Bucephalus - Scared of his own shadow
By Judy Evans
@JudyEv (341752)
Rockingham, Australia
March 19, 2017 12:40am CST
Miranda Hunt (@Brittnyrose) wrote recently about her dog being scared of her shadow which brought to mind the saying about being 'scared of their own shadow'.
Another animal that was scared of its own shadow was Bucephalus, the revered mount of Alexander the Great. It's a bit unfortunate that the name means 'ox-head' but some references say this refers to a branding mark on the horse's haunch. However he is described as a massive horse with a large head, black in colour with a large white star between the eyes, one of which was 'blue' or a 'wall eye'.
The legend, told by Plutarch in 344 BC, tells that Bucephalus was offered to Alexander's father, King Philip II but, because no-one had been able to tame the animal, the king was not interested in paying out the high price of 13 talents.
Alexander, aged 12 or 13, made a bet with his father that he could subdue Bucephalus. He turned the horse's head toward the sun so their shadows fell behind them, gained the animal's trust and the rest, as they say, is history. Bucephalus carried Alexander to victory in many a battle.
I have a photo of a sculpture which stands in Edinburgh in Scotland. I thought at first it was Alexander and Bucephalus. Edited: It is of the Duke of Wellington mounted on his favourite charger Copenhagen. If you'd like to see more sculptures of horses, let me know. I have more than you could poke a stick at. And perhaps @LoriAMoore could tell us where THAT saying came from.
16 people like this
14 responses
@Morleyhunt (21744)
• Canada
19 Mar 17
Interesting story. Lovely statue/sculpture....but I've not heard the saying ....poke a stick at.....our version is ....shake a stick...
4 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
19 Mar 17
I have been to Edinburgh but do not recall that particular statue. Was it from the castle?
2 people like this
@JudyEv (341752)
• Rockingham, Australia
20 Mar 17
@JohnRoberts I've corrected it to 'Princess Street'. So you don't recall seeing it?
2 people like this
@JohnRoberts (109846)
• Los Angeles, California
19 Mar 17
@JudyEv My hotel was on Princess Street.
2 people like this
@horsesrule (1957)
• United States
6 Aug 17
One of my favorite horse stories, always loved reading about it.
2 people like this
@Tampa_girl7 (50596)
• United States
20 Mar 17
@JudyEv I found the statues in Europe particularly detailed. Mississippi is lacking in this area
2 people like this
@Jessicalynnt (50523)
• Centralia, Missouri
19 Mar 17
I dont get why the turn would help, I guess the assumption was that it was really the shadow he was afraid of, so odd.
2 people like this
@Fleura (30539)
• United Kingdom
19 Mar 17
As others have said, that is the Duke of Wellington on Copenhagen.
As for the saying, we say 'more than you could shake a stick at' but I don't know where it comes from. If you try it though you'll find you can't poke or shake a stick all that quickly!
2 people like this
@IreneVincent (15962)
• United States
4 Apr 17
I was happy to see your post come up about Bucephalus. This is what I'm talking about, when I finally started paying attention to the "you might also like" column. Great article. I'm glad I found it.
2 people like this
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
7 Aug 17
My sister visited Finland, but she never went to Denmark.
2 people like this
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
6 Aug 17
@JudyEv This was a wonderful little history lesson, I loved it, Judy:) Yes, I'd like to see more photos and I won't poke a stick at them!:( lol My Dad's family came from Scotland.
1 person likes this
@kobesbuddy (78871)
• East Tawas, Michigan
7 Aug 17
@JudyEv Awesome:) Those pigeons are just trying to get in the photo! lol
@Brittnyrose (1444)
• Aberdeen, North Carolina
20 Mar 17
Wow what I great topic I never knew about "ox head"
2 people like this