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Epona was the Celtic goddess of horses, riders, donkeys and the stable – and at the same time a goddess of prosperity and fertility. Her name derives from the Celtic word for "horse" (epos). On countless images she appears gently enthroned among horses or riding side-saddle on a horse, often with a cornucopia or grain.
Epona was so popular that the Romans adopted her – a rare case. The cavalry in particular worshipped her: in stables and barracks her image was set up so she would protect the horses. She even received her own feast day in the Roman calendar (18 December). This makes Epona the most widespread Celtic deity in the Roman Empire.
Like many Celtic deities, Epona was more than "just" a horse goddess: she stood for fertility, care and – in some interpretations – for accompanying the soul on its last journey. The horse was a sacred animal in the Celtic as in the Germanic-Norse world (think of Sleipnir or the sacred horses of the Germanic peoples). Epona is their Celtic face.
"Wits must he have who wanders wide, but all is easy at home."Hávamál 5, after Henry A. Bellows 1923 (public domain)
Epona is the gentle, far-travelled mistress of horses – a Celtic goddess who even conquered Rome. More in the overview Celtic Religion.
Celtic Religion · Cernunnos · Lugh · Sacred horses · Nehalennia.
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