In gaulish and later roman and galloroman mythology, epona was the goddess of horses, donkeys, mules. In galloroman religion, she was the goddess of horses, ponies, donkeys and mules. Celtic goddess epona three horses pendant amulet 925 sterling silver necklace charm algaba. Epona one of the oldest and widely known celtic deities. Transformative teachings from the cauldron of awen. However, the gauls and others did leave a rich legacy of inscriptions and monuments and it is from this that most of the evidence for epona comes. A zoomorphic goddess who is represented by a mare is epona. Epona, the celtic goddess of horses who conquered rome. This is a fictionalized version of how the old druid celtic gods became known.
Epona celtic horse goddess quick stitch machine embroidery pattern design. See more ideas about celtic goddess, celtic gods, celtic. Gaulish horse goddess horse goddess of mares, gallops and fertility 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. Epona is the celtic goddess of the horse and this is her story. A study of traditional belief, with newly translated. The horse goddess celtic world of morgan llywelyn book 1 kindle edition by llywelyn, morgan.
Associated with fertility, epona is the epitome of the mother. In galloroman religion, epona was a protector of horses, ponies, donkeys, and mules. She was one of the oldest and most notable celtic deities, but she was also worshiped in ancient rome. There are many books and stories online to stroll through this day. Mar, 20 she appears in both the first and third branches of the medieval welsh stories, the mabinogion, a narrative which grew out of the ancient myths of the celtic gods and goddesses. Her name epona means mare and she was believed to be protector of horses, donkeys, mules and ponies. Based on origin myths of epona the celtic horse goddess, this is a nice little. May 17, 2017 epona, the gaulish horse goddess, is one of these. Unfortunately, any legends gaulish celts may have had have been lost to us. In his book on celtic religion from 2001 bernard maier confronts a number of assumptions. Epona great mare is the goddess of horses, who protected horses, donkeys and mules.
Epona celtic protector of horses, donkeys, and mules. Epona aceo atc mini fine art print pagan mythology celtic horse goddess art emilybalivet. Apr 29, 2015 horse goddesses in wales and ireland often have a sovereignty aspect. Monuments to epona are found all over from wales through france and into the rhinelands. Because of this, she has been linked to the romanoceltic fertility horse goddess epona and. A great story making the old celtic myths and legends come alive. Epona celtic horse goddess necklace, witch jewelry, wiccan jewelry, pagan jewelry, celtic jewelry, epona necklace, epona goddess. Despite being a gaulish word most of the surviving inscriptions and texts that mention this goddess are in latin. She was particularly a goddess of fertility, as shown by her attributes of a. She was also a goddess of magic, fertility and feminine power. The name of the celtic goddess epona comes from the latinization of the gaulish name epo, which means horse. Epona, celtic goddess of horses, goddess art, black and white, bas relief tile, plaque, wall hanging, sculpture, reproduction, pagan art paganart from shop paganart. She was worshipped across the celtic kingdoms as far away as bulgaria, and northern africa. Although greek and roman writers sometimes mentioned celtic gods and.
Epona, the celtic goddess of horses who conquered rome by jessica mason apr 12th, 2021, 1. Most of the novels with a fantasy connection rely heavily on celtic mythology, particularly. So i ordered a hardback copy, which is fine, but the dust jacket is in very poor condition, so may recycle that. She is also the only celtic goddess that was venerated in ancient rome itself. Her worship spread to britain and rome from western europe. And indeed, we find a large quantity of representations of a goddess associated with horses. They are probably both derived from the ancient celtic goddess, rigatona, whose name means great queen. She fed her beloved horses from her cornucopia filled with corn and apples, symbolic of motherlove and abundance. She is intelligent, politically strategic, beautiful. Epona world history encyclopedia ancient history encyclopedia. This book is sold subject to the condition that no part of it may be reproduced. In fact there are those who believe epona is actually the pony, and the woman rider is just someone she is giving a lift to. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets.
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. Epona goddess illustration print in multiple sizes norse mythologyvikings tattoo celtic. Epona 5x7 blank greeting card celtic pagan mythology horse goddess art emilybalivet. Jul 25, 2017 celtic mythology epona was a goddess of horses and motherhood. She was worshipped throughout gaul and the roman empire. Among such tribes as the treveri and mediomatrici she was a popular and powerful goddess.
