In the late seventh century BCE, the poet Hesiod placed a reference to the Muses on the Helicon at the very beginning of his Theogony: Mount Helicon and the Hippocrene spring were considered to be a source of poetic inspiration. On Mount Helicon too was the spring where Narcissus was inspired by his own beauty.
In a related myth, the Hippocrene spring was created when the winged horse Pegasus aimed his hoof at a rock, striking it with such force that the spring burst from the spot. In Greek mythology, two springs sacred to the Muses were located here: the Aganippe and the Hippocrene, both of which bear 'horse' (ἵππος híppos) in their names. Some researchers maintain that Helicon was also the Greek name of mount Rocca Salvatesta in Sicily as a river started from it was called also Helikon.
With an altitude of 1,749 metres (5,738 ft), it is located approximately 10 kilometres (6 mi) from the north coast of the Gulf of Corinth. Mount Helicon ( Ancient Greek: Ἑλικών Greek: Ελικώνας) is a mountain in the region of Thespiai in Boeotia, Greece, celebrated in Greek mythology.
