Horse Goddesses in Mythology

Horses are so important to the people of the ancient world that they even assigned goddesses to take care and guide these magnificent creatures. Horse Goddesses are not limited to certain geographic locations. They can be found in Rome, Welsh, Irish and Belgium. Here are some of the popular horse goddesses that is said to take care of the horses of antiquity.

Epona (Gallo-Roman)

Epona was the horse goddess in Gallo-Roman religion. She protected horses, mules and donkeys. She was also a goddess of fertility. Her name means "Great Mare," in Roman. She is usually portrayed with ears of grain and the presence of foals in sculptures.

Rhiannon (Welsh)

She is often compared to Epona. She is the queen and daughter of Heyefadd in Welsh Mythology. She marries Pwyll and then Manwydan. She is deemed as a horse goddess because of her close relationship and association with horses in her story.

Etain (Irish)

Etain is the most popular heroine in the story "Tochmarc Etaine," (the wooing of Etaine). It is one of the most celebrated and richest stories of the Mythological Cycle. While she is primarily known to be a Sun Goddess, she is also known for being a horse goddess in other stories.

Gontia (Celtic, Belgium)

She is primarily a Celtic moon goddess however she is also considered a horse goddess the Cantabri, the Cantii and the Ghent in Belgium.

An interesting point to note when looking through mythology is that all of the deities who watch over horses are women. Not a lot of people are familiar with these goddesses in modern times because most literature related classes tend to focus on the more popular gods and goddesses of ancient times. Moreover, since the Greek and Roman mythology is the primary mythology that is being taught in schools and none of the more popular fantasy stories feature any of these goddesses, they have become relatively unknown in the modern world.

Despite this, knowing that such goddesses were created for the purpose of caring and looking out for horses, mules and donkeys tell a lot about how important horses were in the ancient times. Not just in one part of the world but in different geographic locations as well. As the primary means of transportation for people during that time and since they were able to serve other purposes such as farming, it is no doubt that a horse was an integral part of the ancient lifestyle.