Women and Horses

I took this picture a couple of days ago while dirt biking (yes, I carry a camera with me even then) and I found it a bit mysterious. The young girl, her golden braids to the wind, the horse in a proud posture, the vast pastures and the big skies had something nostalgic. Perhaps like a 1960’s cowboy movie reminding me of my childhood.

So, I sent it to a photographer friend asking “Does this picture remind you of something?”

What I got back was more about human nature than the moment I captured through a 1970’s Nikkor 55mm Micro lens.

He said:
“Ah, you like this picture but do not know why? Well, I think you should go back and read Freud and Jung. This is classic psychology about girls and horses, my friend. As you know I have taken a few pictures of women and horses, and I assume that is why you sent it to me. So, instead of talking about your picture, let me repeat what I learned about this topic years ago, when my pictures were published.

Does Kelpie mean anything to you? No? Well, this is the name given to an aquatic creature inhabiting the lochs of Scotland. What makes a Kelpie interesting is that interchangeably it takes the shape of a woman or a horse. You may be surprised to know that the monster of Loch Ness is in fact a Kelpie according to the Scotts. How much more delightful it is to see a woman coming out of the waters than that dragon-like contraption we were given years ago!

How about Epona? Rhiannon? The Centaurs? They are all mythical creatures involving women and horses, although the Centaurs can be men too.. But my favorites are the Valkyries in Norse stories and mythology. See, they say that Valkyries are virgins, who riding their white horses, hover over battlefields like falcons over prairie dogs!  And, they decide who will die in battle and who will not. But the best part is that they choose half of the dead and take them to Valhalla! To paradise. To Shangri La! And the other half, just die and get eaten by crows and vultures. What a story! “

I was laughing aloud reading his note. Did I deserve such a lecture? All I wanted was to get his opinion as to why the picture I took seemed attractive to me for reasons I did not fully understand.

Well, maybe he is right. Maybe this picture did touch a subconscious cord of sorts, dealing with women and horses.

So, I kept on reading.

“Did your daughter draw unicorns? Did your son? See, boys do not draw unicorns, nor do they have posters of white unicorns on pink background in their rooms. It is said that unicorns, as the imaginary impersonation of horses, affect the thinking of many a girl. Why? I do not know, but others have theories. The horse is seen by Freud and Jung as representing powerful instinctive urges of a sexual and perhaps aggressive nature. In medieval Europe the horse was considered to be a symbol of fertility. In all these instances the horse is an archetype. A platform. And girls have adopted the romantic image of the Unicorn to symbolize purity, and hope for dreams to come true.
And then there is your favorite, I know, the Pegasus…”

So I wrote back:
“You have become an expert in mythology, and perhaps women and horses. But tell me, what do you see in this picture?”

And to my surprise he answered:
“A man who cannot make up his mind concerning B&W photography. See, for you all is shades of gray; for me it is much simpler – I would have loved to see her golden hair mix with, I assume, the yellowish colors of fall.”

And he concluded:
“The horse is incidental.”

October 25, 2014
© Vahé A. Kazandjian, 2014