Glossary entry for
horse
The horse is one of the primary totem beasts of the British Isles : a fact
attested by the taboo on eating horse meat. In Celtic legend, the goddess
Rhiannon is associated with the horse, whose shape she often took. The most
ancient horse chalk figure, White Horse Hill in Berkshire, still testifies
to the joint Celtic and Saxon reverence for this animal. In folklore and
Arthurian legend, many knights go in quest of a horse with a magical
bridle. When found, it is usually a mare who turns back into a woman.
Contributed by Alan Pert, Sydney, Australia
In at least one Van song ("Slim Slow Slider") there are other references in the
lyrics which suggest an alternate interpretation of "horse": as a slang reference
to heroin (see the Glossary entry for "slim slow slider"
for additional details).
Van references in:
- "Star Of The County Down"
(on Irish Heartbeat)
- "Cyprus Avenue"
(on Astral Weeks)
- "Slim Slow Slider"
(on Astral Weeks)
- "Here Comes the Knight"
(on No Guru, No Method, No Teacher)
- "Thanks for the Information"
(on No Guru, No Method, No Teacher)
- "Village Idiot"
(on Hymns to the Silence)
- "Pagan Streams"
(on Hymns to the Silence)
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