Horse and Rider:
Bucephalus



Perhaps the ultimate example of the height of the relationship that can be achieved between horse and rider is the much-embellished tale of Alexander the Great and Bucephalus. Though Alexander the Great was Macedonion, his empire encompassed the Hellenistic period of Greek culture, and his horse was bred of Thessalian stock, his Greek name either a reference to his heavy head or ox-mark brand. In her work on The Nature of Alexander, Mary Renault provides not only an intriguing biography of a man famed for conquering the known world, but also of the remarkable horse that was his companion for close to eighteen years. Bucephalus was so beloved of Alexander that a city was named for him upon his death. His fame has carried into the current equestrian culture in forms of myth and fact. Anyone familiar with the film adaptation of Walter Farley's acclaimed novel, The Black Stallion, will remember a tale of a fiery horse that no one could ride, save young Alexander, who vaulted onto the massive horse's back and instantly tamed him. The pair ends the tale with a magnificent and impossible leap over the crowd peopling the arena grandstands.

The story that Renault tells of Bucephalus, though its feet are firmly planted on the ground, is no less remarkable. Renault introduces Bucephalus first through a brief relation of the more common exaggerations of his tale--namely, that Bucephalus and Alexander, who would have been thirteen at the time of their meeting, came together as rebellious youths, their solidarity firmly rooted in that soil. The essential core of Alexander and Bucephalus's meeting reads somewhat less prosaically. Bucephalus, at the age of twelve, was brought to Phillip and offered for sale. However, he proved to be unridable, not even allowing himself to be mounted. As such, the offer of sale was declined; nevertheless, Alexander chose to challenge his father. In response, Phillip offered his son a bet. If Alexander could mount and ride Bucephalus, Phillip would buy the horse for him. If Alexander could not, he himself would be responsible for paying the cost of the horse. Quite obviously, Alexander was successful in mounting and riding Bucephalus, and his father kept his word and purchased the horse for him.

Renault speculates on the apparent skittishness of Bucephalus, turning to Xenophon's description of the training of horses for inspiration. She proposes that perhaps someone, in training Bucephalus in preparation for sale, used forceful and painful methods that the animal objected to. Some accounts state that Bucephalus was frightened of his own shadow, and that Alexander tamed him by turning him away from the sun and comforting him. In any case, Alexander must have handled the horse carefully and calmly to have established such a deep-seated relationship with him. Renault cites accounts from Arrian and Curtius that describe that relationship. "Arrian says that [Bucephalus] never let anyone but Alexander mount [him] as long as [he] lived," and "for [Alexander], adds Curtius, [the horse] would lower its body to help him on." Plutarch and other writers look to the taming of Bucephalus as one of the great events of Alexander's life, and illustration of his strength and future greatness.

Bucephalus was approximately thirty years old when he died, a very good run even by modern standards. Mary Renault hypothesizes that, in part, Bucephalus's impressive life span may have been due to having a light rider. However, in detailing a battle with the Persians in July of 331, Renault speculates that, "beside the tall Nisaeans, probably as big as modern chargers, Bucephalus must have look like a thickset pony." The Greek horse as described by J.K. Anderson in Ancient Greek Horsemanship was not a large animal, probably averaging fifteen hands at the withers--just a few inches taller than the largest modern ponies. Neverthless, Bucephalus illustrates that these relatively small horses were apt war horses with both strength and spirit. According to Renault, the encounter with the Persians was to be Bucephalus's final engagement on the battlefield. At the time, he was twenty-four years old. Nevertheless, Alexander rode him to the head of the cavalry and lead a fearsome and successful charge against the Persians.

The results of the same battle also demonstrates Alexander's devotion to his horse. In the pursuit of the Persian king, Darius, Alexander drove his troops so hard that "a thousand horses foundered," giving their lives in what proved to be an unsuccessful chase. Bucephalus was not among their number--not by virtue of his own strength, but because Alexander "had taken time to have him cared for."

Later, while Alexander was on campaign against the Mardians, Bucephalus was the cause of another stir in history. Bucephalus and the entirety of a string of horses that traveled with him were stolen in the mountain forests where his master campaigned. Though Bucephalus was twenty-five at the time and retired from service, Alexander was so distressed at his loss that he sent his "heralds to threaten general devastation if [Bucephalus was] not returned." He then turned around and rewarded the horse thieves when they restored the old horse to him.

So strong was Bucephalus's reputation that "Afghan chiefs would be claiming descent from [Alexander], and even that of their horses from Bucephalus," who, Renault notes, would have been very old to have stood at stud when he and his master were in the area.

At the age of thirty, Bucephalus died due to fatigue and old age. The site of his death was the area on which the city Bucephala was founded. Perhaps to the satisfaction of any horse-lover who reads her work, Renault concludes her relation of Bucephalus's life with a note that archeologists still seek traces of his tomb by Jhelum.

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