Thursday, February 7, 2013

Legend: Horse

Please see the Introduction To Rabbit Hole Legend A-Z post for information about sources and purpose

Horse (Dark Horse / Pony): (Also see entry for Night) Images relating to horses come from the Beatles song, I Dig a Pony, George Harrison's song and Album, Dark Horse, and the scene in "Penny Lane" where the Beatles ride horses around Liverpool.

 "[...] The horse belongs to the Sun and the element of fire. Horses proudly draw the chariot of the Sun God. At the same time the horse also belongs to the moon and the element of water, since it carried on its back the God of Oceans, too. [...] In Greece there is a sacred well, called Hippocrene (the Horse's Well), which is shaped like a horseshoe and is dedicated to the muses. Pegasus, the Winged horse, was said to have created this particular sacred well.

The horse symbolizes life and death, darkness and light, good and evil, depending on the context in which it is seen. As well as being a bringer of life, it is also a psychopomp, a creature that guides dead souls on the journey to the next life. As well as having spiritual significance, like the dog with which it shares many characteristics, the horse is valuable in purely practical terms, too. It represents power and wealth, since having a horse- or many horses- confers superiority on the owner, not only in terms of monetary value but in the distances he is able to cover and the speeds at which he can travel. This leads to another aspect of the horse- it is a symbol of freedom. Despite the fact that it can be trained the horse is not inferior to man bit is his equal.

The color of a horse, too carries great significance. Where a white horse appears, it is a symbol of virginal, the spiritual, and the godly. The Buddha, for example, chose to ride a white horse. The Virgin Queen, Elizabeth I, is depicted on a white palfrey. The black horse, conversely often symbolizes death and the dark forces. A golden horse is emblematic of the sun and solar deities.

[...] A mare generally leads herds of horses, and the Horse Goddesses include Epona, the mother-Goddess of the ancient Britons, and Rhiannon. The sacred status of horses meant that the sacrifice of such creatures was a rare and profound event, and even today, there is repugnance among many people at the thought of eating horseflesh; not eating an animal is a sure sign that it is regarded as sacred." (ISS)

"All of these heady aspects of valor were associated with the Horse in Celt animal symbolism. In fact, so much so, the Celts hailed the Horse as the beast belonging to the sun god, and assigned it a place with the goddess Epona (see Celtic Gods & Goddesses for more information on Epona).[...]

In Hindu Brihadaranyaka, the Horse is linked to Varuna and as such, is equated to the cosmos. Additionally, a white horse is believed to be the last incarnation of Vishnu.
                                                                                                            Buddha is said to have left this physical plane riding a white horse. Also in Buddhism a winged horse is often depicted carrying the Book of Law.[...]


Black Horse: Mystery, death, night, secret, messenger of esoteric knowledge
White Horse: Light, sun, day, vitality, illumination, resurrection, messenger of birth" <Source>

"A dark horse is a little-known person or thing that emerges to prominence, especially in a competition of some sort or a contestant that seems unlikely to succeed." <Source>

                             "I Dig a Pony" (I Dig Epona?) from the rooftop concert starts at 3:47




No comments:

Post a Comment