Although known only from roman contexts, the name epona great mare is from the gaulish language. 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. She is, first and foremost, a horse goddess associated with the gauls. Celtic mythology and the horse wild horse education. Celtic goddess celtic mythology goddess art ancient goddesses gods and goddesses statues pagan festivals celtic culture book of kells the celtic goddess epona that rode swiftly across the ancient roman empire 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 the only celtic god that was also worshipped in rome. Rhiannon is associated with epona, the gaulish horse goddess. 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.
Perhaps one of my favorite welsh celtic goddesses is the horse goddess rhiannon. Epona aceo atc mini fine art print pagan mythology celtic horse goddess art. Celtic goddess epona and her white mare bring dreams to you. It is a time when mortal men and women are becoming gods and goddesses as news of their. Dec 1, 20 epona, pretty sure this is my goddess connection. She is a strongminded otherworld woman, who chooses pwyll, prince of dyfed west wales, as her consort, in preference to another man to whom she has already been betrothed. However the story of epona is as magical as ever, and although i have learned much more about celtic mythology in the intervening years, but kernunnos is. Dec 18, 2016 a great story making the old celtic myths and legends come alive. Epona, celtic goddess of horses, goddess art, black and white, bas relief tile, plaque, wall hanging, sculpture, reproduction, pagan art. Epona goddess of horses, donkeys, mules fertility mythology. Epona from the album caranda per moreau a few important celtic horse goddesses. Epona 5x7 blank greeting card celtic pagan mythology horse goddess art. See more ideas about goddess, celtic goddess, celtic gods. The celtic goddess epona that rode swiftly across the ancient.
Celtic goddess epona three horses pendant amulet 925. Myths from a time when both women and horses were sacred. Her name derives from the celtic words epos meaning horse and the suffix ona meaning on. In fact, she was the patroness of the gaulish cavalry troops, who spread her cult outside gaul. Beauty and the beast epona and rhiannon, goddesses of. The horse goddess celtic world of morgan llywelyn book 1. In western ireland,legends still abound of hearing the hoofbeats of her horse as she rides west to escape the rays of the rising sun. Epona, goddess who was patron of horses and also of asses and mules epo is the gaulish equivalent of the latin equo. Epona is a celtic goddess and was venerated in gaul. Epona 8x10 fine art print pagan celtic mythology horse goddess art. The name epona the name epona comes from gaulish, a member of the celtic family of indoeuropean languages. Epona herself occurs in irish and welsh myth under other names.
Her feast day in the roman calendar was december 18th. Nov 01, 1983 a great story making the old celtic myths and legends come alive. Epona was a widelyworshiped horse goddess of the continental celts who lived in the region that is presentday france and germany. Epona is the protector of horses, ponies, mules and donkeys. In 2011 staff at the abbey said on a windy day they saw the white horse rise from the lake. Epona hidden goddess of the celts horse goddess by p. It can be translated as divine mare or sacred mare. Epona celtic goddessprotector of horses by ingridkvhardy.
She is talked of at length in the mabinogi, as well as in other welsh mythology. Her cult also maintained a presence in britain too. Although the title of this book refers to epona as both hidden and celtic, the author seems to feel that the best way to reveal her is not through focusing on the celts, their relationships to their deities and to the horse, but by taking us down the long and winding road of classical antiquity. Thus, in celtic mythology, epona represents the goddess of horses and of all those associated with these animals. Jan 26, 20 epona, celtic horse goddess was worshipped by the gauls the celtic french. Read epona from the story celtic mythology by goddessrhoda. No deitys name evokes the image of the horse like the name epona. Epona was the celtic horse goddess whose worship spread to britain and rome from western europe. Dec 09, 2019 i can honor them as well as the characters in the comic books, mythology and sci fifantasy novels i devoured as a child who also helped me form my values. Dedications in her honor have been found all over what was once the ancient celtic world, indicating that. Although she may be included as one of the many indoeuropean horse goddesses, roman period inscriptions and sculpted monuments dedicated to epona are the earliest extant records of her existence. The protector of horses, mules, and cavalry, epona was one of the only non roman goddesses to have been wholly adopted by the it has also. See more ideas about celtic goddess, celtic gods, celtic mythology.
