Alsvidur, The Horse of Mani. (Horse No.3)
Cabell's collection label reads:<br /><br />Alsvidur, The Horse of Mani. <br />A gift from Clitandre the Highwayman. <br />--The Book of Clitandre, in <em>Smith. </em>3<em><br /><br /><br /></em>Note: Mani is the moon god in Norse mythology who travels across the sky drawn by the horse Alsvidur. Mani is chased by the wolf Hati ("hate").
Aquiline, The Horse of Raymond of Toulouse. (Horse No. 4)
Aquiline, The Horse of Raymond of Toulouse. <br />A gift from Brace [sic] Abundant. <br />--"Grance[sic] Abundant," in <em>Special Delivery</em>. 4<br /><br /><br />Raymond of Toulouse was a powerful prince in southern France and one of the leaders of the First Crusade. Aquiline is Raymond's wise horse which figures prominently in the epic poem "Jerusalem Delivered" by Torquato Tasso.<br /><br /><em>Special Delivery: A Packet of Replies</em> by Branch Cabell (James Branch Cabell), 1933. One of the sections in this work is entitled "Grace Abundant."
Babieca, The Horse of the Cid. (Horse No. 8)
Cabell's label reads:<br /><br />Babieca, The Horse of the Cid.<br />A gift from Wiglerus, Prince of Denmark.<br />--<em>Hamlet Had an Uncle.</em> 8<br /><br /><br />Babieca (which means simpleton or stupid) was the great warhorse of El Cid. After his death, El Cid's body was tied onto Babieca and sent into battle to inspire his troops. Babieca thus carried El Cid "beyond death."<br /><br />Wiglerus was Hamlet's uncle in Shakespeare's play. <br /><em>Hamlet Had an Uncle: A Comedy of Honor</em> is a Shakeaspearean satire by James Branch Cabell (1940).
Bucephalos, The Horse of Alexander. (Horse No. 15)
Cabell's collection label reads: <br /><br />Bucephalos, The Horse of Alexander. <br />A gift from Cesario dei Vetori, Prince of Melphe. <br />--<em>The King Was in His Counting House. </em>15<br /><br /><br /><span><em><br /><br />The King Was in His Counting House </em>is a satirical romance by Cabell, set in the Renaissance Italy of Jacobean tragedy rather than in actual history. Cesario dei Vetori is a character in that work.</span><br /><br />
Cyllaros, The Horse of Castor. (Horse No. 19)
Cabell's collection tag reads:<br /><br />Cyllaros, The Horse of Castor.<br />A gift from Colonel Henry Esmond of Castlewood-in-Virginia.<br />--"Colonel Edmond of Virginia," in <em>Let Me Lie. </em>19<br /><br />According to Brewer's <em>A Dictionary of Phrase and Fable</em> (a copy of which Cabell owned), Ovid identifies Cyllaros as Castor's horse, while Virgil writes that Cyllaros belonged to Pollux.<br /><br />
Grane, The Horse of Brunnhilde. (Horse No. 24)
Cabell's collection note reads:<br /><br />Grane, The Horse of Brunnhilde.<br />A gift from Margaret Waller Freeman. 24<br /><br /><br />In Wagner's <em>Ring</em> cycle Brunhilde's horse is named Grane.
