Ode to the Bruges Coachmen

On the Walplein under the trees you will find the bronze artwork by Jef Claerhout “ Zeus, Leda, Prometheus and Pegasus visit Bruges ”, an ode to the Bruges coachmen and inspired by the Greek mythology that appears in the book ' Malpertuis' by the Flemish writer Jean Ray . It is also known as "the gods visit Bruges by carriage".

The supreme god Zeus, who can assume any form, is here in the form of a swan and seduces the wonderfully beautiful naked Leda , wife of the Spanish king. (When Zeus arrived in Sparta, he disguised himself as a swan and seduced her. Leda later gave birth to two eggs. The first gave birth to Helena ("la belle Hélène"), the other Polydeuces (Pollux)).
The coachman Prometheus , god of the sky, once brought fire among men, without Zeus's permission. He was punished for this and chained to a rock in the Caucasus. Every day an eagle came to eat his liver, which grew back at night. Only after many centuries was the poor man freed again. Here he is not chained to a mountain but to the carriage. He is still not liberated here but as far as I know he is not bothered by eagles. Pigeons do, they sometimes sit and shit on his bowler hat, but otherwise he can't complain.

The winged horse Pegasus , born of the blood of Medusa (half man, half animal), is said to have conquered the lightning in the sky for Zeus.

In order to do justice to the depiction, the statue was twisted so that the horse leans to the right and the carriage to the left.

Willem Vandenameele