THE spell of the black horse was cast at the very beginning of the horse-human partnership. In about 750BC, Homer detailed in the Iliad T a 'swift horse of Adrastus, that was of heavenly stock'. The blisteringly fast, black-maned Arion was the offspring of the goddess Demeter, who had turned herself into a mare to escape the attentions of the sea god Poseidon. In the shape-shifting manner of lovestruck classical deities, Poseidon turned himself into a stallion and so Arion was born, a heroic creature, briefly ridden by Hercules, said to be immortal and, like Anna Sewell's Black Beauty some 26 centuries later, gifted with human speech.
The link between the black horse and the water, reprised in the 20th century in the first Lloyds Bank commercial, emerged at the same time in Breton mythology in the form of Morvarc'h, the beloved mount of Malgven, Queen of the North, who breathed fire and could gallop over the waves. With this special power, he rescued the king of the doomed city of Ys when the sea engulfed it. In Brittany, France, homage is paid to Morvarc'h in the form of equestrian statues, one of which stands proudly on the west façade of Quimper Cathedral.
Synonymous with divinity, true black is the rarest of colours in horses. This black jewel may have been what drew a teenage Macedonian prince to Bucephalus, a black horse said to be unrideable, in 327BC. He bet his father the animal's asking price that he could train it. By talking quietly to the horse and getting him used to his flapping cloak-methods of which Sewell would definitely have approved-he succeeded in gaining his trust.
Denne historien er fra November 01, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
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Denne historien er fra November 01, 2023-utgaven av Country Life UK.
Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.
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Kitchen garden cook - Apples
'Sweet and crisp, apples are the epitome of autumn flavour'
The original Mr Rochester
Three classic houses in North Yorkshire have come to the market; the owner of one inspired Charlotte Brontë to write Jane Eyre
Get it write
Desks, once akin to instruments of torture for scribes, have become cherished repositories of memories and secrets. Matthew Dennison charts their evolution
'Sloes hath ben my food'
A possible paint for the Picts and a definite culprit in tea fraud, the cheek-suckingly sour sloe's spiritual home is indisputably in gin, says John Wright
Souvenirs of greatness
FOR many years, some large boxes have been stored and forgotten in the dark recesses of the garage. Unpacked last week, the contents turned out to be pots: some, perhaps, nearing a century old—dense terracotta, of interesting provenance.
Plants for plants' sake
The garden at Hergest Croft, Herefordshire The home of Edward Banks The Banks family is synonymous with an extraordinary collection of trees and shrubs, many of which are presents from distinguished friends, garnered over two centuries. Be prepared to be amazed, says Charles Quest-Ritson
Capturing the castle
Seventy years after Christian Dior’s last fashion show in Scotland, the brand returned under creative director Maria Grazia Chiuri for a celebratory event honouring local craftsmanship, the beauty of the land and the Auld Alliance, explains Kim Parker
Nature's own cathedral
Our tallest native tree 'most lovely of all', the stately beech creates a shaded environment that few plants can survive. John Lewis-Stempel ventures into the enchanted woods
All that money could buy
A new book explores the lost riches of London's grand houses. Its author, Steven Brindle, looks at the residences of plutocrats built by the nouveaux riches of the late-Victorian and Edwardian ages
In with the old
Diamonds are meant to sparkle in candlelight, but many now gather dust in jewellery boxes. To wear them today, we may need to reimagine them, as Hetty Lintell discovers with her grandmother's jewellery