The Silver Brumby series is a collection of children's books by Australian author Elyne Mitchell. They recount the life and adventures of Thowra, a magnificent pale brumby stallion, and his descendants, and are set in the Snowy Mountains region of Australia.

Characters

The Silver Brumby

Bel Bel

A wise cream horse, mother of Thowra and good friend with Mirri, Thowra's mother. Bel Bel runs with the stallion Yarraman, and in some cases is entrusted to go ahead and guide. Bel Bel, like Thowra, is fearful of people, although in her case because she had always been hunted for her unusual colouration. She showed her son Thowra the ways of the hunted life, passing all her wisdom to her, which in turn Thowra passed down to both Kunama and his grandson Baringa

Thowra

Thowra is a creamy-silver stallion, son of the flaxen chestnut stallion Yarraman and the palomino mare Bel Bel. Being born in a storm, his dam named him the Aboriginal word for 'Wind' not only for the gale outside when he was born, but because she was worried he would have to be as fast as the wind to remain free. The majority of brumbies in the southern areas of Australia being black, bay, grey and chestnut, the appearance of a cream horse causes quite a stir among wild herds and humans alike. Thowra is met with open hostility from other horses, stallions in particular, while the men of the mountains quickly become obsessed with trying to capture him for his rarity. In order to survive, Thowra is forced to become more cunning than both horse and man.

Though he is mentioned in nearly every Silver Brumby book, Thowra is only a main character in The Silver Brumby (and Silver Brumby Whirlwind), where he wins Golden for his mate, defeats the powerful stallion Brolga, and becomes King of the Cascade Brumbies. However, there is always the ever-present threat of man, and at the end of the first novel, Thowra is forced to pull off a seemingly suicidal trick to stay free.There is some indication that he can shapeshift into a white hawk and a whirlwind.In the rest of the series, he is an ancestor of nearly all of the protagonists, and often helps them (and others) on their respective journeys.

Colouring

Due to the poetic license of the word ‘silver’ used to describe Thowra and his offspring it has misled some fans into believing that they are a pale grey or white, despite the fact they are described as ‘cream‘ just as often. The reason why he is known as 'The Silver Brumby' is that during winter Thowra's coat becomes paler, and takes on an almost silver sheen.

Thowra's color is described as a "cream color". At the time of publication, multiple colors were described using the same name (such as cremello being called albino), which leads to the problem of correctly describing Thowra's color, due to the unknown color of his dam and sire. Although his sire is described as a flaxen chestnut, he could also be a dark palomino or champagne. His dam is simply described as "cream", which could be cremello (usually called "white" or albino at the time of publication and also the colour of Moon and Dawn, making this unlikely), palomino, smokey cream, or champagne. Thowra's potential color possibilites include a wide range of colors, including isabella palomino (a pale palomino), palomino, cremello, smokey cream and combinations of multiple color genes. In the movie released in the mid 1990's, the horse that was chosen to play Thowra was a light palomino, which may simply be artistic license.

Cloud and his grey mares, Boon Boon, and Moon and Dawn are not given the same significance as Thowra, as would be the case if he were indeed grey, white, cremello or other 'white' colours like smokey cream, making Isabella Palomino the most likely. Thowra has also been represented in both the movie and cartoon series as an Isabella shade of palomino, not grey or white, however, this is a later development from the 1970s onward. Earlier original cover art shows the silver horses as greys (white) Original Cover Art. A line in the second novel that describes Thowra’s ‘blue-brown’ eyes would also seem to lead to the fact he may have a partial wall eye gene.

Thowra's Herd

• Boon Boon
• Golden
• Koora
• Circus
• Yuri
• unnamed black mare
• unnamed grey mare
• unnamed grey mare
• unnamed chestnut daughter of arrow and the black mare

Silver Brumby's Daughter

Kunama

Thowra and Golden's daughter, Kunama is free-spirited and beautiful.Kunama, young as she is, does sometime act before thinking, but with always the concern of the silver herd remaining a secret. Still Kunama is a wise, fast, intelligent and playful mare. Kunama is in Tambo's herd, who is the son of the black mare 'Highland Lass' from Storm's herd.Kunama is dam to Baringa and an unnamed chestnut filly.Kunama is full sister to Lighting and half sister to Jilla and Wanga, also creamies.

