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Gunya

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Tradition / Region: Sudanese Mythology
Alternative names: –
Category: Horse

The Myth

Gunya was the legendary warhorse of Ismaila, one of the greatest fighting chiefs of Argungu. The horse was believed to possess supernatural powers and served as an oracle before battle.

Before leading his warriors into combat, Ismaila would consult Gunya. If the horse neighed three times, victory was considered certain. If it remained silent, defeat was believed to be inevitable.

When Gunya died, it was honored with a state funeral, reflecting the extraordinary respect and reverence accorded to the remarkable animal.

Sources

Tremearne, A. J. N. (1913). Hausa superstitions and customs: An introduction to the folk-lore and the folk. Bale, Sons & Danielsson, Ltd, p. 130.

Vazila

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Tradition / Region: Belarusian Mythology
Alternative names: Vazil, Vasil, Bicychik, Basina, Visusnik, Kankach, Tabunnik, Talbunnik, Khlevnik, Xneyhik
Category: Horse

The Myth

Vazila is the patron spirit of horses in Belarusian folklore. Unlike the horse demon Kumelgan, Vazila appears in human form, but with the ears and hooves of a horse. He is said to live in horse stables and accompanies horses when they graze in distant meadows or remain outdoors overnight.

Belarusian tradition holds that Vazila protects horses from disease, seizures, wolves, and other wild predators. Shepherds and horse owners trusted him to watch over their animals, sometimes leaving horses to graze at night without a guard because they believed Vazila would protect the herd.

A common custom was to drive a pole into the ground at the grazing place and attach the skeleton of a horse’s head to it. This symbolic image was believed to invite Vazila’s protection and keep Kumelgan, the evil spirit of horses, away. Neither Kumelgan nor ordinary wolves were thought to approach a place guarded by Vazila.

Vazila was also believed to carry a special herb on his back, which he mixed into the horses’ feed during the night. This herb was said to strengthen the animals, making them healthy, strong, and tall. Some Belarusian farmers claimed to have found this mysterious herb in the manger and kept it for future use.

Many stories tell of fierce battles between Vazila and Kumelgan. During these struggles, people claimed they could hear loud thundering and stamping as the two spirits fought to protect or claim the horses. Because of his role as the guardian of horses, Vazila was highly respected throughout Belarus, and people invoked his name when seeking the safety and well-being of their animals.

Sources

Bestiary.us. (n.d.). Vazila. In New Bestiary: Encyclopedia of Imaginary Beings. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.bestiary.us/vazila

Nouma

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Wild Horse
Category: Horse

The Myth

Nouma is a one-eyed man-eating yōkai from the folklore of Hinui Village in Ōchi District, Shimane Prefecture.

The creature is associated with the time when iron was produced in local tatara furnaces. One night, while a worker was sleeping at a smelting site, a mysterious woman suddenly appeared and lay over his body.

At the same time, the eerie neighing of the Nouma echoed in the distance. The creature gradually approached the furnace and peered inside through a high window. However, the moment it saw the woman, it immediately fled in terror.

The mysterious woman was later believed to have been Kanayago, the goddess of ironworking and metallurgy, whose presence protected the worker from the man-eating Nouma.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). 野馬 (Nouma). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655022.html

Umashika

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Foolish
Category: Horse

The Myth

Umashika is a yōkai depicted in Edo-period monster picture scrolls, including the Hyakki Yagyō Emaki preserved in the Matsui Bunko collection.

The creature has a beast-like appearance with a long face resembling that of a horse, deer-like hooves, and a single horn. It wears clothing and is distinguished by one eye that protrudes from its socket.

It is believed that Umashika was created through a visual play on the Japanese word baka (“fool”), giving the yōkai its unusual form rather than deriving it from an older folk tradition.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). 馬鹿 (Umashika). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655018.html.

Umadono

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Horse Lord
Category: Horse

The Myth

Umadono is a horse yōkai depicted in the 1788 illustrated work Yōkai Chakutōchō (A Record of the Arrival of Monsters) by Kitao Masami.

In the illustration, Umadono appears among a gathering of yōkai celebrating a feast on an inauspicious day. He is shown beating a drum while a cat dressed in similar clothing plays the shamisen and a fox performs the Shinoda-zuma dance. The accompanying text simply states, “Umadono is beating the drum.”

