![]() Seahorses belong to the biological genus Hippocampus. Let’s have a closer look into what they have in common with the hippocampus from mythology. The hippocampus actually shared its name with the small seahorses that live in the ocean as well as the structure in the brain that is responsible for our memories. The most famous one is probably the Aigikampos which is the Capricorn we refer to in zodiac signs today – basically a goat with fish tail – or a goat mermaid, however you like it. So all of these were an animal in the front and a sea monster (kampos) in the back. ![]() Today we hower use the the latin form “campus”. Here is an overview of the half animal half fish creatures: Mythological creature Greek Name Fish-tailed horse Hippokampos Fish-tailed lion Leokampos Fish-tailed bull Taurokampos Fish-tailed leopard Pardalokampos Fish-tailed goat Aigikampos (= Capricorn) Creatures with a fish tail from Greek mythology. The hippocampus is not the only animal from Greek mythology that has a mermaid tail though. They should not be confused with other mytholgical water horses like the Scottish Kelpie and similiar creatures from Scandianvia though, because these are mostly evil and live in rivers and lakes instead of the ocean. To sailors they were seen as good omens like the sea nymphs. Generally speaking, the hippocampi are described as trustworthy and beautiful creatures that mostly lived secretive lives in the ocean while sometimes interacting with the Greek gods and sea nymphs. Poseidon is actually the god of horses, besides the sea and earthquakes, because he is the one that created the horses out of the ocean waves in an attempt to create the most beautiful animal on earth, thus making them his loyal followers.īecause it was created out of the ocean waves, the hippocampus symbolizes the power and beauty of the sea as well as the connection to the Greek gods and mermaids – the sea nymphs (naiads) – who looked over the ocean and saved drowning people with them. “Hippos” is by the way the same word as in “ hippopotamus” which literally means “river horse” from ancient Greek “hippos” (horse) and “potamos” (river).īesides pulling Poseidon/Neptun in his chariot these fish-tailed horses were also ridden by the sea nymphs – the so called nereids which are basically a kind of mermaid. And the Latin form was originally derived from the Greek “hippokampos”, which is comprised of the Greek words “hippos” (ἵππος) for horse and “kampos” (κάμπος) for sea monster. The word hippocampus was actually adopted into English from the Latin “hippocampus”. One example of such a depiction of winged hippocampi are the seahorses on the famous Trevi Fountaine in Rome. Sometimes they were depicted with flippers instead of hooves or with wings in addition to their fish tails. They were often depicted in art over the centuries and since the time of ancient Greece their appearance did not change much except for the fact that that they were not drawn with a fish tail in the very beginning. Hippocampi are the ones that pull Poseidon’s chariot through the ocean. The hippocampus is a seahorse in Greek mythology which is half horse and half fish and is associated with the gods of the sea. ![]() The word comes from Greek mythology and literally means horse (hippos) and sea monster (kampos) which is often translated as sea-horse.īut what exactly are these magestic horses and what does their name tell about them? The hippocampus: the half-horse half-fish creature from Greek mythology But one creature I personally find to be much more intriguing is a creature with the upper body of a horse and a fishtail like a mermaid.Ī horse with a fishtail is called a Hippocampus. You have probably seen cute pictures of cat mermaids all over the internet. ![]()
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