Pegasus
noun /ˈpeɡ.ə.səs/ — The winged horse of Greek myth; a symbol of poetic inspiration
Definition
The immortal winged horse of Greek mythology, born from the blood of Medusa when Perseus beheaded her. Pegasus carried the thunderbolts of Zeus and became the symbol of poetry and the flight of inspiration.
Beyond the definition
The body of earth given the capacity for heaven. Pegasus is the imagination made physical — the suggestion that creativity is not a departure from the earthly but an elevation of it. The horse that learned to fly.
Origin & history
From Greek 'Pēgasos' — possibly from 'pēgē' (spring, water source), as the horse was said to create springs where his hooves struck the earth. The spring of Hippocrene on Mount Helicon, sacred to the Muses, was his creation.
Example sentences
Illustrative sentences for learning, not verified community posts or sourced quotations.
The Hippocrene spring on Mount Helicon — sacred to the Muses — was struck into existence by Pegasus' hoof; poets drank from it for inspiration.
Bellerophon captured Pegasus with a golden bridle given by Athena, and together they slew the Chimera — before hubris led him to try riding to Olympus.
Pegasus has functioned for centuries as the emblem of poetry precisely because flight is the right metaphor for where imagination goes.
Synonyms
winged horse, divine steed, poetic muse
Related words
Word in the Wild
See how this word appears in life, language and stories.
Illustrative sentences and imagined stories for learning — not verified sightings, interviews, or sourced quotations.
Fictional scene
Winged Horse Ascending Night Sky
A white horse with large, feathered wings rising from its shoulders lifts above a moonlit hill into the starry sky.
This unmistakable mythological figure clearly depicts the winged horse of legend. By showing its flight into the night, the image serves as a visual symbol for the inspiration and freedom that the ancient story of Pegasus represents in creative thought.
Image credit: Wordspun · AI-generated conceptual illustration