The image is based on a traditional Japanese metaphor in which “a horse beating a drum” refers to a stallion in heat. Similar depictions of horse monsters playing drums also appear in other kibyōshi (illustrated yellow-covered books) of the Edo period.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). 馬殿 (Umadono). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010654092.html

Uma-ashi

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Horse Leg
Category: Horse

The Myth

Uma-ashi is a strange supernatural phenomenon from the folklore of Fukuoka Prefecture in Japan. Rather than appearing as an entire horse, only an enormous horse’s leg manifests.

According to one legend, a horse’s leg hangs down at night from the branch of a tree growing out of an old wall. Anyone unfortunate enough to walk beneath it is kicked by the phantom limb.

Another tradition from Harukoga in Kurume City tells of a gigantic horse’s leg, about ten feet long, descending from a large hackberry tree at midnight. Local people attributed this eerie apparition to the magical powers of a tanuki (raccoon dog).

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). 馬足 (Uma-ashi). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655024.html

Tetsume

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Tradition / Region: Japanese Mythology
Alternative names: Iron Horse
Category: Horse

The Myth

Tetsume, the Iron Horse, is one of the infernal creatures that inhabit the Iron Chariot, Iron Ox, Iron Donkey, and Iron Horse Hell, one of the Buddhist hells reserved for monks who have broken their religious vows. This realm is described in the Mahayana Lotus Sutra: Questions and Answers of Bodhisattva Retribution, included in the thirty-volume Buddha’s Name Sutra.

The hell is surrounded by four gates and an immense iron fortress. Within it, blazing fires rage as burning iron chariots race through the infernal landscape. Horse-headed rakshasas, iron oxen, iron donkeys, and the Iron Horse relentlessly torment the damned.

The Iron Horse is covered with a mane and tangled tail as sharp as sword blades. It breathes flames and smoke as it charges through the fiery realm.

Sinners are forced onto the backs of the Iron Horses, where they are cut by the razor-sharp mane and tail. Powerful blows from the creature’s tail crush their bodies. Although the condemned die from these agonies, they are immediately restored to life, only to endure the same punishments again for all eternity.

Sources

TYZ. (n.d.). 鉄目 (Tetsume). In 新版TYZ 妖怪図鑑. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://tyz-yokai.blog.jp/archives/1010655037.html

Tikbalang

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Tradition / Region: Philippine Folklore
Alternative names: Tigbalang, Tigbalan, Tikbalan, Tigbolan, Werehorse, Unglo (Visayan)
Category: Horse

The Myth

The Tikbalang is a supernatural creature of Philippine folklore that dwells in the mountains and rainforests. It is usually described as a tall, gaunt being with the head and hooves of a horse and the body of a human. Its limbs are unnaturally long, and when it squats, its knees rise above its head. Some traditions say it is the transformed spirit of an aborted fetus sent to earth from limbo.

Early Spanish accounts did not describe the Tikbalang as horse-like. Instead, it was regarded as a ghost or forest spirit that haunted wild places and could assume many frightening forms. Later, after horses became familiar in the Philippines during the Spanish colonial period, the creature came to be consistently portrayed as a half-human, half-horse being.

The Tikbalang is closely associated with forests and large sacred trees, particularly balete and kalumpang trees. It is believed to guard these places and is often encountered beneath bridges, in bamboo thickets, banana groves, or beneath ancient trees.

The creature is notorious for misleading travelers. It causes people to lose their way, making them unknowingly walk in circles and repeatedly return to the same place. According to tradition, this enchantment can be broken by turning one’s shirt inside out or by politely asking permission before passing through the forest.

Many legends also describe the Tikbalang as a shapeshifter capable of becoming invisible or taking human form. During sunshowers, Filipinos commonly say that a Tikbalang is getting married.

