In Helix Park in Falkirk, Scotland stands a magnificent dual sculpture: the heads of two horses, their manes whipping back in the wind and their eyes fire-red at night. Standing 100 feet tall, this impressive piece of art is a massive feat of engineering as well. Visitors can walk freely around these towering statues and can step inside for a guided tour as well.
But this giant equine sculpture is more than an artistic statement. It is a monument, a tribute to all the work draft horses have contributed to the area. More broadly, it is a tribute to the importance of draft horses in Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. And, without a doubt, this piece of art symbolizes the significance of horses in Celtic culture and folklore.
The Kelpies (as the monument is called) alludes to shapeshifting faeries of Scottish and Irish folklore. While kelpies are probably the best-known of all the equine-looking faeries of Celtic folklore, there are others. Horses, from the real-life Welsh Pit Ponies to the mythical Irish Each Uisce and the Scottish Unicorn, have been an intrinsic part of Celtic culture throughout the centuries.
The Role of Horses in Celtic Society
Although some Irish, Scots, and Welsh have made a living as fishers, Celtic culture, for the most part, has been agrarian. Until the relatively recent invention of motorized vehicles, horses were invaluable to farmers. They not only pulled plows. Horses helped transport goods to and from the marketplace. Also, they provide transport for long-distance travel.
Shetland ponies, said to have been in Scotland since the Bronze Age, served many purposes. In addition to pulling plows, these hardy ponies were used as pack animals as well as for pulling carts and for transportation. Also, the hair from their tails was used by Shetland fishermen for fishing lines.
When coal mining became a major industry in the 1800s, Many Shetlands were transported to Wales to work as Pit Ponies.
Pit Ponies—which included a variety of breeds of ponies, horses, and even mules, worked carrying coal in the mines. Although they performed valuable work for humans, these poor equines were treated abominably (as were the miners), often kept underground for months at a time. Despite the hardiness of these animals, their life expectancy was shortened by more than half because of this abuse.
The Irish, of course, also used horses for farming, carting, and transportation. But horses also provided—and still do provide—an exciting element to Irish lives: horse racing. Officially, horse racing has been an organized sport in Ireland since the 18th century, but mythology and oral tradition demonstrate a much older history.
The ancient text, Togail Bruidne Dá Derga, tells the story of chariot races in Kildare during the reign of Ireland’s first High King, Conaire Mór. Also, the legendary Fianna, mythic hero Fionn mac Cumhaill’s elite guard, patrolled and protected the borders of the king’s land on horseback. They also rode horses for hunting, going on cattle raids, and engaging in battle.
Other than the scandalous treatment of Pit Ponies, the history of the relationship between Celts and their horses is one of reverence, respect, and affection.
Epona and Rhiannon
Across the Celtic world, there was a goddess of horses. Her name was Epona. The name is believed to be derived from the words epos (horse) and ona (meaning—surprisingly enough—on). She often is associated with the idea of the souls of the deceased journeying to the Otherworld. This connects nicely with the Celtic view of horses as a symbol of transformation or transcendence.
Rhiannon, a renowned enchantress and queen in Welsh folklore, is considered by many scholars as a variant figure of Epona. Horses figure prominently in her story.
When Rhiannon first appears in Welsh mythology, she is riding a white horse. King Pwyll of Dyfed is out also riding horses with his buddies when he sees this beautiful woman in the distance. He gallops towards her. But even though her horse appears to be going at a walking pace, he cannot catch up with the woman. Finally, he gives up and goes home but he can’t get her out of his mind.
The next day, he returns to the spot, sees her, and the game plays out the same way. On the third day, he finally calls after her to stop so he can talk to her. She complies. When he reaches her, she tells him she would have waited on the first day if he had just asked her to.
She’s an enchantress. They play games like that you know.
To Pwyll’s delight, Rhiannon decides to marry him. But there are a few complications to work out first. Like she’s already scheduled to marry someone else. If you want the full (and often humorous story), I’ve told it here.
