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"The public prisoners were collected together, the fairest and tallest trees along the river bank were hung with the captured suits of armour, and then the victors crowned themselves with wreaths, adorned their own horses splendidly while they sheared and cropped the horses of their conquered foes."<ref>Plutarch, ''Life of Nicias'' 27.6 (Loeb Classical Library); Andrew G. Miller, "'Tails' of Masculinity: Knights, Clerics, and the Mutilation of Horses in Medieval England," ''Speculum'' 88:4 (2013),p. 970, n. 58 on Plutarch.</ref>
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The October Horse sacrifice is part of a complex of meanings surrounding equine mutilation in Europe.<ref>Miller, "'Tails' of Masculinity," p. 970–971.</ref> It appears notably in the [[medieval Welsh literature|medieval Welsh]] narrative of ''[[Branwen ferch Llŷr|Branwen]]'' when Efnisien, one of a set of twins,
In the medieval period, the actual docking the tail of a knight's horse carried a message of emasculation, defamation, and domination.<ref>Miller, "'Tails' of Masculinity," pp. 958–959 ''et passim''.</ref> Dozens of such mutilations are recorded in [[medieval England]] after the practice was brought in by the [[Normans]].<ref>Miller, "'Tails' of Masculinity," p. 959.</ref> A 13th century English law condemned a rapist not only to lose his life and limbs but also to have both the genitals and the tail of his horse cut off as close as possible to the rump.<ref>Jones, "Saints and Other Horse Mutilators," n.p., citing the ''Laws and Customs of England'' as codified by Henry de Bracton.</ref>
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