"Balius and Xanthus Balius (; Ancient Greek: Βάλιος, ""Balios"", possibly ""dappled"") and Xanthus (; Ancient Greek: Ξάνθος, ""Xanthos"", ""blonde"") were, according to Greek mythology, two immortal horses, the offspring of the harpy Podarge and the West wind, Zephyrus; following another tradition, their father was Zeus. ""Note: Balius and Xanthus are the Latin forms of the Greek names Balios and Xanthos."" Poseidon gave the two horses to King Peleus of Phthia, as a wedding gift, when Peleus married the Ocean goddess Thetis. Peleus later gave the horses to his son Achilles who took them to draw his chariot during the Trojan"
"the 15th century, the region became Turkish. The ancient city had long since been abandoned. Trojan War heroes and Lycian leaders Glaucus and Sarpedon are described in the Iliad as coming from the land of the Xanthos River. In the same text, Achilles' immortal, talking horse is named Xanthos. Xanthus is mentioned by numerous ancient Greek and Roman writers. Strabo notes Xanthos as the largest city in Lycia. Both Herodotus and Appian describe the conquest of the city by Harpagus on behalf of the Persian Empire, in approximately 540 BC. According to Herodotus, the Persians met and defeated a small"
"Xanthippus Xanthippus (; , ; c. 525-475 BC) was a wealthy Athenian politician and general during the early part of the 5th century BC. His name means ""Yellow Horse."" He was the son of Ariphron and father of Pericles. He is often associated with the Alcmaeonid clan. Although not born to the Alcmaeonidae, he married into the family when he wed Cleisthenes' niece Agariste, and would come to represent their interests in government. He distinguished himself in the Athenian political arena, championing the aristocratic party. His rivalry with Themistocles led to his ostracism, only to be recalled from exile when"
"Xanthippe Xanthippe (; , ; 5th – 4th century BCE) was an ancient Athenian, the wife of Socrates and mother of their three sons: Lamprocles, Sophroniscus, and Menexenus. She was likely much younger than Socrates, perhaps by as much as 40 years. Xanthippe means ""yellow horse"", from ""xanthos"" ""blond"" and ""hippos"" ""horse"". Hers is one of many Greek personal names with a horse theme (cf. ""Philippos"" ""Friend of Horses"", ""Hippocrates"" ""Horse-tamer"" etc.). The ""hippos"" in an ancient Greek name often suggested aristocratic heritage. One additional reason for thinking Xanthippe's family was socially prominent was that her eldest son was named"
"Bucephalus Bucephalus or Bucephalas (; or Βουκεφάλας, from ""bous"", ""ox"" and ""kephalē"", ""head"" meaning ""ox-head"") ( – June 326 BC) was the horse of Alexander the Great, and one of the most famous horses of antiquity. Ancient accounts state that Bucephalus died after the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC, in what is now modern Punjab Province of Pakistan, and is buried in Jalalpur Sharif outside Jhelum, Punjab, Pakistan. Another account states that Bucephalus is buried in Phalia, a town in Pakistan's Mandi Bahauddin District in Punjab Province, which is named after him (Alexandria Bucephalous). Bucephalus was named after"
"horse Tempestris the wings of an eagle (Zeus' sacred animal), enabling the horse to fly over the high Caucasus Mountains and carry Phrontis safely to Ionetrea. After arriving at Ionetrea, Phrontis freed his brother Melas, and many other Greek and Anatolian traveling merchants, from prison bonds. Afterward he helped the inhabitants of Ionetrea to revolt and to overthrow and kill Talycrates, thus liberating the Ionetreans from his tyrannical oppression. An Ionetrean maiden named Lystra joined Phrontis and Melas on the journey back to Greece, and Phrontis married Lystra in Greece. Phrontis Phrontis (/fron-tis/; Ancient Greek: Φροντις) was one of four"
