Horses of Legend

Horse Myths And Legends That You Didn`t Know About

Horses are lovely animals, and they have had been symbols for different ideas over the decades, such as strength, speed, courage, war, and death and legends and myths have evolved as a result. Diverse cultures and religions have various legends and folklores regarding the horse, and this created a magical symbolism. This is common, particularly in Europe and Asia, which are the natural habitats of the horse.
Some of the myths and legends that associated with horses are:

The Celtic horse goddess known as Epona, who was honored by the Celtic Tribe and celebrated by the Romans. They held a festive every December 18 known as the Festival of Epona, and they paid tribute to horses in Epona`s name, shrines and altars were erected in the stables, and they sacrificed animals. The legend says that Epona is a child of a white mare that was made pregnant by a man who didn`t like women, hence the Romans adopted him and this was the unusual beginning of a Celtic deity.
Horses are said to have protection magic, and when you hang an iron shoe with the open end facing down, evil spirits will keep away from your home. If you found a horseshoe on the side of a road, it was seen as powerful and could protect against diseases. Horse skulls are also said to detect malicious spirits, hence people will hang them on the doorways or hearthstones.
In many parts of Europe and the United Kingdom, there are Hobby Horse celebrations held during the Beltane season. This season is a time of lust, sex and fertility and a few symbols will be used to represent the hobby horse. In England, the hobby horse symbolizes the energy, and it welcomes the fertility season. Romans also saw the horse as a sign of fertility, and they sacrificed a horse to Mars, the god of war and agriculture. This was to thank Mars for a bountiful harvest. The horsetail was kept in an honorable place during winter so as ensure that fertility flowed to the springtime.
For the Christians, the Book of Revelation mentions the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse that symbolizes famine, conquest, and death. The four horses in white, red, black and yellowish green color have been associated with Christian Eschatology while others are seen as prophetic symbols.
The Greeks have the Trojan Horse that is a marvelous image of a mare that is built on wooden planks and concealing a group of Greek soldiers. The Trojans believed that this was a sign of peace offering to the goddess Minerva by the Greeks when they abandoned their Troy siege of ten years and sailed home. This worked because the Trojans opened up their gates to accommodate the wooden mare and the soldiers.
White horses are seen to be a good omen and also as a sign of victory and conquest. They signified chastity and innocence in medieval times. The Irish believe that when a pure white horse owner rides on it, it gives him a special gift of being able to advise how to cure physical ailments.