Cernunnos
"The Horned One" is a Celtic god
of fertility, life, animals, wealth, and the underworld. He was
worshipped all over Gaul, and his cult spread into Britain as well.
Cernunnos is depicted with the antlers of a stag, sometimes carries a
purse filled with coin. The Horned God is born at the winter solstice,
marries the goddess at Beltane, and dies at the summer solstice. He
alternates with the goddess of the moon in ruling over life and death,
continuing the cycle of death, rebirth and
reincarnation.
Paleolithic cave paintings found
in France that depict a stag standing upright or a man dressed in stag
costume seem to indicate that Cernunnos' origins date to those times.
Romans sometimes portrayed him with three cranes flying above his head.
Known to the Druids as Hu Gadarn. God of the underworld and astral
planes. The consort of the great goddess. He was often depicted holding
a bag of money, or accompanied by a ram-headed serpent and a stag. Most
notably is the famous Gundestrup cauldron discovered in
Denmark.
The Wild
HuntThe Wild Hunt
is a supernatural force that sweeps across the land at night. The
actual object of the Hunt varies from place to place. In some areas it
searches for anything that might be unforunate enough to be in its
path. Others say it hunts evildoers.
The leader of the Hunt also
varies. In Celtic Britain it is usually led by Cernunnos, the horned
god. In Wales it is led by Gwyn ap Nudd, and sometimes Bran. After the
Anglo-Saxons had settled in England, Cernunnos became Herne the Hunter.
Excerpts by Dr
Anthony Smith & Robert
Graves
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