"to Daddy by Aphex Twin, he named one of his most impressive experimental tracks ""Bucephalus Bouncing Ball"" to incite listeners to think of great horses trotting into battle. Bucephalus Bucephalus or Bucephalas (; or Βουκεφάλας, from ""bous"", ""ox"" and ""kephalē"", ""head"" meaning ""ox-head"") ( – June 326 BC) was the horse of Alexander the Great, and one of the most famous horses of antiquity. Ancient accounts state that Bucephalus died after the Battle of the Hydaspes in 326 BC, in what is now modern Punjab Province of Pakistan, and is buried in Jalalpur Sharif outside Jhelum, Punjab, Pakistan. Another account"
"abducted the goddess Chloris, and gave her the domain of flowers. With Chloris, he fathered Karpos (""Fruit""). He is said to have vied for Chloris's love with his brother Boreas, eventually winning her devotion. Additionally, with yet another sister and lover, the harpy Podarge (also known as Celaeno), Zephyrus was said to be the father of Balius and Xanthus, Achilles' horses. In the story of Cupid and Psyche, Zephyrus served Eros (or Cupid) by transporting Psyche to his abode. Zephyrus' Roman equivalent was Favonius (the 'favouring') who held dominion over plants and flowers. The Roman poet Horace writes: <poem>""quid fles,"
"mouth with his hands to prevent him from answering, and thus saved his companions. Some say he held Anticlus so tight that he strangled him. The asteroid 7214 Anticlus is named for the mythological figure. Anticlus In Greek mythology, Anticlus (Greek: Ἄντικλος, ""Antiklos""), son of Ortyx, was one of the Greek warriors who hid inside the Trojan Horse during the siege of Troy. When the wooden horse was taken within the city, Helen, suspecting a trick by the Greeks, circled the horse imitating the voices of the warriors' wives and sweethearts and calling their names. Anticlus was the only one"
"under the title of ""Zeus Agamemnon"". His tomb was pointed out among the ruins of Mycenae and at Amyclae. Another account makes him the son of Pleisthenes (the son or father of Atreus), who is said to have been Aerope's first husband. In works of art, there is considerable resemblance between the representations of Zeus, king of the gods, and Agamemnon, king of men. He is generally depicted with a sceptre and diadem, conventional attributes of kings. Agamemnon's mare was named Aetha. She was also one of two horses driven by Menelaus at the funeral games of Patroclus. Following his"
"Xuthus In Greek mythology, Xuthus (; ""Xouthos"") was a king of Peloponnesus and founder (through his sons) of the Achaean and Ionian nations. According to the author, Robert Graves, Xuthus name came from the word , ""sparrow"". More likely, the name is a variation of Xanthus, which can signify that Xuthus was ""yellow-haired"". Alternatively, a colour xouthos according to Liddell and Scott as ""between xanthos and pyrros"" (i.e. between yellow and red), which means ""tawny"", ""dusky"". This can suggest that his name can refer to either to his skin, his complexion, his hair - or all three characteristics. Xuthus was"
"bull to Athena and/or Apollo. The eighth labour was to bring back the Mares of Diomedes, which had been trained to eat human flesh by their owner, King Diomedes of Thrace. In one version of the story, Hercules brought a number of youths to help him. They took the mares, called Podargos (""swift-footed""), Lampon (""the shining""), Xanthos (""the blond""), and Deinos (""the terrible""), and were chased by Diomedes and his men. Hercules was not aware that the horses were kept tethered to a bronze manger because they were wild; their madness being attributed to an unnatural diet of human flesh."
