Since ancient times, the Arabs held a close friendship with the horses, which went beyond their functional role to serve as a friend to the Arab who negotiates with him, accompanies him, travels and fights on his back, but the old drawings broadcast around the world confirm that the horses occupied an important place in the cultures of many peoples of the world as well.
In this report, which was published by the French newspaper "Le Monde", writer Younes Bosna sheds light on a strange and mysterious phenomenon that France has witnessed in recent weeks, where many mutilated and killed horses were found.
The author interviewed a number of researchers and experts who talked about the symbolism that this animal represented in human cultures throughout history.
Deformed and killed horses
The writer affirms that the phenomenon of deformed and dead horses in France during the recent period is still shrouded in a lot of mystery, in light of a state of popular anger and pressing questions about the causes and motives.
The writer says that it is not known whether the phenomenon is related to human attacks linked to ancient rituals, or are natural occurrences.
Commenting on the phenomenon, Jean-Louis Gouraud, director of the "Equestrian Arts" book series, who has authored about 30 books on horses, says, "There is no ancient practice like this that matches what we are witnessing now. These are nothing but unjustified cruel acts."
For his part, anthropologist Jean-Pierre Degar, a specialist in human-animal relations, expressed his shock, saying, "We do not fully understand the meaning of these barbaric acts, but they are linked to some rituals, which gives them a terrifying dimension."
Gouraud, the Honorary Director of Research at the French National Center for Scientific Research, says that these attacks are very disturbing against an animal that has impressed and fascinated mankind since ancient times, and as evidence of this passion, the horse represented one of the main elements in the art of caves, and dates back to the oldest drawings in which it appeared Horse to about 34 thousand years, in Chauvet Cave, southern France.
Degar considers that what is surprising about those paintings dating back to the Paleolithic period is that "a horse appears in it running. These drawings refer primarily to the strength and speed of this animal."
The author states that the first traces of horse domestication were found in Central Asia, specifically in a region extending from the Black Sea to present-day Kazakhstan, dating back to about 3500 BC.
"The horse was domesticated without there being a clear idea of the benefit of this," Degard says, as equestrian sports did not begin until the first millennium BC in Asia.
In the West, the horse was mainly associated with conquest and wars, as shown by the drawings depicting the Vandals and Huns on horseback during their horrific barbarian campaigns.
Opposing symbols
From a religious perspective, the writer says that the horse plays a dual role between life and death.
In Central Asian cultures, especially the shamanic faith, the horse plays the role of a spirit guide, that is, the leader of spirits in the afterlife.
We find this meaning also in Norse mythology, where the god Odin, the "Valkyrie", authorizes the virgins to carry battle heroes killed on horses to the next world.
In Greek mythology, King Eurosthenes orders Heracles to tame the four rare horses of Diomedes.
The horse also combines, according to the writer, masculine and feminine characteristics at the same time.
The horse often symbolizes the high sexual ability, hence the term "stallion" within the male sexual lexicon. This animal is also associated with the characteristics of femininity through its hair, graceful stature, and the intimate relationship between it and the rider.
But the ethnologist and researcher at the Museum of Natural History in Paris, Bernadette Lisi, believes that this view of the horse as a symbol of masculinity or femininity is beginning to fade away, and a new approach takes its place that sees this animal as a symbol of "a new moral relationship with life and with nature."
Lizzie asserts that the horse has long and not long ago been a symbol of influence and prestigious social status, which was clearly visible in France during the nineteenth century, evidenced by the famous Jacques-Louis David painting that shows Napoleon crossing the Alps on a horse.
Spiritual carrier
The writer adds that the horse is also present in the Christian religion, as many saints travel on horses, such as Saint Hubert, Saint Eustace, Saint Martin and Saint Gerges.
The horse plays a major role in the vision of John, through the four horsemen sent from heaven, and the return of Christ to earth according to Christian belief will be on a white horse.
In Islam, too, the horse occupies an important place according to the writer, as the Prophet Muhammad, may God bless him and grant him peace, rode it.
For Carlos Pereira, professor at the Sorbonne New University, this overwhelming presence of the horse as a means of transportation with a religious dimension cannot be a coincidence.
The researcher specializing in Portuguese civilization and equestrian arts believes that the horse is the most important animal among all animals on the spiritual level.
Pereira adds that the horse "is an image of the body and its passions that must be tamed in order to reach the deity," which is reflected in the idea of the white horse at the end of the world, and the mystical experience that "seeks the highest levels of perfection by riding a horse."