Hippocrene, Sacred spring on Mount Helicon, Greece

Hippocrene is a spring on Mount Helicon near Thespies in Boeotia, central Greece, sacred to the Muses. Greek myth holds that it formed when the winged horse Pegasus struck the ground with his hoof; its name joins hippos, "horse", and krene, "spring". Drinking its water was said to give poetic inspiration.

The spring's origin is told in myth: Pegasus struck the rock with his hoof, and the water gushed out. Ancient authors gave differing reasons for the blow, and Pausanias located another spring with the same story near Troezen. The belief that drinking the water grants poetic inspiration is attested only from the Latin era, as in Propertius, who imagined Ennius drinking there before him.

Drinking its water was said to give poetic inspiration, a belief recorded only from the Latin era; Propertius imagined Ennius, father of Latin poetry, drinking there. The spring recurs in later verse: Keats calls it "the true, flushing Hippocrene", Pushkin writes of his sparkling Hippocrene, and Ronsard and Cyrano de Bergerac also refer to it.

The spring lies on Mount Helicon near Thespies in Boeotia; the ascent is on foot over mountain ground, so allow walking time and wear sturdy shoes. The water is fed by the hoof-struck rock of the myth, and the site is exposed at altitude, so bring water and protection from sun or wind.

According to tradition, the spring came into being at the spot where the mythical winged horse Pegasus struck the ground with his hoof. This connection to the Pegasus legend makes the place feel special to many who visit.