Mythology!

Biasd Na Srogaig

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Tradition / Region: Scottish Mythology
Alternative names: Biasd Na Sgrogag, Béist Na Sgrogaig, The Beast of the Lowering Horn
Category: Horse

The Myth

The Biasd Na Srogaig, or “Beast of the Lowering Horn,” is a legendary creature said to inhabit the lochs of the Isle of Skye in Scotland.

Although sometimes described as a unicorn, it bears little resemblance to the graceful unicorn of later tradition. The creature is portrayed as tall and ungainly, with long, gangly legs, an awkward gait, and a single large horn projecting from its forehead.

The Biasd Na Srogaig is believed to have originated as a nursery bogey used to frighten children. Over time, however, the creature became an established figure of local folklore as stories about it continued to be told into adulthood.

Its name is derived from the Gaelic sgrogag, meaning “crumpled horn.” In later usage, the name Béist Na Sgrogaig was also applied to the heraldic unicorn.

Sources

Campbell, J. G. (1900). Superstitions of the Highlands & Islands of Scotland: Collected entirely from oral sources. James MacLehose and Sons. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/61728.

Spookhoeve van Exaarde

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

The Myth

A farmhouse in the village of Exaarde was long believed to be haunted. One night, when a cow was about to calve, the household went to the stable and found a monstrous horse lying in front of the door. As they approached, the creature quietly moved aside to let them pass. After they had finished their work in the stable, the horse calmly returned to its original place.

In the nights that followed, the hauntings changed. Around midnight, the farmer often looked from his window and saw a fiery carriage drawn by two horses racing around the farmyard. The blazing apparition illuminated the entire courtyard as it thundered past.

The frightened family sought the advice of local priests. They instructed the farmer to search the farm carefully for any unusual sign. One morning he discovered the imprint of a horse’s hoof in the middle of the path. After hearing this, the priests nailed a horseshoe to the inside of the farm gate facing the road.

From that day onward, the haunting ceased. Years later, when the old gate was replaced, the family neglected to transfer the horseshoe to the new gate. The ghostly manifestations soon returned and continued until the horseshoe was once again fastened to the entrance, after which the haunting disappeared.

Sources

de Cock, A. (1921). De Nachtkoets (p. 114). In Vlaamsche sagen uit den volksmond. Maatschappij voor Goede en Goedkoope Lectuur. Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.dbnl.org/tekst/cock001vlaa01_01/

Raul’s Phantom Horse

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Tradition / Region: Luxembourgish Mythology
Alternative names: The Black Phantom Horse
Category: Horse

The Myth

According to a Luxembourgish legend, the robber knight Raul lived with his brothers in the castle of Gräfingen, where they enriched themselves through theft and plunder. Raul possessed an extraordinary coal-black horse that surpassed all others in speed and intelligence. It could sense enemies and danger, safely carry its master across the most treacherous paths, and leap over ditches and rivers with ease.

At last, the robber knights were defeated. Raul’s brothers were captured by armed peasants, tied to the tails of their own horses, and dragged to death before being brought back to the castle. As the attackers stormed the fortress and set it ablaze, they drove the horses carrying the corpses through the gates.

Rather than surrender, Raul mounted his faithful horse and rode along the top of the castle walls while the flames consumed the fortress. Startled by the fire, the horse leapt from the high wall into the burning courtyard. Raul’s clothes caught fire, but the horse escaped unharmed and burst through the castle gate.

Witnesses saw Raul riding like a blazing meteor through the astonished crowd. Horse and rider raced across the plain before plunging down the steep hillside into the River Eisch, where the flames were extinguished and both vanished beneath the water.

From that day onward, Raul’s horse has wandered the quiet banks of the Eisch searching for its lost master. It appears as a coal-black stallion with a mane so long it reaches its hooves, though when it runs the mane rises into the air with a whistling sound. Its golden bridle and saddle shine in the darkness.

Anyone who is frightened by the phantom horse becomes so confused that they inevitably fall into the river. Those who remain fearless cause the black horse to flee and disappear beneath the water. Legend also says that whoever dares to mount the ghostly steed will be carried to the hidden underground vault where Raul and his brothers concealed their immense treasure.

Sources

de la Fontaine, E. (1882). Nr. 134. Die Schätze der Raubritter. (pp. 66–68). In Luxemburger Sagen und Legenden. Jos. Beffort.

Hellish Stallion

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

The Myth

A farmer from the parish of Stritschitz once bought a stallion from a traveling horse dealer. Soon afterward, he noticed that the horse shied away from every roadside shrine and every crossroads.

When the farmer finally harnessed the animal to work in a field, the stallion suddenly went wild. It smashed the wagon’s drawbar, tore apart the harness, and attacked its master, mauling him so severely that he was left lying in a pool of blood.

The wounded farmer was carried home, but his injuries were so severe that he knew he was dying. Gathering his last strength, he dragged himself into the stable, thrust a slaughter knife into the stallion’s belly, and cried, “You shall not kill me alone, Satan!”

The stallion collapsed dead at once. Immediately afterward, a terrible roaring arose, as though thunder were rumbling beneath the earth. The farmer himself died in the same hour.

Sources

Watzlik, H. (1921). Hellish tool. In Bohemian Forest Legends (Bohemian Forest Village Books, 5th issue). Retrieved June 29, 2026, from https://www.sagen.at/texte/sagen/tschechien/watzlik/hoellischeswerkzeug.html

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