This is a list of

horse The horse (''Equus ferus caballus'') is a domesticated, one-toed, hoofed mammal. It belongs to the taxonomic family Equidae and is one of two extant subspecies of ''Equus ferus''. The horse has evolved over the past 45 to 55 million y ...

s in mythology and folklore.

Celtic

* Embarr,

Niamh Niamh (; from Old Irish ) is an Irish feminine given name (meaning "bright" or "radiant"), anglicised as Neve, Nieve, Neave, Neavh or Neeve. In Irish mythology, Niamh is the daughter of the god of the sea, Manannán mac Lir and one of the que ...

and Lugh's horse *

Epona In Gallo-Roman religion, Epona was a protector of horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules. She was particularly a goddess of fertility, as shown by her attributes of a patera, cornucopia, ears of grain and the presence of foals in some sculptures. S ...

Gaulish Gaulish was an ancient Celtic languages, Celtic language spoken in parts of Continental Europe before and during the period of the Roman Empire. In the narrow sense, Gaulish was the language of the Celts of Gaul (now France, Luxembourg, Belgium ...

horse goddess * Kelpie, a mythical

Celtic Celtic, Celtics or Keltic may refer to: Language and ethnicity *pertaining to Celts, a collection of Indo-European peoples in Europe and Anatolia **Celts (modern) *Celtic languages **Proto-Celtic language * Celtic music *Celtic nations Sports Fo ...

water horse *

Liath Macha and Dub Sainglend Liath Macha ("grey orseof Macha") and Dub Sainglend ("black orseof Saingliu") are the two chariot-horses of Cúchulainn in the Ulster Cycle of Irish mythology. Both horses appear to Cúchulainn from the pool of Linn Liaith in the mountains of ...

, or Macha's Grey, CúChulainn's chariot horse; known as the king of all horses *The Tangle Coated Horse/Earthshaker, an Otherworld horse belonging to Fionn Mac Cumhaill.

Germanic

Árvakr and Alsviðr In Norse mythology, Árvakr (Old Norse: , "early awake"Simek (2007:19).) and Alsviðr (, "very quick"Simek (2007:10—11).) are the horses which pull the sun, or Sól's chariot, across the sky each day. It is said that the gods fixed bellows unde ...

, horses that pull Sól's chariot *

Blóðughófi In Nordic mythology, Blóðughófi (Old Norse: , "Bloody Hoof", sometimes Anglicised Blodughofi) is the horse of Freyr and is attested in several þulur of horses. Attestations Kálfsvísa In Kálfsvísa, Blóðughófi is named in a list of hors ...

, Freyr's horse *

Falhófnir In Norse mythology, Falhófnir (Old Norse: ) is a horse listed in both ''Grímnismál'' and ''Gylfaginning'' among the steeds ridden by the gods each day when they go to make judgements at Yggdrasil Yggdrasil (from Old Norse ), in Norse cosmol ...

, a horse of the gods * Glað, a horse of the gods * Glær, a horse listed in both the '' Grímnismál'' and '' Gylfaginning'' *

Grani In Scandinavian heroic legend, Grani (Old Norse: ) is a horse owned by the hero Sigurd. He is the horse that Sigurd receives through advice from the Norse god (Odin). Grani is a descendant of Odin's own steed, Sleipnir. Attestations In chapter ...

, the horse of Sigurð Fáfnir's bane *

Gulltoppr In Norse mythology, Gulltoppr (Old Norse: , "golden mane"Simek (2007:122).) is one of the horses of the gods. Gulltoppr is mentioned in a list of horses in the ''Poetic Edda'' poem ''Grímnismál'' and in '' Nafnaþulur'' section of the ''Prose E ...

, the horse of

Heimdallr In Norse mythology, Heimdall (from Old Norse Heimdallr) is a god who keeps watch for invaders and the onset of Ragnarök from his dwelling Himinbjörg, where the burning rainbow bridge Bifröst meets the sky. He is attested as possessing forekno ...

* Gyllir, a horse whose name translates to "the golden coloured one" * Hamskerpir and Garðrofa, the parents of Hófvarpnir * Hengist and Horsa, leaders of the

Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain The Anglo-Saxon settlement of Britain is the process which changed the language and culture of most of what became England from Romano-British to Germanic peoples, Germanic. The Germanic-speakers in Britain, themselves of diverse origins, ev ...

who are often viewed as mythologial figures * Hófvarpnir, horse of the goddess Gná * Hrímfaxi,

Nótt In Norse mythology, Nótt (Old Norse: , "night"Orchard (1997:120).) is night personified. In both the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional sources, and the ''Prose Edda'', composed in the 13th century, Nótt is li ...

