The Horse
To a mobile people in an ancient and harsh world, the horse was essential to Celtic society and survival. A symbol of status and culture, the horse represented speed, vitality and fertility. Horses were also linked to the night and goddesses, bringing “nightmares.”
No bad dreams here! Only pretty hand painted Celtic horses to decorate your home. Click on the wood jewelry box, decorative tray or decorative plaque to see a larger image. Canter on through to find the ideal gift for the horse lover! Just click on the images or “Buy Now!” links to see more detail.
$25 |
$30 |
$20 |
Scroll down to find out about an ancient Celtic horse in Britain. |
Celtic Horse
The Uffington White Horse, Britain's oldest and most famous hill figure is believed by many to be a Celtic symbol of Epona the horse goddess. The figure is cut out of the turf exposing the chalk bedrock below. The Celts in Gaul worshipped Epona, epos is the Gaulish for horse. Recent tests have dated the the figure was originally cut three thousand years ago.
In latter centuries the figure was ritually scoured every seven years to prevent it becoming overgrown. The local gentry would organise and fund the work by local residents, a festival grew up around the event. Morris dancing, traditional games and cheese rolling would extend over three days. This ritual scouring of the horse stopped around the start of the twentieth century.
Fortunately the white horse has been preserved by The National trust and English Heritage taking over the preservation and scouring. The white horse is situated about one and a half miles south of the village of Uffington on the Berkshire Downs; now in Oxfordshire since boundary changes in the nineteen-seventies.
