Tompsen, Lyle (2012) The Mari Lwyd and the horse queen : palimpsests of Ancient ideas. Masters thesis, University of Wales, Trinity St David.
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Abstract
The idea of a horse as a deity of the land, sovereignty and fertility can be seen in many cultures with Indo-European roots. The earliest and most complete reference to this deity can be seen in Vedic texts from 1500 BCE. Documentary evidence in rock art, and sixth century BCE Tartessian inscriptions demonstrate that the ancient Celtic world saw this deity of the land as a Horse Queen that ruled the land and granted fertility. Evidence suggests that she could grant sovereignty rights to humans by uniting with them (literally or symbolically), through ingestion, or intercourse. The Horse Queen is represented, or alluded to in such divergent areas as Bronze Age English hill figures, Celtic coinage, Roman horse deities, mediaeval and modern Celtic masked traditions. Even modern Welsh traditions, such as the Mari Lwyd, infer her existence and confirm the value of her symbolism in the modern world
| Item Type: | Thesis (Masters) |
|---|---|
| Additional Information: | Series: Carmarthen / Lampeter Dissertations;10412/269. |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | Mari Lwyd, Wales Social life and customs |
| Subjects: | D History General and Old World > DA Great Britain D History General and Old World > DE The Mediterranean Region. The Greco-Roman World |
| Divisions: | Theses and Dissertations > Masters Dissertations |
| Related URLs: | |
| Depositing User: | John Dalling |
| Date Deposited: | 30 Oct 2014 18:35 |
| Last Modified: | 11 Feb 2016 11:06 |
| URI: | https://repository.uwtsd.ac.uk/id/eprint/401 |
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