The Problem of the Horse

Abstract The fourth chapter addresses the problem of the horse, reviewing all of the cognates and many of the derivatives or compounds based on the reconstructed term *E1ék̑u̯os ‘horse.’ The chapter not only shows that the reconstructed word is widely distributed but that it also universally means ‘horse, Equus ferus caballus’ and nothing else in all languages where it is preserved in its canonical form. This analysis introduces the central issue: the role of the horse in Indo-European society. An examination of proper names compounded with *E1ék̑u̯o-, suggests that the horse held a significant position in the ideology of the Indo-Europeans.