On Unbelievable Stories (28)

They say that Bellerophon rode Pegasos, a winged horse. But I don’t think that a horse would ever be capable of flight, not even if it had all the wings of flying creatures. And if such a creature existed then, it would exist now too. They also say that he killed Amisodaros’ Chimaira. The Chimaira was ‘a lion at the front, a serpent at the back and a she-goat in the middle’. Some think that such a beast really did exist even though it had three heads upon one body. But it is impossible for a snake, a lion and a goat to eat the same sort of food. And a mortal being able to breathe fire? Absurd! And which of the heads did the body obey?

The truth is this. Bellerophon was an exile from Corinth, a handsome and noble man. He equipped a large ship and set about plundering and looting the coastal territories as he sailed by. The name of his ship was Pegasos (just as now every ship has a name; and I think the name Pegasos would more likely be given to a ship than to a horse).

King Amisodaros lived near the Xanthos river on a high mountain onto which encroached the Telmissis wood. There are two routes up the mountain: the one at the front from the city of Xanthos, the other, at the back, from Caria. Everywhere else is steep cliffs. In the middle of these is a great chasm in the earth, from which fire erupts. The name of this mountain is Chimaira. Those living near it say that at one time a lion lived along the route at the front and a serpent along the route at the back and that both of these would attack woodcutters and shepherds. Then Bellerophon came and set fire to the mountain. The Telmissis wood was completely burnt down and the beasts killed. And so, those living nearby would say, When Bellerophon arrived with Pegasos, he destroyed Amisodaros’ Chimaira. The myth was fabricated from this actual event.