The Horse Goddess

"The Horse Goddess" starts with young Epona coming to age in her tribe in ancient Ireland. Epona is, in Celtic mythology, the horse goddess. Morgan Llywelyn takes the story of Epona and expands it and tells the story of how a regular young woman could come to be revered as a goddess. The story isn't written in the traditional sweeping fantasy manner. Rather, "The Horse Goddess" reads like listening to a story. I can just imagine sitting around a fire listening to the village wise woman telling this story and the children sitting at her feet, listening with wide eyes. Epona has begun to exhibit magical abilities and the village's Druid priest, Kernunnos, desires to teach her. But something in Epona makes her rebel against Kernunnos and his unnatural ability for shape-changing. Kernunnos is obsessed with Epona and her powers, and when she flees her tribe rather than submit to becoming a Druid, he follows her all the way to the Scythians, which is where she finally ends. She exhibits an unusual ability of being able to communicate with animals, notable horses. The Scythians are a very horse-centered tribe, and Epona creates a place for herself in a society where women are little more than property.Llywelyn's story of Epona is a must read for people that are interested in Celtic mythology and ancient Ireland. Llywelyn is an amazing talent, and being interested in the ancient Celts and Ireland, I plan on reading many more of her books. She brings ancient Ireland to life, and adds depth and detail to Celtic myths.

In THE HORSE GODDESS, Morgan Llywelyn creates a real-life basis for mythology, by reducing the gods and goddesses of the Celtic pantheon to human dimensions. The fictionalized young Epona (who was historically the goddess of horses and one of the most widely worshipped European deities) has her coming-of-age in the early Hallstatt Celtic era. Refusing to accept the limitations of her life, she flees her home village and travels with Kazakh the Scythian. While in his company, she demonstrates psychic abilities allowing her to tame and communicate with animals, particularly the horses of the Scythians (a tribe who are generally considered to have domesticated the horse some 5,000-8,000 years ago).When her "magical" abilities become manifest, she is pursued by the shaman Kernunnos of her own tribe, who wishes to force her to return home. Kernunnos is obsessed with using Epona's powers to best benefit her own tribe. (The mythological Kernunnos was the Celtic god of the hunt, and here, his fictional namesake follows Epona from the modern-day Austria to the modern-day Ukraine.)Ms. Llywelyn's writing is crisp, detailed, and shows a fine appreciation for and understanding of the symbolical universe which her characters inhabit. The book brings these almost-forgotten myths to life, and leaves the reader just about convinced that perhaps it really did happen this way.

I first read this book when I was 15 and could NOT put it down! The characters and their struggles and triumphs were so unforgetable that I finally bought a new copy (I lost my original), and once again got caught up in all of the history, mysticism, and romance of the characters and the time period! A MUST READ for anyone!!! Anyone who reads this would agree that Epona and Kazhak are two of the most absorbing characters ever set to paper. Highly recommended!

This is the second book I have read by this author (Druids was the other) and I really enjoyed it. The depictions of early Celtic and Scythian life were very interesting and the plot was riveting. The characters were very real and believable, even though some of the things they could do stretched the imagination. The most exciting thing was to realize that these legends had their roots in actual history. I could hardly put the book down.

This is a book I could not put down! I read it from beginning to end in one sitting, it was that good. I love all of Ms. Llywelyn's books but this is a particular favorite. I also recommend reading "Druids" as well if you enjoy "The Horse Goddess."