Bellerophon
- son of Glaucus and grandson of Sisyphus; he was sent by Proetus, at the calumnious instigation of his wife Stheneboea, with a letter to Iobates, in which the latter was requested to put him to death; he received from him the commission to slay the Chimaera, which he executed, riding upon the flying Pegasus, Cic. Tusc. 3, 26, 63; Hor. C. 3, 7, 15; 3, 12, 7; 4, 11, 28; Manil. 5, 97; Juv. 10, 325; Hyg. Fab. 2; 57; id. Astr. 2, 18; Serv. l. l.; Fulg. Myth. 3, 1.—Prov. for any one who carries a message unfavorable to himself (cf. Uriah's letter), Plaut. Bacch. 4, 7, 12 (810).—Hence,
- II Bellĕrŏ-phontēus, a, um, adj., of or belonging to Bellerophon: equus, i.e. Pegasus, Prop. 3 (4), 3, 2: habenae, Claud. IV. Cons. Hon. 560: sollicitudines, Rutil. Itin. 1, 449.
or Bellerophon (Βελλεροφῶν or Βελλεροφόντης), properly called Hipponous, was a son of the Corinthian king, Glaucus and Eurymede, and a grandson of Sisyphus. (Apollod. 1.9.3; Hom. il. 6.155.) According to Hyginus (Hyg. Fab. 157; comp. Pind. O. 13.66), he was a son of Poseidon and Eurymede. He is said to have received the name Bellerophon or Bellerophontes from having slain the noble Corinthian, Bellerus. (Tzetz. ad Lycoph. 17; Eustath. Hom. p. 632.) Others related, that he had slain his own brother, Deliades, Peiren, or Alcimenes. (Apollod. 2.3.1, &c.) In order to be purified from the murder, whichever it may have been, he fled to Proetus, whose wife Anteia fell in love with the young hero; but her offers being rejected by him, she accused him to her husband of having made improper proposals to her, and insisted upon his being put to death. Proetus, unwilling to kill him with his own hands, sent him to his father-in-law, Iobates, king in Lycia, with a sealed letter in which the latter was requested to put the young man to death. Iobates accordingly sent him to kill the monster Chimaera, thinking that he was sure to perish in the contest. Bellerophon mounted the winged horse, Pegasus, and rising up with him into the air, killed the Chimaera from on high with his arrows. Iobates, being thus disappointed, sent Bellerophon out again, first against the Solymi and next against the Amazons. In these contests too he was victorious; and when, on his return to Lycia, he was attacked by the bravest Lycians, whom Iobates had placed in ambush for the purpose, Bellerophon slew them all. Iobates, now seeing that it was hopeless to attempt to kill the hero, shewed him the letter he had received from Proetus, gave him his daughter (Philonoe, Anticleia, or Cassandra) for his wife, and made him his successor on the throne. Bellerophon became the father of Isander, Hippolochus, and Laodameia. Here Apollodorus breaks off the story; and Homer, whose account (6.155-202) differs in some points from that of Apollodorus, describes the later period of Bellerophon's life only by saying, that he drew upon himself the hatred of the gods, and, consumed by grief, wandered lonely through the Aleian field, avoiding the paths of men. We must here remark with Eustathius, that Homer knows nothing of Bellerophon killing the Chimaera with the help of Pegasus, which must therefore be regarded in all probability as a later embellishment of the story. The manner in which he destroyed the Chimaera is thus described by Tzetzes (l.c.): he fixed lead to the point of his lance, and thrust it into the fire-breathing mouth of the Chimaera, who was accordingly killed by the molten lead. According to others, Bellerophon was assisted by Athena Chalinitis or Hippia. (Paus. 2.1.4; Pind. l.c.; Strab. viii. p.379.) Some traditions stated, that he attempted to rise with Pegasus into heaven, but that Zeus sent a gad-fly, which stung Pegasus so, that he threw off the rider upon the earth, who became lame or blind in consequence. (Pind. I. 7.44; Schol. ad Pind. Ol. 13.130; Hor. Carm. 4.11. 