Philip Womack's Mythical Bytes: No 4. Pegasus' Brother

How was Pegasus, the winged horse, born? When Perseus slew the Gorgon Medusa, the white winged stallion sprang from the drops of her blood.

But what of Pegasus' brother? Spare a thought for Chrysaor, who entered the world at the very same time as his sibling. But did he get wings and a horse's body? Did he become an inspiration for the muses? Did he become the subject for endless suspect fantasy art?

Did he hell. Chrysaor was born a man - and his main claim to eternal fame is that he was the father of a three-headed giant. You can only imagine the family reunions.

Philip Womack's Mythical Bytes: No 2: Orthrus

You know what it's like having an older sibling who takes all the glory? Well that's exactly how Orthrus felt. His brother was Cerberus, the famed three-headed dog who guards the entrance to Hades. You can imagine what it was like for Orthrus - not only did he only have two heads, but he was slain by Hercules when guarding the cattle of Geryon. Still, at least he had a snake's tail, which is more than can be said for Cerberus.

Read The Double Axe by Philip Womack for more monsters and mythical excitement.

Philip Womack's Mythical Bytes No 1: The Ichthyocentaur

Beginning a new series of weird and savoury snippets from Greek and Roman myth.

We've all heard of centaurs, the half-man, half-horse. Never invite a centaur to a party is one of my best tips. (Although, if you do, you'd better not give them any wine - they might start a war.) But how about the ichthyocentaur?

This  beast is half-man, part-horse, and part-fish. Complicated? Still further, they often are shown with lobster claws, which they must have found very helpful in lifting Aphrodite's cockle shell out of the waves when the goddess was born from sea-foam. 

Read The Double Axe by Philip Womack for more monsters and mythical excitement.