Hippocamp Facts: All About The Sea Horse Creature in Roman Mythology

Hippocamp is a popular Greek mythology sea monster known for pulling the chariot of the Sea God Poseidon.

The culture of Greece accounts for a long list of mythologies with mystic creatures that hold magic. One such creature of the mystic Greek is Hippocamp, the sea horse creature.

The Hippocamp had a body of a horse, while the hind portion beneath its waist was that of a fish. The God of the Sea, Poseidon, was carried across oceans and seas on a chariot drawn by Hippocamp.

This part fish, part horse creature drawing the chariot was used as a symbol of Poseidon in Homeric poems. Its historical significance can also be perceived through goods as fourth-century coins from Tyre also show God Melqrat riding a winged Hippocamp, accompanied by dolphins.

Greek myths range from Pandora to Medusa, but before exploring the tangled pages of Roman mythology, let's find out interesting facts about Hippocamp!

The History Of Hippocamp

The stories of Hippocamp, the sea horse creature, are scattered as its depiction can be found in multiple texts, carvings, paintings, and as a part of medieval history as well. ‘Iliad,’ a Greek epic, describes Hippocamps as 'the two-hooved horses' of Poseidon emerging from the sea.

Hippocamps were known to be gentle animals in Greek mythology, and gods rode them to reach places due to their agility and efficient tail besides Poseidon, Nereid, and other nymphs.

Hippocamp's appearance in multiple historic epics makes it an extremely popular name in Greek as well as many other mythologies. Greek myths describe Hippocamp as a good omen as it helped sailors reach destinations and saved them from vicious sea monsters.

They were also considered sacred by the Mounts of Poseidon, the God who in Roman culture is called Neptune.

In Pictish mythology, Hippocamp is called Kelpies or Pictish Beast due to its appearance. Many Pictish stone carvings have Hippocamp etched on them.

In Etruscan mythology, the depiction of Hippocamps could be found amid tomb paintings but contrasting to the original image, it also sports a pair of wings. Renaissance's Trevi fountain is one of the most popular depictions of Hippocamp with Triton.

What was Hippocamp influenced by?

Fish and horses influenced the structure of the Hippocamp as they carried qualities of both the animals. 

As depicted by sculptures and texts, Hippocamp's structure was half horse and half fish, probably why it was named as Hippocamp that has a direct translation combining two words- 'Horse' and 'Sea Monster'. Surprisingly, Hippocamp is also the scientific name of sea horses, which closely resemble Hippocamp.

Greek mythology's prominence all over the world is so vast that it inspired planetary nomenclature as well. The planets in the solar system are all named after the Roman gods. As Neptune is named after the Roman God of the Sea, who is equivalent to the Greek God Poseidon, its recently found orbiting moon is named Hippocamp.

This Roman/Greek creature also inspired an aspect of the human brain. Hippocampus is a region of the brain functioning linked with memory. The reason why this part is named after a Greek sea horse is that its structure resembles the shape of the creature Hippocampus. Julius Caesar Aranzi named it in 1587.

Half-horse and half-fish Hippocamps were known to have the abilities of both a horse and fish as the creature had to draw Poseidon's chariot both in and above the sea.

Physical Features Of Hippocamp

Roman creatures are famous for their unusual form, which ranges from goats, fish, elves to mermaids and horses. One such creature with unfamiliar features is Hippocamp.

Hippocamp was half-horse till its torso while being half-fish from its lower body. Initially, it was believed that a bunch of horses pulled Poseidon's chariot through the oceans, but this half-horse was actually Hippocamp. Hippocamps were also seen as sea horses or Merhorses, where the hind portion may differ from being either of a simple fish or water dragon.

It is believed that the Hippocamps were strong, swift swimmers with only front hooves and a serpentine-like tail as these good-natured beasts swam through the sea fluidly and helped sailors and sea creatures. Hippocampus has diverse colors and scale patterns.

Various artists have depicted Hippocamp in their artwork as a creature that had webbed hooves and fins instead of mane to describe an amalgamation of aquatic features with the prominent horse structure.

What creatures are similar to Hippocamp?

Roman mythology is full of unusual creatures with uncommon features. Most of these entities were human-animal hybrid, while some of them were hybrid of two different kinds of animals, just like Hippocamps.

It is hard to imagine mythological stories full of extraordinary entities to have only one unusual creature. There are various other creatures, similar to Hippocamp that you can easily find through Roman mythological books.

Capricorn, or Capricornus, in Greek mythology, is portrayed as a sea-goat, who is God Pan's transformed form.

Another closely related creature is Kelpie, a supernatural water horse that is part of the Scottish legend for being known as an aquatic spirit.

Unicorn is a fairly famous one, which is still talked about. The horse or goat with a single horn on its head has its depiction in ancient myths of China and India and is famous for having magical powers strong enough to heal serious human illnesses.

Here at Kidadl, we have carefully created lots of interesting family-friendly facts for everyone to enjoy!

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