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Morvarc'h
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Morvarc'h
Morvarc'h (Breton for "sea horse") is the name of a fabulous horse of Breton legend found in two folktales reworked in the 19th and 20th centuries. Though its name appears in older sources, it was invented or reinterpreted by Charles Guyot, who named it Morvark in his version of the legend of the city of Ys in 1926. It belongs to the "Queen of the North" Malgven, who gives it to her husband King Gradlon. Endowed with the ability to gallop on the waves, Morvarc'h is described as having a black coat and as breathing flames through its nostrils. It also appears in a Breton folktale about King Marc'h of Cornouaille. In the course of a deer hunt it is killed by its own rider's arrow, which has been turned around by the spell of Dahud, the daughter of Malgven. She then puts the ears of the horse Morvarc'h on the head of King Marc'h, who seeks in vain to hide them.
The legend of Morvarc'h being from Cornouaille in Brittany, it is the subject of equestrian statues in the town of Argol and in Saint Corentin's Cathedral in Quimper. Folklore connects it with the village of Pouldreuzic. Linked to the water like many Celtic horses, Morvarc'h reappears in more recent works composed around the legend of the drowned city of Ys, among which are novels by Gordon Zola, André Le Ruyet and Suzanne Salmon, and a song by Dan Ar Braz.
The name Morvarc'h means "sea horse" or "marine horse" in Breton. It appears in Grégoire de Rostrenen's dictionary, published in 1732. This name causes confusion in the Breton language, because depending on the case, it can also mean "walrus" or "whale": Françoise Le Roux and Christian Guyonvarc'h translate the Morvarc'h of Charles Guyot as "morse" ("walrus"), a name they find "incongruous to designate a fiery stallion".
The horse Morvarc'h appears in two Breton legends reworked in the 19th and 20th centuries: that of the city of Ys with Malgven and Gradlon, and that of Marc'h, King of Cornouaille. This name is also mentioned in Barzaz Breiz, without any apparent link to the other two stories.
Théodore Hersart de la Villemarqué mentions a "sea horse" (morvarc'h) in the Barzaz Breiz (1840). This horse is a warrior symbol, as evidenced by the bard Gwenc'hlan in his prophecy likening it to the king:
"Morvark, this is the master I have chosen. Take us over the sea to his ships. You are more rapid than the wind, you laugh at the waves, you outstrip the storms, the sea-eagle wears out his tireless wings pursuing you.
Morvarc'h also figures in recent versions of the legend of the city of Ys, featuring King Gradlon, his wife Queen Malgven, their daughter Dahut and the evangelist Saint Guénolé, who is trying to persuade Gradlon to put an end to the pagan machinations of his daughter.
There is a possible mention of Morvar'ch, not named, in a poem which Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué presents as dating from the 13th century. Without having a specific name, the mount of King Grallon loses its master during an attempt to escape by swimming; the master drowns, and the horse runs wild:
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Morvarc'h
Morvarc'h (Breton for "sea horse") is the name of a fabulous horse of Breton legend found in two folktales reworked in the 19th and 20th centuries. Though its name appears in older sources, it was invented or reinterpreted by Charles Guyot, who named it Morvark in his version of the legend of the city of Ys in 1926. It belongs to the "Queen of the North" Malgven, who gives it to her husband King Gradlon. Endowed with the ability to gallop on the waves, Morvarc'h is described as having a black coat and as breathing flames through its nostrils. It also appears in a Breton folktale about King Marc'h of Cornouaille. In the course of a deer hunt it is killed by its own rider's arrow, which has been turned around by the spell of Dahud, the daughter of Malgven. She then puts the ears of the horse Morvarc'h on the head of King Marc'h, who seeks in vain to hide them.
The legend of Morvarc'h being from Cornouaille in Brittany, it is the subject of equestrian statues in the town of Argol and in Saint Corentin's Cathedral in Quimper. Folklore connects it with the village of Pouldreuzic. Linked to the water like many Celtic horses, Morvarc'h reappears in more recent works composed around the legend of the drowned city of Ys, among which are novels by Gordon Zola, André Le Ruyet and Suzanne Salmon, and a song by Dan Ar Braz.
The name Morvarc'h means "sea horse" or "marine horse" in Breton. It appears in Grégoire de Rostrenen's dictionary, published in 1732. This name causes confusion in the Breton language, because depending on the case, it can also mean "walrus" or "whale": Françoise Le Roux and Christian Guyonvarc'h translate the Morvarc'h of Charles Guyot as "morse" ("walrus"), a name they find "incongruous to designate a fiery stallion".
The horse Morvarc'h appears in two Breton legends reworked in the 19th and 20th centuries: that of the city of Ys with Malgven and Gradlon, and that of Marc'h, King of Cornouaille. This name is also mentioned in Barzaz Breiz, without any apparent link to the other two stories.
Théodore Hersart de la Villemarqué mentions a "sea horse" (morvarc'h) in the Barzaz Breiz (1840). This horse is a warrior symbol, as evidenced by the bard Gwenc'hlan in his prophecy likening it to the king:
"Morvark, this is the master I have chosen. Take us over the sea to his ships. You are more rapid than the wind, you laugh at the waves, you outstrip the storms, the sea-eagle wears out his tireless wings pursuing you.
Morvarc'h also figures in recent versions of the legend of the city of Ys, featuring King Gradlon, his wife Queen Malgven, their daughter Dahut and the evangelist Saint Guénolé, who is trying to persuade Gradlon to put an end to the pagan machinations of his daughter.
There is a possible mention of Morvar'ch, not named, in a poem which Théodore Hersart de La Villemarqué presents as dating from the 13th century. Without having a specific name, the mount of King Grallon loses its master during an attempt to escape by swimming; the master drowns, and the horse runs wild: