Knightmare is a mythical unicorn with a flaming fire instead of a mane. The Knightmare's fur is black with a bluish tint, its eyes are yellow or orange, without pupils. They are afraid of sunlight. They live in forests and near mountain meadows. The hooves of these unicorns are charged with a lot of negative energy. The blood of Knightmares is used by black magicians to prepare powerful poisons. These creatures are dangerous to approach, they are capable of breathing fire and tearing flesh with a single bite. Even a self-rescuer cannot save you from Knightmares. At the site of the death of the knightmare, a plant with dark poisonous berries grows. Untamed Knightmares serve only their own lust and rage. Unlike normal horses, Knightmares are intelligent and use the horse form only to deceive others. These black unicorns know your worst fears, and if you fall asleep in a place where they are found, they will appear in your dreams in the form of your fear.
Leber is a horse with swan wings. Lebers usually live in small herds, and most often fly to the coast of Loch Ness. Leber is distinguished not only by his specific swan appearance, but also by the so-called swan loyalty... This horse will be with you until your death, and will never betray you.
Continued under the cut. Many!
Kirin is a Japanese unicorn, a mythical creature that personified the desire for a bountiful harvest and personal security. It is said that he is a fierce follower of justice and law, and that he sometimes appeared in court, killed the guilty and saved the innocent. Kirin is the most important animal deity. The Japanese Kirin, unlike the Chinese Qilin, acquired much more “aggressive” features. So, for example, the ability to demand sacrifice for the bestowal of strength began to be attributed to him.
The Japanese kirin has many descriptions, but is most often depicted as having a scaly body reminiscent of a sika deer, a single horn, and a bushy tail. His body is often enveloped in flames, and the creature can breathe fire. According to mythology, he came out of the He Tu River, and on his back was a numerological diagram, which was called “He Tu”. This amazing animal does not step on plants and does not eat animal food. It is believed that Kirin is a messenger of favorable events, a symbol of prosperity and good luck. This celestial creature lives for two thousand years, and can only be seen once every millennium, at the beginning new era- as they say, he appears at the birth of a great leader. Supposedly, Confucius's mother met Kirin before the birth of her child.
If the name is literally translated, “ki” and “rin” mean the male and female principles of the animal, and connect it with the yin-yang philosophy. In modern Japanese, "kirin" translates to "giraffe".
Thestral - Skeletal horses of enormous size. They can only be seen by those who have seen death. Thestrals are attracted to the smell of meat and blood. They are flying creatures. They are well oriented in space. But both Thestrals and Nightmares have a special dark beauty and require a very respectful attitude. Most likely the word "thestral" comes from the English word "thester" - darkness, gloom, dark. This word is rare and is not found in all dictionaries. But there is another curious fact that proves the linguistic relationship of thestrals with the Nightmares of Greek myths. The most famous Nightmares are those four individuals who were harnessed to the chariot of the Greek god of war, Ares. And Ares had two sons - Deimos (horror) and Phobos (fear). So, Phobos in Latin is “thestius”.
Amister A type of magical horse. Amisters are one of the most unusual mystical creatures. Despite their terrifying appearance, Amistras are kind and devoted companions, although it is not so easy to tame them, much less find them; they are found very rarely and, as a rule, in the most unexpected places. Amisters are immortal animals, it is impossible to kill them, since they, in fact, do not represent completely living matter, they are, as it were, woven from magic, fire and night. Graceful, black as night, Amisters are deadly in battle, incredibly fast, and their loyalty is legendary. The black skin of these magical horses shimmers with all shades of black and crimson, the tail and mane seem to be woven from tongues of magical flame, which does not burn only those whom the horse trusts. Amister's eyes burn with hellish fire, their breath is scorching, their hooves are hot to the limit, and stones melt under their tread. Many have tried to find Amisters, but so far not a single mortal has succeeded, although there are often rumors that they have sometimes seen a fiery horse in the night and heard its heartbreaking roar.
Tersan. No one knows for sure about their origin, but there is a legend. One day Neptune fell in love with a beautiful mermaid. There was nothing more beautiful than her in the world. They saw each other every day, but one day the mermaid did not appear. Neptune became worried. His servant sailed and notified Neptune that his beloved had been caught by evil people and wanted to show her around the world, but they had taken her to the other side of the world. Then Neptune called upon the powers of the oceans and seas and created a hundred Tersans. Faster than speed wind, he rushed to the mermaid, but found that she was dead. The mermaid resisted, and the people killed her. Neptune grieved for a long time and ordered the Tersans to go ashore every night and leave bloody footprints in memory of the mermaid. They live exclusively in water, but at night they come ashore for just a couple of minutes and beat blood out of the sand or stones with their hooves. Nobody knows where they get the scarlet blood from. And why they come ashore at all also remains a mystery, because their environment is water and they feed, live and reproduce in water. Their bodies are made of their water. They are strong like a tsunami, fast like a hurricane and beautiful like the ocean. Their bodies are seething like boiling water. Their eyes are pearls of extraordinary beauty. Their blood is water from the purest waters on earth. When they come ashore, their bodies transform at the speed of the wave, and they become snow-white horses. But this lasts for several minutes.
Sleipnir - in German-Scandinavian mythology, Odin's eight-legged horse on which he travels between worlds. Odin's horse Sleipnir is also a huge ash tree that unites the heavenly, earthly and underworld worlds. So in this case, the image of a horse is associated with the universe as a whole. Sleipnir had a gray color, eight legs, and could ride on land and water. Symbolizes the wind blowing from eight main points.
Kelpie. This water demon, native to England and Ireland, can take many forms, although it most often appears as a horse with a mane of reeds. In Scottish lower mythology - a water spirit that lives in many rivers and lakes. Kelpies are mostly hostile to humans. They appear in the form of a horse grazing by the water, offering its back to the traveler. Demons also lure bathing children, and those, amazed by the beauty and docile nature of the horse, trustingly sat on it for a ride. The kelpie immediately rushed into the depths of the reservoir, carrying away its prey. The man’s legs were glued to the sides of the horse, and his hands to the mane, so there was no salvation for the man who sat on Kelpie. They say that Kelpies are able to jump on the surface of the water as if on land.
K'yaard is a very complex and difficult companion, which not every rider is able to cope with. Moreover, k'yaard chooses a rider for himself, as a rule once and for the rest of his life, and remains faithful to him to the end. Forcibly tame and enslave k'yaard is impossible. So what is a k'yaard? This beautiful, albeit frightening animal is often called “a relative of the snake,” and obviously for good reason - at least many of the features of these creatures clearly do not belong to the horse breed. equal to a medium or tall horse, its features are graceful but strong. They are bred in places located on islands. They can gallop on the surface of the water and in the air. They differ from ordinary ones only in the presence of huge fangs. Vampires usually use them to get out of the island to the continent.
Herd of Coliostro. Magic horses of the Calyosto live in the taiga, from birth each individual is associated with a wolf, when one dies, another dies after it
Gurria. A variety of magical horses, the most unusual and rare of all known.
Gurria is the rarest creature in all of Avalor. Traditions and legends are written about them, songs and ballads are sung about them.
Few people have seen this mysterious creature, many consider the existence of the Gurria to be a myth, but only the ancients know that this is not the fruit of phantasia, they know that the Gurria still exist today.
Little remains of the description of these magical creatures; it is known that in appearance the Gurrii resemble the Frestals, but are also very different from them.
Gurriyas are majestic, proud creatures, dexterous and graceful, devoted and faithful, kind and at the same time merciless towards their enemies. The color of these horses is completely different but at the same time unusual, the wings are huge and wonderfully reminiscent of the huge wings of the ancient metamorphs who once lived in these lands. According to legend, the Gurria originated from metamorphs who left their lands and took the form of wonderful horses.
Gurriya magic is unique, but not fully studied, and is hidden behind many secrets and mysteries. There have been many hypotheses that the Gurrii have human speech and are able to communicate with each other at a distance using telepathy, but this is just one of many other assumptions and guesses...
During the great battle with dragons, Gurriyas were destroyed in large numbers for their loyalty and mutual assistance to the enemy. Now - they have gone down in history as well as the completely exterminated metamorphs, defeated in the battle for their faith and freedom...
Noggle. In the folklore of the Shetland Islanders there is a water horse. As a rule, the noggle appears on land under the guise of a wonderful bay horse, saddled and bridled. Noggle is not as dangerous as the kelpie, but he never refuses to pull one or the other of his two favorite jokes. If at night he sees work in full swing at the water mill, he grabs the wheel and stops it. You can drive it away by showing a knife or sticking a burning branch out the window. He also likes to pester travelers. As soon as someone sits on it, the noggle rushes into the water. However, apart from swimming, nothing threatens the rider: once in the water, the noggle disappears with a flash of blue flame. To avoid confusing a noggle with a horse, you should look at the tail: the noggle's tail curls over its back.
eh-eshka. In Scottish folklore there are two water horses, gray in color, treacherous and dangerous. Sometimes they turn into beautiful young men or giant birds. Eh-ear in the form of a person can be recognized by the algae in his hair. Introducing itself as a horse, the eh-ear seems to invite you to sit on itself, but whoever dares to do so faces a tragic end: the horses jump into the water and devour their rider, and then the waves throw the victim’s liver ashore. Unlike kelpies, which live in running water, ech-ears live in seas and lakes.
Lame Argamak.
