The Origin of FFXIV Horse Mounts

[Archadius]

Just thought I'd post this for anyone who, like me, was interested in the naming/theme orgin for the horse mounts from the EX Primals.

So here we go...

Xanthos
In Greek mythology, Xanthos (or Xanthus) is one of two horses given to Achilles. They are born of the god Zephyros "the West Wind" (hence the wind attribute) and the harpy Podarge (likely a nod to Garuda in this case).

Markab
An Arabic derived name for a star also known as the Alpha Pegasi, which is the 3rd brightest star in the Pegasus constellation. I'm thinking this naming is more a nod to the horse aspect than the lightning one, though lightning and stars are both brilliantly bright, so there could be some relation there.

Aithon
In Greek mythology, Aithon (or Aethon) is one of the four horses that draw the chariot of Helios, god of the sun (hence the fire attribute).

Boreas
In Greek mythology, Boreas is the god of "the North Wind" and the Bringer of Winter (hence the ice attribute) and is said to have taken the form of a stallion.

Enbarr
In Irish mythology, Enbarr (or Embarr) is a magical horse that bears the title "of the Flowing Mane" and is known for the ability to traverse both land and water. Enbarr is said to have carried Niamh, daughter of Manannán the sea deity, across the western sea.

Gullfaxi
In Norse mythology, Gullfaxi is a golden-maned horse owned by Hrungir, and then later by Magni. The horse loses a race with Sleipnir, the horse of Odin. The golden mane is the only relation I can find to the mythology, nothing regarding the earth attribute to which it is tied in FFXIV.

Nightmare
Originally in Germanic folklore, a Nightmare is said to be a demon or goblin that perches on victims chests while they sleep and causes them to suffer from bad dreams. In modern society it's become depicted and widely accepted as an evil female horse of darkness.

Kirin
Also known as Qilin, is a horse or deer-like creature, with dragon-like scales, the tail of an ox, and one-to-two unicorn-like horns. Depending on the dynasty followed, Kirin is ranked either as the third (below dragon and phoenix), or most powerful (swapped ranks with dragon) creature in existence. The form Kirin will take in patch 2.5 will likely resemble that of its depiction in FF6.