Back To Welcome
Witchcraft & Fork Lore Categories 
Fork Lore Remedies & Myths
Back To Categories
Four Horseman

The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are the forces of man's destruction described in the Christian Bible in chapter six of the Book of Revelation. The four horsemen are traditionally named after the powers they represent: War, Famine, Pestilence and Death; only Death, however, is directly named in the Bible.

Horses and their riders

Conquest White Carries a bow, is given a crown Plague, Disease

War Red Carries a sword War, Violence; Mars (Ares)[The] Fiery Red Horse

Famine Black Carries scales Famine, Drought, Mass Starvation. ?

Death "Pale" Death, followed by Hades (Pluto). Death of all kinds and causes, [The] Pale Green Horse, [named] Death

The word used to describe the colour of the 'pale' horse is the Greek word chloros or green. It is meant to convey the sickly green tinge of the deathly ill or recently dead. Since the literal translation 'green' does not carry these connotations in English the word is rendered 'pale' in most English translations.

White Horse
The rider of the white horse is very commonly interpreted to be the Antichrist figure, but such an interpretation ignores much of the imagery presented throughout the Revelation and many cross references of whom the Bible names as being given a crown. For instance, every other time the colour white is used in the Revelation, it is always representative of righteousness and holiness, and whenever the author, John, depicts a malevolent force, he consistently shows it as evil (the two beasts of chapter 13, or the scarlet beast and the prostitute of chapter 17). Because of this, there is no reason to interpret the white horse as representing anything other than something/someone that is righteous and holy. Even the terminology “conquering and to conquer” alludes to a righteous person, as the Greek term used here is used throughout the New Testament as a word meaning “to overcome” and “to be victorious.” In the 23 other times it is used in the New Testament (15 times in the Revelation alone), 22 of those instances refer to Christ or to His followers overcoming evil. So, in this 24th instance of the word (one of 15 times in the Revelation), it should be taken to mean the same thing: a righteous or holy force who is able to overcome and gain victory. Also, considering the rider is given a crown (something only seen to be given to Jesus or the 24 elders -- Daniel 7:13, 14, 27; Luke 1:31-33; Revelation 4:4, 10; 14:14),[1] one might conclude that the rider of the white horse is on the side of good. However, it could be the Antichrist in disguise, as it is said that the Antichrist would seem pure, and make himself seem righteous and working for peace while actually deceiving mankind. Thus by analogy with the white horse and rider of Revelation 19, one possibility is that the first horseman is Jesus Himself. Alternatively he could represent the Holy Spirit (the Third Person of the Holy Trinity, wherein Jesus is the Second Person, the Son) -- whom Jesus promises to send his disciples to aid them after his own departure from earth (Acts 1:4-8). In Acts 2, 17-21, Saint Peter while preaching referred to the apocalyptic vision of the Old Testament prophet Joel (Book of Joel 2, 28-32), who foretold an "outpouring" of the Holy Spirit upon all flesh so that everyone should prophesy and dream prophetically. This according to Joel (and Peter) should prepare for the Last Day, when 'The sun shall be turned to darkness, and the moon to blood, before the great and terrible day of the LORD comes.' The writer of Revelation clearly knew this passage. The Holy Spirit was understood to have come upon the Apostles at Pentecost (as teacher, comforter, counsellor, and source of guidance to believers) after Jesus' departure from earth. The appearance of the Lamb in Revelation 5 shows the triumphant arrival of Jesus in heaven. The crowned white horseman could therefore represent the sending-forth by Jesus of the Holy Spirit.


Red Horse
The rider of the second horse is generally held to represent War. The red colour of his horse represents blood spilled on the battlefield. He carries a greatsword, which represents battle and fighting. The Red Horse is also said to represent the Planet Mars. Some believe[citation needed] the red horseman represents plagues, such as the bird flue, influenza, or the black plague

Black Horse
The third horseman, riding the black horse, is called Famine. The black colour of the third horse could be a symbol of famine. Its rider holds a scale, which could be a representation of the 'scales of pitiless justice' which commonly represent inequality and corruption.

The "a measure of wheat for a penny" from the King James Version might not sound like a famine to modern ears, but in the Worldwide English Version we read "four cups of wheat for bread will sell for a day's wages".


 Pale Horse
The fourth horseman, his colour is sage (on the pale, or sickly horse, which may be the source of the notion of "pestilence" as a separate horseman) is explicitly named Death.

The Greek word interpreted here as "pale" is elsewhere in the New Testament translated as "green." The horse is sometimes translated as "pale," "pale green," or "green." The pale greenish colour of the fourth horse could mean fear, sickness, decay, and death. His horse is thin and small, instead of strong and healthy.