Due to its natural companionship with man in both
work and art, the horse easily wins a special seat in history, ranking high
marks of honour, reverence and symbolism.
Serving man in war, mobility, productivity,
agriculture, development of all kinds, the Horse is by far one of the largest
contributors to the enhancement of civilization.
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With such recognition and accomplishments, a vast and
diverse trail of symbol meanings is sure to follow the Horse’s rich history
with humankind.
A summary of prevalent symbol meanings for the horse:
·
Power
·
Grace
·
Beauty
·
Nobility
·
Strength
·
Freedom
The Horse symbol meanings of power are widespread
through most cultures, and it is linked as an emblem of life-force. Many cultures
assign the attributes of the four elements to the Horse: Earth, Fire, Air and Water.
As a Celtic symbol, the
Horse was associated with war. With war, comes attributes of victory, conquer
longevity as well as procurement of territory and other spoils that come with
triumph in battle.
In Greco-Roman myth the Horse is said to be created by
Poseidon (Neptune) and is devoted to Hades (Pluto) and Ares (Mars). Romans also
believed the Horse to be a symbol of the continuity of life, and would
sacrifice a horse to the god Mars every October, keeping its tail through the
winter as a sign of fertility and rebirth.
In Hindu Brihadaranyaka, the Horse is linked to Varuna and as such, is equated to the cosmos.
Additionally, a white horse is believed to be the last incarnation of Vishnu.
Buddha is said to have left this physical plane riding
a white horse. Also in Buddhism a winged horse is often depicted carrying the
Book of Law.
The Horse, is also an animal which is regularly used in lots of logos such as the logo of the american football team, The Denver Broncos:
Another example, is the Wisconsin State Horse Council:
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Some other international brands use horses on their logos.
Ferrari's logo:
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Ralph Lauren's logo:
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By Francisco Fernández López & Arturo Fernández Fernández