called Bellerophon. I am the son of the king of Corinth. I have dreamt of you so much, day and night, for such a long time, that Athena took pity on me on account of my passion, and she gave me this bridle of gold, the only harness that you could ever tolerate. Do not go away!” The horse neighed one more time and now it sounded like a neigh of delight. Hermes saw something incredible happen: Pegasus let the child pass the bridle around its neck and it even went down on its knees to allow the boy to climb on its back! A quarter of an hour later, the whole world could see the proud Bellerophon astride Pegasus, turning mad somersaults in the sky. Hermes, a trifle jealous, returned to Olympus without wasting more time.

But Bellerophon, who had succeeded in taming the untameable Pegasus, was drunk with pride. He decided to set himself a new challenge: he was going to kill the Chimera. This was a monster with the body of a goat, a serpent’s tail and a lion’s head. She belched forth flames and everywhere the Chimera went, people died, the flocks disappeared, the fields and the houses burned down. On the back of his winged horse, Bellerophon felt king of the world. He thought himself invincible. He therefore set off immediately.

From the heights of Olympus, leaning against the parapet of the palace terrace, Zeus was observing the earth. By his side, Hermes grumbled:

“I don’t understand why my sister Athena has offered this boy the privilege of being the only one to ride on Pegasus’ back!”

Zeus flashed a smile: “You wouldn’t be jealous now, Hermes? You already have wings on your feet, what need do you have of those of a horse? Stay here with me; we are going to watch from above how Bellerophon will pull through this. You don’t like him? He amuses me. I like men who are audacious. Look, here he is, already approaching the Chimera…”

 

To be continued…