Silver Brumbies of the South-Silver Brumby Kingdom

Baringa

Nephew to Lightning and son of Kunama, Baringa is a true silver horse. Strong, swift and smart, he is truly Thowra's grandson.But when Thowra takes him to the southern lands he is only a yearling. When he adds the beautiful Dawn to his herd, life becomes even more dangerous. However, Baringa soon finds a secret canyon in which he can keep his herd, and he learns how to fight just as well as his grandsire. Eventually, he becomes the Silver Stallion of Quambat Flat.

Baringa's name means 'dawn' or 'light' in an Aboriginal language.Baringa's story is told in the books Silver Brumbies of the South and Silver Brumby Kingdom.

Baringa's Herd

• Dawn: 'White and silver' Filly
• Moon: 'White and silver' Filly
• Yarolala: Chestnut flaxen filly. Throwback to Yarraman. Daughter of Son Of Storm.
• Kalina: His first born son. First foal of Dawn. Born during a great flood.

Dawn

The first mare to join Baringa's herd, Lightning and Baringa first saw her dancing in a spiral of silver mist on Quambat Flat. Though Lightning tried many times to (unsuccessfully) win Dawn over, she decided to run with the more compassionate Baringa.In the events of Silver Brumby Kingdom, Dawn is separated from the herd by a terrible flood and Baringa goes to search for her, eventually finding her on a small island in the middle of a river.By this time she has borne Baringa's foal, whom they name Kalina.Of interest is the fact that, though Baringa already has a herd, it is heavily implied in Silver Brumby Kingdom that Dawn is the mare he loves most, even to the extent of leaving his herd to search for her.Dawn is Moon's half-sister, and the two seem to be great friends.

Moon

The second mare to join Baringa's herd, Moon originally followed The Ugly One.

Unnamed White Mare

One of the mares Thowra brought for Baringa. She was originally owned by the black stallion, but when Thowra decided to steal her, she went along willingly.

Unnamed Blue Roan Mare

One of the mares Thowra brought for Baringa. When Thowra was looking for Baringa, she was the only one of her herd to tell him anything.

Kalina

Son of Dawn and Baringa, Kalina was born when Dawn was swept by the river onto a small island, and it took Baringa days to find her. Though Baringa originally wanted to name Kalina after the flood, Dawn believed that their foal shouldn't be called something so terrible, and they named him Kalina - "for the marvellous beauty of the frost on snow".

Koora

Thowra's mare whom he left to run with Baringa. Had a silver colt with pale roan ears, Dilkara.

Other books in the series

Moon Filly (1968)

Moon Filly follows the adventures of two adventures of two mysterious brumbies, a colt of the sun (Wurring), and a filly of the moon (Illinga). When a furious iron-grey stallion steals Illinga, Wurring journeys to find his childhood friend.But the kurrawongs cry of a time when the sun will be in shadow... and the iron-grey will not give Ilinga up without a fight.Can Wurring and Illinga survive?

Ilinga

One of the two protagonists of Moon Filly, Illinga is a strangely beautiful mare who is desperately trying to find Wurring (and vice-versa) despite the efforts of an evil iron-grey stallion.

Colouring

Another horse whose coat colour is under debate is Ilinga. Although for the most part believed to be a dark brown, those with a better knowledge of horse genetics argue that she is much more likely a chocolate silver dapple because she is described with 'the colour of moonlight running across her back'. This would certainly tie in better to explain the connection with the moon because of the colour contrast, and throughout the novels the colour of the character has been significant. Brown seems much too ordinary.

Silver Brumby books in order of publication

• The Silver Brumby (1958) (ISBN 0006754708, paperback reprint)
• Silver Brumby's Daughter (1960)
• Silver Brumbies of the South (1965)
• Silver Brumby Kingdom (1966)
• Moon Filly (1968)
• Silver Brumby Whirlwind (1973)
• Son of the Whirlwind (1979)
• Snowy River Brumby (1980)
• Brumby Racer (1981)
• Silver Brumby, Silver Dingo (1993)
• Dancing Brumby (1995)
• Brumby Stories (1995) (compilation)
• Brumbies of the Night (1996)
• Dancing Brumby's Rainbow (1998)
• The Thousandth Brumby (1999)
• Wild Echoes Ringing (2003)

Adaptations

In 1993 the first book, The Silver Brumby, was adapted into a film of the same name. The film starred Russell Crowe, Caroline Goodall and Amiel Daemion. It was released as The Silver Stallion: King of the Wild in some countries.

The series was also adapted into a children's cartoon TV series of the same name in 1994. Running for 39 episodes, the series uses some character names, but at best is only a very loose adaptation of the books.

References

1. The Silver Brumby (1994 - 1996)

External links

• Elyne Mitchell's Brumby books