Each pegasus had its own rider, but with the advent of Christianity, all magical animals began to be hunted, including pegasus. Something happened to his rider, so they seized the pegasus, but all attempts to tame him led to nothing, and as a warning to the “fiend of hell,” they cut his wings so that he could not fly without pain, and attached knives to his legs so that he could not gallop without pain. pain, and gouged out his eyes so that he could not see beauty. After all this, he became embittered with the world, and they gave him the name Lame Argamak....
Argamak is the horse of death, which gallops over the earth and cuts the threads of life. And if he throws off the bonds from his muzzle, his voice, or rather howl and groan similar to a neigh, will kill all living things...
Horse Hel.
In the old days, before starting to bury the dead in a new cemetery, they buried live horse. This horse appears as a ghost and is known as the Horse of Hel. She walks on three legs and foretells death to anyone who sees her. This is where the saying comes from about someone who managed to recover from a dangerous illness: “He gave death oats” (to appease or bribe it).
The horse Hel sometimes appears in the cathedral in Aarus. One man, whose windows overlooked the cemetery at the cathedral, saw her one day from his window. “What kind of horse is that?” “This must be Hel’s horse,” answered the one sitting next to him. “Well, I’ll look at her!” said the man. Looking out the window, he became pale as a corpse, but did not tell anyone what he saw. Soon after, he fell ill and died.
Fasfer.
Fasfer is a demonic horse that became a victim of human cruelty. They caught him and chained him, tightened him very tightly and tied the bridle so that the rusty bit would tear his mouth. They stuck a chain into my back so that it came out of my stomach. After all the torment he endured, he became embittered with people. And he kills everyone who gets in his way. There is a legend that k"yaard is the son of Fasfer.
Here you will find some of the types of magical horses that I was able to find.
Thestral:
One of the varieties of magical horses.
Thestral is a large, wonderfully built, lean horse - a harbinger of troubles and misfortunes. Despite its terrifying appearance, Thestral cannot cause harm; he is attracted by the smell of blood and raw meat, which warlocks and necromancers use to attract these horses into their service. Thestrals are bloodthirsty towards their enemies, but also very loyal to their masters.
Thestrals have whip-like tails, huge membranous wings, shiny, as if wet, skin, and glowing eyes. Thestrals also have small sharp horns behind their ears and fangs. Thestrals feed on meat and carrion, hunt small animals; there has never been a case of Thestrals attacking other intelligent races.
Thestrals live in mountainous areas, on battlefields where death blows, near volcanoes and geysers, and they can also be seen soaring high in the sky and traveling through the darkest places and nooks.
Thestrals are skeletal horses of enormous size. Not dangerous to humans. They hunt birds and small mammals.
They can only be seen by those who have seen death. They are well oriented in space.
Most likely the word Thestral comes from the English Thester - darkness, gloom, dark. This word is rare and is not found in all dictionaries.
Nightmare (Nightmare):
The coat is usually black with a bluish tint. The eyes are bright yellow or orange, without a pupil. The mane is a blazing fire. They were bred a long time ago, but later they began to spread naturally, which is why they became the most common after the British and Indian ones. They are more often found in forests and near mountain meadows, but only at night; during the day they can be seen in dark places, away from sunlight, since it is very unpleasant for them. Knightmare's hooves are charged with great negative energy; as soon as a small part of the hoof gets into the blood of any living creature, it ceases to control itself. The blood of this unicorn is used in black magic, for example, to prepare powerful poisons. If a knightmare dies, a plant with dark poisonous berries grows in that place.
Untamed knightmares serve only their own lust and rage. Unlike normal horses, Knightmares are intelligent and use the horse form only to deceive others. These black unicorns know your worst fears, and if you fall asleep in a place where they are found, they will appear in your dreams in the form of your fear. These black unicorns are capable of breathing fire and tearing flesh with one bite; you should not approach Knightmares without being prepared.
Unicorn:
Unicorn, a mythical animal found in many mythological systems (in early traditions with the body of a bull, in later traditions with the body of a horse, sometimes a goat), called by the most characteristic feature- the presence of one long straight horn on the forehead.
Unicorn - Symbolizes chastity, and also serves as an emblem of the sword. Tradition usually presents it in the form white horse with one horn coming out of the forehead; however, according to esoteric beliefs, it has a white body, a red head and blue eyes. Legends say that he is insatiable when pursued, but obediently lies down on the ground if a virgin approaches him. In general, it is impossible to catch a unicorn, but if you do, you can only hold it with a golden bridle.
The earliest images of the Unicorn (as a one-horned bull) are found in cultural monuments of the 3rd millennium BC. e., in particular on seals from the ancient cities of the Indus Valley - Mohenjo-Daro and Harappa, representing one of the most significant sacred images. The symbol of the Unicorn is reflected in both the Atharva Veda (in the myth of the flood, during which Manu tied a ship to the horn of the Unicorn) and in the Mahabharata. Researchers associate the appearance of the image of the Unicorn in West Asian (Middle Eastern) and early European mythological systems with the influence of this later Indian tradition. The Greek (Ctesias, Aristotle) and Roman (Pliny the Elder) traditions considered the Unicorn as a real-life beast and associated its origin with India (or Africa). In translations of the Old Testament, the beast ram (Heb., “fierce beast”) was identified with the Unicorn. The symbolism of the Unicorn plays a significant role in medieval Christian writings, dating back to the Greek text of the Physiologist (2nd-3rd centuries AD); The unicorn is seen as a symbol of purity and virginity. According to the Physiologist, the Unicorn can only be tamed by a pure maiden; hence the later Christian tradition linking the Unicorn with the Virgin Mary and Jesus Christ.
Stories related to the Unicorn are found in both Eastern (including Chinese and Muslim) and Western European (German tale of the tailor and the seven flies) folklore. In Russian "ABC books" of the 16th-17th centuries. The unicorn is described as a terrible and invincible beast, like a horse, all the strength of which lies in its horn.
The equatorial constellation (lat. Monoceros) is named after the Unicorn. The Unicorn symbol occupies a significant place in heraldry: it was depicted both on dynastic and state (for example, Scottish, and later British) and personal coats of arms, including in the 18th century. on the coats of arms of some Russian noble families, in particular Count P.I. Shuvalov, during whose tenure as head of the armory office the concept introduced in Rus' back in the 16th century was developed. the custom of calling artillery pieces “inrogs” (“unicorns”) (with the image of E.). The horn of the Unicorn, under the guise of which the tusks of narwhal whales (also called unicorns) were distributed in medieval Europe, was attributed to healing properties in the treatment of various diseases, snake bites (according to folklore, the Unicorn purifies water poisoned by a snake with its horn), etc.
The symbol of the Unicorn, widely represented in mystical writings and the fine arts of the European Middle Ages (the scene of the taming of the Unicorn by a virgin was reflected in the plastic decor of the Freiburg and Erfurt cathedrals, in book miniatures, on tapestries, in particular on the tapestry of the late 15th century “The Virgin and the Unicorn” from Cluny Museum in Paris), is resurrected by those writers of the 20th century who were guided by this mythopoetic tradition.
Unicorns feed on flowers, especially rosehip flowers, and honey, and drink morning dew. They also look for small lakes in the depths of the forest, in which they swim and drink from there, and the water in these lakes usually becomes very clean and has the properties of living water. In Russian "alphabet books" of the 16th -17th centuries. The unicorn is described as a terrible and invincible beast, like a horse, all the strength of which lies in the horn. Healing properties were attributed to the unicorn's horn (according to folklore, the unicorn uses its horn to purify water poisoned by a snake). The unicorn is a creature of another world and most often foreshadows happiness.
Symbolism - The white coloring of the unicorn made it a natural symbol of purity, chastity and virginity. The unicorn's horn was the weapon of the believer and Christ.
The mythological unicorn was a symbol of gallantry with qualities befitting that status, proud and indomitable.
The legend of the hunter and the virgin bait became an allegory of the Incarnation of Christ and was later banned by the Council of Trent due to the fact that they could not confirm the reality of unicorns in the existing world.
The unicorn is a creation of human fantasy - its secret triumph. The most famous representative of the fantastic zoo. “the hidden string of European culture”; “a unicorn-beast is a beast to all animals,” as it was sung in an old Russian song... But where such success came from, what predetermined it, is a mystery. The victory was won effortlessly, " little blood" Always wasteful, generous with various wings, heads, mouths, from which fire and brimstone radiate, with immortality and other miracles - the imagination in the case of the unicorn was clearly stingy.
The formula is surprisingly simple: one famous animal (horse, goat or donkey) one horn in the middle of the forehead = thousands of years of lively interest among many peoples. Why did such a simple fantasy survive hundreds of other fictions and successfully compete with many truly sophisticated fictions: a dragon, a basilisk, a werewolf, a manticore?
It was first mentioned in writing 25 centuries ago by the Greek historian Ctesias. In his manuscript on India we read:
“There are wild donkeys there! height more horse. Their body is white, their head is dark red, and their eyes are blue. There is a horn on the forehead. The powder scraped from this horn is used as a medicine against deadly poisons. The base of the horn is pure white, the tip is bright red, and the middle part is black.” However, long before this description, the fabulous beast already lived in the imagination of the inhabitants of the East.
