Epona
Art by Carmon
Deyo
Story
by DeborahAnne Mac Gillivray
Epona
or Bunbona was the Scottish horse Goddess of War. Called 'Mare'
(MAH-ray) by the Irish, she was the bringer of dreams, good and
bad. The English word 'nightmare' is derived from her Irish name.
The English artist Henry Fuselli used this belief as the basis
for his famous painting 'The Nightmare.' The Goddess was
even adopted by the conquering Romans whose cavalry called upon
her to aid them before a charge. She was the only Celtic deity
to have been enshrined and worshipped in Rome, wher they saw
her as the Triple Goddess Eponae. The Romans may have
held the lore of Epona in a pure form, before the coming Christians
began to bend the auld stories, for Epona is likely the 'mother
face' of the Tripple Goddess, Elphame the maiden or bride symbol,
with Cailleach completing the cycle of the pagan drama of life,
death and rebirth.
She was
the Goddess of Summer, of fertitlity and abundance. She is often
depicted as riding a white horse, but I think this is a combining
with the myths of Elphame the maiden, and is more accurately
shown riding a black horse, a symbol of all powers of Annwn,
The Otherworld, of magick fully realised. Cailleach, in reference
to her age, rides a grey stallion. It is pertinent to note the
women ride stallions, a reference to male potency. By the women
riding them, they are controlling all male forces in nature.
Other horse Goddess likely sprung from her tales, such as Macha,
Edain, Rhiannon and Mawve - even to Lady Godiva - since Jean
Marcela, author of the superb work on Celtic Goddesses, The
Women of the Celts, believes she may have been the firs
'Mother' Goddess of the Celts, even to predating Dana.
She opens
the gates of Beltaine for Elphame to rule as Queen of May, and
closes them on All Souls Eve to hand over rule to Cailleach,
Queen of Samhaine, then carries all the souls to Sommerlands
to be re-born again come Spring.
The ancient
hill cutting of the chalk horse of Uffington, England is assumed
an ancient shrine to her, as well as similar cuttings. Even the
Anglo-Saxons may have worshipped her in the form of their horse
Goddess, Horsa. This wide spread veneration of the animal as
a sacred symbol of Epona, of the Triple Goddess, is often sighted
as a possible reason for the British reluctance to eat horseflesh,
a revulsion which has passed on in the beliefs of her colonies.
Epona's
symbols are ravens, apples, fire, the sun, pregnancy, the colours
green and blue, john barlecorn, grains and the number five.
36"
X 36" one of a kind handpainted silk wallhanging. Winner
of the Mythology Division at the 2000 North Texas Irish Festival
Celtic Art Competition..
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