An entertaining story. What was the name of Alexander the Great's horse?

Bucephalus is a nickname that entered the world literature as a household name. Only the baby does not know who owned the glorious name. Today it is believed that an animal, called Bucefalom, is simply obliged to bring good luck. It is known that Alexander the Great's horse is a creature that stands in line with historical figures. Many legends, memories, chronicles and other materials are associated with it, proving or refuting its existence. What the horse was, where it came from, and how the great commander treated it , we will try to find out.

Taming of the Shrew

Everyone knows the name of Alexander the Great's horse , but no one has information about how he appeared with the king. And the history itself is unknown. But there are several legends about the origin of the animal. According to one of them, Bucephalus was purchased by Alexander's father. He bought it from a trader for 13 talents. King Philip hesitated for a long time whether he needed such a purchase. After all, for the money that should be given for the horse, it was possible to maintain a company of soldiers of one and a half thousand people. In addition, the animal had wayward holes. But the future king of Macedonia decided to tame the horse, and for this the merchant will reduce the cost of the stallion. Bucephalus was afraid of shadows, Alexander, noticing this, showed ingenuity and directed him to the sun.

At first everything went smoothly, the young man watched the horse, restraining it a little. He gave the will to Bucephalus only when he realized that he posed no threat. King Philip silently looked at everything that was happening. But when Alexander, not concealing his jubilation, rode up to him on horseback, he could not hold back his tears. It was at this moment that Philip uttered the words that sounded like a prophecy. Today no one can quote them, but the meaning of the phrase can be conveyed: Macedonia is small for Alexander, he must find a kingdom suitable for him in nature.

Then the future Macedonian ruler was only 12 years old. But Bucefal, the horse of Alexander the Great, was even younger. By the standards adopted for animals, the horse did not possess large parameters. Her height at the withers was 136-146 centimeters. But with all this, she got the nickname, which translates as "bullhead" or "bullhead".

A horse with a peacock's tail

Another legend describes the appearance and origin of the horse is very beautiful and touching. It is believed that the beloved horse of Alexander the Great possessed a horn of ivory shade and an emerald peacock tail. He was presented to Alexander on his birthday by the Egyptian queen. Until Bucephalus fell into the hands of its owner, it was unbroken. Wild animal no one could tame, it was unusually large and felt how people are afraid of it. That's why no one could curb him. But Alexander was known as a brave youth who could not be feared. When he grew up, and was able to make himself afraid, he ordered the horse to come to him.

Bucephalus at the sight of his master showed resignation: he poked his horn in the ground and waited for the orders of the king. Macedonian appreciated the act and called the horse by that name, which is known to this day.

The origin of the name of the great horse

Let's look at the name of the horse of Alexander the Great and how the choice of this nickname was justified. Bucephalus is an ancient Greek name, which in translation means "bullhead". There are several versions of why the animal received this nickname. Some historians claim that the horse had a large massive head that resembled the head of a bull. Other scientists talk about the existence of a white spot on the forehead, imitating the same head of a bull. Behind the text of the third legend, Bucephalus was marked with a stigma in the form of a bull, since he grew up on the plains of Thessaly, and in those days all animals grown near the city of Farsala were marked with just such a stigma.

Bucephalus in the War

Many mysteries surround the history of the name of the horse of Alexander the Great, where he came from and how he fell into the hands of his possessor. But it is reliably known that he was the favorite of his master and took part in the majority of military operations conducted by the conqueror. He was his friend, prop and protector.

Alexander loved his four-legged friend so much that he protected him from enemies and death. So, once Macedonian, going on a campaign in Asia, took with him and Bucephalus. But that he was not hurt, he kept it on a leash, and he used other animals during the battles. In one of the battles one of the horses was killed. This time Alexander the Great saved his comrade.

Once, after all, the commander did not look after the horse, and he was kidnapped. It happened in Persia. Uxii, local barbarians, stole Bucephalus. Upon learning of this, Alexander threatened to wipe out all the people of Uksi from the face of the Earth if the horse was not returned. Frightened of death, the thieves gave away the stolen goods, and Macedonian himself, with joy for the successful outcome of this event, paid a ransom to the kidnappers.

The death of Bucephalus

The death of a great horse has acquired no less legends than his life and adventures. As the horse of Alexander the Great was called, we found out what remains to be learned about how he left this world. There is evidence that Bucephalus died during the battle with the king of India Por. And other sources report the natural death of the animal in deep old age. This happened also in India. And on the place of his rest Alexander ordered to build the city with the same name.