Since my spiritual path is pagan, mainly of a Celtic orientation, I’m sending everyone Yuletide Blessings with these pictures of Cernunnos, the Gallo-Roman name given to the horned god of the people of ancient Gaul (France, Belgium, Luxembourgh and western Germany) and Britain.
Cernunnos was worshipped prior to the Roman conquest of Gaul, and later, Britain. Unlike other deities, Cernunnos’ worship seemed to continue relatively unchanged among many of his acolytes, despite the Roman influence that mixed with the indigenous beliefs of the people they conquered.
Over time, the precise beliefs surrounding Cernunnos, as well as those of the Celts in general, became clouded, as they did not have a set system of writing for daily living: they had an oral/bardic tradition of passing down their traditions. Any written records describing the Celts come from the Romans during their occupation.
From the few ancient visual depictions that have been found, some general agreement has been reached on some aspects for many researchers. Cernunnos was a god of the forest and forest animals, especially the stag. He was also associated with deer in general, at times with dogs, bulls and rats. Essentially, however, he was protector of the forest and all its creatures. He also was the hunter.
He was often depicted in a seated position, with his legs crossed, wearing a torc (an open-ended metal necklace) around his neck and/or held one in his right hand as a sign of his divine authority. In his left hand was often a ram-horned serpent, a symbol of his power over the underworld and of death and rebirth. He was surrounded by the animals of the forest, always including horned stags, indicating his fealty to this animal and their close spiritual connection. He often had a bag with coins spilling out, or at least once, the stag vomitting coins on the ground; connecting him to wealth and prosperity and possibly also indicating the fertility of the forest and his role in it.
Quite a few of his depictions showed an erect penis, which was not unusual in ancient male deity depictions (and transgender deities as well.) He is the Wild Man of the Forest, the Male Untethered. Sexuality at its most natural. He is unashamed. All beings come into the world naked, and leave it the same way. The forest foliage is the only shelter and cover he needs. His nakedness is his pride. He stands for all male sexual energy. He is the son, the brother, the father, the lover. He is loving. He is powerful. He is wise. He is the strong male that does not harm. He is the warm male that you can count on.
Today there is an increase of interest of Cernunnos and Celtic traditions by many people. Some are part of the Pagan/Neo-Pagan Movement, Celtic Reconstructionists, and many others. Many men who do not feel they belong to the male/female dichotomy reach out to him. Many women who have been hurt by men are drawn to his kind maleness.
