Wind Horse
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The wind horse is an allegory for the human soul in the shamanistic tradition of Central Asia. In Tibetan buddhism, it was included as the pivotal element in the center of the four animals symbolizing the cardinal directions. It has also given the name to a type of prayer flag that has the five animals printed on it.
Depending on the language, the symbol has slightly different names.
- хийморь, Khiimori, Mongolian literally for "gas horse," semantically "wind horse," colloquial meaning soul.
- Rüzgar Tayi, old Turkic for foal of the wind.
- རླུང་རྟ་, Lung-Ta, Tibetan for wind horse
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[edit] Shamanism
The origins of the wind horse can be found in the region of Mongolia as a component of Tengriism, and in Tibet in the Bön faith.
The Turco-Mongolian legend reports of a magical horse, which was born as a foal with eight legs and the ability to fly. The wind horse was the spiritual child of a shaman woman named Chichek, and should help her to escape the reign of an evil Khan. This succeeds only after his death, when it appears in Chicheks dream and carries her away. In Mongolian representations, the wind horse is usually shown with wings.
Khiimori represents the inner strength of a human, his soul. This strength helps to find the balance between father sky (old Turkic: Tengri, Mongolian: Tenger) and mother earth. Good deeds strengthen the soul and its strength. Every act that disturbs the balance of the world causes the inner strength to shrink. This way tengriism explains why evil humans often develop self-destructive behaviour.
[edit] Buddhism
In Tibetan buddhism, the same symbol was adopted from the shamanistic faith of Bön. It appears in company of the four animals of the cardinal directions (Garuda or Kyung, Dragon, Tiger, and Snowlion), which in turn have their origin in Hindu and Chinese mythology.
In this context, the wind horse is typically shown without wings, but carries the Three Jewels, or the wish fulfilling jewel. Its appearance is supposed to bring peace, wealth, and harmony. The ritual invocation of the wind horse usually happens in the morning and during the growing moon.
On one type of tibetan prayer flags, often the four animals of the cardinal directions are depicted in the corners and the wind horse in the center. The latter has given those flags the name Lung-ta. They flutter in the wind, and carry the prayers to heaven like the horse flying in the wind.
[edit] Heraldry
The wind horse is a rare element in Heraldry. It is shown as a strongly stylized flying horse with wings. The most common example is the coat of arms of Mongolia. In Europe, the equivalent symbol is the Pegasus.
[edit] Literature
- Robert Beer: Die Symbole des tibetischen Buddhismus, Kreuzlingen 2003, ISBN 3720524779
