Mythology - Greek - Bellerophone

Bellerophontês (Bellerophon) was a celebrated hero of myth. The son of Poseidon and Eurynome (the wife of King Glaukos (Glaucus) of Korinthos (Corinth,) he is the first mortal to have captured the winged horse, Pegasus. He was exiled to Argos for the murder of a family member, but the wife of King Proteus of Argos became angry when he refused her advances and told her husband that he'd assaulted her. King Proteus sent him to Lykia (Lycia) with a sealed letter to King Iobates, which asked the King of Lykia to kill the younger man. Instead, King Iobates sends Bellerophon to kill the fire-breathing Khimaira (Chimera,) which he does. on the back of Pegasus. After several other victories against Amazones and the Solymoi tribe, Bellerophon tries to ride Pegasus up to the gods on Mt. Olympus, but Pegasus bucks him off and sends him back "down to earth."