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Hippocrene

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

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The pronunciation guide uses the ARPABET phonetic system—the same system used in speech recognition and text-to-speech applications.

Vowel Examples:
AE1 = cat, bat
EH1 = bed, head
IY1 = see, me
OW1 = go, boat
UW1 = boot, do
Stress Numbers:
0 = no stress (unstressed)
1 = primary stress (loud)
2 = secondary stress (medium)
Example:
AH0 TH IY1 N AH0
= a-THEE-na (Athena)

The stressed syllable (marked with 1) is pronounced louder and clearer than others.

Quick Definition

Sacred spring on Mount Helicon created when Pegasus struck his hoof against the mountain. Its waters inspired poetic creativity and were sacred to the nine Muses.

Detailed Definition
Hippocrene (“Horse Spring”) gushed forth when Pegasus struck the ground, becoming a source of poetic inspiration. It symbolizes divine creativity. Poets invoke Hippocrene as a metonym for poetic genius, the muse’s gift, and the link between equine myth and artistic flow in lyric and didactic verse.
Example
Example in poetry:
Hippocrene, spring on Helicon created by Pegasus’ hoof, appears in Hesiod and Ovid; Poets use Hippocrene to symbolize poetic inspiration; “Hippocrene’s waters” describe the source of song; In Romantic poetry, it evokes sublime creativity; The spring links equine myth and artistic birth.
Additional Notes
Hippocrene (“horse’s spring”) on Mount Helicon is created when Pegasus strikes rock with his hoof—sacred to the Muses. Hesiod drinks from it in the Theogony, receiving poetic inspiration. The spring symbolizes sudden, divine creativity. Poets invoke Hippocrene as a metaphor for artistic genesis, especially in pastoral or self-reflexive verse about the muse’s gift.
Also Known As
Hippocrene|Hippokrene
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