The horse in the mythology of the Celts, the Water horse

In various mythopoetic traditions animals appear sometimes as assistants to mythological characters, their attributes or symbols.

Among the Celts this animal was the horse. Among the cult objects that make up the heritage of the Celts is the original chariot, on which sits a goddess with a spear, pursuing a boar. Researchers believe that this goddess Epona, which is often depicted on horseback or standing at the horses.

Horse often featured in early Celtic literature. For example, Gilles de Care, appearing in one of the tales of the cycle of Finn – the legendary sage and seer, and sometimes warrior – meets the army of Finn, leading on the occasion of a miserable gray horse, and then throws the reins, and the animal attacks the cavalry conquerors and ruthlessly destroys it.
Horse this, of course, magic, for, in order to bridle it takes fourteen people. When people get on top of it, it is impossible to get off it, and it rushes with such speed that it takes your breath away. Continue reading →