"Centaur A centaur (; , ""kéntauros"", ), or occasionally hippocentaur, is a mythological creature with the upper body of a human and the lower body and legs of a horse. The centaurs were usually said to have been born of Ixion and Nephele (the cloud made in the image of Hera). Another version, however, makes them children of a certain Centaurus, who mated with the Magnesian mares. This Centaurus was either himself the son of Ixion and Nephele (inserting an additional generation) or of Apollo and Stilbe, daughter of the river god Peneus. In the later version of the story"
"(lines 37-49; also 176-86). A fragment of an encomium by Bacchylides preserved in another of the Oxyrhynchus Papyri (1361) praises Pherenikos once more: victorious with his ""swift hooves"" at Delphi and Olympia, he brought grace to his master. According to Maurice Bowra, since both poets speak of the same horse, this enables comparison of their respective approaches to the epinikion or victory ode: Bacchylides ""enters thoroughly into the excitement of the race"", while Pindar's concern, more than ""beauty as revealed in action"", is moral character and ""kleos"". Pherenikos Pherenikos (Greek: Φερένικος; Latin: Pherenicus) was an Ancient Greek chestnut racehorse victorious"
"magical powers and Peleus managed to escape. He pillaged Iolcus and dismembered Astydameia, then marched his army between the rended limbs. Acastus and Astydamia were dead and the kingdom fell to Jason's son, Thessalus. After Antigone's death, Peleus married the sea-nymph Thetis. He was able to win her with the aid of Proteus, who told Peleus how to overcome Thetis' ability to change her form. Their wedding feast was attended by many of the Olympian gods. As a wedding present, Poseidon gave Peleus two immortal horses: Balius and Xanthus. During the feast, Eris, in revenge for not being invited, produced"
"Greek hero Erichthonius of Athens, the chthonic son of Hephaestus who was raised by the goddess Athena. Erichthonius was generally credited to be the inventor of the quadriga, the four-horse chariot, which he used in the battle against the usurper Amphictyon, the event that made Erichthonius the king of Athens. His chariot was created in the image of the Sun's chariot, the reason Zeus placed him in the heavens. The Athenian hero then dedicated himself to Athena and, soon after, Zeus raised him into the night sky in honor of his ingenuity and heroic deeds. Auriga, however, is sometimes described"
"Myrtilus In Greek mythology, Myrtilus (Ancient Greek: Μυρτίλος) was a divine hero and son of Hermes. His mother is said variously to be an Amazon, either Theobule or Myrto; Phaethusa, daughter of Danaus; or a nymph or mortal woman named Clymene, Clytie, or Cleobule. Myrtilus was the charioteer of King Oenomaus of Pisa in Elis, on the northwest coast of the Peloponnesus. On the eve of the fateful horse race that would decide the marriage between Pelops and Hippodamia, Myrtilus was approached by Pelops (or in some accounts, by Hippodamia) who wanted him to hinder the efforts of his master,"
"Pherenikos Pherenikos (Greek: Φερένικος; Latin: Pherenicus) was an Ancient Greek chestnut racehorse victorious at the Olympic and Pythian Games in the 470s BC. Pherenikos, whose name means ""victory-bearer"", was ""the most famous racehorse in antiquity"". Owned by Hieron I, tyrant of Syracuse, Pherenikos is celebrated in the victory odes of both Pindar and Bacchylides. In ""Pythian Ode III"", Pindar recalls ""the crowns of the Pythian Games"" which Pherenikos had won previously; according to the scholiasts or ancient commentators, Hieron was victorious in the single horse race at Delphi during the twenty-sixth and twenty-seventh iterations of the games, in 482 and"
"later versions of the Alexander Romance also synchronized the hour of their death. The pair forged a sort of cult in that, after them, it was all but expected of a conqueror that he have a favourite horse. Julius Caesar had one; so too did the eccentric Roman Emperor Caligula, who made a great fuss of his horse Incitatus, holding birthday parties for him, riding him while adorned with Alexander's breastplate, and planning to make him a consul. Bucephalus is referenced in art and literature. Paintings of Charles Le Brun's Alexandrine subjects, including Bucephalus, survive today in the Louvre. One"
"pieces of a horse, although not without a certain amount of grumbling. Tyndareus chose Menelaus. Menelaus was a political choice on her father's part. He had wealth and power. He had humbly not petitioned for her himself, but instead sent his brother Agamemnon on his behalf. He had promised Aphrodite a hecatomb, a sacrifice of 100 oxen, if he won Helen, but forgot about it and earned her wrath. Menelaus inherited Tyndareus' throne of Sparta with Helen as his queen when her brothers, Castor and Pollux, became gods, and when Agamemnon married Helen's sister Clytemnestra and took back the throne"
"it hears a horse neigh, this bird flies away while imitating its cries."""" Acanthus, son of Autonous In Greek mythology Acanthus (, ""Akanthos"" ""thorn"") was the son of Autonous (son of Melaneus) and Hippodamia. He was the brother of Acanthis, Erodius, Anthus and Schoeneus. Antoninus Liberalis in his ""Metamorphoses"", recounts the whole story of Acanthus and his family's unfortunate fate:""""Autonous, son of Melaneus and Hippodamia, had as sons Erodius, Anthus, Schoeneus and Acanthus, with a daughter Acanthis to whom the gods granted great beauty. Autonous acquired many herds of horses which were pastured by his wife Hippodamia and their children."
