In Greek mythology, the spring created when Pegasus struck the ground with his hoof was called Hippocrene.
Hippocrene was located on Mount Helicon, a mountain strongly associated with the Muses. Its name comes from Greek words meaning “horse” and “spring.” Ancient and later poets treated the spring as a source of poetic inspiration, linking Pegasus with artistic creativity as well as heroic myth.
Pegasus was the winged horse born from the blood of Medusa after Perseus beheaded her. In some traditions, the horse’s hoof opened Hippocrene, while another spring associated with poetic inspiration was connected with the hoof of Pegasus on Mount Helicon.
Hippocrene is sometimes confused with Castalia, the sacred spring at Delphi. Castalia was connected with Apollo and the Delphic sanctuary, whereas Hippocrene belonged to the landscape of the Muses.