Bucéphale

The horse of Alexandre the Large one

Bucéphale (in Greek old Βουκέφαλος / Boukephalos ) is the horse of Alexandre Large the.

Its name comes from βοός / boos , the ox, and of κεφαλή / kephalê , the head: its head would thus have resembled that of an ox, or its head would have carried a spot in the ox shape.

According to the tradition, Bucéphale goes down from the Jument S of Diomède. According to Plutarque ( Life of Alexandre , VI), a merchant Thessalie N shows it with Philippe II of Macedonia, but the Cheval is shown so restive that Philippe refuses to buy it. With moment when it orders that one carries the horse, Alexandre, wire of Philippe, expresses his regrets, and its father concludes purchase, provided that it is Alexandre which overcomes the animal, or else he will have to pay itself the purchase - for the considerable sum of 13 talents, that is to say 78.000 Drachme S. Alexandre notices that the horse is afraid of its shade (which he is ombrageux ) and succeeds in overcoming it while placing it vis-a-vis the sun. After that, Bucéphale agrees to be gone up only by Alexandre. Plutarque gives to this anecdote a prophetic range. Indeed, seeing the success of his/her son, Philippe would have declared to him:

“My child, seeks a kingdom with your measurement. Macedonia is not large enough for you. ”

(transl. has. - M. Ozanam)

Since then, Alexandre and Bucéphale make team. Become king, it is while assembling Bucéphale that Alexandre leads the cavalry Macedonian, in all the battles which will carry out them of Greece to India.

Always according to Plutarque, Bucéphale dies of its wounds after the Bataille of Hydaspe in 326 av. J. - C. It also quotes an author old who claims, him, which Bucéphale died of old age at the 30 years age. Alexandre made a god then, and based of it on his tomb the town of Bucéphalie ( Alexandria Boukephalous , today Jhelum in Pakistan). One sees on certain currencies of the successors of Alexandre the god Bucéphale like a horned horse, the horns being a symbol of divinity in the old East.

Other horses of the same name

Bucéphale is also the name given to the one of the horses of the group decorating the fountain of the Place of Quirinal, with Rome.

The horse of the baron of Münchhausen, as famous as the Rossinante of Don Quichotte, bears the name of Bucéphale.

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