"Centaurus (Greek mythology) In Greek mythology, Centaurus is the father of the race of mythological beasts known as the centaurs or Ixionidae. The centaurs are half-man, half horse; having the torso of a man extending where the neck of a horse should be. They were said to be wild, savage, and lustful. It was stated that after Ixion fell into insanity and was ostracized by his country, Zeus sympathized greatly with Ixion and brought him up to Olympus to dine with the gods. Here is where Ixion saw Hera, Zeus' wife and queen of the gods. He instantly fell in"
"of a ""mare-suckled"" hero from Greek and medieval Serbian evidence, or mythical horses with human traits (Xanthos), suggesting totemic identity of the Indo-European hero or king with the horse. The Indian Ashvamedha involves the following: The Roman ""Equus October"" ceremony involved: Geraldus Cambrensis recorded a ceremony among the Irish: There is in a northern and remote part of Ulster, among the Kenelcunil, a certain tribe which is wont to install a king over itself by an excessively savage and abominable ritual. In the presence of all the people of this land in one place, a white mare is brought into"
"as important as those of the heroes. The most famous horse from the epic is Aranjagaan, Jangar's mount. Aranjagaan was sired by a seven-year-old Heavenly Horse who came down to mate with a mortal mare by a lake. (There is intertextual conflict about this later in the epic, where Aranjagaan's father is described as an ordinary horse who was ridden by Jangar's father.) Aranjagaan's capabilities are described in epic style: ""He was red all over and had a body the size of a hill. He had a huge tail and ears. He had hooves the size of a sheep pen"
"other religious site led to a belief in a supernatural presence. Race horses were often adorned with good-luck charms or amulets to ward off malevolence. Some said the source of terror at Olympia was the ghost of Oenomaus, harming chariot racers as he had harmed suitors of Hippodamia. Others say it was a tomb of Myrtilus, who caused the death of Oenomaus. Others said it was the tomb of an Earth-born giant, Ischenus. The comic playwright Aristophanes makes a joke in ""The Knights"" calling Cleon ""Taraxippostratus"", ""Disturber of the Horse Troops."" Taraxippus In Greek mythology, the Taraxippus (plural: ""taraxippoi"", ""horse"
"stallion carrying a rider; although the dwarf has sometimes been interpreted as the horse-threatening Taraxippus, the phallus is more typically an apotropaic talisman ""(fascinum"") to ward off malevolence. Satyrs and sileni, though later characterized as goat-like, in the Archaic period were regularly depicted with equine features, including a prominent horsetail; they were known for uncontrolled sexuality, and are often ithyphallic in art. Satyrs are first recorded in Roman culture as part of ""ludi"", appearing in the preliminary parade ""(pompa circensis)"" of the first Roman Games. The tail of the wolf, an animal regularly associated with Mars, was said by Pliny"
"overcome by Heracles in one of his labours. Orthrus In Greek mythology, Orthrus (, ""Orthros"") or Orthus (, ""Orthos"") was, according to the mythographer Apollodorus, a two-headed dog who guarded Geryon's cattle and was killed by Heracles. He was the offspring of the monsters Echidna and Typhon, and the brother of Cerberus, who was also a multi-headed guard dog. His name is given as either ""Orthrus"" (""Ὄρθρος"") or ""Orthus"" (""Ὄρθος""). For example, Hesiod, the oldest source, calls the hound ""Orthus"", while Apollodorus calls him ""Orthrus"". According to Hesiod, Orthrus was the father of the Sphinx and the Nemean Lion, though"
