December 18 is Eponas Feast Day. The ancient Celtic goddess was a protector of horses and riders, and was often associated with fertility and healing. As one of the few foreign goddesses to be adopted by the Romans, images of this benevolent figure were placed throughout the ancient European world, and people would often put garlands of roses around the many statues of her they came across on their travels. Epona could take the form of a horse or woman at will. In her equine form, she was a white mare. Interestingly, as you can see from the photos collected here, she also seems to be the patron saint of bridle-less riding. The vast majority of statues show her balanced on her mounts with no obvious restraints. Whether sitting peacefully with horses or poised gracefully on their backs, Epona clearly personifies a more cooperative way of relating to these powerful, mindful, gentle animals!
Posted on: Thu, 18 Dec 2014 16:16:41 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015