Epona ~ Horse Goddess

Epona, Goddess of Horses and their keepers was/is revered by the Northern European peoples. Adopted by the Romans, she was given a shrine in all stables and barns. She has had a renewed following from modern day horse enthusiasts. Praying to her for patience, courage, and knowledge is one way modern horse riders and trainers center themselves before working and playing with their equine partners.

According to popular information on the subject, the name Epona, 'Great Mare' is from the Gaulish language. Epona [e po nə] was a protector of horses, donkeys, mules and their keepers. She was also a goddess of fertility, as shown by her attributes of a patera, cornucopia, and the presence of foals in some sculptures (Reinach, 1895). Her worship Sabbat is Mabon or Autumn Equinox. Sometimes seen as parallel to Rhiannon.

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The probable date of ca. 1400 BCE ascribed to the giant chalk horse carved into the hillside turf at Uffington, in southern England, is too early to be directly associated with Epona a millennium and more later, but clearly represents a Bronze Age totem of some kind. The English traditional hobby-horse riders parading on May Day at Padstow, Cornwall and Minehead, Somerset, which survived to the mid-twentieth century, even though Morris dances had been forgotten, may have deep roots in the veneration of Epona, as may the English aversion to eating horsemeat. At Padstow formerly, at the end of the festivities the hobby-horse was ritually submerged in the sea. The Welsh goddess Rhiannon rides a white horse. (taken from WIKIPEDIA)

 

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