Pegasus In Modern Culture

In Greek mythology, Pegasus was the son of Poseidon and Medusa, having sprung from the blood of Medusa as it dropped into the sea after her head was severed by Perseus. He was captured by Bellerophon at the water of his fountain and was ridden by him when he killed Chimera. Bellerophon showed disrespect to the Gods as he attempted to ride Pegasus to Mount Olympus and Zeus sent an insect to sting Pegasus and Bellerophon was thrown back. Pegasus found sanctuary on the sacred mountain, where he carried Zeus' thunderbolts and was ridden by Eos, the goddess of dawn. Under his feet sprang the sacred springs of the Muses on Mount Helicon.

Many cultures, religions, and pieces of literature contain similar magical horses. The Buraq, according to Islamic tradition, is a creature from the heavens that carried Muhammad from earth to heaven and back. Chollima is the Korean name for a mythical horse that is said to be too swift to be mounted. In Norse mythology, Sleipnir is Odin's magical eight-legged steed, and said to be the greatest of all horses. In all of these examples, the horses are good, and are helpful, just like in the Greek mythology version of Pegasus. This is not always the case. In Harry Potter, Thestrals are the most elusive and least horse-like breed of magical horse. They have earned an undeserved reputation as omens of evil, and can only be seen when a person has experienced and accepted a death. The horses are scary looking, but are extremely gentle and helpful once one gets to know them.

Not only in Harry Potter, examples and allusions of Pegasus can be seen in many aspects of modern society. Luno the White Stallion was a Terry Toons television series that aired in the mid-1960s. It centered on a little boy named Tim who had a marble Pegasus horse named Luno who would come alive and whisk him off on adventures in far off lands when Tim said the words, "Oh winged horse of marble white, take me on a magic flight". (www.wikipedia.com/luno). In this example, Tim’s marble horse directly relates to Greek mythology’s version of Pegasus. In Greek mythology, Pegasus was used to go on adventures, and here in the cartoon, Luno took Tim on adventures.

In modern society, Pegasus can be seen on many logos, and is apart of many company names. When a company chooses Pegasus to represent them, it’s probably because in today’s society, Pegasus is synonymous with power and strength, because he was chosen to carry Zeus’ lightning bolts, a position that required both power and strength, among other qualities.

Pegasus can be seen as the logo of Mobil gas and oil. In the logo, there is a red horse with wings. Mobil used Pegasus on purpose, because Pegasus resembles power and strength. They want to convey this message when the public chooses a type of gas. They want the public to choose their gas because once consumers see Mobil’s logo; Mobil hopes the consumer will be able to associate their gas with powerfulness, and Mobil’s ability to successfully power the car.

Pegasus is also the logo of Tri-Star Pictures, a subsidiary of Columbia Pictures. In their logo, we see a picture of a dreamy, sun-lit area full of clouds. A bright light flashes from the bottom center of the screen to reveal a white, winged Pegasus walking on the clouds. In bold, golden lettering, "TRISTAR" appears on the top of the screen. In this logo as well, Pegasus is used to convey powerfulness. Tri-star not only hopes that consumers will associate their pictures as powerful, meaningful movies, but also as movies that capture one's