Woman & Horse
Published on Nov 19, 2015
The mythology of horses and women as sun goddesses is presented in this Haiku Deck by Margaret Merisante Ph.D.
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the Sun was a goddess.
In several ancient cultures
The sun was a goddess in the following cultures:
Japanese
Scandinavian
Germanic
Egyptian
Baltic
Australian
British Isles
and Anatolian
to name a few.
Japanese
Scandinavian
Germanic
Egyptian
Baltic
Australian
British Isles
and Anatolian
to name a few.
Photo by Paulo Brandão
Sun goddesses were seen as mares
for a number of reasons:
Photo by Werner Kunz
The swiftness of horses
seemed to match the Sun's speed.
Pre-Vedic mythology had solar mare goddesses such as Saranyū and Urvaśi. Mare goddesses racing in myths (such as the Celtic goddess Macha or Rhiannon hint at this ancient link.
Photo by rarejacksonholerealestate
Mares, like the sun,
bring forth new life each spring.
Mares' gestational period is approximately 370 days. Thus, symbolically, the mare conceived, grew and birthed a foal for a solar year.
Photo by mikemcsharry
The Sacred Mare is White
displaying its mythic connection to light.
The White Horse of Uffington is the most famous of these solar mare representations, but the British Isles has numerous examples carved into the land.
Photo by gareth1953 Cataract Creating Chaos
Solar mare goddesses
daily pulled the Sun into the sky
solar mare goddess.
Even now, our psyches remember the powerful
Women also symbolized Nature
& wildness, especially sexual desire.
Women=nature is a common patriarchal mythic theme.
As a corollary, female sexuality has been cast as wild, uncontrolled, or untamed.
As a corollary, female sexuality has been cast as wild, uncontrolled, or untamed.
Photo by Christophe MacLaren
merged with Venus
Thus, the solar mare goddesses
When patriarchal cultures claimed the sun as male, the solar mare goddesses became linked to the planet Venus. Venus as the morning star always rises before the sun and is just as brilliant. As a result the mare goddess also became more eroticized.
Photo by kevin dooley
Naked and desirable
For centuries, the sexual mare goddess was seen as
Lady Godiva was a historical figure and was nothing like the solar mare goddess. However, her name is forever linked to this symbolism.
Photo by sofi01
& women just got carried away
Later, sexual power shifted to stallions
Especially in Greek myth, centaurs were portrayed as lustful and insatiable.
Photo by peterjr1961
The sacred horse became just male
tamed, sacrificial, and tied to war.
Horses have been commandeered as a premier military tool.
Photo by Kaptain Kobold
We bring light and life to the world.
Photo by VinothChandar
and that is truly divine.
Photo by Eduardo Amorim