Perhaps the most bizarre unicorn was that of the ancient Persians. Three-legged, six-eyed, nine-mouthed, with a golden hollow horn; it stands in the middle of the ocean and... with a wonderful horn it cleanses the waves from all kinds of pollution (in our modern ocean, and such a three-legged one! "
The glory of the unicorn was supported not only by poetry: since ancient times, medicinal properties were attributed to its horn (in particular, it was believed that it was the best remedy for poisons). Charlatans smartly traded in magic horns, passing off rhinoceros horns, narwhal whale horns, and even mammoth tusks as such. They sold cups and horn salt shakers, supposedly removing poison from food. (As for France, only the Great French Revolution abolished the ceremony of testing royal food for poison - along with the “cancellation” of the king himself...) The purchase of a whole horn was within the power of either the cathedral or the royal house. Such an acquisition cost Elizabeth I of England 10 thousand pounds (by the way, the unicorn was the emblem of this virgin queen).
One 15th-century miniature depicts Saint Benedict throwing away a piece of bread given to him. Nearby there is a figurine of a unicorn like a generally accepted hieroglyph: without explanation, the medieval reader understood that the bread was poisoned, and the saint, with God’s help, guessed it.
During the Renaissance, a figurine of a unicorn was often displayed above pharmacies. And on the coats of arms of many illustrious knights, this symbol did not mean their nobility or loneliness, but the usual metaphorical interpretation of that time: enemies flee from a brave husband like poison from a wonderful horn.
Psychoanalysts, who know everything about everyone, believe that the reason for the longevity of the unicorn is the symbolism that Rabelais joked about. Less self-confident psychologists focus our attention on the special poetry of the image, on our predilection for the archetypes of humble evil and proud loneliness... But the image eludes the final interpretation of specialists. Would it be a great heresy to assert that its great charm lies in its very “evasion” of explanation?
When a poet or artist talks about a unicorn, he introduces mystery into his work. For neither the bestiaries nor the legends of East and West have fully explained the unicorn to us. Dragon, griffon, basilisk - they sometimes evoke contrasting, but very specific associations. And the unicorn awakens in the soul something vague, unsteady, a feeling of incomplete knowledge... “We don’t know what a unicorn is.”
Other explanations? Please. It is easier for common sense to imagine and accept the reality of a unicorn than to believe in a dragon, a sea maiden, an amphisbaena, or a sphinx. A horse with a horn - how simple it is. Why shouldn't it exist?
And one last thing. Over the centuries, all sorts of good qualities have been stubbornly attributed to the unicorn: they correlated it with a just ruler and the birth of wise men, they painted it as a child-loving lover of unity, a gentle admirer of purity, humble and pious. Nothing bad stuck to his fur. The human imagination seems to be tired of werewolves, basilisks, fiery dragons, and insidious sirens. And so, among all the evil spirits and undead hostile to man, a charming image of a beast shone, which is wild and violent, but capable of becoming submissive and affectionate. There must be a fairy next to the evil witch. Next to the werewolf is a unicorn, so to speak, an anti-werewolf: evil that turns into good, lust that turns into respect for chastity.
Pegasus:
Winged magical horses (horses) are found in many fairy tales ancient world. There are two versions of the origin of Pegasus:
1. Pegasus, in ancient greek mythology a horse that emerged from the head of Medusa the Gorgon, severed by Perseus. (In other sources from the torso or neck).
2. According to another legend, Pegasus is the fruit of Medusa’s connection with the god of the sea Poseidon, who, according to Greek legends, created horses.
Pegasus is a winged horse. It flies over the highest mountains at speeds faster than the wind. In appearance, Pegasus looks like an ordinary snow-white horse, the only difference is that it has large beautiful white wings and is slightly larger than ordinary horses in size. In terms of body structure, Pegasus is very similar to a unicorn; he is even sometimes depicted with a horn on his head. Also, the pegasus, just like the unicorn, is very freedom-loving, and you can also catch it only with a Golden Bridle.
Emerging from the head of Medusa the Gorgon, killed by Perseus, Pegasus soared above the highest mountains, to the very throne of Zeus on Olympus. He served Zeus for a long time, finding and bringing lightning and thunder on his magical wings.
The hero Bellerophon tamed the frantic creature with the help of a golden bridle, which the goddess Athena gave him, and, riding on it, defeated the terrible Chimera:
“Iobates instructed Bellerophon to kill the formidable monster Chimera. She was given birth to by the terrible Typhon and the gigantic Echidna. In front the lion was the Chimera, in the middle was the mountain wild goat, and in the back was the dragon. It spewed fire from three mouths. There was no salvation for anyone from the formidable Chimera. Its very approach brought death with it. Bellerophon was not stopped by the danger of this feat - the mighty hero boldly took on the task of carrying it out. He knew that only he could defeat the Chimera who owned the winged horse Pegasus, which flew out of the body of the gorgon Medusa killed by Perseus, and he knew where to find this marvelous horse. Pegasus often went down to the top of Acrocorinth and drank water from the Pyrene spring there. Bellerophon went there. He came to the source just at the time when Pegasus, who had descended from the clouds, was quenching his thirst with the cold, crystal-clear water of the Pirena spring. Bellerophon wanted to catch Pegasus right away. Days and nights he pursued him, but all in vain, no tricks helped. Pegasus was not given into the hands of Bellerophon. As soon as the young hero approached the winged horse, flapping his mighty wings, with the speed of the wind the horse rushed beyond the clouds and soared in them, like an eagle. Finally, on the advice of the soothsayer Polyidus, Bellerophon went to sleep at the source of Pyrene, near the altar of Pallas Athena, in the place where he first saw Pegasus. Bellerophon wanted to receive a revelation from the gods in a dream. Indeed, in a dream, the beloved daughter of the thunderer Zeus, Athena, appeared to him, taught him how to catch Pegasus, gave him a golden bridle and ordered him to make a sacrifice to the god of the sea Poseidon. Bellerophon woke up. With amazement he saw that the golden bridle was lying next to him. Bellerophon thanked the great goddess in fervent prayer. He now knew that he would take possession of Pegasus. Soon a marvelous horse flew to the source of Pirena on its snow-white wings. Bellerophon boldly jumped on him and threw a golden bridle over his head. For a long time faster than the wind Pegasus carried the hero through the air, finally resigned himself and since then faithfully served Bellerophon. The hero quickly rushed on Pegasus to the mountains of Lycia, to where the monstrous Chimera lived. The chimera sensed the approach of the enemy and crawled out of the dark cave, powerful and menacing. A scorching fire flew out of its three mouths, clouds of smoke clouded everything around. Pegasus flew high with Bellerophon, and from above Bellerophon sent his arrows one after another at the Chimera. In a rage, she hit the rocks and overturned them; frantic, she rushed through the mountains. Everything around was perishing from its flame. Bellerophon followed her everywhere on his winged horse. The chimera could not hide anywhere from the hero’s small arrows; deadly arrows overtook her everywhere. Bellerophon killed the formidable monster and returned with great glory to King Iobates.”
Symbolically, it combines the vitality and strength of the horse with a bird-like liberation from earthly heaviness, which suggests an association with the frantic spirit of the poet, overcoming earthly obstacles. The image of Pegasus illustrates the positive aspect of the horse (horse), whose image, on the other hand, could also take on sinister features.
From the blow of Pegasus's hoof on Mount Helikon, the source of Hypocrene (the source of the muses) arose, the water of which, according to late antique ideas, inspired poets. Hence the expression “to ride Pegasus” - to receive poetic inspiration - to become a poet.
The graceful pegasus was chosen as an emblem by the Templars. It symbolized glory, eloquence and contemplation. In European heraldry it was depicted on the coats of arms of “thinkers”. During the Second World War, the Pegasus, with Bellerophon on its back, was adopted as the insignia of the British airborne forces; nowadays used to refer to air transport and speed.
Amister:
A type of magical horse. Amisters are one of the most unusual mystical creatures. Despite their terrifying appearance, Amistras are kind and loyal companions, although it is not so easy to tame them, much less find them, they are found very rarely and, as a rule, in the most unexpected places. Amisters are immortal animals, it is not possible to kill them, since they, in fact, do not represent completely living matter, they are, as it were, woven from magic, fire and night.
Graceful, black as the night itself, Amisters are deadly in battle, incredibly fast, and their loyalty is legendary.
The black skin of these magical horses shimmers with all shades of black and crimson, the tail and mane seem to be woven from tongues of magical flame, which does not burn only those whom the horse trusts. Amister's eyes burn with hellish fire, their breath is scorching, their hooves are split to the limit, stones melt under their tread. Many have tried to find the Amisters, but so far not a single mortal has succeeded, although there are often rumors that they have sometimes seen a fiery horse in the night and heard its heartbreaking roar...
Houri:
A variety of magical horses, the most unusual and rare of all known.
Gurria is the rarest creature in the whole world. Legends and stories are written about them, songs and ballads are sung about them.
Few people have seen this mysterious creature, many consider the existence of Gurria to be a myth, but only the ancients know that this is not a figment of fantasy, they know that Gurria still exist today.
Little remains of the description of these creatures; it is known that in appearance the Gurrii resemble Thestrals, but they are also very different from them.
Gurriyas are majestic, proud creatures, dexterous and graceful, devoted and faithful, kind and at the same time merciless to the enemy. The color of these creatures is different, but at the same time unusual, the wings are huge and wonderfully reminiscent of the wings of the ancient metamorphs who once lived here. According to legend, the Gurrii originated from metamorphs who left their lands and took the form of wonderful horses.
