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Once upon a time, so the legend goes, there was a man named Xenophon who loved horses. He loved horses so much that he wrote an entire treatise “On Horsemanship.” (This part is true. You could stop reading this and go buy it on Amazon, right now.) This little manual digs deep into the selection, training, and care of horses—including horses trained for war. Legend has it that, when it came to war horses, Xenophon used the word “meek” to describe these dangerous beasts. Therefore, “meek” means “power under control.”
Anyone who has ever heard a sermon on “Blessed are the meek” (Matthew 5:5) has heard that “meek is not weak.” This rhymes, which is satisfying. Unfortunately, it is based on a fairy tale. The legend simply isn’t true.
Xenophon does use “meek” words (noun, adjective, adverb) a handful of times,[1] but the only time he specifically calls a group of horses “meek,” they aren’t war horses. After being at the grind all day long, work horses tend to congregate and just stand there sedately. Or, as Xenophon puts it, “meekly.” This is hardly the picture of restrained ferocity that the legend requires. In fact, Xenophon also refers to other animals as “meek”—like farm animals and fish. No “hidden superhero” vibes, here.
Meekness has nothing to do with whether someone has power or not. It’s concerned with something else. So what gave this legend legs? Put “meekness and war horses” in a search engine, and AI will weave this tale anew. It’s everywhere. Why did we embrace “meekness is power under control” so enthusiastically, sources un-cited?
Fear.
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