What is Epona the goddess of?

What is the name of the Roman goddess of horses?

Epona – Goddess of the Horse. Epona (“Great Mare”) is the Goddess of Horses, who protected horses, donkeys and mules. She is also a goddess of fertility. She was worshipped throughout Gaul and the Roman Empire. Her feast day in the Roman calendar was December 18th. She is usually depicted riding, or standing or sitting with horses.

Who is Epona in the ROM inscription?

Dr Garrett Olmsted, who has made the most recent translation of the inscription, comments that the closest example to the Rom inscription is a Vedic hymn to Indra.) Epona is also known as the Great Mare. She is, first and foremost, a Goddess of Horses associated with the Gauls.

Who is Epona the horse god?

Epona is a great and important goddess, guardian spirit of horses and their riders. Her name derives from Epos, a Celtic word indicating “horse.” She is never portrayed without one, but Epona is more than just a spirit who oversees horses. She is an extremely complex deity who was once widely venerated throughout Europe.

What does Epona represent in the Bible?

Epona’s Symbolism. She is depicted as a young Goddess, either sitting side saddle on a horse or feeding mares and foals food from a cornucopia or fruit basket. There are also several images showing her riding a horse and cart. Sacred Animals: Horses, mules, donkeys, dogs and birds.

Who is Epona the horse goddess?

Epona was a widely-worshiped Celtic horse goddess in the region that is present-day France and Germany. Her cult survived the Roman conquest and became part of the Gallo-Roman religion. Her name literally means “Great Mare”.

What is the connection between horses and the gods?

The gods had a strong connection with the horse. Here we examine the horse gods and horse goddesses of the ancient world. Aine is an Irish Celtic horse goddess and Fairy Queen who healed and granted fertility to her followers. Cnoc Aine in Knockainey was Aine’s center of worship.

What is the meaning of horse in Greek mythology?

The horse was given as a gift by Poseidon, the God of horses. 3. Centaur, this a famous creature from Greek mythology which is half-human and half-horse.

What is the Roman god of horses called?

The Classical Gods of the Roman Empire… Goddess of Horses. Not Hippos This makes sense as her name is the Roman form of Epona. GodNote: Sorry this Hippona article is a bit short.

Why is Epona the goddess of horses?

There are other deities that have the horse as one of their sacred animals but few, if any, with as strong a link to the land as Epona seems to have had. From a Patroness of Horses, Epona has become a Goddess linked to the Land and Fertility, Rulership and possibly the Underworld.

Who is the Celtic goddess Epona?

The Celtic goddess Epona is often described with the appearance of a Great Goddess, the World personified that gives birth to life in all its forms. Thus, she has the attributes of a fertility goddess, although she is generally associated with the animal species that inhabit the Earth.

Why did the Romans worship the goddess Epona?

When the Romans conquered the Gaulish territories, they tolerated her worship because they also worshipped horses. It was said that Epona was born of the love between a misogynist named Fulvio Stellus and a mare.

Who is the goddess Epona?

This article is about the goddess. For the video game character, see Epona (The Legend of Zelda). 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.

Who is the horse goddess in the Bible?

Epona the horse goddess ruled over all equine animals including donkeys, ponies, and mules. She was most likely a fertility goddess as she is depicted carrying cornucopias, grain, and flanked by foals. Rhiannon: Welsh Fairy Queen & Horse Goddess Rhiannon is a Welsh mythical figure from the The Mabinogion.

Did the Celtic goddess Epona worship horses?

The cult of the Celtic goddess Epona was one of the few (perhaps the only one) that arrived in Rome in the first century of the Christian era. When the Romans conquered the Gaulish territories, they tolerated her worship because they also worshipped horses.

What does the mare symbolize in the Bible?

The mare was an ancient symbol of fertility, this has lead to suggestions that she was an early Mother Goddess figure, whose role was later reduced to protector of horses. Her cornucopia and the basket of fruit she carried provide further support for her role as a fertility Goddess.

Who was Epona the horse goddess?

Areas of Influence: Epona was the Celtic Horse Goddess whose worship spread to Britain and Rome from Western Europe. Her name means “Divine mare” in Gaulish. Despite being a Gaulish word most of the surviving inscriptions and texts that mention this Goddess are in Latin.

What does Epona represent in Celtic mythology?

Thus, in Celtic mythology, Epona represents the goddess of horses and of all those associated with these animals: riders, breeders or stable workers. By extension, the goddess of horses represents the nomadic Celtic people.

What is the meaning of horses in Celtic mythology?

In Celtic lore, Horses have strong associations with the Gods, particularly Epona and Macha both of which manifest as horses who protect the Earth, show us the future and guide humankind with sure-footedness. Epona’s name mean “mare” and she was one the only Goddess that some Romans worshiped.

What are the horses of the gods called?

THE HIPPOI ATHANATOI were the immortal horses of the gods. Most of these divine steeds were offspring of the four Anemoi (Wind-Gods) who themselves drew the chariot of Zeus in the guise of horses.

What are the different types of horses in mythology?

Mythology also speaks about the unicorn, the Pegasus, the equalacorn (the Pegasus with a unicorn horn), the dragon horse of Xuan Zang and the hippocampus (the Phoenician and Greek sea horse). The colors of the horses also have various interpretations.

What is the significance of horses in mythology?

Horse symbolism in classical myth In classical mythology, horses are often depicted pulling chariots of important deities. Because of their speed and strength, horses were the ideal animals to pull the sun across the sky for Phoebus Apollo, although similar chariot-stories surround Mithras in ancient Rome and Elijah in the Old Testament.

What is the name of the horse of Ares?

Ares charged into battle in a chariot pulled by two divine horses. On his shield was an emblem of two war-waging, powerful horses. And the ancients sacrificed horses in Ares’ name. Belenus, also known as Belenos, was a Celtic horse god who survived the Roman conquest and became part of the Gallo-Roman religion.

What do the names of some of the Roman race horses mean?

A Roman mosaic of two famous race horses called Diomedes and Aicides. Notice they are surrounded by the palm leaves of victory. Some of the names of hero race horses were: Abigieus, Lucidus, Cotynus, Galata, Pompeianus. The names mean nothing to us now, of course, but the mere mention in the stadium of “Abigieus” would drive the people crazy.

What is the name of the Greek horse god?

And in parts of Greece, sacrifices of horses were made in the Greek horse god’s name. Belenus: The Shining Sun God Belenus, also known as Belenos, was a Celtic horse god who survived the Roman conquest and became part of the Gallo-Roman religion. He was mostly known as a sun god and solar wheels were sacred to him.

What is the Celtic god of horses?

Home Divinity of the Day Celtic Gods and Goddesses Epona – Goddess of the Horse. Epona (“Great Mare”) is the Goddess of Horses, who protected horses, donkeys and mules. She is also a goddess of fertility. She was worshipped throughout Gaul and the Roman Empire.