Epona Series by Judith Tarr

In the dawn of time, women ruled, and the people had no word for war. Then the horsemen came. Sarama is the last of the White Mare's servants, descended from an ancient line conquered long ago by warrior tribes. Her father is the king of one such tribe. Her twin brother Agni is the king's heir. But she is heir to an older world, and a different way. A sacred vision calls the White Mare westward, and Sarama follows... moreIn the dawn of time, women ruled, and the people had no word for war. Then the horsemen came. Sarama is the last of the White Mare's servants, descended from an ancient line conquered long ago by warrior tribes. Her father is the king of one such tribe. Her twin brother Agni is the king's heir. But she is heir to an older world, and a different way. A sacred vision calls the White Mare westward, and Sarama follows. There, she finds a land where women rule, and men serve, and their language has no word for war. But the horsemen are coming. Sarama must choose between her own people and the people whom she has come to love, and find a way to save them both. less

Journey back into the deep mists of time, enter the lives of a savage people whose rituals include human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism; a superstitious people who fear the magic of the Shamans who live among them; a patriarchal people who forbid women to be hunters, or go among the horse herds, or become shamans. Enter the frightening, powerful life of Sparrow, the daughter of the tribe's Shaman and a captive woman... moreJourney back into the deep mists of time, enter the lives of a savage people whose rituals include human sacrifice and ritual cannibalism; a superstitious people who fear the magic of the Shamans who live among them; a patriarchal people who forbid women to be hunters, or go among the horse herds, or become shamans. Enter the frightening, powerful life of Sparrow, the daughter of the tribe's Shaman and a captive woman. She is destined to do all those things, for the Horse Goddess herself has come among the herds of the tribe in the form of a proud mare, and she has chosen Sparrow to be her servant and priestess. Lady of Horses is a passionately romantic book, a historically accurate book, and a wildly adventurous book. It is a love song to the ancient, mysterious bond between women and horses, and, like Marion Zimmer Bradley's Mists of Avalon , takes the reader back to a time of goddess worship and women's power. less

In the dawn of time, women ruled, and the people had no word for war. Then the horsemen came. Sarama is the last of the White Mare’s servants, descended from an ancient line conquered long ago by warrior tribes. Her father is the king of one such tribe. Her twin brother Agni is the king’s heir. But she is heir to an older world, and a different way. A sacred vision calls the White Mare westward, and Sarama follows... moreIn the dawn of time, women ruled, and the people had no word for war. Then the horsemen came. Sarama is the last of the White Mare’s servants, descended from an ancient line conquered long ago by warrior tribes. Her father is the king of one such tribe. Her twin brother Agni is the king’s heir. But she is heir to an older world, and a different way. A sacred vision calls the White Mare westward, and Sarama follows. There she finds a land where women rule, and men serve, and their language has no word for war. But the horsemen are coming. Sarama must choose between her own people and the people whom she has come to love, and find a way to save them both. less

In this sequel to White Mare's Daughter , the people of the horse goddess once more face the threat of war. Generations ago, the people of the White Mare migrated westward, through the great forests, until they met and clashed with the people of the cities of the Mother. They brought war to the cities, but in the end they made peace through alliance and marriage. But now war threatens again... moreIn this sequel to White Mare's Daughter , the people of the horse goddess once more face the threat of war. Generations ago, the people of the White Mare migrated westward, through the great forests, until they met and clashed with the people of the cities of the Mother. They brought war to the cities, but in the end they made peace through alliance and marriage. But now war threatens again. Now there is something rumbling across the plains, coming from the East: a dreadful new weapon wielded by the tribes of the east as they once again begin to push westward. Rhian, a potter's daughter with the gift of seeing, has dreamed of these terrifying war chariots. Emrys, the King's son, has seen them at the edge of his kingdom. Together, they must try to find a way to defend the Cities of the Mothers from a new invasion. Tarr's series of books about the people of the Horse Goddess is a great and powerful saga from the mists of time. The tales she tells are the root of every legend, the heart of every myth. Judith Tarr has created a vividly believable tale of destiny you will never forget. less

For a long, brutal century, the Kingdom of Lower Egypt has been occupied by the “Vile Asiatics,” the conquerors called the Shepherd Kings. With their horses and chariots they overwhelmed the armies of Egypt and swept over the Delta and the sacred cities. Iry, daughter of an old noble house, the Sun Ascendant, has been enslaved by the bearded conquerors... moreFor a long, brutal century, the Kingdom of Lower Egypt has been occupied by the “Vile Asiatics,” the conquerors called the Shepherd Kings. With their horses and chariots they overwhelmed the armies of Egypt and swept over the Delta and the sacred cities. Iry, daughter of an old noble house, the Sun Ascendant, has been enslaved by the bearded conquerors. But her new master is born of a different blood, son of the priestess of an ancient rite, the cult of the Horse Goddess and her avatar, the White Mare. The Mare’s priestess-servant is dead—and the Mare chooses Iry, the child of a land without horses, to be her successor. Meanwhile, in the wider world, the Pharaoh of Upper Egypt is arming to take back the lost kingdom. He forms such an alliance as his ancient land has never seen before, with the seafarers of Crete and the White Mare’s servant, and rides to war against the Shepherd Kings. less