Epona goddess of horses in celtic mythology book

The horse goddess celtic world of morgan llywelyn book 1 and millions of. Epona was worshipped in a variety of different aspects. Epona was the celtic goddess who gained the most success among the romans. The mare gave birth to a beautiful and lively daughter whom she named epona, and who became the goddess of horses. Her powers were so strong she was also known as the gaulish moon goddess, the goddess of abundance since she represented fertility and freedom, the goddess of dreams, all of which were nightmares. The giving of a name in most celtic legends is of vital importance in that individuals future. 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. Morgan llywelyn takes the story of epona and expands it and tells the story of how a regular young woman could come to be revered as a goddess. An acrylic on paper artwork, original about in size. She is usually depicted riding, or standing or sitting with horses. Reblog epona celtic goddess of horses, mules, donkeys, and. Rhiannon, goddess of birds and horses, is also know as the queen of fairies.

Small sculpture of the roman celtic goddess epona, third century a. Hidden goddess of the celts reflects the importance of gender in ancient religion, and explores the primacy of the feminine through eponas sovereignty as horse goddess among the celts. The horse goddess starts with young epona coming to age in her tribe in ancient ireland. Her cult survived the roman conquest and became part of the galloroman religion. She was the bestower of sovereignty in celtic kingship rites. The oldest information about the gallic goddess of horses. Top 10 gods and goddesses of celtic mythology duration.

Interestingly, she was one of the few celtic deities who were celebrated by the romans, and they celebrate her in an annual festival every december 18. These historic myths and legends can still inform us in the present day and should assist us perceive the unimaginable draw that so many women and girls should horses. Epona, celtic horse goddess was worshipped by the gauls the celtic french. What other name can epona goddess of horse in celtic be.

As a protector of horses, epona was held in high esteem by all gauls, and even the visiting romans thought it best to offer her lumps of sugar now and again. Many gods of gaul had been brought into the empire by marrying roman gods as. Thus, in celtic mythology, epona represents the goddess of horses and of all those associated with these animals. It is even unsure if the white chalk horse is for epona, maybe it is rhiannons. The naming of epona by her mother implies that the mare may have had a divine nature herself and that epona followed on in some way from an earlier horse goddess. The name of the celtic goddess epona comes from the latinization of the gaulish name epo, which means horse. E pona is before all else the horse goddess of the gauls. Shows the celtic goddess rhiannon, painted for use in an upcoming oracle deck. The name epona comes from gaulish, a member of the celtic family of indoeuropean languages. Celtic goddess epona the great mare, goddess of horses. She is often considered to be related to the gaulish horse goddess epona. Her worship spread to britain and rome from western europe. Epona is one of the most wellknown of all the goddesses within the celtic pantheon, and was granted such titles as the great mare, the divine mare, and the mare goddess. Celtic goddess epona the great mare, goddess of horses with spell items.

Epona, like the horse goddesses from celtic and other cultures, links the horse, the divine and the female. Her name derives from the celtic words epos meaning horse and the suffix ona meaning on. The oldest information about the gallic goddess of horses is found in juvenal satires, viii, 155 ff. No deitys name evokes the image of the horse like the name epona. The legend of zelda is teeming with celtic mythology. Celtic horses banner mci80 dark knight armoury epona was the celtic goddess of horses and other equine creatures. Keep a sacred journey and guide book from your temple space time with your goddess. Epona goddess of horses, donkeys, mules fertility mythology. What other name can epona goddess of horse in celtic. Epona great mare is the goddess of horses, who protected horses. Goddess epona never married but her loving care and protection of horses gave her mother status. Like epona, she sometimes sits on her horse in a calm, stoic way. In the lodge of the lord of the tribe, toutorix, the invincible boar, epona waited for.

Hidden goddess of the celts reflects the importance of gender in ancient religion, and the author explores the primacy of the feminine through epona s sovereignty as horse goddess among the celts. The worship of epona, the sole celtic divinity ultimately worshipped in rome. Epona, the celtic goddess of horses and riding, lacked a direct roman equivalent, and is therefore one of the most persistent distinctly celtic deities. Bibliography related content books cite this work license.

Epona great mare is the goddess of horses, who protected horses, donkeys and mules. However, the process could just as easily go the other way. The celtic goddess of horses, fertility and healing. Horses are an extension of the divine present in my everyday life and part of my connection to epona, the celtic horse goddess. She was particularly a goddess of fertility, as shown by her attributes of a. Sutherland epona is the gaulish goddess of horses, donkeys, and mules. Epona was a widelyworshiped horse goddess of the continental celts who lived in the region that is presentday france and germany. Her feast day in the roman calendar was december 18th. In celtic mythology, epona was a horse goddess, also known as the divine white mare and is often depicted with birds and horses. Posted in goddess project, goddess things tagged dream goddess, goddess epona, goddess of horses, goddess of travelers, goddesses of gaul, goddesses of great britain, goddesses of the roman calvalry at 9. She rides sidesaddle so is a bit behind in the equestrian department. A gaelloroman goddess, epona protects horses and other fourlegged creatures. She was associated with horses and fertility, and was adopted by t.

