Three Famous Mythical Horses

We had so much fun diving into the world of the horses we've loved in the pages of our favorite children's books, we wanted to dive in a little deeper! We are going from the pages of our favorite books to the legends of our favorite mythical horses that have been around for centuries!

Hello, Lowcountry! We hope you've been enjoying this beautiful weather as much as we have! Before you know it, you'll be able to enjoy the best horseback riding trails in Charleston with us! We have been getting ready for you, and our horses can't wait to see you again. Until then, we hope you and your family continue to stay healthy and safe. Did you enjoy our last blog revisiting some of your favorite fictional horses you grew up with? We loved researching and revisiting those stories and took so much comfort from them. We loved it so much that we thought we would take this blog one step further and visit some of the most famous and mythical horses of all time. When we dove into this magical world, it proved to be very surprising. It might just put your knowledge to the test. We are excited to see how much you know and remember about these fascinating creatures.

PEGASUS
We couldn't begin or write a blog about mythical horses without starting or including Pegasus! This beautiful winged creature was born from the pages of Greek Mythology and was the child of Medusa and Poseidon. Pegasus has been seen in literature, art, and currency since as early as the 7th Century BCE in Corinthian culture. As the Greek myth goes, Poseidon fathered Pegasus with Medusa, and Pegasus was born when the hero Perseus slew Medusa by cutting off her head. The blood from her neck fell into the ocean, and out of the white ocean foam came Pegasus. The immortal horse received its signature bright white color from being born of the beautiful white sea foam. Poseidon gifted the horse to his son Bellerophon. Together the pair fought and won many famous mythical battles including Bellerophon's fight against the Chimaera. The two were quite a pair until similarly to Icarus, Bellerophon flew too close to the Mountain of the Gods. Pegasus threw him off his back and down to Earth. Grecian legend goes on to say that Pegasus was then gifted to Eos, and helped him pull Dawn across the sky. Others believe this is when Pegasus officially became a constellation and the servant of Zeus. He provided Zeus with all the thunder and lighting he needed. Thanks to Roman art, the history of Pegasus was immortalized which eventually lead to him becoming a symbol of immortality. To this day Pegasus appears in art, literature, cartoons, famous children's books, and movies. What has been your favorite version of Pegasus?

HIPPOGRIFF
This incredible mythical creature has a very interesting beginning. With the body and hindquarters of a horse and the front half of a griffin, the Hippogriff was created. Many credit this creation to Ancient Greek lore, some to Virgil, and others to the 16th-century poet Ludovico Ariosto. According to the Encyclopedia Britannica, this creature was created and written about by Ariosto, while the other's just mentioned his possibility. The Hippogriff appeared in Ariosto's poem entitled "Orlando Furioso" which was indeed credited and based on Virgil's Eclogue, according to Marianne Shapiro's "The Poetics of Ariosto". The famous poem made its the first appearance in 1516 and had multiple revisions between that date and 1532, very close to Ariosto's death. The creature is supposed to signify something impossible because it was known throughout lore that griffins and horses were mortal enemies. The Hippogriff was and still is a legendary creature that lives within Greek Folklore, and continued to grow in fame thanks to Ariosto. The creature is said to be able to fly around the world and even to the moon. It has also been very frequently depicted on the coat of arms after it's appearance in the 16th-century poem. He is also said to be a symbol of the Greek god Apollo. Today, the Hippogriff has made a very popular comeback thank's to writer J.K Rowling and her Harry Potter book series. Rowling created and introduced the character of Buckbeak the Hippogriff to the Harry Potter world and its fans. He continues to be one of the most popular characters in all of the seven books.

UNICORNS
Before we closed out this blog we had to touch on one of the most famous mythical horses of all time, the unicorn. This creature is depicted as a beautiful horse with a single horn coming out of its forehead. This legendary creature has been depicted in modern cartoons, books, and movies for a very long time. But, its mythical legend and how long it has been included in art, literature, and storytelling dates back thousands of years. It has been mentioned across multiple races and religions, appearing in Ancient Greek mythology, The Bible, European Folklore, Chinese mythology, and it's timeline spans from antiquity and beyond. Through each of these tellings, the Unicorn is depicted in multiple, albeit very similar, forms of appearance with multiple different and very interesting and sometimes disturbing stories of parentage. Although considered a relic of mythology, the creature was very real for many cultures and civilizations for many years. The horn, drinking from the horn, or drinking its blood has been cited to save the drinker from poison, sickness, and even death. To this day, thanks to cartoons, books, and the popularity of mythical lore, the unicorn still holds a very popular place. To many, it stands for something rare and represents fantasy.

How did these facts test your knowledge of ancient lore and Greek mythology? Did we stump you or did you already know these facts and details? There were a few things we learned ourselves, and we now have a huge urge to go back and visit some of our favorite Harry Potter books and favorite childhood cartoons where these beautiful creatures live. Please continue to stay safe everyone. The longer you stay safe, the sooner we can get back to the trails! Remember, once we do get back to normal we offer the best horseback riding in Charleston, the best horse trail riding in Charleston, and more. During this break, take the time to visit all of the pages of our website, and enjoy learning more about Middleton trail rides! We will see you soon!

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