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Horses in Greek Mythology
Horses are quite popular in all forms of mythology. The horse is so well loved by humans that they immortalize them in myths and stories. What is amazing is that stories about horses are not limited to a certain geographic location. Myths and stories about the horse are seen all over the world including ancient Greece, Rome and China. These are some of the horses that are popular in Greek Mythology.
One of the more popular horses in Greek mythology is Pegasus, the winged horse. He is said to be the descendant of the Greek god Poseidon and the Gorgon Medusa. When Medusas head was cut off two offspring’s sprouted from her neck: Pegasus and his brother, Chrysaor. Contrary to popular belief which probably stemmed from the Disney movie Hercules, Pegasus did not accompany Hercules in any of his adventures; rather he accompanied the heroes Bellerophon and Perseus.
The epic poem made by the poet Homer also includes another famous horse. This is the Trojan horse sent by the Greeks in order to trick the Trojans into letting them into their impenetrable walls. They left the wooden horse outside the gates of Troy. Troy, thinking it a gift of surrender from the Greeks allows it inside the city. Unbeknownst to them the horse is filled with the Greek soldiers. When night falls, the soldiers exit the horse and burn down the city of Troy.
Centaurs are also a popular part of Greek Mythology and can still be seen in fantasy novels today. Centaurs are half man, half horse. Stories differ when explaining the origins of the Centaur. Some say that the Centaur was the offspring of Ixion and Nephele, a cloud made in the image of Hera. Others claim that they are the offspring of the God Apollo and Stilbe. Most Centaurs are male but there are female centaurs known as Kentaurides. They are barely mentioned in actual Greek mythology but are mentioned in future works such as those created by Ovid. They are seen even in fantasy novels today such as –The Chronicles of Narnia– and the Harry Potter Series.
The Sileni are another, lesser known horse creature from Greek Mythology. They have the body of a man and the ears, tail and sometimes the legs of a horse. The Sileni are followers of Dionysus. They are usually bald aging men with flat noses and thick lips. The Silenus is said to be the wisest and drunkest of all the other Sileni and remained as the teacher of the young god.
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Horse Goddesses in Mythology
Horses are so important to the people of the ancient world that they even assigned goddesses to take care and guide these magnificent creatures. Horse Goddesses are not limited to certain geographic locations. They can be found in Rome, Welsh, Irish and Belgium. Here are some of the popular horse goddesses that is said to take care of the horses of antiquity.
Epona (Gallo-Roman)
Epona was the horse goddess in Gallo-Roman religion. She protected horses, mules and donkeys. She was also a goddess of fertility. Her name means “Great Mare,” in Roman. She is usually portrayed with ears of grain and the presence of foals in sculptures.
Rhiannon (Welsh)
She is often compared to Epona. She is the queen and daughter of Heyefadd in Welsh Mythology. She marries Pwyll and then Manwydan. She is deemed as a horse goddess because of her close relationship and association with horses in her story.
Etain (Irish)
Etain is the most popular heroine in the story “Tochmarc Etaine,” (the wooing of Etaine). It is one of the most celebrated and richest stories of the Mythological Cycle. While she is primarily known to be a Sun Goddess, she is also known for being a horse goddess in other stories.
Gontia (Celtic, Belgium)
She is primarily a Celtic moon goddess however she is also considered a horse goddess the Cantabri, the Cantii and the Ghent in Belgium.
An interesting point to note when looking through mythology is that all of the deities who watch over horses are women. Not a lot of people are familiar with these goddesses in modern times because most literature related classes tend to focus on the more popular gods and goddesses of ancient times. Moreover, since the Greek and Roman mythology is the primary mythology that is being taught in schools and none of the more popular fantasy stories feature any of these goddesses, they have become relatively unknown in the modern world.
Despite this, knowing that such goddesses were created for the purpose of caring and looking out for horses, mules and donkeys tell a lot about how important horses were in the ancient times. Not just in one part of the world but in different geographic locations as well. As the primary means of transportation for people during that time and since they were able to serve other purposes such as farming, it is no doubt that a horse was an integral part of the ancient lifestyle.