HORSE 177 



Who is this on the bounding steed, of flaming eyes and foamy- 

 mouth, his neck as the battle bow, curved and beautiful, raised 

 on high ? " Argyll " is referred to here, " Dh'fhalbh Mac-Cailean 

 'm fear-buairidh, le sac gearran de thuaileis." Mac-Colin the 

 disturber went with a horse-load of calumny (Gillies). 



An animal called "Eel-horse," having twelve legs, is said to 

 be found in Loch Awe, which, however able for transit, does not 

 equal the magic horse which Daire, the son of the king of Sorcha 

 (Ardnamurchan) had, and which was capable of carrying its 

 master over sea and land. In Carthon we read : — 



Mar steud each gun srian 'am mor-chuis 

 'Nuair chithear an t-eachradh m'an raon 

 Agus foghar na gaoith na shroin. 



Like a steed in his strength, who finds his companions in 

 the breeze, and tosses his bright mane in the wind (.''). 



(See also Pope's Homer, IL 6, and Dryden's Virgil.) Carlyle 

 quotes Goethe who spoke of the horse as impressive, almost 

 affecting it was that an animal of such qualities should stand 

 obstructed so ; its speech nothing but an inarticulate neighing ; 

 its handiness mere hoofiness, the fingers all constricted, tied 

 together, the finger nails coagulated into a mere hoof shod with 

 iron. The more significant then are those eye-flashings of the 

 generous, noble quadruped, those prancings, and curvings of the 

 neck clothed ivith thunder. See Job, where it is said, " Hast thou 

 given the horse strength, hast thou clothed his neck with 

 thunder? He paweth the valley and rejoiceth in his strength." 

 In spite of all this, no animal is more sensitive and affectionate 

 than a well-bred horse, its sensitiveness making it sometimes 

 shed real tears of anguish when pained, and its life is only for a 

 period of some thirty years. 



Some superstitions, etc., as to horses may be given. In Skye, 

 to dream of a horse refers to the Clan Macleod ; to meet a horse 

 is generally deemed lucky, a brown one preferred, a chestnut or 

 red is bad, boding death. Each donn, brown horse, means 

 fearann, land ; each glas, grey horse, fairge, ocean ; each ruadh, 

 red horse, reilig, i.e., churchyard ; each dubh, black horse, mulad, 

 sorrow. To dream of a white horse used to foretell the arrival 

 of a stranger (if yellow, a Mackenzie), or the coming of a letter. 

 A horse, standing and looking through a gateway or along a road 

 in the direction of a dwelling, said to be a bad omen to inhabitants, 

 also neighing at door of a dwelling-house said to bode sickness 

 to some of the inmates. To meet a piebald horse is said to be 

 very lucky, if two are met apart, one after the other, the person 

 meeting them should spit three times, wish any reasonable wish, 

 and it will be granted within three days. In the West Highlands 

 generally it is said to dream of a horse is lucky, the colours as 



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