JOURNAL ENTRY 4: EPONA

I am a crazy mythology lover. I really enjoy imagining the world of gods and goddesses. I like reading about ancient tribes. I feel like a member of the Celts. I adore horses and riding is my favourite sports. So, I love “Epona” because she is the combination of these things. Who is this “Epona”?

Epona is one of the Celtic goddesses. “Epona” means “divine mare” in Gaulish. She has many names such as “The Great Mare”, “Mare Goddess” and “Great Queen”. She is known as the goddess of horses. She protects horses and their owners. She is believed to be a shape-shifter. She has magical powers when she looks like a mare. She also represents fertility. What is more, she increases the women power to help them find their own unity. She carries the keys of the underworld. She is like a “Great Mother Goddess” because she has almost all the characteristics of mother goddesses. However, this is not the only reason. As she protects horses, she is thought to protect humankind. Horses are friendly animals and they serve humankind. Thus, Epona serves humankind in that sense. This shows her generosity and makes her mother goddess.   

There is an interesting fact about Epona. I have found it while doing research. Women are equal to men in Celtic culture. They are depicted as strong and clever as men. Thus, Celtic mythology is full of powerful goddesses. However, these goddesses are not well-known because of the dominant effect of Greek mythology on the others. Unfortunately, Epona is among those goddesses. In fact, she is considered as the least-known goddess in Celtic mythology. On the other side, she is the only goddess adopted by the Romans. They worshipped Epona because they thought that the riding skills of the Celts came from their belief in Epona. Although there are many recorded legends and artefacts, Epona is still not known by most.  

                                

You can listen to Enya’s song below. It is short, yet I like the music and video. Especially the video is really fascinating according to me.

All in all, I think Epona deserves a better place in mythology. People should always look for more in mythology because there are always much more stories than guessed in that area. Knowing only Greek mythology does not make you a mythology professor. If you are really interested in mythology, you should get lost during your visits to the world of different mythologies. I think it is enjoyable.