Why is a horse called a mare?

What is the root word of Mare?

[Middle English mere, mare, from Old English mȳre, mīre (influenced by forms of mearh, mēar-, horse ); see marko- in Indo-European roots .] Any of the large dark areas on the moon or on Mars or other planets.

What is the origin of the word mare?

The word mare, meaning “female horse”, took several forms before A.D. 900. In Old English the form was mīere, mere or mȳre, the feminine forms for mearh (horse). The Old German form of the word was Mähre. Similarly, in Irish and Gaelic, the word was marc, in Welsh, march, in Cornish “margh”, and in Breton marc’h.

Is the mare of the Nightmare a horse?

A mare is indeed a horse—but this interpretation is not correct. The mare of ‘the nightmare’ is a demon; and the word for horse and the word for nightmare derive from a different root.

What is a nightmare mare called?

The mare of ‘the nightmare’ is a demon; and the word for horse and the word for nightmare derive from a different root. In Dutch, the nightmare is known as the maar or mare, sometimes called nachtmaar or nachtmare, analogous to the English word. Over time, the Dutch word changed into nachtmerrie where merrie means female horse.

What is a night horse called?

In Dutch, the nightmare is known as the maar or mare, sometimes called nachtmaar or nachtmare, analogous to the English word. Over time, the Dutch word changed into nachtmerrie where merrie means female horse. We see that the folk etymology of ‘night horse’ was very common.

What does the horse represent in the painting The Nightmare?

Its presence in the painting has been viewed as a visual pun on the word “nightmare” and a self-conscious reference to folklore—the horse destabilises the painting’s conceit and contributes to its Gothic tone. The painting is housed at the Detroit Institute of Arts.

What kind of horse is the mare in Nightmare?

Return to D. L. Ashliman’s folktexts, a library of folktales, folklore, fairy tales, and mythology. The mare in nightmare is not a female horse, but a mara, an Anglo-Saxon and Old Norse term for a demon that sat on sleepers’ chests, causing them to have bad dreams.

What kind of animal is a nightmare?

Various depictions of nightmares. Nightmares, sometimes called hell horses or demon horses, were fiendish equines named after the terrible dreams suffered by those that encountered them. They were wicked creatures best known for serving as mounts under a variety of malevolent beings throughout the Lower planes.

What is a night horse called in Dutch?

Mara – Evil Spirits and The Night Horse. In Dutch, the nightmare is known as the maar or mare, sometimes called nachtmaar or nachtmare, analogous to the English word.

What is the origin of the word ‘night horse’?

Over time, the Dutch word changed into nachtmerrie where merrie means female horse. We see that the folk etymology of ‘night horse’ was very common. A nightmarish vision of a demon horse (CC BY-SA 2.0)

Is the horse in “Nightmare” a reference to the painting?

According to Fuseli’s friend and biographer John Knowles, who saw the first drawing Fuseli made for the composition in 1781, the horse was not present in the drawing but added to the painting later. Although it is tempting to understand the painting’s title as a punning reference to the horse, the word “nightmare” does not refer to horses.

What is a mare in a nightmare?

Although it is tempting to understand the painting’s title as a punning reference to the horse, the word “nightmare” does not refer to horses. Rather, in the now obsolete definition of the term, a mare is an evil spirit that tortures humans while they sleep.

What is a mare in the Nightmare?

The Nightmare, by Henry Fuseli, 1781 A mare (Old English: mære, Old Dutch: mare, Proto-Slavic * mara; mara in Old High German, Old Norse, and Swedish) is a malicious entity in Germanic and Slavic folklore that rides on people’s chests while they sleep, bringing on nightmares.

Is the Nightmare a horse or a horse?

Most people today who have heard that ‘the Nightmare’ is an actual being in European folklore and not just a certain type of dream-state, associate the being with horses. A mare is indeed a horse—but this interpretation is not correct.

What is a nightmare called in the Netherlands?

In Dutch, the nightmare is known as the maar or mare, sometimes called nachtmaar or nachtmare, analogous to the English word. Over time, the Dutch word changed into nachtmerrie where merrie means female horse.

Why did Fuseli add a horse to his painting?

Fuseli may have added the horse as an afterthought, since a preliminary chalk sketch did not include it. Its presence in the painting has been viewed as a visual pun on the word “nightmare” and a self-conscious reference to folklore—the horse destabilises the painting’s conceit and contributes to its Gothic tone.

What is the Nightmare painting about?

The Nightmare painting, as the title suggests, depicts a scene relevant to the dreaming state, and more specifically someone having a nightmare; the creatures we see are also related to nightmares.

What is the name of the mare in Paranormal Entity?

Sleep paralysis, medical term for the condition the mare is thought to originate from. Paranormal Entity, a 2009 found-footage film featuring a mare named Maron as the antagonist. Marianne, a 2011 Swedish horror film featuring mares.

Are there any horror movies with mares in them?

Sleep paralysis, medical term for the condition the mare is thought to originate from. Paranormal Entity, a 2009 found-footage film featuring a mare named Maron as the antagonist. Marianne, a 2011 Swedish horror film featuring mares. Borgman, a 2013 Dutch thriller film featuring mares.

What is the origin of the word nachtmare?

Cognate with Middle Dutch nachtmare, German Nachtmahr. An Old English word for it was niht-genga. “night-goblin, incubus, oppressed sleep,” Old English mare “incubus, nightmare, monster,” from mera, mære, from nightmare (n.)

What does Henry Fuseli’s painting The Nightmare mean?

Henry Fuseli. Sleep and dreams were common subjects for the Zürich-born Henry Fuseli, though The Nightmare is unique among his paintings for its lack of reference to literary or religious themes (Fuseli was an ordained minister). His first known painting is Joseph Interpreting the Dreams of the Butler and Baker of Pharaoh (1768),…

What movies have been influenced by the painting The Nightmare?

The catalogue indicated the painting’s influence on films such as the original Frankenstein (1931) and The Marquise of O (1976). Among modern artists, Balthus incorporated elements of The Nightmare in his work (e.g., The Room, 1952–54).

What is the meaning of the Nightmare painting by Fuseli?

However, unlike the slightly earlier painting by Joseph Wright of Derby, A Philosopher Lecturing on the Orrery, which utilized chiaroscuro to symbolize the enlightening power of rational observation, Fuseli’s The Nightmare instead shows the futility of light to penetrate or explain the darker realms of the unconscious.

What makes “the Nightmare” a theatrical play?

In The Nightmare, the single light source coming in from the right, the curtains and tassels in the background, and the shortened, stage-like foreground also add to the work’s theatricality.

Why is the nightmare so famous?

The Nightmare’s stark mixture of horror, sexuality, and morbidity has insured its enduring notoriety. In January 1783, The Nightmare was engraved by Thomas Burke and distributed by the publisher John Raphael Smith.

Why did Fuseli use chiaroscuro?

The sleeper seems lifeless and, lying on her back, takes a position then believed to encourage nightmares. Her brilliant coloration is set against the darker reds, yellows, and ochres of the background; Fuseli used a chiaroscuro effect to create strong contrasts between light and shade.