Wholesale Celtic Jewelry - Epona Uffington White Horse Earrings
Epona Uffington White Horse Earrings
A PIECE WITH HISTORY!
(see white horse symbolism below)
Double-Sided & Three Dimensional!
Shown both Sides!
Even lovlier than pictured!
Item # 1476-FEW - Measurements: 36 x 14 mm
Uffington White Horse Symbolism / Epona Among the Ancient Celts, the Horse was
considered a symbol of chieftainship. This beautiful shape was found
carved into a hill and now stands as an eternal symbol & monument
to an ancient heritage and belief system.
In Celtic Mythology, the mare is associated with the Goddess Epona.
Please see below for more about Epona & the Uffington White Horse.
Epona can be traced back under that name to the
Gallic peoples of what is now northern France. However as these people,
along with the Celts, are descendants of tribal peoples who came from
the east, spreading up along the Danube valley into central and western
Europe, it is not surprising that kindred peoples have the horse as
a primary totem deity as the horse would have been vital for a wandering
people.
The worship of the horse had certainly spread to
Britain by the Bronze Age. The most famous of all horse monuments,
the White Horse of Uffington, has been dated to around 1400 BCE. This
figure is carved deep into solid chalk on a Berkshire hillside.
Epona existed in other guises throughout the Celtic
world, becoming Rhiannon in Wales and Macha in Ireland.
Despite the loss of the Gallic kings to the Roman
invasion Epona's worship flourished as she was adopted by the cavalry
legions and spread throughout the empire. There is evidence, from
writings such as "The Golden Ass" of Apuleus, that she spread
further from just being a goddess of the cavalry into being a goddess
of anyone who worked or had dealings with horses.
Epona, was especially worshipped as a protectress
of horses, a bringer of fecundity to mares, and a giver of well being
to fools. She was the only Celtic Goddess to be adopted by the Romans.
Comfortable in both the realm of life and that
of death, Epona is a strong symbol of independence, nurturing, intuitive
understanding, instinct and vitality.
She is also identified with the Celtic Goddess Edain.