Horse Egg Recollections

 

Horse enteroliths
(the circled area much resembles the Bhutanese Horse Egg)

Nota bene! All of today’s blog is a guest blog authored by Ariana.

It is written in response to Horse Eggs and Unicorns.

The Horse Egg posting brought back memories of the many, many discussions held at National Museum of Bhutan about the object, its attributed origins, potential constituent material(s), and cultural significance. I was based at the NMB in Paro for much of 2009-11, during which time I was part of a team working to digitize the collection, enhance collections cataloguing, and contribute to a series of publications, including the catalog.

The account of Tsongpen Wangdue on the website reflects information that was not among the collections of records made available to me, or, to my knowledge, other team members who were authoring entries back in 2011. The published date and donor attribution relays the information provided at that time. My hope is that the current website entry indicates that new, more comprehensive data about objects in the collection has come to light in the intervening years. The NMB holds many objects–particularly thangka and sculptures–of great import well worth additional attention of scholars and historians.

As for the Horse Egg proper, I recall not only the weight of the object as I held it but also the weight of my co-workers' gazes as they watched me assess it. For days afterward I was asked variations of “What do you think?” and “Do you think it’s a real one?” to which I answered quite truthfully that I didn’t know what it was. Collectively, Bhutanese staff expressed what seemed like every possible opinion in quiet asides, in overheard conversations, and in proclamations in team meetings. 

I clearly remember the multicolored painted wooden stand was lighter than I expected, and it was adhered directly to the Horse Egg. If memory serves, the object weighed around one and a half to two pounds (0.7-0.9 kg). I recall damage on its uppermost part that on close inspection showed the outer layer of unknown whitish material surrounded an ‘inner’ material that was slightly darker. I’d never encountered a fossilized egg, I had (and still have) no basis for comparison.

As the object entry hopefully conveys, an object's significance often varies based on who is viewing it. Like you, Dan, I concluded that it wasn't up to me to definitively declare what it is or is not; rather, once it was firmly determined it would be included in the publication, we sought to use the entry to communicate how some community members understand the object, and, based on the information available, how the object arrived in the collection. 

Below is the full catalogue entry for the Horse Egg, for those who do not have access to the published book:

 

“In many ways, certain aspects of Bhutanese culture remain enshrouded in myth yet they form an integral part of local traditions. In some parts of the country firm belief is maintained in what could be called magical or supernatural forces. In fact, these shared conceptions have frequently acted as a catalyst to bring together different groups and form one community. As such, what may seem somewhat unusual to others, many Bhutanese would not consider as abnormal. Among these beliefs is the existence of a horned horse, historically thought to be finely built and to possess extraordinary grace and power. It is believed that at some sacred places, imprints of these animals’ hooves as well as their eggs are visible on the surface of rocks. Further, it was believed that only those people who possessed very strong virtue could possibly domesticate these creatures.

“This oval-shaped object is registered as a Norbu Tagi Go-nga, which is directly translated as the ‘precious unicorn’s egg’. The Norbu Tagi Go-nga is quite heavy, and in its present condition, one can notice multiple inner layers made up of an unknown substance. Many Bhutanese consider this egg to be one of the most precious museum objects, as it is believed that whoever owns such an egg will vastly increase their wealth. In 1969, this egg was gifted to the National Museum, and was publicly shown in 2004 during a special exhibition.” 

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Note: the Frontispiece is drawn from the page entitled “Colic and Equine Enteroliths,” a part of the website Ford Veterinary Surgery Center, posted on October 5, 2021.