Today we decided to talk about horses from the side of cultural studies and get to know this powerful symbol better.
The first thing that we have to mention, is that “The Horse” is positive symbol in the most of the countries and cultures with the exception of only a few negative references to devil-horses or werewolves horses in Scandinavian Mythology. More over, in some of cultures it is the most important animal and spirit.
Here is the main meanings of “The Horse”, which can be seen in different times and regions all over the world:
- Freedom
- Wisdom
- Power
- Good luck
- Beauty
- Housekeeping
Obviously, horses played one of the main roles in the History of Humanity, here we can talk about military purpose, hunting, transportation, and, of course, agrarian revolution. That’s why it’s the positive symbol and important spiritual animal. It is a great example of common cultural codes and unifying images, no matter where you were born and where you were raised, you think about a horse as about something kind and wise, more likely you have warm childhood memories related to horse (real or toy).
Here you can see some examples of interesting traditional Horses Symbols:
1. "Wind Horse" is a flying horse that is the symbol of the human soul in the shamanic tradition of East and Central Asia. In Tibetian Buddhism, it was included as the pivotal element in the center of the four animals symbolizing the cardinal directions and a symbol of the idea of well-being or good fortune.
2. "Dala Horse" - is a Swedish traditional wooden toy horse for children, symbol of home and family.
3. "Pegasus" - magical horse with wings, Greek mythology. Pegasus is the son of Poseidon and the Medusa. Poseidon was also the creator of horses, creating them out of the breaking the waves.
4. Horse in Chinese Zodiac is one of the most important animals. Seen as strong, powerful and elegant. Next year of the horse: 2026.