She rides sidesaddle so is a bit behind in the equestrian department. By extension, the goddess of horses represents the nomadic celtic people. Epona is sometimes known by other names, such as mandica or. Published july 15th 1998 by tor books first published 1982. Her popularity with the celts demonstrates their high regard for the horse. Uniquely for the celtic goddesses, the romans adopted her and erected a temple to her in rome. Sutherland epona is the gaulish goddess of horses, donkeys, and mules. With roots in celtic gaul, this horse goddess was vigorously adopted by conquering pagan rome whose cavalry called upon her to aid them. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading the horse goddess celtic world of morgan llywelyn book 1. Epona the celtic horse goddess homepage ralph haussler.
She is the only celtic deity known to have actually been enshrined and worshipped in rome where they made her a. 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. Mar 02, 2017 epona was a celtic deity whose name means horse. A novel of the ancient gods and goddesses of irish myth and legend. Epona, rhiannon, macha, are celtic goddesses rich in horse lore. Check out our goddess of horses selection for the very best in unique or custom, handmade pieces from our shops. Her cult survived the roman conquest and became part of the galloroman religion. Any encyclopedia will tell you that epona was the celtic goddess of horses. The horse goddess starts with young epona coming to age in her tribe in ancient ireland. In roman times, epona is widely attested in sculpture and latin inscriptions.
See more ideas about goddess, celtic goddess, celtic mythology. Epona, pretty sure this is my goddess connection celtic. Epona, the celtic goddess she appears here riding a horse, holding a shield and a spear on an exceedingly rare and exceptionally fine celtic gold stater from rennes, gaul that dates to the 2nd century. Epona romanceltic this horse goddess was associated with the night and dreams. The best known instance of this is the gaulish horsegoddess epona. Rhiannon, goddess of birds and horses by judith shaw. Epona is not somehow originally celtic, but a galloroman. She is the only celtic deity known to have actually been enshrined and worshipped in rome where they made her a triple deity known as the eponae. The sixteen satires penguin classics, penguin books. Some say she came from the land of the fae, and was a princess before being taken as a wife for the welsh hero pwyll. Epona the gaulish goddess of horses gaulish mythology. Eponas goddess name comes from the gaulish word epos.
See more ideas about celtic goddess, celtic gods, horses. Epona is a celtic theonnym derived from epos horse and the divine suffix. The horse, as would expect of a sacred animal, plays a major part in celtic mythology and belief and, as the celts were famous as superb horsemen, horses were central to their welfare and prestige. Epona 8x10 fine art print pagan celtic mythology horse goddess art emilybalivet. She is usually depicted riding, or standing or sitting with horses. Her name derives from the celtic words epos meaning horse and the suffix.
She appears mainly in the first branch of the mabinogi, and again in the third branch. Jan 7, 2021 no other animal in history has contributed to our modern era more than the horse. Epona is the celtic horse goddess associated with fertility, a cornucopia, horses, asses, mules, and oxen who accompanied the soul on its final journey. We are used to the idea that the celts took up roman gods and. 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. In her role as divine mare, she can also be seen as a parallel to the welsh horse goddess. In morgan llywelyns the horse goddess we follow the life of a daughter of a keltoi chieftan. Rhiannon, macha, and aine all are goddesses of the land and choose its rulers. Epona, celtic goddess of horses, goddess art, black and white, bas relief. Epona is sometimes referred to as rigana or regina, but it is not clear if that is a name of a separate goddess or a title of hers. Hundreds of statues and shrines dating from between the first and third centuries ce have been found in france alone. Rhiannon is a major figure in the mabinogi, the medieval welsh story collection. The celtic goddess of horses, fertility and healing. Similar in attribute to the welsh goddess rhiannon, who appears in the mabinogion, epona was associated with not only the magic and power of the horse, but also the fertility of motherhood.
1073 1385 611 1622 670 691 1659 1436 1523 186 648 1447 1083 1626 1751 1419 1775 1581 54 1406 1269 1538 1717 107 944 898 1032 1132 434 465