Mythology class 10/21 notes

hw reading= Graves: chapter 75 (pdf pp. 150-151),

The primary source presents the complete Greek myth of Bellerophon, detailing his exile from Corinth after committing murder, his rejection of Queen Anteia's advances, and the subsequent, dangerous tasks assigned to him by King Iobates of Lycia, which included slaying the monstrous Chimaera using the winged horse Pegasus. Bellerophon ultimately marries the King's daughter and becomes heir, only to be punished by Zeus for his arrogance in attempting to fly to Olympus. The secondary sources offer historical and religious interpretations of the myth, suggesting that elements like the Chimaera symbolize the Great Goddess's tripartite Sacred Year and that the taming of Pegasus relates to the sacred kingship ritual. These commentaries also propose that the myth's ambiguous elements reflect the conflict between pre-Hellenic goddess worship and the later patrilineal Hellenic invasion and the subsequent adoption of Olympian faith.

This comprehensive source recounts the myth of Bellerophon, a hero who fled Corinth after accidentally killing his brother and became entangled in a series of challenges after rejecting the advances of Queen Anteia, who then falsely accused him. To avoid direct murder, King Proetus sent Bellerophon to Iobates, King of Lycia, with a secret letter requesting his death, leading to Bellerophon’s famous task of slaying the fire-breathing monster, the Chimaera, with the aid of the winged horse Pegasus. The accompanying analysis reveals deeper mythic layers, suggesting that Bellerophon’s labors—like taming Pegasus and conquering the Chimaera—may symbolize ancient sacred king rituals and the suppression of the Great Goddess’s cult by Hellenic invaders. Ultimately, Bellerophon earned the king's respect and an heirship, but his presumptuous flight to Olympus ended in a fall, portraying him as a solar hero whose misfortune was a moral tale against challenging the Olympian god Zeus.

Buxton: pp. 160-161

This text examines the myth of Bellerophon, highlighting the familiar themes of fraternal conflict, a false accusation by a rejected woman—specifically Proitos's wife, Stheneboia—and the hero's subsequent dispatch on a perilous, potentially fatal monster-slaying mission. After rejecting Stheneboia’s advances, Bellerophon was sent to Lycia bearing a treacherous letter urging his execution, but he ultimately survived this plot by successfully defeating the monstrous Chimaira with the aid of the magical flying horse, Pegasos. The narrative concludes by emphasizing that Bellerophon’s attempt to fly to Olympos on Pegasos—an act of hubris that threatened the boundary between the human and the divine—resulted in his inevitable downfall and punishment by Zeus.