346 years before Christ, in the ancient kingdom of Macedon, a group of merchants entered a palace courtyard to present King Phillip II with a beautiful stallion for sale. Stronger and more magnificent than any other horse in the land, its price was more than triple that of an average steed.

His beauty and strength were juxtaposed, however, by his lack of cooperation. The horse was a cold-blooded killer. Anytime a man would attempt to mount him, he would unleash hell, going into a wild and uncontrollable bucking frenzy. Every would-be rider was promptly thrown to the ground, holding their hands over their heads as they ran for safety. 

After witnessing the chaos, King Phillip wanted no part of the horse and ordered that he be taken away from him. The merchants anxiously scrambled about, attempting to control the angry beast as they exited the presence of the king. 

As they approached the courtyard gates, the pre-pubescent crackle of a young boy’s voice echoed at them from the palace. “What an excellent horse do they lose for lack of boldness to manage him.” The men looked back to see who was mocking them, discovering that it was the skinny 10-year-old boy standing beside the queen. 

King Phillip challenged his son, “Do you reproach those who are older than yourself as if you were better able to manage him than they?” The boy, called back out to the men, “I bet you I can tame him right now, or I will pay for him myself.”

A group of bystanders began to laugh at the boy’s arrogance. The king looked over at his young man. The boy looked so determined. Phillip signaled for the merchants to return, and the challenge was on.

The boy walked slowly to the mighty stallion. He had discovered something while he was observing the other men attempting to mount the horse. He had discovered a key that nobody else seemed to notice. The horse was afraid of his own shadow. 

As the young prince made his way to the horse, he whispered, “I’ll name you Bucephalus” and he reached his hand toward the horse’s neck. He gently led the horse in a direction toward the sun, so that the shadow would be behind him, and he mounted the horse with no incident.

The crowd around the courtyard began to cheer as the boy took the reins and rode a victory lap. Seeing his son returning atop the horse, King Phillip’s heart was beamed with fatherly pride. Tearfully, he kissed his son and declared:

“My boy, you must find a kingdom big enough for your ambitions. Macedon is too small for you.”

King Phillip’s transformative and prophetic words would soon come true, as his son, Alexander the Great, would go on to become one of the greatest military commanders and rulers in world history. 

Words create. Words build. What are you building?