|
The
legend begins with Philoneicus, a Thessalian, bringing a wild horse to Philip
for him to buy. None of the hands were able to handle it, and Philip grew upset
at Philoneicus for bringing such an unstable horse to him. Alexander, however,
publicly defied his father and claimed that he could handle the horse. The bet
between Philip 2 and Alexander 3 was that if Alexander could ride the it, Philip
would buy it, if not, Alexander would have to pay the price of the horse, which
was 13 talents, an enormous sum for a boy of Alexander's age to have. (The 1994
World Almanac says that 1 talent was about 60 pounds. Sixty pounds of anything
is a lot of money.)
Alexander
apparently noticed that the horse had been shying away from its own shadow, and
so he led it gently into the sun, so that its shadow was behind it, all the
while stroking it gently and whispering into its ear. Eventually the horse let
Alexander mount him, and Alexander was able to show his equestrian skill to his
father and all who were watching.
"Mosaic - Alexander and Bucephalus in battle" He named the horse
Bucephalus, which means Ox head, and this horse has walk all over Alexander's
war routes. He ride it across Europe in his fatherland, Asia and Africa,
founding a city in its honor in India after its death.
|
|
