The Sea Horse - slate coaster

This is an interesting month as the Sea Horse (Capall Mara in Irish) is not generally associated with Irish folklore and legend, although there are two types, the spiny sea horse and the short snouted sea horse, dwelling in our surrounding waters. There are, however, other “Sea horses” present in Irish folklore. First there is the Each Uisce (Water horse), Each Uisge in Scotland, which is a terrifying creature that inhabits certain waters, though mostly lakes rather than the sea. There are also legends of sea creatures, somewhere between a dragon and a giant sea horse and perhaps it was the unusual look of the sea horse that allowed its persona to be changed into something fearsome and otherworldly. The most legendary Sea Horse as in a horse of the sea, is Enbarr or Aonbharr, the white horse of the Sea God Manannán Mac Lir and this animal was said to be able to race across the ocean as easily as on land. Sometimes waves on the west coast of Ireland are referred to as Manannán’s wave which interestingly ties in with whole idea of “white horses” in reference to stormy waves, and of course is connected to the Greek sea god Poseidon.
In this illustration I have divided the picture to represent the white horse of Manannán and the sea horse, both courageous and mysterious creatures.

Illustrated by Margaret McKenna