's horse * Skinfaxi, Dagr's horse *

Sleipnir In Norse mythology, Sleipnir (Old Norse: ; "slippy"Orchard (1997:151). or "the slipper"Kermode (1904:6).) is an eight-legged horse ridden by Odin. Sleipnir is attested in the ''Poetic Edda'', compiled in the 13th century from earlier traditional ...

Odin Odin (; from non, Óðinn, ) is a widely revered Æsir, god in Germanic paganism. Norse mythology, the source of most surviving information about him, associates him with wisdom, healing, death, royalty, the gallows, knowledge, war, battle, v ...

's eight-legged horse * Svaðilfari, the stallion that fathered Sleipnir

Greek and Roman

Arion Arion (; grc-gre, Ἀρίων; fl. c. 700 BC) was a kitharode in ancient Greece, a Dionysiac poet credited with inventing the dithyramb. The islanders of Lesbos claimed him as their native son, but Arion found a patron in Periander, tyrant ...

, an immortal, extremely swift horse *

Balius and Xanthos Balius (; Ancient Greek: Βάλιος, ''Balios'', possibly "dappled") and Xanthus (; Ancient Greek: Ξάνθος, ''Xanthos'', "blonde") were, according to Greek mythology, two immortal horses, the offspring of the harpy, Podarge and the West w ...

Achilles In Greek mythology, Achilles ( ) or Achilleus ( grc-gre, Ἀχιλλεύς) was a hero of the Trojan War, the greatest of all the Greek warriors, and the central character of Homer's ''Iliad''. He was the son of the Nereid Thetis and Peleus, k ...

' horses * Hippocampus, a sea horse that pulled

Poseidon Poseidon (; grc-gre, Ποσειδῶν) was one of the Twelve Olympians in ancient Greek religion and myth, god of the sea, storms, earthquakes and horses.Burkert 1985pp. 136–139 In pre-Olympian Bronze Age Greece, he was venerated as a ch ...

's chariot * Mares of Diomedes, which fed on human flesh *

Pegasus Pegasus ( grc-gre, Πήγασος, Pḗgasos; la, Pegasus, Pegasos) is one of the best known creatures in Greek mythology. He is a winged divine stallion usually depicted as pure white in color. He was sired by Poseidon, in his role as hor ...

, flying horse of Greek mythology *Phaethon, one of the two immortal steeds of the dawn-goddess Eos *Rhaebus, the horse of Mezentius in

Roman myths Roman mythology is the body of myths of ancient Rome as represented in the literature and visual arts of the Romans. One of a wide variety of genres of Roman folklore, ''Roman mythology'' may also refer to the modern study of these representat ...

Sterope Sterope (; Ancient Greek: Στερόπη, , from , ''steropē'', lightning) was the name of several individuals in Greek mythology: * Sterope (or Asterope), one of the Pleiades and the wife of Oenomaus (or his mother by Ares). * Sterope, a Pleu ...

, horse of the sun-god Helios *

Trojan Horse The Trojan Horse was a wooden horse said to have been used by the Greeks during the Trojan War to enter the city of Troy and win the war. The Trojan Horse is not mentioned in Homer's ''Iliad'', with the poem ending before the war is concluded, ...

* Equuleus, Hippe transformed into a foal (now a constellation)

Slavic

* Jabučilo, horse of

Momčilo Momcilo or Momčilo (Cyrillic script: Момчило) is a masculine given name of Slavic origin. It is often found in Serbia and Montenegro. It may refer to: *Momčilo Bajagić, Serbian rock musician * Momčilo Bošković (born 1951), retired Serb ...

* Šarac, horse of Prince Marko of Serbian epic poetry *

Sivko-Burko Sivko-Burko (russian: Сивко-бурко, translit=Sivko-burko) is a Russian fairy tale (''skazka'') collected by folklorist Alexandr Afanasyev in his three-volume compilation ''Russian Fairy Tales''. Summary A father has three sons, the you ...

, the "Gray-Brown" Horse of Slavic folktales * Ždralin, horse of

Miloš Obilić Miloš Obilić ( sr-cyr, Милош Обилић, ) was a legendary Serbian knight who is reputed to have been in the service of Prince Lazar during the Ottoman invasion of Serbia in the late 14th century. He is not mentioned in contemporary sou ...

* Calul Năzdrăvan, winged or swift advisor and horse of

Făt-Frumos Făt-Frumos (from Romanian ''făt'': son, infant; ''frumos'': handsome) is a knight hero in Romanian folklore, usually present in fairy tales. Akin to Prince Charming, he possesses such essential attributes as courage, purity, justness, physica ...