According to one tradition, the Tikbalang possesses a mane filled with sharp spines, among which three golden hairs hold magical power. A person brave enough to leap onto the creature, restrain it with a specially prepared cord, and remain mounted while it struggles through the air can pluck these three hairs. Once subdued, the Tikbalang becomes the person’s loyal servant, and the hairs may be kept as a powerful talisman.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Tikbalang. In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tikbalang

Songòmby

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Tradition / Region: Madagascar Mythology
Alternative names: Songomby, Songaomby, Tsiombiomby, Tsongomby, Bibiaombe, Tokantòngotra, Tokandìa
Category: Horse

The Myth

The Songòmby is a fearsome creature from the folklore of Madagascar. It is described as a large, carnivorous beast about the size of an ox or a horse. Although its appearance varies between traditions, it is consistently portrayed as extremely swift, with long drooping ears and a taste for human flesh.

The creature is said to resemble a horse, mule, donkey, or ox. It has flaring nostrils, powerful incisors, and large ears that hang over its eyes. Some traditions describe it as white, while others give it a horn, hard hooves that strike sparks from the ground, or tufts of hair around its feet. One northern tradition even claims that it can only be seen in profile while looking backward.

Despite its speed, the Songòmby’s long ears can hinder it when descending mountains by covering its eyes. Nevertheless, it remains an extraordinarily fast hunter. Some accounts claim that it can cross great distances almost instantly to reach its prey.

If a victim escapes by climbing a tree, the Songòmby patiently waits below. Some traditions say it attempts to trick the person into climbing down, while others claim it sprays urine or itchy hairs from its nostrils, causing the victim to lose their grip and fall into its jaws. It is said to wait all night if necessary.

Stories also describe methods for capturing the beast. One involved tying a child near the entrance of its den while hunters concealed a net above it, using the child’s cries to lure the Songòmby into the trap. The creature was also invoked to frighten misbehaving children. In one tale, parents jokingly offered their child to the Songòmby, only to discover that the monster had truly appeared and carried the child away to its cave.

The Songòmby is not invincible. One legend tells of a brave man who fought it throughout an entire night without being defeated. Another recounts how the hero Imbahitrila used two magical eggs from the angavola bird to make the beast stumble before killing it with his spear.

Closely related creatures include the Tokantòngotra or Tokandìa, a similar white, single-hoofed, man-eating beast that is somewhat smaller than the Songòmby but shares its great speed and nocturnal habits.

According to Malagasy tradition, when horses were first introduced to Madagascar, they were initially believed to be Songòmby until they eventually became known by the separate name soavaly.

Sources

A Book of Creatures. (2020, April 24). Songòmby. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://abookofcreatures.com/2020/04/24/songomby/

Sleipnir

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Tradition / Region: Norse Mythology
Alternative names: –
Category: Horse

The Myth

Sleipnir is the eight-legged horse of Odin and is regarded as the finest of all horses. He is the child of Loki and the stallion Svaðilfari and is described as grey in color.

According to the Prose Edda, Sleipnir was born during the construction of the gods’ fortress. A builder was permitted to use his powerful stallion, Svaðilfari, to complete the work. Fearing that the builder would succeed and claim his reward, the gods forced Loki to prevent the stallion from helping. Loki transformed into a mare and lured Svaðilfari away. From this union Loki later gave birth to Sleipnir, who became Odin’s mount and was considered the best horse among both gods and men.

Sleipnir carries Odin throughout the Nine Worlds. When the god Baldr dies, Odin sends his son Hermóðr to Hel upon Sleipnir to plead for Baldr’s return. After riding for nine nights through deep valleys, Sleipnir leaps effortlessly over the gates of Hel, allowing Hermóðr to continue his mission before carrying him safely back to Asgard.

The horse also appears in the tale of Odin’s encounter with the giant Hrungnir. Odin boasts that no horse in the world can match Sleipnir, prompting Hrungnir to pursue him on his own steed, Gullfaxi, in a race that ends at the gates of Asgard.

In the Völsunga saga, Odin guides the hero Sigurðr in choosing a horse. Among many animals driven into a river, only a young grey horse remains. Odin reveals that it is descended from Sleipnir. Sigurðr names the horse Grani, who later becomes his famous companion.

Sleipnir also appears in the Poetic Edda, the Hervarar saga ok Heiðreks, and Gesta Danorum. He is frequently praised as the greatest of horses and is closely associated with Odin’s journeys between the worlds of gods, giants, and the dead.

Sources

Wikipedia contributors. (n.d.). Sleipnir. In Wikipedia. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sleipnir