and seius never gave the horse a name as Pegasus etc—what other famous horses have names— Could the horse be deemed as “Diomedes’s” originally?

No, Gnaeus Seius never gave the horse a proper mythological or symbolic name. In ancient Roman literature, the animal is referred to strictly as the "Equus Seianus" (the Seian Horse). [1]

Because it was a real, physical horse passing through historical hands, it was simply identified by its owner's family name—much like a high-value piece of property.

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Could the Horse be Deemed "Diomedes's" Originally?

Yes, in terms of its genetic lineage. According to Aulus Gellius's sources, there was a persistent tradition that the Seian Horse was directly descended from the ferocious, flesh-eating mares of the Thracian King Diomedes. [1, 2, 3]

• The Mythological Link: In Greek mythology, the eighth labor of Hercules was to capture these wild, man-eating mares. After slaying Diomedes, Hercules brought the horses back to Argos in Greece. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
• The Origin: Because Seius's horse was famously foaled in Argos, the Romans believed it carried the ancient, tainted bloodline of Diomedes's herd. Therefore, the animal could be deemed a "Diomedian horse" by ancestry, which poetically explained its massive, terrifying physical scale and its underlying curse. However, Diomedes's original mares were never given individual proper names in mainstream myth. [1, 2, 3, 4]

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Other Famous Named Horses from Antiquity

While the Seian Horse lacked a proper name, ancient history and mythology are filled with legendary named steeds:

Historical Named Horses [1]

• Bucephalus ("Ox-Head"): The fierce, legendary warhorse of Alexander the Great. He could only be tamed by Alexander, who noticed the horse was simply afraid of its own shadow. [1, 2, 3, 4]
• Incitatus ("Swift"): The pampered favorite horse of the eccentric Roman Emperor Caligula. Supposedly given a marble stall, ivory manger, and purple blankets, Caligula famously planned to make him a Roman consul. [1]
• Asturco: The name of Julius Caesar’s remarkably loyal horse, which had unusual, deformed hooves that split to look like human toes or feet. [1, 2]

Mythological Named Horses [1]

• Pegasus: The immortal winged stallion born from the blood of Medusa and ridden by the hero Bellerophon.
• Xanthos and Balius ("Chestnut" and "Dappled"): The two immortal, talking horses given to Achilles during the Trojan War. Xanthos famously broke divine silence to prophesy Achilles' death.
• Arion: A swift, divinely spawned horse in Greek myth born to Poseidon and Demeter, capable of human speech.
• Sleipnir: The eight-legged, unstoppable stallion ridden by Odin in Norse mythology. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]

If you are researching this for a creative project, would you like to explore other historical objects from Rome that carried a heavy curse, or look into how Roman equestrian naming conventions worked?