94 THE HORSE IN HISTORY 



the French knights taken prisoner at Ronces- 

 valles. 



Alfana, the clever mare mentioned in Ariosto's 

 " Orlando Furioso " as belonging to Gradasso, 

 King of Sericana, whom Ariosto describes as " the 

 bravest of the Pagan knights," has many legends 

 attached to it. 



Thus upon occasions Gradasso who, though 

 famous as a knight, was an unconscionable bully, 

 would treat Alfana with grotesque kindness, at 

 other times beating it unmercifully ; and when, 

 with 100,000 vassals in his train, "all discrowned 

 kings " (!) who never addressed him except upon 

 their knees, he went to war against Charlemagne, 

 the mare, Alfana, played a prominent part. 



Though in these pages but few allusions have 

 been made to the horses of mythology, modern 

 interest in mythological history being at a very 

 low ebb, the mysterious eight-legged grey steed 

 of Odin, chief god of Scandinavia, must not 

 be passed unnoticed. His name was Sleipnir, 

 and inasmuch as he could travel over earth and 

 ocean he was deemed to be typical of the wind 

 that blows over land and water from eight princi- 

 pal and far-distant points. 



According to Beowulf — composed probably in 

 the eighth century — the Scandinavians set great 



