Totemic Bonds Between Ancient Women and Horses

Across centuries, the relationship between women and horses has been both enduring and transformative, evolving from spiritual and shamanic roots in prehistoric times to a source of liberation and partnership today. 

Epona, flanked by two pairs of horses, from Roman Macedonia, fourth century C.E.

Recent archaeological discoveries at Upper Paleolithic sites in Italy, France, and Spain have shown not only the intentional and intricate nature of these burials but also a symbolic connection between women and horses in burial practices. 

Far from being just food sources, ancient horse bones have been found alongside women in graves as potent symbols of ritual, spirituality, and the mysteries of life and death. 

One of these, the Donna di Ostuni—affectionately called Delia— was a young Pugliese woman, approximately 20 to 30 years old, who died in the final stages of pregnancy nearly 28,000 years ago.

Her burial, in the karst cave of Agnano near Ostuni, reveals the exceptional care and ritual significance surrounding her death. 

Delia was placed on her left side in a fetal position, her right hand resting protectively on her belly over her unborn child. She was adorned with a headdress made of deer teeth and shells, her body dusted with red ochre—an element strongly associated with Paleolithic ritual and symbolic practices.

Surrounding her were horse bones and stone tools, all carefully arranged as part of her grave goods. 

The deliberate and ceremonial nature of Delia’s burial suggests she held a prominent role within her community, perhaps as a revered mother, healer, or spiritual figure.

La Donna de Cueva Del Miròn

In another cave, this time in what is now Spain, archaeologists uncovered the remains of a different woman who died around 18,700 years ago. This woman was also found in a fetal position, her head gently tilted to one side and her arms crossed over her chest, pointing toward a stone block that marked her grave.

The limestone block beside her was decorated with numerous slit engravings from the time of her burial, including a distinctive "V" shape believed to symbolise the female pubic triangle. Nearby, the cave wall had an engraving of a horse, with red ochre applied both to the animal’s body and the inside of the grave marker.

Although her skull and some bones had been disturbed and removed, likely by a large canine (wolf), making it impossible to know if she wore a headdress - the careful arrangement of the woman's body and ongoing use of the cave after her burial suggest this woman was a person of special importance much like the woman found in Ostuni.

Like other prominent women of the Paleolithic era, the respectful treatment of her remains and grave goods highlights the powerful and sacred role she likely played within her community. 

Horses in prehistoric rituals

Horses were likely totemic animals associated with the reincarnation process, viewed as symbols of rebirth, renewal, or regeneration by ancient people and their connection to burials might be linked to beliefs about the life and death cycle.

The conception of horses as sacred spirits accompanying souls in and out of the world mirrors that of later deities connected to horses, such as Rhiannon, Epona, and Macha.

Historian Pierre-François Puech et Bernard wrote in his paper ‘Can we still hear the Cro-Magnon Man’, that the horse found in the Cavillon cave was "a concrete symbol and primitive lower form of abstraction, that was necessary; for otherwise most people would not have understood the message." What does this mean? Well according to et Bernard, the engraving of the horse represents a form of early language with "a magical quality that adds another level of interpretation to what we ourselves can see with our untrained eyes."

He likened the symbolism of the horse to Paleolithic people to that of hieroglyphics on Egyptian temple walls, "which are readable but have magical, obscure meanings that only priests and shamans can understand."

In the Fontainebleau forest in France, archaeologists uncovered an extraordinary network of ancient caves—over 2,000 engraved shelters among the sandstone boulders, making it one of Europe’s largest rock art complexes. Among these, a particularly remarkable engraving stands out: the natural contours of the rock were subtly shaped to resemble a woman’s pubic triangle, flanked by depictions of horses on either side.

The ceiling of this cave is rounded, evoking the image of a woman's pregnant belly.

Even more evocative is the fact that during heavy rain, water flows along the central slit in the rock, reminiscent of the breaking of waters before childbirth.

This remarkable interplay of natural features, ancient human modification, and artistic engraving is believed to represent Paleolithic shamanic ideas about fertility, creation, and the origins of humanity. 

Boris Valentin, a Professor at the Panthéon-Sorbonne University in Paris and a member of a prehistoric ethnology team studying the site, believes the artwork, which was created at the end of a narrow stone passageway, is symbolic of the journey a baby makes when it is born.

Look closely, and you will see two horses to the right and left of the vulva. Above the ceiling of the cave is a rounded shape, mirroring the appearance of a woman's pregnant belly.

Additional engravings in the area show that horses and other animals were closely associated with matriarchy, and that horses were closely linked to female fertility and the life-giving power of women.  

Some images even blend animal and human traits, such as pregnant humanic figures with equine characteristics. Archaeologists interpret these images as evidence that Paleolithic people saw horses not just as important animals for food, but as powerful symbols connected to femininity, fertility, and the mysteries of birth and creation.

The careful placement of engravings, the use of sacred red ochre, and the manipulation of natural stone features to enhance symbolic meaning all point to a sophisticated understanding of the world, where matriarchy and the animal kingdom were intimately intertwined.

In another ancient artwork found in France, at Pech-Merle, horses were drawn with large coloured spots inside and around the outline of their bodies on a cave wall. A team of archaeologists studying the area believe “…they were probably put there in the belief that they increased fertility.” (Lommel, 1966).

A carved fragment of a larger piece of stone from Étiolles, France, shows an animal-headed woman with human breasts and a pregnant belly standing behind a horse that is “exhaling ” markings that might be interpreted as breath, sounds or blood. The animal-woman is emitting the same noises as the horse from her own mouth.

The figures pregnant belly and animal characteristics have led researchers to propose hypotheses about her role as a "prey-mother": a supernatural figure who generates, mediates, and controls the relationship between humans, animals, and the food supply.

Duncan Caldwell in his paper ‘Supernatural Pregnancies’ believes that the animal-woman depicted “is crying out during labour as she transforms into her totem animal (the horse).

She may have accessed the supernatural world as a result of taking plant-based hallucinogenic medicine in childbirth, and the artwork is a depiction of this experience.”

Despite centuries of patriarchy restricting women’s roles with horses, their ancient soul-bond has persisted. In modern times, women are the majority of horse owners and veterinarians, drawn to horses’ quiet strength, beauty, speed, and empathy.

Monty Roberts, a renowned horse trainer, noted that horses and women share heightened sensitivity to body language and nonverbal cues, developed through navigating unpredictable environments for safety. As shown in this article, this profound, mutual understanding between women and horses is rooted in an ancient bond that continues to empower and heal many of us, including survivors of domestic abuse, today.

Written in remembrance of my soul horse, who shared nearly twenty years on this plane with me. RIP Dali