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The motif The bone-horse is a part of: Ghost

See also The grave-pig

Keywords:

Horse, death, omen

Description of this motif:

The bone-horse is, like the grave pig the ghost of an animal, that has been buried alive. According to Thiele: Danmarks Folkesagn (1843-60), 1968, vol. 2, p. 234, in the old days it was custom to bury a live horse before the burial of people. The horse re-emerges and haunts the living as the bone-horse. It has only three legs. Meeting it means death.

A hell horse is spoken of in Godfather's Picture Book, but it is just one of Andersen's several parodies of critics:

That is a hell horse. He shouldn't have come until the end of the book, but he has run on ahead to say that neither the beginning, nor the middle, nor the end is any good; he could have done it much better – if he could have done it at all. The hell horse, you see, stands hitched all day in the newspaper, and walks on the columns, they say. But in the evening he slips out, stations himself outside the poet's door, and neighs, so that the man inside will instantly die; but he won't die if there's any real life in him.

The hell horse is usually a poor creature who can't understand himself and can't earn a living, and he gets his air and food by going around and neighing. I am certain that he doesn't like Godfather's picture book, but in spite of that, it may be worth at least the paper it's written on.

Example :

The tale has not been translated (by Hersholt) and is therefore quoted in Danish. Further information and links.

Man siger at i gamle Dage var under de fleste Kirker begravet en levende Hest og denne kom hver Nat som Spøgelse, humpende paa tre Ben og stillede sig uden for hvert Huus hvor Een skal døe. Hælhesten har været der! siger man, men vi troe ikke paa den Hælhest og dog troe vi paa Hælhesten. Under Poesiens store Kirke sætter sig tidt saadant et Spøgelse, en Litterair Helhæst; ved Aftenstid humper den frem for Comediehuset og siger, nu skal den Digter, den Skuespiller eller Skuespillerinde døe – men de døe ikke, fordi Helhesten vrinsker. Lad ham staae paa Græs i Aviserne, gaae paa Papirsmark og spøge, men det er tidt en daarlig Spøg. Stakkels Helhest, tidt er han en virkelig ung Mand, der ikke kan hitte rede i sig selv, og han er blevet Helhest – det er ikke saa meget som at være Klokker, men man siger det er frygteligere!