Horse worship
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Horse worship is a pagan practice that may be demonstrated in Europe in the Iron Age, and perhaps in the Bronze Age. The horse may be seen as divine, or may be seen as a sacred animal associated with a particular deity, or a totem animal impersonating the king or warrior. Horse cults and horse sacrifice in Antiquity is almost exclusively associated with Indo-European culture, but by the Early Middle Ages was also adopted by Turkic peoples. Horse cult originally is a feature of Eurasian nomad cultures.
Contents |
[edit] Chronology of horse worship
[edit] Bronze Age
The Uffington White Horse, dating to between 1400 and 600 BC, is possible evidence of horse worship in the Bronze Age.
[edit] Iron Age
The French archaeologist Patrice Méniel has demonstrated, based on examination of animal bones from many archaeological sites, a lack of hippophagy (horse eating) in ritual centres and burial sites in Gaul, although there is some evidence for hippophagy from earlier settlement sites in the same region (Méniel 1992 pp.38-45, 77-78, 131-143).
Tacitus (Germania) mentions the use of white horses for divination by the Germanic tribes:
- But to this nation it is peculiar, to learn presages and admonitions divine from horses also. These are nourished by the State in the same sacred woods and groves, all milk-white and employed in no earthly labour. These yoked in the holy chariot, are accompanied by the Priest and the King, or the Chief of the Community, who both carefully observed his actions and neighing. Nor in any sort of augury is more faith and assurance reposed, not by the populace only, but even by the nobles, even by the Priests. These account themselves the ministers of the Gods, and the horses privy to his will.
There is some reason to believe that Poseidon, like other water gods, was originally conceived under the form of a horse. In the cave of Phigalia Demeter was, according to popular tradition, represented with the head and mane of a horse, possibly a relic of the time when a non-specialized corn-spirit bore this form. Her priests were called Poloi (Greek for "colts") in Laconia.
- Further information: Equirria
[edit] Gallo-Roman
In Gallo-Roman times, the worship of Epona was widespread (Nantonos & Ceffyl 2005) in the north-western portions of the Roman Empire.
[edit] Early mediaeval
The Welsh legend of Rhiannon and the Irish legend of Macha, although first recorded in Christian times, may indicate memories of horse worship. The white horse of Rhiannon is another example of cultic use of white horses, which seems to be an Indo-European phenomenon (Hyland p.6).
[edit] References
- Hyland, Ann (2003) The Horse in the Ancient World. Stroud, Sutton Publishing. ISBN 0-7509-2160-9
- Méniel, Patrice Les Sacrifices d'animaux chez les gaulois. Paris, Editions Errance. ISBN 2-87772-068-3
- Nantonos & Ceffyl (2005) Geographical Distribution of Epona
- Tacitus, Germania. Thomas Gordon, translator. Available online
