Epona, goddess who was patron of horses and also of asses and mules (epo- is the Gaulish equivalent of the Latin equo-; “horse”). The majority of inscriptions and images bearing her name have been found in Gaul, Germany, and the Danube countries; of the few that occur in Rome most have been found on the site of the barracks of the equites singulares, a foreign imperial bodyguard recruited mainly from the Batavians.
The cult of Epona does not appear to have been introduced into Rome before imperial times, when she is often called Augusta and invoked on behalf of the emperor and of the imperial house. The Romans used to place the image of the goddess, which was crowned with flowers on festive occasions, in a sort of shrine in the centre of the architrave of the stable. In art she is generally represented seated, with her hand placed on the head of the accompanying horse or ass.