Horses

We Know Why the Caged Horse Neighs

Don't be a neigh-sayer—horses have a lot of rich meanings in Skin Hunger. Just consider the horses that Hahp's father breeds and raises, which are spoiled yet somehow broken… kinda like Hahp. Here's how the (flying) horse that pulls their carriage to the academy looks:

The stallion was immaculate, of course, his dark hooves rubbed with beeswax. He never got dirty anymore. Rainwater hadn't touched his skin in three years. His neck was arched and he tossed his mane. But his eyes were opaque—dead. It always happened with the training. (2.11)

And by "training," Hahp means that magical ordeal that makes the horses able to fly. Just so we're clear. Being made able to fly deadened the stallions eyes, which probably indicates that his soul is pretty dead too—and also nods at the stakes Hahp is about to find himself in at the magic academy.

Then there's the horse that Sadima buys from the men abusing it in Ferne's market. Sadima can feel "the raw edge of fear before she saw the horse" (9.47). The men trying to control it think it's dangerous, so they're eager to get rid of it—but it turns out that once Sadima reassures the horse that she'll take it away from the bad men, it starts to behave. This reminds us of how Sadima herself is misunderstood and could be seen as dangerous due to her ability to talk to animals—but when she's not feeling trapped, there's no reason to fear her.

Happy Horses

When Kary Blae gives Sadima a lift to Limòri, Sadima is awed by her horses. Check it out:

They were finer than any she had ever seen—they were sleek and groomed and they held their heads high. She turned toward them and felt their pride and strength. They had not wanted to stop and were eager to go on. They were afraid of nothing. (15.16)

In this instance, horses are like people: when well cared for, they grow strong and proud.

And then there's the toy that Hahp remembers from his childhood and manages to magically create while at the academy. It's a blue carved horse:

The stone it had been carved from was heavy and cool, even in the summertime. The horse was rearing, and the sculptor had carved its cascading tail in a way that formed a tripod with its hind legs. It could stand in dirt, on floors and deep carpets, pawing its little blue hooves at the sky. I had often pretended that it was galloping, racing through the pine trees. (26.24)

Hahp used to play with the horse all the time, and it represented mobility and freedom to him. As he remembers it from within the terrifying confines of the academy, the horse also represents his childhood—a childhood that left a lot to be desired in the dad department, but that was still better than his current situation.

Hay There—Horse Symbolism 101

Okay, we'll stop horsing around and get down to business: horses symbolize the human characters in Skin Hunger because people and horses are basically similar. If you care for them, you'll get a critter that's confident and hard working, but if you abuse them, they die on the inside and/or act hostile. Hahp draws this connection when he thinks back to the horses his father has enchanted so they can fly:

Would the ones who graduated end up like the flying horses? Able to do strange, wonderful things, but with cold, dead eyes, changed forever into something else? (28.22)

Looked at from this angle, it kind of seems like nobody gets out of the academy alive, right? While we know one wizard is supposed to emerge, it sounds like they get seriously compromised in the process. Pretty rough deal.

Horses also symbolize freedom, since you can ride a horse to get the heck out of a given situation. So make friends with a pony today—you never know when it could be your ticket out of here.