I love mermaids and unicorns, so I am super excited to share The Mermaid and the Unicorns by L T Getty. Isn’t this a gorgeous cover? And how about this fantastic guest post. Horses are such an elegant animal to watch. (guest post images linked to Wikipedia)
Ten Horses found in Mythology throughout the world
The horse is so iconic in our ancient myth and folklore, when I found myself researching what I thought would be an easy topic I found myself having a hard time narrowing it down. To qualify for this list specifically, the horse itself had to have supernatural qualities or features, as opposed to the many relatively ordinary yet magnificent steeds owned by famous literary and legendary figures. I also considered characters like Shadowfax from The Lord of the Rings, but decided against more modern depictions but feel free to discuss them below.
When I was researching this article I found that there was at times a bit of conflicting information (I’m looking at you, Pegasus). For the most part I’m going to go with the most common interpretation or origin. I encourage you to read more on the articles or discuss below.
- Hippocampus
The name coming from the Greek tradition, although there were similar depictions among the Picts, Phoencians and Etruscans. The mythical water horse is said have the front half of a horse, with the back half of a fish, and was said to pull Poseidon’s underwater chariot.
- Pegasus
The most common greek story the winged horse was named Pegasus, which came out of the head of Medusa after Perseus slew Medusa, but today the name has become synonymous with most winged horses in the western tradition. The winged horses are found throughout the world in myth and legend, from the traditional mounts of the Norse Valkyries and the Korean Chollima, if I try to start naming them all I’m likely to forget one.
- Tulpar
The tulpar was a winged or swift horse found inside Turkish folklore, and is on the official state emblem of Kazakhstan, Mongolia and Bashkortostan. The wings were not necessarily to indicate flight, but speed.
4) Uchchaihshravas
A seven-headed flying horse said to be created at the churning of the milk oceans. Uchchaihshravras is said to be the greatest horse, and was taken by Indra, king of the gods and used as his own personal mount but is also recorded as the horse of Bali, king of the asuras (demons).
- Sleipnir
Odin’s seven-legged horse, said to be fathered by Svaðilfari and er… “mothered” by Loki when he was in the shape of a mare. Look, if you read Norse Mythology, you’ll know that this isn’t the least weird thing Loki has done. We could circle back to an earlier tangent on Pegasus if you’d like, but moving on…
6) Centaur
Okay, this one’s a bit of a cheat. They have the body of a horse, but the upper body of a man or woman. Originating from ancient Greek mythology, centaurs were sometimes rumoured to be more like wild horses, and were often depicted kidnapping human women.
7) Kelpie
A Scottish fae creature with shape shifting abilities, could appear human or in the shape of a horse. Virtually every significant body of water in Scotland is associated with some Kelpie. In horse shape, it would bid the unsuspecting rider to mount, then would take them to the nearest body of water and drown them, or at least give them a solid dunking.
8) Each-Uisge (Ech-ooshkya) (Scottish) or Aughisky (Agh-iski) (Irish)
Very similar to the kelpie, these were the more vicious variations. These shapeshifter horses were also of a tradition to let the rider on their backs, although they could take the shape of a handsome young man to come courting. However if they smelled water, their skin would become adhesive take their rider to it and drown, and then devour them, leaving behind only their liver.
9) Quilin
Another bit of a cheat, the quilin often is depicted in the west as a Chinese Unicorn, but they often have very distinct physical differences that aliken them sometimes more similar to a dragon. The quilin is scaled and often depicted with the body like a deer or a horse, and are almost depicted with hooves, and their appearance is often associated with the impending death of a sage or ruler. They have similar depictions in the Japanese and Korean mythology where they are called Kirin.
10) Unicorn
Unicorns have become synonymous with goodness and purity, and were often hunted for their horns, which were said to be able to cure poison. The trick was luring the unicorn, in which the help of a virgin was necessary to lull it to sleep. The unicorn is often depicted as very similar to a horse, but having some key differences; almost always they are depicted with a single horn. Some times these features include the tail of a lion and the cloven hooves of a goat, as well as the depiction of wings, although a more modern term naming unicorns with wings alicorns.