The magic of Gurriya is unique, but not fully understood, and is hidden behind many secrets and mysteries. There have been many hypotheses that the Gurrii have human speech and are able to communicate with each other at a distance using telepathy, but this is only one of many assumptions and guesses.
During the great battle with dragons, Hurriyas were destroyed in large numbers for their loyalty and mutual assistance to the enemy. Now they have gone down in history as well as the completely exterminated metamorphs, defeated in the battle for their faith and freedom...
There are not many survivors of the battle left who still talk about the beauty of Gurriya, whose skins shimmered in the light of the sun, moon and stars, whose manes developed like silk threads in the wind, and whose voices were heard in magical melodies...
Hippogriff:
Hippogryph - in the mythology of the European Middle Ages, wanting to indicate an impossibility or incongruity, Virgil speaks of an attempt to cross a horse and a vulture. Four centuries later, his commentator Servius claims that vultures or griffins are animals whose front part is eagle-like and the back part is lion-like. To support his statement, he adds that they hate horses. Over time, the expression “Jungentur jam grypes eguis” (“crossing vultures with horses”) became a proverb; at the beginning of the sixteenth century, Ludovico Ariosto remembered him and invented the hippogriff. Pietro Michelli notes that the hippogriff is a more harmonious creature, even than the winged Pegasus.
In "Furious Roland" (IV.18) it is given detailed description hippogriff, as if intended for a textbook of fantastic zoology:
Not ghostly under the magician horse-mare
Born into the world, his father was a vulture;
Like his father, he was a wide-winged bird, -
My father was in front, like that one, zealous;
Everything else was like the uterus,
And that horse was called a hippogriff.
The borders of the Riphean mountains are glorious for them,
Far beyond the icy seas.
It is interesting what kind of Riphean mountains are meant, whether it is the Riphean mountains in the mythology of the Slavs, where the bright Irius was located, because those mountains, as is known, were guarded by the Griffin.
The first mention of this strange animal is deceptively random (II, 37): “At the Rhone I saw a knight stopping winged horse».
Other octaves describe amazement at the sight of a flying horse:
Looks - the owner's family, in an instant
Having come running, some at the door, some at the window, -
Like a comet or an eclipse,
She looks up at the sky, amazed.
And the maiden sees the appearance of judgment,
And she can only hardly believe her eyes:
The horse sees winged flying in the air;
It is ruled by a horseman dressed in armor.
Hippocampus:
Hippocampus (Hippocampus) (from the Greek hippos-horse), also called hydropuss (from the Greek camrus-water) - in Greek mythology, a seahorse with a fish tail. The hippocampuses were harnessed to the chariot of the Greek god of the seas, Poseidon. The hippocampus is considered the king of fish. Sea deities in Ancient Greece and Rome were often depicted in a chariot drawn by Hippocampus.
Sleipnir:
Sleipnir (Literally "sliding"), in Skashdinavian mythology, the eight-legged horse of the god Odin. Born from Svadilfari (the horse of the Asgardian dwelling builder) and (turned into a mare) the god Loki. Alone on Sleipnir in an equestrian competition with the giant Hrungnir. Odin's son Hermod rides Sleipnir to the kingdom of the dead Hel to return his brother Balder. Chthonic features associated with shamanism are evident in Sleipnir.
Odin has a winged golden helmet on his head, and right hand he holds the spear Gungnir, which never misses its target and kills anyone it hits. The horse of the father of the gods, the eight-legged gray stallion Sleipnir, can gallop not only on the ground, but also in the air. The ruler of the world often travels around the earth on it or, invisible to people, takes part in their battles, helping the most worthy to win.
Bony:
A type of magical horse.
Bonium itself is not a full-fledged horse; it is rather the corpse of a horse raised from the grave through black magic. The character of the bonies is absolutely different from each other and from the place of raising and from the type of dead horse. As a rule, Boniev is very easy to recognize, since parts of the already rotten and decomposed body emit a very specific smell, bones are exposed in places under the dead flesh, while others are completely a skeleton.
They can often be seen on battlefields and abandoned cemeteries.
Kelpie:
In Scottish lower mythology, a water spirit that lives in many rivers and lakes. Kelpies are mostly hostile to humans. They appear in the form of a horse grazing by the water, offering its back to the traveler and then dragging him into the water.
This is a werewolf capable of transforming into animals and humans (as a rule, Kelpie transforms into a young man with disheveled hair). He has a bad habit of scaring travelers - he either jumps out from behind, or suddenly jumps onto their shoulders. Before a storm, many people hear the Kelpie howling. Much more often than a human, the Kelpie takes the form of a horse, most often black, but sometimes white fur is also mentioned; sometimes two long horns grow on his forehead, and then he looks like a cross between a horse and a bull. Sometimes they say that his eyes glow, or they are full of tears, and his gaze causes chills or attracts like a magnet. A more fanciful description of the Kelpie is given in the Aberdeen Bestiary: supposedly its mane consists of small fiery snakes, curling among themselves and spewing fire and brimstone.
With all his appearance, Kelpie seems to invite the passerby to sit on himself, and when he succumbs to the trick, he jumps into the river with the rider. The man instantly gets wet to the skin, and the Kelpie disappears, and his disappearance is accompanied by a roar and a blinding flash. But sometimes, when Kelpie is angry about something, he tears his victim into pieces and devours it.
The ancient Scotts called these creatures water Kelpies, horses, bulls, or simply spirits, and mothers from time immemorial forbade children to play close to the shore of a river or lake: a monster, or whatever is found there, can take the form of a galloping horse, grab the baby, and sit it on its back and then, with the helpless little rider, plunge into the abyss.
The Kelpie's tracks are easy to recognize; its hooves are placed backwards. Kelpie is able to stretch as long as he wants, and a person seems to stick to his body.
With the help of a magical bridle, the Kelpie can be tamed for a while, but when the spell wears off, it will become even more dangerous.
Kelpie can also appear in the form of a beautiful girl in a green dress inside out, sitting on the shore and luring travelers; or appear in the guise of a handsome prince and seduce girls. You can recognize him by his wet hair with shells or algae.
The name Kelpie is most likely related to Irish calpach, "bull", "foal", another variant of the etymology of the word: probably from "kelp" - seaweed, possibly from Gaelic cailpcach (cowhide, cowhide).
Ferri:
Butterfly horse. The body of a horse, and the wings of a butterfly. There is nothing more about them.
Noggle:
Noggle (Nuggle or Nygel) is a water horse from the Orkney Islands. As a rule, the Noggle appears on land in the guise of a wonderful bay horse with a bridle and saddle, saddled and bridled. The Noggle is not as dangerous as the Kelpie, but never refuses to pull one or the other of his two favorite jokes. If at night he sees work in full swing at the water mill, he grabs the wheel and stops it. You can drive it away by showing a knife or sticking a burning branch out the window. He also likes to pester travelers. As soon as someone sits on it, the noggle rushes into the water. However, apart from swimming, nothing threatens the rider: once in the water, the noggle disappears with a flash of blue flame. Naugle looks like a normal horse, but his tail is curled up.
According to later legends, only Finmen could ride Noggles - men from a tribe of sorcerers and shapeshifters, unsurpassed masters of boat rowing.
Lebers:
Leber is a horse with swan wings. Lebers usually live in small herds, and most often fly to the coast of Loch Ness. Leber is distinguished not only by his specific swan appearance, but also by his so-called swan fidelity. He will be with his friend until his death and will never betray him. They are fascinated by the human ability to dream.
Keffil Durf:
Keffil Durf is a Welsh water horse, a close relative of Eh Ushge.
Description
Keffil Durf usually takes the form of a beautiful little pony grazing along river banks or near springs. He entices tired travelers to climb onto his back, after which he rises into the air and, flying over a river or mountain, suddenly disappears, and the unlucky rider breaks down, falling to the ground with high altitude. According to some legends, a strange light emanates from Keffil.
Keffil is most often found in fresh waters, but is sometimes spotted near the sea. They are often dapple gray or salt (sandy brown) in color. Keffila can be recognized by his hooves turned in the opposite direction.
One day a man caught Keffil on the shores of Cardigan Bay and wanted to harness him to a cart. Using a skillfully made bridle, the man brought the animal to his home and began harnessing it to pull a cart. But one day the bridle came unfastened and Keffil, feeling freedom, rushed to the sea along with the cart and rider. After that, no one saw them.
Keffil, in the guise of a huge and clumsy horse, was often seen diving into the sea when a storm began. His color reflected weather conditions, from the purest white of sea foam to the dark gray of thunderclouds.
One day before a storm he was seen in St. Bride's Bay. A local farmer managed to catch him and harness him to a plow. Keffil worked on the farm for several weeks until one day, obeying some inner instinct, he dragged the plow and the plowman with him into the sea.
Magic powers
In the county of Gwynedd it was believed that the local breed of small horses, the Merlinod, was descended from the Keffiels and the mountain ponies. Also, according to legend, Keffil could turn into other creatures from nightmares. He often turned into a goad and chased his victims, causing them severe pain
In County Clwyd it was believed that Keffil could turn into a frog and jump on their back, capturing them in a devilish embrace.
In the Rhondda Valley in the early 19th century, a man traveling to Pontypridd was attacked by Keffil in the guise of a squirrel, who choked and stabbed him so hard that the next day the man fell ill with a mysterious illness, but never recovered, suffering for two years.
