The Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse are allegorical figures mentioned in chapter six of Revelation (also called the Revelation of St. John the Divine). The chapter describes a scroll, which contains seven seals and is held in God’s right hand. When the first four of the seals are opened, the four horsemen appear, each on a different colored horse. There are various interpretations of these allegorical figures, but the rider on the white horse is believed to represent conquest (or the return of Christ); the rider on the red horse is believed to represent war; the rider on the black horse, famine; and the pale horse, death. Some believe these hardships to be signs of the end of the world. The symbol of the four horsemen has appeared throughout art and literature.