Home › Glossary › Letter P

Pegasus

Mythology
Pronunciation

Understanding ARPABET Pronunciation

Want to hear it? Click the Listen button to hear the browser speak the word using text-to-speech!

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

The mythical winged horse born from Medusa’s blood, symbolizing poetic inspiration and tamed by Bellerophon in Greek myth.

Detailed Definition
Pegasus sprang from Medusa when Perseus beheaded her and later served as a mount for heroes and poets. He created springs with his hoof, including Hippocrene. In poetry, Pegasus symbolizes poetic inspiration, transcendence, and the soaring imagination that links earth and sky.
Example
Example in poetry:
Hesiod’s Theogony recounts Pegasus’s birth from Medusa’s blood; Ovid’s Metamorphoses tells how Bellerophon tamed him; In Virgil’s Georgics, Pegasus strikes Hippocrene spring with his hoof; Later Renaissance poetry uses Pegasus as symbol of poetic inspiration; In allegory, he represents the soaring imagination; Emblem books depict him as mount of the Muses.
Additional Notes
Pegasus, winged horse born from Medusa’s blood, is tamed by Bellerophon and later serves Zeus. Students should note his association with poetic inspiration (Hippocrene spring). Renaissance poets ride him as metaphor for soaring imagination. He symbolizes the union of earth (horse) and sky (wings). Related: Bellerophon, Muses, inspiration myths.
Other Meanings of “Pegasus”
Also Known As
Pegasus the Winged Steed Bellerophon’s Mount Spring-Bringer of Hippocrene Thunder-Hoofed
Skip to main content