Mythological Horses

Whether you have visited Greece, India or the Nordic countries or not, you have probably heard about their mythology. About those stories that portray heroes that kill bad characters or fantastic creatures.

You have probably heard about the legend of Pegasus or of Unicorns. These stories are believed to had been taken place at some point in history.

These myths have spread over time. They are part of the humane folklore and added a sparkle to the places they were born. Myths underpin the constellations. Myths underpin the authenticity of cultures.

Whether the main characters of myths are gods or humans with supernatural powers, they also need horses. Great gods need great horses. So, let’s see some of the well-known mythological horses. Let’s find out their amazing birth and life story.

Pegasus

Pegasus is a horse from Greek mythology. Its main characteristic is the presence of wings, so, the ability to fly. Do you remember Medusa, that scary woman with venomous snakes inside her hair? That woman that petrified whoever dared to look at her face?

Well, it turns out that Poseidon, the god of seas, horses, and earthquakes killed Medusa. So, Pegasus born from the blood of Medusa, when Poseidon killed her.

Pegasus was a bright and shiny white horse. Its purity was well-known among the Greeks. The myth says that when he was born, he flew to clouds, to the place where lighting and thunder are released.

He lived free until Bellerophon, one of the greatest heroes of Greek mythology, found Pegasus drinking water from a spring. Even if there are different versions of this story, they all end with the same conclusion. Pegasus was tamed by Bellerophon and helped him in his fight with Chimera.

Sadly, because Pegasus let Bellerophon ride him and also helped him defeat Chimera, it led to other exploits. Luckily for the winged white horse, Bellerophon died because he fell from Pegasus’s back in his quest to reach Mount Olympus.

Later, Zeus, the brother of Poseidon, transformed Pegasus into a constellation.

Unicorns

The origin of Unicorns is in India, Asia. The myth has later spread to Europe. The Unicorn is a mythical creature that portrays a horse with a large spiraled horn on the forehead.

In European folklore, the Unicorn is a white horse or white goat with a single large horn. However, most of the representations of unicorns over time are from a lateral point of view. So, the myth that unicorns would have had a second horn might be true.

Yet, even in the 21st century, unicorns have a special place in popular culture.

They are often used as symbols of rarity, purity, and fantasy. This is underpinned by the legend that unicorns could have been tamed only by a virgin woman.

Sleipnir

Sleipnir is a mythical horse present in Norse mythology.  It is the horse of Odin, the god associated with wisdom, health, death, war, knowledge, battle or victory. Such an amazing god needs an amazing grey horse. So, what is special about Slepnir is that it has eight legs.

Most of the data about Sleipnir dates back to the 13th century. Old poems, as well as riddles, often mention of Sleipnir. Odin rides him to Hel, which is the same with Hel, a being that rules a territory. He is also depicted in image stones that date back to the 8th century.

Modern theories argue that Sleipnir could have been the horse of a shaman, because of its special characteristics. But this is not so strange because Odin was also associated with sorcery.

The myth of Sleipnir has gained also modern influences. The horseshoe canyon in northern Ireland it is said to be the proof that Sleipnir was real. Because its shape was designed by Sleipnir’s hoof.

Hippogriff

The first mention of Hippogriff is in the first major work of Latin poet Virgil, Eclogues. The mythical horse is a symbol of the Greek god Apollo. Apollo is also portrayed in connection with the Muses or as the god of the sun.

However, Hippogriff is not a typical horse. It is a steed born from the love of a mare with a griffin. The Griffin is a mythical creature which is depicted having the head and wings of an eagle. The back legs, body, and tail are of a lion.

So, Hippogriff is depicted having the body of a horse and the head and wings of an eagle. Due to the strange yet amazing body, his great ability is to fly fast. It is said that he can fly to the moon and around the world.

Centaur

The list of hybrid horses does not stop here. The first mentions of centaurs have been in Greek mythology. They were later featured also in Roman mythology.

The centaur is a hybrid horse, with the lower body and legs of a horse and the upper body of a man. The legends say that centaurs were wild and untamed horses.

The centaurs have been born of Ixion and Nephele. Nephele was a cloud with the likeness of Hera which goal was to trick Ixion into revealing his love for Hera to Zeus. From this relationship, centaurs were created.

Even though the Greek mythology does not mention of female centaurs, called centaurides, they appear in later antiquity.

Conclusion

Of course, these are not all the mythological horses that we know of. There is also Hippocampus – a hybrid horse with the upper body of a horse and the lower body of a fish. There is also the dragon horse of the Chinese Buddhist monk Xuan Zang. In Hindu mythology, there is Keshi, the demon horse.

There is a never-ending list of mythological creatures, of hybrid horses or supernatural ones. In your History classes, you will learn about all of them for sure.

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These myths and legends depict a world full of fantasy, love, war, and death. It would be a shame not to show the real value of these stories.

Justin is a teacher from Leicester, England, UK. When not teaching his little students and rooting for Leicester FC, he loves to share his thoughts and opinions about education, writing and blogging with other people on different blogs and forums. Currently, he is working as an editor at the writing service Essay Writing Lab . Follow Justin on Facebook or tweet him @JustinJOsborne.