Later, the happy couple have a child—a son and heir. But (spoiler alert!) things turn tragic. After giving birth, Rhiannon falls asleep. So do her maids. When the maids wake up, the baby has vanished. To protect themselves, they smear animal blood on the sleeping Rhiannon then accuse her before the whole court of infanticide. Even though she is innocent (another spoiler alert—the baby was stolen by a monster), she agrees to do penance for a year.
This is where Rhiannon’s story circles back to horses in a way that’s maybe a bit unsavory. Pwyll orders her to sit every day at the castle and call out to passersby. She then has to tell them of her purported crime and offer to carry them on her back like a horse. So, her husband orders her to let strange men mount and ride her like a horse…moving on.
Water Horses and Unicorns
Celtic folklore is rich with stories of water horses, shapeshifting faeries who inhabit lochs, rivers, and even seas. These faeries have a predilection for appearing in equine form. They tend to be dangerous, even malevolent, and seem to enjoy seducing, killing, and eating humans. Below is a short list of the major water horses.
Kelpies: Scottish waters—rivers, lochs, streams—are hangouts for Kelpies. They may look like horses or ponies and seem cute or lost. Don’t be fooled! They’re dangerous shape-shifting faeries. Kelpies encourage humans to ride them. Don’t! Once you’re on the Kelpie's back, you will not be able to get off. What happens next? The Kelpie rides into the water, drowns you, then eats you. So there. You've been warned.
Each Uisce (Irish) or Each Uisge (Scottish): In Irish, Scottish, and Manx folklore, this shapeshifting faerie has the same m.o. as a kelpie but is said to be more vicious (I’m not sure how that’s possible). Although he’s been known to inhabit freshwater lochs, the Each Uisge is most associated with the sea. He’s said to be most active during Samhain (the Irish language word for November as well as the name of the Celtic fire festival). In addition to eating humans, this faerie enjoys seducing women and has been said even to show up at their houses (in the form of a handsome man)! A note to any woman who thinks being seduced by a Bad Boy faerie might be fun—he doesn’t just seduce women; he eats them too.
Ceffyl Dŵr: This Welsh water horse is similar to kelpies and the Each Uisce—a shapeshifting faerie who likes to take on the appearance of a horse to lure humans. It can be found around lakes, rivers, and waterfalls. One twist: it flies—with or without wings. Once it reaches a good height, it vanishes, leaving the person to fall to his or her demise. The Ceffyl Dŵr doesn’t eat its victims. It seems to kill humans just for kicks.
Cabyll-Ushtey: The Manx version of the Each Uisce.
But Celtic folklore has a few more positive equine characters too.
Enbarr of the Flowing Mane: A prized possession of the Irish sea god, Manannán, Enbarr could travel faster than the wind over land or over the sea! (The Isle of Man, by the way, is not named for humankind. It is named after the Irish sea deity).
The White Horse of Summer: In Celtic Tree “astrology,” the White Horse of Summer is the animal sign of those born under the influence of the Holly (July 8-August 4). White Horses can transform into unicorns. To find out more about the characteristics of people born under the sign of the Holly and the White Horse / Unicorn, click here.
The Scottish Unicorn: Both the White Horse of Summer and Unicorns are rare creatures, magical, wild, and free. The national animal of Scotland is the unicorn—but it is not the unicorn of stuffed animals and little girls’ daydreams. The Scottish Unicorn is untamed, an unbroken fighter. While it is not malevolent by nature, this unicorn should not be messed with. It is strong, fierce, and independent (not to mention magical).
So, while horses may not have immediately sprung to mind when I said “Celts,” you can see that equine creatures are very much a part of Celtic culture, its folklore, its history, and its psyche.
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All artwork for this post (except for the Ukranian flag and the GIF) by Christine Dorman via Bing Image Creator.
Slán go fóill