The Pale Horse

Preserved but no longer current.

Meaning · English

Death. Rev. vi, 8. Pegasus ("born near the pege or source of the ocean'*). The winged horse of Apollo and the Muses. Perseus rode him when he rescued Andromeda.

Era: ca. 1898 (Victorian)

Sources & notes

Reproduced from Brewer’s Dictionary of Phrase and Fable (1898 edition, public domain; archive.org, retrieved 2026-07-31; OCR text, minor errors possible). Reflects the scholarship and attitudes of its era.

Common questions

What does “The Pale Horse” mean?

Death. Rev. vi, 8. Pegasus ("born near the pege or source of the ocean'*). The winged horse of Apollo and the Muses. Perseus rode him when he rescued Andromeda.

Is “The Pale Horse” formal or informal?

No register label has been reviewed yet — treat it as neutral and check the usage notes above.