Stories
It is said that Keffil lives in the valley of Glen Nedd in the North. One day a traveler was halfway long journey I decided to rest in the shade of a huge rock next to the waterfall. Keffil slowly came out with flowing streams of water, shaking off the foam from his snow-white mane and began to descend to the stone near which the tired traveler was sitting. Bathing in the rays of the summer sun, the animal neighed provocatively and shook its head, attracting attention to itself.
Seeing this magnificent creature, the traveler wanted to ride it. He began to approach the horse and she also moved towards him and allowed herself to be caught. Soon the traveler climbed onto a small horse. Even without a saddle and bridle, the traveler felt safe and the horse seemed to him the kindest creature. However, when the surrounding world began to merge into one whirlwind of colors, he realized that the horse was rushing at wild speed, and its hooves did not even touch the ground.
For some time the traveler enjoyed the journey, but he soon realized that the horse was not going to slow down, and he became afraid. When the full moon rose, the horse simply disappeared from under him and the man fell to the ground. The blow from the fall was very strong, and the traveler lay wounded on the ground for a long time. At dawn he arose and came to the town of Landewi Brafi in the county of Ceredigion, many miles from the place where he began his journey.
Another story of Keffiel is told at Abertraw, Morgannwg. In the first half of the 19th century, an old man wandered the marshes near Abertau. It was a cold night in the middle of winter. Low dark clouds covered the moon and the old man hurried home, fearing that it would snow.
Halfway home, he saw at arm's length a lanky man with long legs on a small horse. A dim glow emanated from the rider and his horse. He tried to catch up with the traveler, but no matter how fast the old man ran, he eluded him. But as soon as he reached the house, the rider and his horse slowly melted into the air.
When the old man told his family about the amazing incident, they told him that it was Keffil. That same night, the valley through which the old man wandered was flooded by an unusual full moon tide and the old man realized that his salvation had come from the shimmering horseman and his little horse.
Eh Ushge:
In the folklore of the Germanic and Celtic peoples, there are wonderful animals that live in the water, and when they come ashore, they take the form of a Horse. Among different peoples, Water horses have different names and different characters - kelpies and shellfish, kabyll-ushti and eh-ushge, avanki and brags... Each horse has its own character, but they have one thing in common - the habit of luring people and jumping with their riders into water. These jumps end differently for people: some get away with a swim, and some get eaten.
"This water horse of the Scottish Highlands is probably the most ferocious and dangerous of all water horses, although Kabyll Ushti is not far behind it. It differs from the kelpie in that it is found in the sea and in lochs, while the kelpie is found only in running water Eh-ushge also, apparently, more readily transforms into his most common form - a slender and beautiful horse, which itself seems to be asking to ride a person, but if he has the intelligence to saddle him, Eh-ushge headlong carries him into the water, where he devours him. From the person he leaves only the liver, which floats to the surface. They say that his skin is sticky, and the person cannot detach himself from it. Sometimes the eh-ushge appears in the form of a giant bird, and sometimes in the form of a handsome young man.
J. F. Campbell devotes several pages to eh-ushga in Popular Tales of West Scotland. If we talk about eh-ushga in the guise of a horse, it is difficult to choose one of the many stories about him. Everywhere they tell a tale about him, originally perhaps serving as a warning, about how the eh-ushge carries away several little girls. One of the options tells about a small basin near Aberfeldy. Seven girls and a boy went for a walk on Sunday morning, and suddenly they saw a cute little pony grazing near a lake. One of the girls climbed onto his back, then another, and all seven girls ended up on the pony. The boy turned out to have a better eye, and he noticed that the pony’s back was getting longer with each new rider. The boy hid between high stones on the shore of the lake. Suddenly the pony turned his head and noticed him. “Come on, you little bastard,” he growled, “get on my back!” The boy did not come out of his hiding place, and the pony rushed after him, and the girls on his back squealed in fear, but could not take their hands off the pony's skin. The pony chased the boy between the rocks for a long time, but finally got tired and rushed into the water along with his prey. The next morning, the livers of seven children were washed ashore by a wave.
MacKay's Other Tales of the West of Scotland tells how a water horse was killed. Once upon a time there lived a blacksmith in Raasay. He had a herd, and his family tended it themselves. One night his daughter did not return home, and the next morning her heart and lungs were found on the shore of a loch, in which, as everyone knew, there was an eh-ushge. The blacksmith grieved for a long time and finally decided to destroy the monster. He set up a forge on the bank of the loch, and he and his son began to forge large iron hooks on it, heating them red-hot in the fire. They roasted a sheep, and the smell of roasted meat floated over the water. The fog rose, and a water horse emerged from the lake, looking like a shaggy, ugly foal. He attacked the sheep, and then the blacksmith and his son attacked him with their hooks and killed him. But in the morning they found neither bones nor skin on the shore, but only a bunch of starlight (Starlight in those places is the mucus that sometimes comes across on the shore - most likely, the remains of jellyfish washed ashore; but the Scots believe that this is all , what remains of a fallen star.). Thus came the end of the Water Horse of Raasei.
Agishki:
Irish Agishki is the same as Scottish Eh-Ushge. "Yeats in Irish Magic and folk tales" tells us that Agishki were once widespread, they came out of the water - especially, it seems, in November - and galloped along the dunes and across the fields, and if people managed to drive such a horse from the field, saddle and bridle it, then it became the best of horses. But he only needed to ride on the mainland, because as soon as he saw salt water, he rushed headlong towards it, taking his rider with him, luring him into the sea and devouring him there. They also said that the wild Agishki often feasts on it. human cattle." "They usually take the form of foals with a full mane."
Agishkas are most often found in calm waters of lakes, although they are also found on sea shores prancing along the edge of the surf at the threshold time of Samhain. Outwardly, he is almost indistinguishable from an ordinary horse: a magnificent, strong stallion of motley or black color with a flowing mane and a beautiful long tail, sometimes a shaggy pony, but also dark in color. The only thing that betrays his supernatural nature is his excessive friendliness and affability towards the stranger. With his whole appearance, he definitely invites a person to ride on his powerful horse’s back. But if the unlucky rider succumbs to temptation, he will instantly be captured by the bloodthirsty werewolf. The rider's legs and arms will surely grow to the shiny velvety skin of the horse, and it will rush headlong into its native element of water and tear the rider into pieces, greedily devouring human flesh.
However, if his natural form of a horse turns out to be not seductive and suitable enough, there are many other forms in the agishka’s arsenal, and not even necessarily living and spiritual ones. Thus, it can take the form of a lonely ship moored to the shore or a boat under sail, a piece of woolen yarn or a wedding ring. In human form, he prefers the image of a beautiful and seductive young man, in which he seduces young girls, also luring them to death. And, sometimes, the only thing that reveals that he has turned into an agishka is the tufts of sea grass tangled in his hair.
However, it is possible to tame the wayward water horse Agishka. If the brave man
it will be possible to throw a special bridle on the face of the magic horse, which will restrain
her indomitable temper and magical power - agishki will become a faithful tame animal and no one in the entire area will have a riding stallion as hardy and graceful. But only until the bridled werewolf gets close enough to his native pond that he can smell it. If this happens, no force will be able to hold the agishka, like an arrow it will rush into the abyss of water, dragging its former owner with it to its inexorable fate. And only the heart and liver of the one who once owned this wonderful horse will float on the waves, reminding people of the formidable nature of the water horse.
An agishka can also feed in a more harmless way: it happens that he simply steals livestock from peasants or tears up graves in a cemetery, devouring freshly buried corpses. However, this behavior of the carnivorous underwater resident also does not please the inhabitants of Irish villages, and therefore from time to time there are brave men who undertake to put an end to the annoying neighborhood. The body of the murdered agishka remains lying on the shore only until sunrise, after which it turns into a gelatinous mass, which local residents consider to be the light of a fallen star.
In the gallery section you can see more pictures of these horses.
Myths, legends, beliefs
The horse is playing important role in many mythological and magical systems, this is one of the most mythologized sacred animals, which often acts as an attribute of the highest pagan gods and Christian saints, chthonic creatures, as well as deities associated with the cult of fertility and death, the afterlife. Often the horse was an indispensable attribute of the deities of war, thunder and lightning.
Stories about mythical horses known in ancient Indian, Celtic, Slavic and other mythologies.
In Indo-European mythology, the horse has a special place, explained by its role in the economy and resettlement of the ancient Indo-Europeans. So, for example, in the Indo-European twin myth, the divine twins and the two mythological leaders and ancestors of the tribe associated with them (Anglo-Saxon Hengist and Horsa) were represented in the form of two horses.
Often a horse plays the role of an animal on which one or another deity travels. Common to Indo-European peoples is the image of the sun god on a war chariot drawn by horses. For example, Perun (in Slavic mythology - the god of thunderstorms) was invariably represented as a rider on a horse or in a chariot, striking Veles the Serpent; the seasonal deities Avsen (in East Slavic mythology - a character associated with the beginning of the spring solar cycle) and Yarila (in Slavic mythology - the deity of spring fertility).
In pagan times, sacred horses were kept at the temples of many high gods, since it was believed that the deities themselves rode them. According to legend, the god Sventovit (in Western Slavic mythology - “god of gods”. The highest god, associated with war and victories) rides out to battle with demons on his white sacred horse, kept at the temple.
