Solbon
Solbon (Sulbundu, Tscholbon) In Siberian mythology, god of horses, worshipped by the Buriat; he rides through the sky with a lasso in his hand. Solbon has three wives, one of them a former Buriat girl whom he abducted from her wedding feast. She bore him a son; his two other wives are childless. In one myth Solbon left his horses in the care of his groom, Dogedoi, while he traveled in the western sky (Solbon is identified with the planet Venus).
Dogedoi, however, left the horses unattended for three days and went out for a walk with Buto, his dog. When he returned, he found that wolves had scattered some of the horses and eaten the others. When Solbon returned, Dogedoi was severely punished. Some horses are dedicated to Solbon by the Buriat and are thereby removed from any secular service in the community. During the spring the manes and tails of the horses are cut in preparation for a sacrifice to Solbon. Meats, cream porridge, and wines are also prepared for the god. The wine is thrown into the air in Solbon’s honor, and the food is burned.
SOURCE:
Encyclopedia of World Mythology and Legend, Third Edition – Written by Anthony S. Mercatante & James R. Dow– Copyright © 2009 by Anthony S. Mercatante