These are just ten mythical horses found throughout culture, and they’ve been depicted in many tales of folklore and legend, and many are staples in fantasy movies and literature to this day. What are some of your favourites above, and not on the list? What would you like to see more of? Who are your favourite individual horses as characters? Is Starlite from Rainbow Brite really the most magnificent horse, or do you prefer She-ra’s Swift Wind? Comment below.
What an awesome post. Thanks so much for sharing L T.
The Mermaid and the Unicorns by L.T. Getty
GENRE: Middle Grade Fantasy Adventure
BLURB
Daphne’s a typical mermaid, and at least according to her, that’s a problem. She’s courageous and has a beautiful singing voice, but lacks the power of an elemental, the ability to command water with the sound of her voice. Jealous of her best friend, she makes a deal with a sea-witch, only to be betrayed, in place of her beautiful tail and flukes Daphne’s left beached with a pair of human legs. The spell keeping Daphne looking human will become permanent, unless Daphne can hunt down and bring the scheming Lorelei a unicorn horn before the next full moon.
Unable to reach her friends and family for help, Daphne doesn’t know how to walk, much less where to find a unicorn or how to catch one. Even if she’s successful, Daphne’s still not sure if she can trust Lorelei and her pint-sized kraken to keep their end of the bargain and let her return to the sea.
EXCERPT
“What’s Pass the Lumberjack’s Hat Around?” she asked Esperanza once the other girl got called to go work the front.
“Possibly the worst song in existence,” Esperanza said. “You know how sometimes songs don’t make sense? At all?”
“Yeah,” Daphne said. “But sometimes, people don’t understand the hidden meaning…”
Esperanza arched an eyebrow, cleared her throat, then began to tap her foot before singing,
“Throw the mouses in the skittle
Round and Round a hey diddle-diddle!
Rubes be dark and ducks do quack,
Shall My Lady Love turn back?”
Daphne tried not to laugh. “You just made that up.”
“It gets better,” Esperanza said, still tapping.
“Round the goose to my captain’s ball,
The goat’s favourite clover is a free-for-all!
Dirty socks all about the town,
Pass the lumberjack’s hat around!”
Esperanza stopped tapping and made a face. “Fortunately, you need a half-gallon jug filled a third to blow, three people playing the spoons, and two violins to get an idea what it’s supposed to sound like. It’s also supposed to have a cowbell and a really loud drum, but most people just clang on whatever they find.”
Daphne said, “Can you teach me a song that would be appropriate for the contest?”
“Sure. I know what a bunch of the others said they were doing, so that way you won’t have anyone singing the same thing. I can teach you Maid in Mourning or Velvet Tears in less than an hour. Is there a specific song you’d like to learn?”
“Maybe something a little less weepy,” Daphne suggested.
“Okay—how about The Forlorn Rose or Indigo Woods? You’re allowed a single person for accompaniment…”Esperanza kept talking, but Daphne overheard one of the girls whistling, and then, someone sang,
“Shoo bee doo my feet turned blue”
“Dancing round and around my nose achoo!” sang the girl, sweeping nearby.
“The Duke’s in the henhouse and the earl’s a clown,”
“PASS THE LUMBERJACK’S HAT AROOOOUND!” sang the artist, horribly, from the main room.
“I don’t pay you lot to sing!” Irene shouted from where she worked near the ovens, but like all bad songs, the little diddy had caught on like wildfire.
“Pass the Lumberjack’s hat around, hat around, hat around,
“Pass the Lumberjack’s hat around,
“Until we get some GRAVY!”
Almost everyone in the bakery was stomping and clapping. One of the girls was dancing a jig on a table because she knew Irene couldn’t see her.
AUTHOR Bio and Links
L.T. Getty is a rural paramedic from Manitoba. She enjoys writing science fiction and fantasy and generally being creative.
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