One can also recall the image of a horseman in Slavic mythology, for example, an epic hero (who in some cases in later times replaced a deity) slaying the Serpent.
When Christianity came to the Slavic territories, the pagan gods were replaced by Christian saints, and the horse began to be an attribute of many Christian characters. For example, such saints as St. George the Victorious and Elijah the Prophet were represented on horseback. In addition, patron saints of horses appeared in the Christian tradition. One of these patron saints was, first of all, considered the “horsemen” Flor and Laurus, as well as Yegoriy, Nikola and others. The days of remembrance of these saints were often called “horse holidays.”
Among the southern Slavs, St. was considered the patron saint of horses. Fedor (Todor) Tiron; Todor's Saturday (the first Saturday of Lent) was also a “horse holiday.”
On such holidays, they did not work on horses; they were fed to their fill, and various ritual actions were performed with them. For example, they brought people to the church and sprinkled them with holy water, bathed them, decorated their tail and mane with ribbons, organized horse shows and races, etc. In addition, in many places, on horse holidays, herds were driven through “earth gates” or “living fire” in order to protect horses from damage, the evil eye and disease.
Like any sacred animal, the horse often acts as a sacrifice offered to the gods. In Ancient India, for example, there was a ritual of killing a horse (ashvamedha), which was equated to the three parts of the cosmos.
The Romans called the ritual of horse sacrifice Equus October (“October horse”), which took place every year on October 15. The Romans held chariot riding competitions on the Campus Martius. The right horse in the winning team was sacrificed to Mars with a blow from a spear to ensure a bountiful harvest. The head of this horse was cut off and decorated with a bunch of buns. Then the inhabitants of two areas of Rome - the Sacred Way and the Subura - disputed each other's right to possess this head. If the head went to the inhabitants of the Sacred Road, they attached it to the wall of the royal house, but if it went to the inhabitants of Subura, it was attached to the Mamilian Tower. The horse's tail was cut off and delivered to the royal dwelling with such speed that blood still had time to drip onto the royal hearth. Horse blood was collected and stored until April 21. On this day, the virgin Vestals mixed it with the blood of newborn calves sacrificed six days before. The resulting mixture was distributed to shepherds, who used it to preserve their flocks.
The horse occupied an important place among the Slavs in wedding customs. In Russian medieval wedding rites, a horse was given as ransom for the bride. Often, a horse, oddly enough, serves as the personification of the world tree. We find a similar symbol in Scandinavian mythology, where the world tree is called Yggdrasil, which literally means “Ygg horse,” that is, the horse of the god Odin (in Scandinavian mythology, the supreme god).
Among the Slavs, the horse was considered the brainchild of both Belbog (the element of light) and Chernobog (the element of darkness). At the same time, a white horse was dedicated to the light god, and a black one to the dark one.
The horse is often associated with the cult of fertility, which is reflected in calendar rituals, as well as in the customs of dressing up as a horse on Christmastide and other holidays. So, on St. George’s Day, the Russians made a “horse” (mummered), on which a shepherd rode; On the pasture, this “horse” entered into a funny fight with a “horse” from another village.
You can also find the horse personifying the Spirit of Bread. When the wind bends the ears of corn to the ground, residents of the area between Calw and Stuttgart say: “Yes, there is a horse running.”
In Hertfordshire, at the end of the harvest, a ritual called “calling the mare” was celebrated. The last ears of corn left standing in the field are tied into a bundle, nicknamed “mare”. The reapers line up at some distance and throw sickles at him. The one who manages to trim the “mare” receives a reward to the cheers of the other reapers. After this, the reapers loudly shout three times: “I have it,” to which the others respond three times: “What do you have?” - “Mare, mare, mare.” - “Whose is she?” - “So and so.” - “Where will you send her?” - “To such and such.” At the same time, the name of a neighbor who has not yet completed the harvest is called. In this custom, the Bread Spirit, in the form of a mare, moves from the field where the harvest has ended to the field where it is still going on and where, therefore, the Bread Spirit can easily nestle.
In some cases, the horse also acted as the personification of dark forces. During the ritual send-off of mermaids on Ivan Kupala, a carnival effigy was made using a mask - a horse skull, which at the end of the ritual was burned at the stake or thrown into the water. The horse skull embodied evil spirits - a mermaid, a witch, a sorcerer and death, which should be destroyed or expelled.
The “uncleanness” of the horse is also reflected in folk superstitions, such as:
Do not cross the place where the horse was riding - lichen will appear.
If you stand in the place where the horse's head was, your stomach will hurt and calluses will appear on your feet.
If you need to cross the place where the horse was riding, you need to spit on it, otherwise your nose will often bleed.
If you come across a bald horse first, don’t expect success that day.
Subsequently, the image of a horse, personifying evil spirits, began to be associated with the world of the dead, the afterlife, “the other world.” Therefore, horses later played a special role in funeral rites.
In popular beliefs, the horse began to be associated with the afterlife, and was often perceived as a guide to the world of the dead.
In pagan times, the horse was buried (burned) along with its owner. There was also a known custom of burying a fallen horse as a person, leaving an overturned sleigh on the grave.
Practical Application
In magical practices, the horse is primarily used to predict the future. And this tradition dates back to ancient times. So, for example, at the temple of the highest god of the Baltic Slavs, Sventovit, they kept a sacred white horse, which was brought to three rows of spears during fortune telling. If a horse stepped on its left foot, it was considered a bad sign, and if it walked on its right, it was considered a good sign, foretelling good luck and a fruitful year.
In Ancient Rus', horses were blindfolded, sat on it backwards and looked: where it goes, the fortuneteller will marry.
Most often, village sorcerers and witches resorted to horse predictions. Here are some instructions for predictions taken from ancient witchcraft books:
It's good if the horse:
- neighs upon returning home;
- neighs in the stable;
- sneezes frequently and blinks his eyelids.
It's bad luck if the horse:
- stands dejectedly and sighs often;
- stumbles on the first three miles of the path;
- shakes his head and throws it up;
- snorts;
- snores;
- often trips under the rider;
- she sneezed until she left her master's land.
To death if the horse:
- on the road it will unharness;
- sniffs the warrior;
- eats food with his eyes closed.
The horse was ascribed great magical significance in wedding ceremonies. It was believed that a horse harnessed to a wedding train protected newlyweds from the evil eye and damage.
The only important condition was not to take for this purpose a horse that had ever carried a dead person, otherwise in this case it itself would become an aid for black magicians.
Such attention was paid to the horse during the wedding ritual because there was a belief that a sorcerer or witch would certainly try to jinx or ruin the wedding. For this reason, as many amulets and talismans as possible were used to protect both the young people themselves and the festive fun from evil spirits. Horses also played a significant role here. This animal senses very well the approach of people with unclean thoughts, those who have evil plans. The horses were, in a way, the “guardians” of the wedding. If a sorcerer or witch appeared, they began to laugh loudly and shake their heads.
Also very often in ancient times, especially among the Slavs, a horse was used to protect young people on their wedding night from evil spirits, for which purpose it was tied somewhere near the house. It was believed that when evil spirits approached, the horse would neigh loudly and thereby scare away unwanted guests from the palace of love.
Also, on the first wedding night, the horse served to lure energy into the house, promoting fertility and offspring. This was done so that the children of the newlyweds would grow up healthy, smart and rich.
For these purposes, it was considered the most effective to use not just a horse, but a stallion and a horse. It was believed that such a combination serves as the most reliable means of protection against any unwanted encroachment on newlyweds by black magicians, sorcerers and witches.
Some witchcraft schools claimed that if the stallion was black and the horse was white, then such a couple would not only protect the newlyweds on their wedding night, but would also bring them good luck in the future, and their children conceived on this day would subsequently be healthy and healthy. rich.
For magical protection of the house, most often it was not the horse itself that was used, but its image. Among the Slavs, the roof of the house was almost always crowned with the image of two “skates”, which protected the house from the penetration of negative energy and negative vibrations.
Ancient sorcerers and magicians of all cultures paid special attention to how to treat a horse, since the magical properties of a horse directly depended on how it treated its owner and how correct, from the point of view of magic, its care was.
The fact is that the horse itself serves as a kind of amulet and protective talisman that protects its owner from troubles and misfortunes, from encroachment on him by sorcerers and witches, from casting various evil eyes and damage on him.
In many folk songs and fairy tales we find a motive of gratitude to the horse for carrying its owner out of the den of evil spirits or saving him from persecution by various evil spirits. All this reflects the popular perception of horses as magical guard animals. Therefore, it would be useful to give here some tips on caring for a horse in terms of magic.
This information is taken from ethnographic studies, magical treatises on modern and ancient magic, as well as from “Grimoires” (witchcraft books of the Middle Ages).
It is necessary that the mare during mating be in a position with her head to the south, otherwise the born stallion or mare will be weak and frail.
The horse should be harnessed to the plow for the first time on the very day on which it was born, otherwise the devils might steal it or the brownie might dislike it.
If you drive a purchased horse along with your horses until you sweat and let the sweaty one go to the hay, then it will not go to the old owner, but will forever remain with the new one.
Cats, especially black cats, should not be allowed into the stable - the horses will start to get sick.
If a dead horse is taken out through the gate head first, the remaining horses may die. It must be carried forward feet first.
When a horse foals, you cannot give anything to anyone.