26.) A peculiar story about Bellerophon is related by Plutarch. (De Virt. Mul. p. 247, &c.) Bellerophon was worshipped as a hero at Corinth, and had a sanctuary near the town in the cypress grove, Craneion. (Paus. 2.2.4.) Scenes of the story of Bellerophon were frequently represented in ancient works of art. His contest with the Chimaera was seen on the throne of Amyclae (2.18.7), and in the vestibule of the Delphic temple. (Eur. Ion 203.) On coins, gems, and vases he is often seen fighting against the Chimaera, taking leave of Proetus, taming Pegasus or giving him to drink, or falling from him. But, until the recent discoveries in Lycia by Mr. Fellows, no representation of Bellerophon in any important work of art was known; in Lycian sculptures, however, he is seen riding on Pegasus and conquering the Chimaera. [Comp. Chimaera and Pegasus.] [L.S]
(Βελλεροφῶν) or Bellerophontes (Βελλεροφόντης). Son of Glaucus of Corinth (or, according to another account, of Poseidon), and grandson of Sisyphus. His proper name is said to have been Hipponoüs; the name Bellerophontes implies that he was the slayer of some now unknown monster. In later times his name was wrongly explained as the slayer of a certain Corinthian, Bellerus, on account of which he was supposed to have fled to Proetus at Tiryns or Corinth. The wife of Proetus, Anteia (or Stheneboea), fell in love with the beautiful youth; he was deaf to her entreaties; she slandered him to her husband, who resolved on his destruction. He sent Bellerophon to Lycia, to his father-in-law Iobates, with a tablet in cipher, begging him to put the bearer to death. Iobates first commissioned Bellerophon to destroy the fire-breathing monster Chimaera, a task which he executed with the help of his winged horse Pegasus. (See Pegasus.) Thereupon, after a fierce battle, he conquered the Solymi and the Amazons, on his return slew in ambush all the boldest among the Lycians, and Iobates now recognized his divine origin, kept him with him, and gave him half of his kingdom and his daughter to wife. The children of this marriage were Isander, Hippolochus, the father of Glaucus and Laodamia, and the mother of Sarpedon by Zeus. Afterwards Bellerophon was hated by all the gods, and wandered about alone, devouring his heart in sorrow. His son Isander was killed by Ares in battle against the Solymi, while Laodamia was sacrificed to the wrath of Artemis. This is the Homeric version; but, according to Pindar, Bellerophon's high fortune made him so overweening that he wished to mount to heaven on Pegasus. Zeus, however, drove the horse wild with a gadfly, and Bellerophon fell and came to a miserable end. He was honoured as a hero in Corinth, an enclosure being consecrated to him in the cypress grove of Craneion. See Morris, Bellerophon in Argos, etc.
- kills the Chimera: Apollod. 1.9.2
- kills his brother: Apollod. 2.2.2
- migrates to Lycia: Paus. 2.4.2
- vassal of Proetus: Paus. 2.4.2
- is purified by Proetus: Apollod. 2.3.1
- refuses the amorous proposals of Stheneboea: Apollod. 2.3.1
- sent by Iobates against the Chimera: Apollod. 2.3.1
- shoots the Chimera: Paus. 2.27.2, Paus. 3.18.13, Apollod. 2.3.2
- conquers the Solymi and the Amazons: Apollod. 2.3.2
- kills an ambush of Lycians: Apollod. 2.3.2
- seeks Aethra in marriage: Paus. 2.31.9
- marries daughter of Iobates and succeeds to the kingdom: Apollod. 2.3.2
- his winged steed Pegasus: Apollod. 2.3.2
- receives Pegasus from Athena: Paus. 2.4.1
- father of Laodamia: Apollod. 3.1.1
- his horse produces spring by stamping on ground: Paus. 9.31.3
- statues: Paus. 2.1.9, Paus. 2.3.5
- precinct: Paus. 2.2.4