Name: Psalms from the Horses Mouth by Hugh Lupton
Start: 2025-05-25T14:30:00+01:00
Location: British Museum

Psalms from the Horses Mouth by Hugh Lupton

Storyteller Hugh Lupton weaves together folklore, myth and fairytale as he turns a lyrical eye to the timeless and magical connection that has bound humans with horses for millennia.
From the wild horses immortalised in Palaeolithic cave-paintings, the reverence paid to the horse in Celtic culture and the sepia-toned images of shire teams working the land, horses have long symbolised strength, mystery and otherness. Their presence has shaped our stories, dreams and even our landscapes.
Navajo mythology, Celtic wondertales and slave ballads are all anchored by Lupton's breathtaking narrative poem – The Horses – a praise song for the life of a horseman's daughter, Jenny Wing. The slow disappearance of horses from the poem's landscape mirrors the aspirations, disappointments and dreams of her lifetime.
This is poetic storytelling at its very best.
TICKETS: £10 (£8 members/concessions)
SUITABLE FOR: adults (14+)
RUNNING TIME: 120 mins, including interval
STARTS: 2.30pm
BOOK NOW: https://www.britishmuseum.org/events/psalms-horses-mouth
Please note: this performance will take place in the British Museum Reading Room, not the usual lecture theatre.
Content warning: this performance contains descriptions of, or references to, slavery, mutilation, threat and execution, contextualised within a paradigm of mythic narrative, archetype and metaphor.