Celtic goddess epona and her white mare bring dreams to you. Epona, meaning divine mare, was the goddess of horses, including those who worked with them, as well as fertility during the iron age. She was particularly a goddess of fertility, as shown by her attributes of a patera, cornucopia, and the presence of foals in some sculptures reinach, 1895. Aug 27, 2017 explore lindajl54s board epona goddess of horses, followed by. A goddess of transformation, she uses her powers for love of others or self. Touching my mares neck is like touching a piece of history. The legend of zelda is teeming with celtic mythology and epona s the key to all of it.

Epona goddess associated with fertility, water and death. When i was in college and first exploring pagan paths, my grandmother gave me a copy of morgan llewellyns the horse goddess, which tells the story of a. Epona the gaulish goddess of horses gaulish mythology. Etsy is the home to thousands of handmade, vintage, and oneofakind products and gifts related to your search.

Uniquely for the celtic goddesses, the romans adopted her and erected a temple to her in rome. Based on origin myths of epona the celtic horse goddess, this is a nice little. The celtic goddess epona that rode swiftly across the. In gaulish and later roman and galloroman mythology, epona was the goddess of horses, donkeys, mules. The celtic goddess epona that rode swiftly across the ancient. Today we can understand epona mainly from her images, as few stories of her have survived.

She is a sovereignty goddess who the king must wed to legitimate his rule. In the first branch of the mabinogi, rhiannon is strongly associated with horses, and so is her son pryderi. Epona was the ancient celtic horse goddess who protected horses and their owners. Epona one of the oldest and widely known celtic deities. A novel of the ancient gods and goddesses of irish. The bestknown instance of this is the gaulish horse goddess epona, who became very popular first with the cavalry. Feminine through eponas sovereignty as horse goddess among the celts.

The goddess epona, whose name, meaning divine horse or horse goddess, epitomizes the religious dimension of this relationship, was a pan celtic deity, and her cult was adopted by the roman cavalry and spread throughout much of europe, even to rome itself. Ancient greek, roman, celtic and medieval mythology. Hundreds of statues and shrines dating from between the first and third centuries ce have been found in france alone. The protector of horses, mules, and cavalry, epona was one of the only nonroman goddesses to have been wholly adopted by the roman empire. She is probably a reflex of the celtic great queen goddess rigantona and may also be associated with the horse goddess epona. It has never been determined rather or not epona and rhiannon are directly linked or, one in the same goddess. Epona was a goddess of horses honored by the celtic tribe known as the gauls.

This assertion is confirmed by the goddess s iconography she is almost obligatorily depicted with one or more equines, by the etymology of her name, and by what little we know of her mythology. Call on her when working with fourlegged animal familiars and to encourage fertility, both in the garden and in your family. Rhiannon, in celtic religion, the welsh manifestation of the gaulish horse goddess epona and the irish goddess macha. She is bestknown from the mabinogion, a collection of medieval welsh tales, in which she makes her first appearance on a pale, mysterious steed and meets king pwyll, whom she marries. She and her son are often depicted as mare and foal. In galloroman religion, epona was a protector of horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules. There are no accounts of her parentage or suggestions that she married and had children. She and her horses might also have been leaders of the soul in the afterlife ride, with parallels in rhiannon of the mabinogion. There are no surviving gaullish myths dedicated to this goddess. She was one of the oldest and most notable celtic deities, but she was also worshiped in ancient rome. The celtic horse goddess has been linked to the white horse at uffington and lady godiva. She was worshipped throughout gaul and the roman empire. Epona is a celtic horse goddess associated with fertility, a cornucopia, horses, asses, mules, and oxen who accompanied the soul on its final journey.

Epona, meaning divine mare, was the goddess of horses and fertility in celtic and roman culture. Rhiannon, goddess of birds and horses by judith shaw. The indepth epona site with historical facts you can trust about epona, the galloroman goddess of horses who was worshipped over much of the western roman empire especially in gaul and the germanies but also in britain, along the danube frontier, and as far afield as greece and africa. No matter what youre looking for or where you are in the world, our global marketplace of sellers can help you find unique and affordable options. Small images of epona have been found in stables and barns all over europe. Celtic mythology irish mythology the partholonians kelpies epona in gaulish and later roman and galloroman mythology, epona was the goddess of horses, donkeys, mules. The protector of horses, mules, and cavalry, epona was one of the only. See more ideas about horses, celtic goddess and celtic mythology. Epona goddess artwork by artist lindsay archer epona by linzarcher on deviantart coloring for adults kleuren voor volwassenen. The celtic horses banner recalls the love of horses that the celtic people had. Read this book and over 1 million others with a kindle unlimited membership. Published july 15th 1998 by tor books first published 1982. We are used to the idea that the celts took up roman gods and equated them with their own.