Proto-Indo-European

* Dyaus Pita, the Sky Father, who appears as a horse

Asian

Uchchaihshravas In Hinduism, Uchchaihshravas ( sa, उच्चैःश्रवस्, Uccaiḥśravas or sa, उच्चैःश्रवा, Uccaiḥśravā, label=none, "long-ears" or "neighing aloud") is a seven-headed flying horse, created during the ...

Indra Indra (; Sanskrit: इन्द्र) is the king of the devas (god-like deities) and Svarga (heaven) in Hindu mythology. He is associated with the sky, lightning, weather, thunder, storms, rains, river flows, and war. volumes/ref> I ...

's horse in

Hindu mythology Hindu mythology is the body of myths and literature attributed to, and espoused by, the adherents of the Hindu religion, found in Hindu texts such as the Vedic literature, epics like ''Mahabharata'' and ''Ramayana'', the Puranas, and reg ...

* Keshi, a horse demon slain by

Krishna Krishna (; sa, कृष्ण ) is a major deity in Hinduism. He is worshipped as the eighth avatar of Vishnu and also as the Supreme god in his own right. He is the god of protection, compassion, tenderness, and love; and is one ...

in the

Bhagavata Purana The ''Bhagavata Purana'' ( sa, भागवतपुराण; ), also known as the ''Srimad Bhagavatam'', ''Srimad Bhagavata Mahapurana'' or simply ''Bhagavata'', is one of Hinduism's eighteen great Puranas (''Mahapuranas''). Composed in Sa ...

Tikbalang The Tikbalang (/ˈtikbaˌlaŋ/) (also Tigbalang, Tigbalan, Tikbalan, Tigbolan, or Werehorse) is a creature of Philippine folklore said to lurk in the mountains and rainforests of the Philippines. It is a tall, bony humanoid creature with the he ...

, the demon horse in

Philippine folklore Philippine mythology is the body of stories and epics originating from, and part of, the indigenous Philippine folk religions, which include various ethnic faiths distinct from one another. Philippine mythology is incorporated from various ...

* Tulpar, the winged or swift horse in Turkic mythology *

Shabdiz Shabdiz ( fa, شبديز ''Shabdēz'', lit. "night-colored", "black") was the legendary black stallion of Khosrau Parvez, one of the most famed Sassanid Persian kings (reigned 590 to 628CE). Shabdiz, meaning "midnight", was reputedly the "world' ...

horse of khosrow parvi, shah of Iran. * Rakhsh, Horse of Rostam, the great iranian champion.

Other

Gringolet In Arthurian legend, Gringolet is Sir Gawain's mighty and beloved horse. A sturdy charger, with distinctive ears, Gringolet was known far and wide for his ability in combat, and appears in many romances in several different languages. Derivatio ...

, Sir Gawain's horse *

Hengroen Hengroen was a stallion owned by King Arthur, according to the Welsh tale "Culhwch and Olwen." See also *Llamrei Llamrei was a mare owned by King Arthur, according to the Welsh tale "Culhwch and Olwen". Close to Llyn Barfog in Wales is a hoof- ...

King Arthur King Arthur ( cy, Brenin Arthur, kw, Arthur Gernow, br, Roue Arzhur) is a legendary king of Britain, and a central figure in the medieval literary tradition known as the Matter of Britain. In the earliest traditions, Arthur appears as a ...

's horse *The horse of Sinterklaas: in the

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

"Amerigo" or "Ozosnel", in

Flanders Flanders (, ; Dutch: ''Vlaanderen'' ) is the Flemish-speaking northern portion of Belgium and one of the communities, regions and language areas of Belgium. However, there are several overlapping definitions, including ones related to culture, ...

"Slechtweervandaag" ("Bad weather today") * Llamrei, King Arthur's mare *

Morvarc'h Morvarc'h ( Breton for "sea horse") is the name of a fabulous horse of Breton legend found in two folktales reworked in the 19th and 20th centuries. Though its name appears in older sources, it was invented or reinterpreted by Charles Guyot, who ...

, the horse of

Gradlon Gradlon the Great (''Gradlon Meur'') was a semi-legendary 5th century "king" of Cornouaille who became the hero of many Breton folk stories. The most famous of these legends is the story of the sunken city of Ys. He is supposed to have been the s ...

in Breton legend *The Nuckelavee, an Orcadian horse with no skin which sometimes appears to have a man astride its body * Ros Beiaard, a horse from Belgian folklore, still celebrated annually in many cities across the country. * Silili, a Babylonian king of horses * White horse of Kent * Horses of Pas-de-Calais

References

Bibliography

* * * * {{Fictional biology Lists of horses Horses in mythology