To prevent a purchased horse from leaving the yard, you should cut off a tuft of hair from its mane and bury it in the ground at the gate.
If a dead person was transported on a horse, then it begins to feel sad. To fix this, we need to let someone drive it to church.
When they buy a horse at the market, they take a piece of earth from under the right hoof of the horse’s front leg and then, after bringing it home, they throw that earth into the yard in order to “dry” the purchased horse to their home and so that it does not return to its old owner.
If the horse gets tired on the road, you should run around it three times, and then it will walk easily again.
If a horse in the forest begins to wheeze and move with difficulty, it means that the devil has mounted it. To get rid of an invisible, uninvited rider, you need to stand in front of the horse and look through the collar at its back.
You cannot approach the horse with fear, as well as without calling its name - it can kill you.
It is good to transport tobacco and wool on a horse - this makes the horse grow healthier.
Resume
The horse is used for:
- identifying sorcerers, witches and people with unclean thoughts;
- protecting the house from the penetration of negative energy and negative vibrations into it;
- protection of newlyweds from the evil eye and damage at the wedding;
- protecting the newlyweds from evil spirits on their first wedding night.
In a certain kingdom, in a certain state, there lived an old man and an old woman, and during their entire existence they had no children. It occurred to them that these were ancient years, they had to die soon, but God had not given an heir, and they began to pray to God to create a child for them in honor of their souls. The old man made a covenant: if the old woman gives birth to a child, then whoever comes along first, I will take him as godfather. After some time, the old woman became pregnant and gave birth to a son. The old man was happy, got ready and went to look for his godfather; just outside the gate, and a stroller, harnessed to fours, rolls towards him; The sovereign is sitting in the carriage.
The old man did not know the sovereign, mistook him for a boyar, stopped and began to bow.
What do you want, old man? - asks the sovereign.
Yes, I ask your mercy, do not say in anger: baptize my newborn son.
Al you don’t have anyone you know in the village?
I have a lot of acquaintances, a lot of friends, but it’s not good to take me as a godfather, because this is the covenant: whoever meets first is the one to ask.
“Okay,” says the sovereign, “here’s a hundred rubles for your christening; tomorrow I'll be there myself.
The next day he came to the old man; They immediately called the priest, baptized the baby and gave him the name Ivan. This Ivan began to grow by leaps and bounds - like wheat dough rising on dough; and every month he receives one hundred rubles of the Tsar’s salary by mail.
Ten years passed, he grew up big and felt immeasurable strength within himself. At that very time the sovereign thought about him; I have a godson, but I don’t know what he is; wished to see him personally and immediately sent an order for Ivan the peasant son, without any delay, to appear before his bright eyes. The old man began to pack it for the journey, took out the money and said:
Here's a hundred rubles for you, go to the city to ride a horse, buy yourself a horse; Otherwise it’s a long way - you can’t go on foot.
Ivan went to the city, and he came across an old man on the road.
Hello, Ivan the peasant son! Where are you heading?
The good fellow answers:
Grandpa, I’m going to the city, I want to buy myself a horse.
Well, listen to me if you want to be happy. As soon as you come to the horse riding, there will be one peasant selling a very thin, lousy horse; you choose it, and no matter how much the owner asks from you - go ahead, don’t bargain! And when you buy it, bring it home and graze it in the green meadows for twelve evenings and twelve mornings in the dew - then you will recognize it!
Ivan thanked the old man for his science and went into the city; comes to the horse, lo and behold, a peasant is standing and holding a thin, lousy horse by the bridle.
Are you selling your horse?
What are you asking for?
Yes, without bargaining, a hundred rubles.
Ivan the peasant son took out a hundred rubles, gave it to the peasant, took the horse and led him to the courtyard. He brings me home, my father looked and waved his hand:
Lost money!
Wait, father! Perhaps, luckily for me, the horse will recover.
Ivan began to lead his horse every morning and every evening to the green meadows to pasture, and that’s how twelve morning dawns and twelve evening dawns passed - his horse became so strong, strong and beautiful that you couldn’t even imagine it, you couldn’t imagine it, except in a fairy tale. and so reasonable - that only Ivan can think of anything on his mind, and she really knows. Then Ivan the peasant son made himself a heroic harness, saddled his good horse, said goodbye to his father and mother and went to the capital city to the Tsar-Sovereign.
Whether he rode close, or far, or soon, or briefly, he found himself at the sovereign's palace, jumped to the ground, tied heroic horse by the ring to an oak post and ordered to report to the king about his arrival. The tsar ordered him not to be detained, to be allowed into the chambers without any bullying. Ivan entered the royal chambers, prayed at the holy icons, bowed to the king and said:
I wish you good health, Your Majesty!
Hello, godson! - answered the sovereign, sat him down at the table, began to treat him with all sorts of drinks and snacks, and he looked at him and marveled: a nice fellow - handsome in face, smart in mind, and tall; no one will think that he is ten years old, everyone will give him twenty, and even with a tail! “It’s clear from everything,” the king thinks, “that in this godson the Lord gave me not a simple warrior, but a very powerful hero.” And the king granted him the rank of officer and ordered him to serve with him.
Ivan the peasant son took up the service with all the will, does not refuse any work, stands for the truth with his chest; For this reason, the sovereign fell in love with him more than all his generals and ministers, and he did not trust any of them as much as his godson. The generals and ministers became embittered with Ivan and began to hold advice on how to slander him before the sovereign himself. One day the king called noble and close people to his place for dinner; As soon as everyone sat down at the table, he said:
Listen, gentlemen generals and ministers! What do you think of my godson?
What can I say, Your Majesty! We saw neither good nor bad from him; One thing is bad - he was very boastful. They have heard from him more than once that in such and such a kingdom, far away, a large marble palace was built, and a high fence was erected all around - neither foot nor horse could get there! Nastasya the beautiful princess lives in that palace. No one can get her, but he, Ivan, boasts of getting her, marrying her.
The king listened to this slander, ordered his godson to be called and began to tell him:
Why are you bragging to the generals and ministers that you can get Nastasya the Princess, but you don’t report anything to me about it?
Have mercy, Your Majesty! - Ivan the peasant son answers. - I never dreamed of that.
Now it's too late to deny; If you boast about me, then do the deed; If you don’t do it, then my sword will take your head off your shoulders!
Ivan the peasant son became sad, hung his little head below his mighty shoulders and went to his good horse. The horse will say to him in a human voice:
Why, master, are you freaking out and not telling me the truth?
Ah, my good horse! Why should I be cheerful? The authorities slandered me in front of the sovereign himself, as if I could get Nastasia and marry the beautiful princess. The king ordered me to carry out this task, otherwise he wants to cut off my head.
Don't worry, master! Pray to God and go to bed; morning is wiser than evening. We'll handle this matter; just ask the king for more money so that we don’t get bored on the way, we’ll have plenty to eat and drink whatever we want.
Ivan spent the night, got up in the morning, came to the sovereign and began to ask for the gold treasury for the campaign. The king ordered to give him as much as he needed. So the good fellow took the treasury, put heroic harness on his horse, sat on horseback and rode off on his journey.
Whether close, far, soon, or briefly, he drove to distant lands, to the thirtieth kingdom, and stopped at a marble palace; All around the palace the walls are high, no gates or doors are visible; how to get behind the fence? His good horse says to Ivan:
Let's wait until evening! As soon as it gets dark, I will turn into a blue-winged eagle and fly over the wall with you. At that time the fair princess will sleep on her soft bed; you go straight into her bedroom, slowly take her in your arms and carry her boldly.
It’s good, they waited until evening; As soon as it got dark, the horse hit the damp ground, turned into a blue-winged eagle and said:
It's time for us to do our job; look, don't make a mistake!
Ivan the peasant son sat on an eagle; The eagle rose into the sky, flew over the wall and placed Ivan in the wide courtyard.
The good fellow went into the wards and looked - everything was quiet, all the servants were sleeping in deep sleep; He goes into the bedroom - Nastasya the beautiful princess is lying on the crib, sweeping away rich covers and sable blankets in her sleep. The good fellow looked at her indescribable beauty, at her white body, his ardent love clouded him, he could not stand it and kissed the princess on the sugar lips. From this the red maiden woke up and screamed in a loud voice in fear; At her voice they rose, the faithful servants came running, caught Ivan the peasant son and tied his hands and feet tightly. The princess ordered him to be put in prison and given him a glass of water and a pound of black bread a day.
Ivan sits in a strong dungeon and thinks a sad thought: “That’s right, here I should lay my violent head!” And his good heroic horse hit the ground and became a small bird, flew into his broken window and said:
Well, master, listen: tomorrow I will break down the doors and make you weak; you hide in the garden behind such and such a bush; Nastasya the beautiful princess will walk there, and I will turn into a poor old man and begin to ask her for alms; Look, don’t yawn, otherwise it will be bad.
Ivan became happier and the bird flew away. The next day the heroic horse rushed to the dungeon and knocked down the door with its hooves; Ivan the peasant son ran out into the garden and stood behind a green bush. The beautiful princess went out for a walk in the garden, and as soon as she came up against a bush, a poor old man came up to her, bowed and asked with tears for holy alms. While the red maiden was taking out a wallet with money, Ivan the peasant son jumped out, grabbed her in his arms, and clamped her mouth so tightly that you couldn’t even raise a small voice. At that same moment the old man turned into a gray-winged eagle, soared high, high with the queen and the good fellow, flew over the fence, sank to the ground and became as before heroic horse. Ivan the peasant son mounted his horse and took Nastasya the princess with him; tells her:
Why, fair princess, won’t you lock me in prison now?