Horse No. 14
The descriptive label for this horse is missing. On the bottom of the figurine is an inscription:<br /><br />To Uncle James <br />"Branch Cabell" <br />from<br /><span style="text-decoration: underline;">John</span> & <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Robert</span> [partially obscurred]<br />May he live long [writing obscurred]<br />Xmas, 1936<br /><br />Given the identifying number "14" this name of this statue would come alphabetically between Brigliardoro (13) and Bucephalos (15). The list of mythological horses in Brewer's <em>A Dictionary of Phrase and Fable</em> suggests the names Bronte, one of the horses of the Sun, or Bronzomarte the horse of Sir Launcelot Greaves a character in the novel by Tobias Smollett. <br /><br />The figurine is very similar in appearance to Horse No. 39 which is identified as <br />"Philogeia, Horse of the Sun.<br />A gift from Ellen Glasgow.<br />--"Miss Glasgow of Virginia," in <span style="text-decoration: underline;">Let Me Lie.</span> 39"
Kelpie of the Black Glen (Horse No. 32)
Cabell's collection label reads:<br /><br />Kelpie of the Black Glen<br />A gift from Duke Propero of Milan.<br />--"Duke Prospero at Milan," in <em>These Restless Heads.</em> 32<br /><br /><em>These Restless Heads </em>was the first book Cabell published under the name "Branch Cabell." He used this name to distinguish the works that followed from his previous writings, particularly the Biography of the life of Manuel. <em>These Restless Heads</em> consists mostly of essays but is framed by brief fictions about Prospero from <em>The Tempest</em>, and True Thomas who loved the queen of Faerie. Kelpies are mythical Scottish water-horses.
Philogeia, Horse of the Sun. (Horse No. 39)
Cabell's collection label reads: <br /><br />Philogeia, Horse of the Sun.<br />A gift from Ellen Glasgow.<br />-- "Miss Glasgow of Virginia," in <em>Let Me Lie. </em>39<br /><br />This figurine bears a close resemblance to Horse No. 14.
Sheratz, Horse of King Marco of Serbia (Horse No. 47)
Cabell's collection label reads:<br /><br />Sheratz, the Horse of King Marco of Serbia.<br />A gift from Smirt, the Master of Gods.<br />--<em>Smirt.</em> 47<br /><br /><br />King Marco was Marko Mrnjav?evi?, at 14th century rular and the most popular hero of Serbian epic poetry. In legend, King Marko's inseparable companion was his powerful, talking piebald horse Šarac (Sheratz) to whom Marko always gave an equal share of his wine.
White Surrey, Horse of King Richard the Third (Horse No. 55)
Cabell's collection label reads:<br /><br />White Surrey, Horse of King Richard the Third.<br />A gift from Mr. John Wilkes Booth.<br />--The Eighteenth Letter, in <em>Ladies and Gentlemen.<br /><br /><br /></em>In Shakespeare's historical play <em>Richard III</em>, Richard o<span>rders his attendants to ‘Saddle white Surrey [Syrie] for the field tomorrow’. <br /><br /><em>Ladies and Gentlemen</em> is a volume of essays in the form of imaginary letters to real, legendary, and imaginary persons, discussing a wide range of literary and philosophical matters. Cabell's converses with a number of characters including King Tut, Solomon, Julius Caesar, Ananias, Sir Galahad, Hamlet, Tamerlane, Falstaff, Dr. Faustus, George Washintgon, Edgar Allan Poe, John Wilkes Booth, and Cabell's own Jurgen of Poictesme.<br /></span>
Xanthos, The Horse of Achilles. (Horse No. 56)
Cabell's collection label reads:<br /><br />Xanthos, The Horse of Achilles.<br />A gift from Messire Donander of Evre, the Thane of Aigremont.<br />--"Above Paradiso," in <em>The Silver Stallion. </em>56<br /><br /><br />Note: Xanthos is the Latin form of the Greek name Xanthus.<br />Xanthos (/?zænθ?s/; Ξ?νθος, Xanthos, "blonde") and Balios (/?be?li?s/; Β?λιος, Balios, possibly "dappled") were two immortal horses in Greek mythology, the offspring of the harpy Podarge and the West wind, Zephyrus. Xanthos and Belios were given to Achilles by his father, King Peleus. They pulled Achilles' chariot during the Trojan War.<br /><br />Messire Donander of Evre, the Thane of Aigremont was a fictional character, one of the Lords of Poictesme appearing in Cabell's <em>The Silver Stallion</em>. Donander is a fine soldier, but a man of little intellect who dies in battle and is mistakenly carried to Valhalla instead of Christian heaven.