"that a Tegean statue of Athena was called ""Horse goddess"" because according to a local account Athena ""drove the chariot and horses against Enceladus"". Claudian calls Enceladus ""all powerful king of the Earth-born giants"", and has Gaia, imagining the Giants victorious, propose that ""Enceladus, rule the sea"". The fifth century AD Greek poet Nonnus, in his poem ""Dionysiaca"", mentions Enceladus as one of the several Giants that Dionysus battles in the Gigantomachy. Nonnus has Gaia set the Giants against Dionysus, promising Enceladus Athena as his wife should the Giants subdue Dionysus. Dionysus fought Enceladus with fire, but Enceladus was ultimately"
"with horses, and Bellerophon was the rider of the winged horse Pegasus. Glaucus succeeded Sisyphus to the throne of Ephyra, the city he had built, which later became Corinth. He was the ancestor of the Glaucus in the ""Iliad"". Glaucus took part in the funeral games organized in honor of Pelias by his son Acastus, the famous ""Athla epi Pelia"" in which some of the foremost heroes of Greece competed, including the Argonauts. Glaucus lost to Iolaus in the chariot race. A fragment from Aeschylus's tragedy has sometimes been taken to mean that Glaucus died in a chariot accident on"
"Incitatus Incitatus () was the favored horse of Roman emperor Caligula (reigned 37–41 AD). According to legend, Caligula planned to make him a consul. His name is a Latin adjective meaning ""swift"" or ""at full gallop"". According to Suetonius, in the ""Lives of the Twelve Caesars"" (121 AD), Caligula planned to make Incitatus a consul, and that the horse would ""invite"" dignitaries to dine with him in a house outfitted with servants there to entertain such events. He also wrote that he had a stable of marble, with an ivory manger, purple blankets, and a collar of precious stones. Cassius"
"the belief, no doubt, if he can manage such an animal, it will be easy enough to deal with every other horse besides. And that is just my case. I wish to deal with human beings, to associate with man in general; hence my choice of wife. I know full well, if I can tolerate her spirit, I can with ease attach myself to every human being else. Perhaps this picture of Xanthippe originated with the historical Antisthenes, one of Socrates' pupils, since Xenophon initially puts this view into his mouth. Aelian also depicts her as a jealous shrew in"
"the father of these monsters while a different version by Servius told that the harpies were daughters of Pontus and Gaea or of Poseidon. They are named Aello (""storm swift"") and Ocypete (""the swift wing""), and Virgil added Celaeno (""the dark"") as a third. Homer knew of a harpy named Podarge (""fleet-foot""). Aello, is sometimes also spelled Aellopus or Nicothoe; Ocypete, sometimes also spelled Ocythoe or Ocypode. Homer called the harpy Podarge as the mother of the two horses (Balius and Xanthus) of Achilles sired by the West Wind Zephyrus while according to Nonnus, Xanthus and Podarkes, horses of the"
"emperor finally reached Mount Kunlun and tasted the peaches of immortality. His brave charioteer Zaofu was carried up to the stars, where both he and his eight horses can be seen among the stars of the constellation Cepheus. The star Zeta Cephei is specifically named after him. A famous presentation of the story is available in the ""Tale of King Mu, Son of Heaven"". Another story explained Zaofu as a horseman who brought King Mu to see the Goddess of the West. After arriving, they learnt of an invasion of China and immediately left to defend the country. Following the"