The beautiful princess answers:
Apparently, it’s my destiny to be yours, do with me what you know!
Here they are going along the road; Whether it’s close, whether it’s far, whether it’s soon, whether it’s short, they arrive at a large green meadow. In that meadow there are two giants standing, feeding each other with their fists; they were beaten and beaten until they bled, but no one could overcome the other; Near them lie a broomstick and a stick on the grass.
Listen, brothers,” Ivan the peasant son asks them. -What are you fighting for?
The giants stopped fighting and said to him:
We are both siblings; Our father died, and all that was left after him was just his property - this broom and a stick; We began to share, and we quarreled: everyone, you see, wants to take everything for themselves! Well, we decided to fight not to the gut, but to the death; whoever survives will receive both things.
How long have you been arguing?
Yes, we’ve been beating each other up for three years now, but we still haven’t achieved anything!
Oh you! There is something to fight to the death over. How great is self-interest - a broom and a stick?
Don't say, brother, what you don't know! With this broom and stick, you can defeat any force. No matter how many troops the enemy sends, boldly go out to meet them: where you wave a broom, there will be a street, and if you cross, so will the alley. And you also need a stick: no matter how many troops you capture with it, you will take them all prisoner!
“Yes, things are good! - thinks Ivan. “Perhaps they would be useful to me too.”
Well, brothers,” he says, “do you want me to divide you equally?”
Share, good man!
Ivan the peasant son got off his heroic horse, picked up a handful of fine sand, led the giants into the forest and scattered that sand in all four directions.
Here,” he says, “collect sand; Whoever has more will get both the stick and the broom.
The giants rushed to collect sand, and in the meantime Ivan grabbed both a stick and a broom, mounted his horse - and remember his name!
How long, how short, does he approach his state and sees that his godfather has suffered a considerable misfortune: the entire kingdom has been conquered, a countless army is standing near the capital city, threatening to burn everything with fire, putting the king himself to an evil death.
Ivan the peasant son left the princess in a nearby forest, and he himself flew to the enemy’s army; Where he waves a broom there is a street, where he jumps over there is a side street! IN short time killed whole hundreds, whole thousands; and what remained of death, he hooked with a stick and dragged alive to the capital city.
The Tsar greeted him with joy, ordered drums to be beaten, trumpets to be blown, and he was granted the rank of general and an untold treasury.
Then Ivan the peasant son remembered Nastasya the beautiful princess, asked for some time off and brought her straight to the palace. The king praised him for his heroic prowess and ordered him to prepare the house and celebrate the wedding. Ivan the peasant son married the beautiful princess, had a rich wedding and began to live for himself without bothering him. Here's a fairy tale for you, and a bunch of bagels for me.
Goldellii
They are not as rare as Rainbow Unicorns or Angs. Once upon a time there were a lot of them, they were found in France, Scotland, almost the entire continent, even in Britain. But they were almost exterminated by greedy people... And their numbers are growing at a very low speed...
These animals look white, very rarely sand or yellow. Their horn is silver, white or gold in color. Their main difference from other species is the golden mane and tail (thin long hairs reminiscent of lurix or gimp, for embroidery). The height of these Unicorns is approximately equal to the height of the Indian Unicorn.
Goldelias are the most capricious of all types of Unicorns. Their small numbers can be explained precisely by this capriciousness and selectivity........ They extremely rarely interbreed with individuals of other species. They are very careful when composing married couples. They form pairs at the age of 5-7 years. And they have offspring only when they like some place for refuge. Only one foal is born to a female Goldelia. What is interesting is that his mane at birth and in the first week is silver in color, and then it acquires a golden color...... The foal becomes independent at 3 years old. Goldelias are very proud, and before getting the next one they prefer to rest for 2-3 years... One fact should be noted - Black Goldelias do not exist. They are examples of purity, kindness and truthfulness, and these qualities somehow do not fit with the concept of the “Black Unicorn”.
Both magicians and Muggles know about these creatures. Magicians use all the magical ingredients obtained the right way, for their intended purpose.... But the Muggles, most often, having heard enough legends about the Unicorn bestowing riches, chase him in order to force him to pay off death... But, not having received what they wanted from Goldelia, they prefer to kill them only for their gold hair that is then sold...
Properties;
These creatures have the gift of “truth-seeing.” Their horn, like the horn of other unicorns, can disinfect water, neutralize poisons (but not all! Such as cyanide, for example, it cannot completely neutralize. A person dies from this poison, passed through the horn of Goldenmane, only after a month and without pain, he simply falls asleep and does not wake up. From a large dose of arsenic, a week-long paralysis occurs, followed by a quick and complete recovery). Therefore, it was not Goldelius’s horn that was considered their main wealth (in terms of poisons, one could not rely on it 100%), his hair was valued more than the horn.
Using hair from mane and tail obtained the right way:
1. Used for embroidering patterns on dresses, camisoles, cloaks, and all kinds of nobility. The difference from ordinary gold threads was that a person who wears such an outfit becomes terribly attractive and attractive (and it doesn’t matter whether he is handsome or ugly in appearance.).
2. Numerous strands were woven from golden hair, which were used for various purposes.
a) Young witches wove a ribbon from them around their heads so that a ring or slit would form on the forehead, a symbol of the “third eye.” They knew that these Unicorns were "Truth Seers".
b) Forest Witches used them as ties for the robes of raincoats. Tied around the neck, they served as a symbol of protection and played the role of a talisman against evil creatures and dark forces.
c) Muggles used these ropes as ties for wallets and no one could steal such wallets.
d) “Sword of Justice” - A rope of Goldenmane’s hair was braided around the handle. And such a sword could never rise against an innocent person; it became too heavy to lift.
3. Pegasus feather braided with golden hair. - Allowed you to write beautiful, truthful stories with a beautiful handwriting (Pegasus feather - inspiration and handwriting, golden hair - truthfulness). This thing will serve only one person, its owner.
Sagari
Another spirit born from a precise turn of events, and strange even by Youkai standards. Sagari is the ghost of a horse that died below the tree and is now connected to it. Appearing as the head of a free horse, she hangs from the branches using her movable mane or single humanoid arm, depending on the story. Soft-hearted people have the power to release this creature, but not all Sagari are interested in leaving their place, they prefer the comfort of their tree to what awaits the horses in the afterlife. Although they are creepy, they are not known to attack people.
Hippocerus
Hippocervus is a heraldic fantasy animal. Hippocervus is translated from Latin as horse-deer, which accurately describes the appearance and character of the animal. The horse and deer natures in him constantly fight among themselves, making this animal extremely indecisive and absent-minded. He personifies a cowardly and cowardly person who set foot on an unknown path and soon succumbed to despair, feeling lost on it.
Karkadann
Karkadann (meaning "lord of the desert" in Farsi) is a mythical creature mentioned in medieval Arabic and Persian literature. Represented a ferocious unicorn found in North Africa, Persia and India. Apparently, we are talking about a rhinoceros or a similar species of extinct animal (Elasmotherium), moreover, in modern Arabic and Persian languages this word refers to a rhinoceros. Sometimes depicted with a human head impaled on a horn.
Karkadanna is often depicted as a horse, deer or rhinoceros. He is about the size of a rhinoceros, has a lion's tail (and sometimes a head), has three hooves on each leg, one in front and two in back (i.e., like a primitive horse), and a yellow mane. It also has a straight black horn (there are also drawings with a horn curved back). In the presence of poison, trembles and sweats.
Karkadann is extremely ferocious. When he runs, the ground shakes. Rarely can a warrior come close to him, let alone defeat him. He can attack and kill an elephant. Karkadann leaves quite deep marks. His voice is low and loud. When he roars, the sound travels over long distances, and all the animals run away in horror. Only a ring-tailed dove can tame his furious temper. Having seen a bird, Karkadann will lie quietly for several hours, waiting for the dove to sit on his horn. When the dove sings, Karkadann is blissful. Karkadann also likes to drink morning dew. In the morning, placing his head with a horn in the water, he not only drinks, but also purifies the water. All evil within the stream dies, and all female creatures become pregnant.
Shadhavar
Shadhawar is another Persian unicorn that resembles a gazelle with one hollow horn. When the wind passes through the horn, wonderful music sounds, like from a flute. It attracts both animals and people. When an animal enchanted by music approaches him, Shadhavar uses this opportunity to hunt. There are many parallels between the Shadhavars and the Sirens from Greek mythology.
Radish horse
“The horse radish is a very curious creature that spends most of its life underground like an unremarkable vegetable. But if someone happens to dig it up, he will see an extraordinary sight. The appearance of the “radish” is strikingly reminiscent of an embryo foal or calf Many of these "seedlings" fall prey to the endless appetite of rabbits, cows and other livestock. There is an opinion that these creatures, being neither a plant nor an animal, live for less than a year by the last new moon of summer (and by this time they have fully reached maturity. ) radish horses independently uproot from the ground and begin to trample the fields. “Ripe” individuals reach the size of a rabbit and no longer need food. Within one night, they successfully sow a new crop of radish horses. Unfortunately, a decline has been noticed in recent years. populations of these amazing creatures" unknown naturalist, 1852.
