Alexander the Great Tells History

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COURAGE & AUDACITY IN THE FACE OF FEAR

I had always demonstrated courage and audacity, particularly in the face of fear.

Eight years before I took the throne, a Thessalian named Philoneicus brought a wild horse to my father’s court. Philip’s interest in purchasing the horse turned into disappointment once the wild stallion turned too wild for any of his men to control. But his impatience turned to dismay when I emerged to defy him publicly by claiming that I could tame it.

My ability to tame the wild horse foreshadowed my strategy of studying the challenge at hand to then plan accordingly. On the battlefield, I could anticipate, react and adapt better than my opponents.

I bet my father that I could ride the wild horse. If I could, he would have to buy the horse for me; if I failed, then I would have to pony up and pay for the horse myself. The fee for the horse was thirteen talents, more than I had saved up in my boar bank.

Did I think I could ride the horse?

What am I to answer: no?

Of course I thought I could ride the horse. Actually, it was the refusal to think that I could not, once I saw why the horse was being wild.

I realized that one could always take a risk, so long as you know your strengths and size up the task at hand.

Surprising everyone but myself, I managed to ride the horse, not through sheer strength, but by studying him adequately.

What did I see that was so revealing?

As I watched my father’s men fail to master the horse, I noticed that the horse was shying away from his own shadow. I thus proceeded to steer it into the sun, so that its shadow would trail him. Whispering in the horse’s ear and caressing his mane, I was able to mount the horse and in the process, demonstrated to Philip my equestrian prowess.

I named him Bucephalus – or Oxhead – and eventually rode him all the way to India, where my loyal partner died. I ordered that a city be built and named after him to honor his memory.

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