A SHRINE TO EPONA
I have run on middle fingernail through Eolithic morning, |
Epona: goddess of horses. But what is the horse?
The horse is the pathfinder. The king-maker. The noblest of beasts; the humblest of beasts. Gaulish horses are a currency, a wealth, a mark of pride, a power. Horses are beasts of spiritual and martial strength, as swift as the winds themselves, yet the horse is anchored to the land in every step. Their hearts sometimes burst in excitement, yet they stare boldly and fearlessly into the face of an army. What is the horse?
Epona is a Goddess of many noble beasts: the bird of prey, the hunting hound. But it is on the horse that She rides through the gates of the Otherworld, ferrying the dead souls onward. It is on the horse that She exhibits her martial and sovereign strength. It is the horse that She stands by and is depicted alongside. What is the horse?
Epona names the horse Her emblem: the strong, noble, beautiful horse, the epitome of sovereignty and dominance over the land. Epona chooses the horse as Her emblem because the horse, by its nature, is a conqueror and a survivor; it does not falter, it runs unobstructed by brush or wind or sea, by the highest heavens or the deepest hells. It rides through life and death, this world and the Other, carries Epona the psychopomp through the chthonic gates, is found in legend in all domains: the winged horse in the sky, the water-horse in the sea. It is a creature of victory, a thing built to succeed, a heart meant for eternal travel and eyes for the goal. That is the horse.
Epona fills many roles: sovereign, gatekeeper, protector of soldiers, protector of the people, leader of souls to the beyond. But through all of this, what fuels Her is Her spirit: Her determination, Her inability to back down. She is Epona, the Unconquerable.
The horse is the pathfinder. The king-maker. The noblest of beasts; the humblest of beasts. Gaulish horses are a currency, a wealth, a mark of pride, a power. Horses are beasts of spiritual and martial strength, as swift as the winds themselves, yet the horse is anchored to the land in every step. Their hearts sometimes burst in excitement, yet they stare boldly and fearlessly into the face of an army. What is the horse?
Epona is a Goddess of many noble beasts: the bird of prey, the hunting hound. But it is on the horse that She rides through the gates of the Otherworld, ferrying the dead souls onward. It is on the horse that She exhibits her martial and sovereign strength. It is the horse that She stands by and is depicted alongside. What is the horse?
Epona names the horse Her emblem: the strong, noble, beautiful horse, the epitome of sovereignty and dominance over the land. Epona chooses the horse as Her emblem because the horse, by its nature, is a conqueror and a survivor; it does not falter, it runs unobstructed by brush or wind or sea, by the highest heavens or the deepest hells. It rides through life and death, this world and the Other, carries Epona the psychopomp through the chthonic gates, is found in legend in all domains: the winged horse in the sky, the water-horse in the sea. It is a creature of victory, a thing built to succeed, a heart meant for eternal travel and eyes for the goal. That is the horse.
Epona fills many roles: sovereign, gatekeeper, protector of soldiers, protector of the people, leader of souls to the beyond. But through all of this, what fuels Her is Her spirit: Her determination, Her inability to back down. She is Epona, the Unconquerable.
Painting "Epona" by Emily Balivet.
Poem "Equus Caballus" by Joel Nelson.
Poem "Equus Caballus" by Joel Nelson.