A magical being in the form of a horse had diverse significance in the religious beliefs of the Slavic ancestors. ot only as a symbol of air but also of water and fire. As a solar symbol, it was a symbol of life, but conversely also as a symbol of the moon and death.
The WIND HORSE, described as a strong white horse with a lush mane and tail, was in the religious beliefs of the Slavs a magical flying horse, a bearer of wind spirits. Thanks to his speed, strength and wisdom, he was naturally considered the main symbol of the wind forces or the wind itself and was often its embodiment.
Personified with the wind and with the ability to reach even inaccessible places, the horse, like the deer or snake, became a magical being, carrying heroes on their journeys to other worlds, especially to the underworld. This role of the horse as a guide of souls reflects its perception also as a lunar or water symbol, where water is understood as the boundary between life and death. Here the WATER HORSE symbolizes not only water, but also the underworld, darkness or death itself. The water horse, like the horse of dark entities, is usually black.
Equally important is the connection of the horse with the sun or the solar deity Svarožič Dažbog, where the SOLAR HORSE pulls a chariot in which the sun travels across the sky, or Dažbog himself rides on it. Often the sun horse itself is the embodiment of the sun, and its golden mane is compared to the sun's rays. Such a solar horse galloping across the sky is usually made of gold. Its association with the sun naturally leads to its association with fire, and then such a horse is reddish in color with a flaming mane and tail.
However, the horse symbolizing daylight was often white. The white color of the horse is attributed to most horses belonging to bright Slavic deities.
In many ritual ceremonies, sacrifices and during the holidays of the ancient Slavs, the sacred horse used to be an integral part of them. He was a symbol of peace as well as war. He embodied wisdom, even omniscience, which is why he was also used in divination and various ceremonial ceremonies. For example, the ritual of trampling spears with a white horse, usually dedicated to Saintvitus, was intended for the Slavs to decide whether a military campaign would be victorious or whether it would be better to avoid the battle.
Ceremonial or sacred horses were specially bred or selected from the best horses in the herd and were shown great respect. In addition to being used in divination and rituals, they were a highly valuable sacrificial offering. ometimes a horse was also sacrificed during the consecration of water structures, when its head was buried in their foundations. Horse sacrifice was often associated with agrarian ceremonies.
The importance of the horse in people's lives is also evidenced by the customs of burying important people together with their richly equipped horses to transport them safely to the underworld.
As a magical being in myths, and fairy tales, the horse was endowed with many magical abilities, and it often underwent physical transformation. By adding wings, the magic horse turns into Pegasus. The transformation into a unicorn, a hippogriff, a centaur, or a water horse with a fish tail, or other mythical horse creatures, can be found in many myths of the peoples of the world, sometimes also among the Slavs.
However, in Slavic tradition, the magical horse, despite his many magical qualities, usually retains its natural horse form. Alternatively, in Slavic tradition, we also find flying deer or reindeer.
