The Horned God of the hunt represents the male counterpart to the female deities of Wicca and Paganism in general.
His attributes are strength, virility, loyalty, and courage.
He is the essence of the Life Force of Creation, Animus, the spirit of wild nature.
In the beginning, our ancestors worshiped the Horned God to give them strength and virility represented by the powerful horned animals such as the bison and the bull.
To the Celts, the Horned God was known as
Cernunnos , or Kernunno in the Gardnerian tradition. Or in the
Alexandrian tradition as
Karnayna.
To the ancient Egyptians he was Apis, an aspect of Ptah.
The Ancient Greeks knew him as Pan.
Alexander the Great was the son of the horned God, Ammon-Zeus.
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In the Hindu tradition Siva is also known as the Horned God.
To the Teutonic tribes he was called Wayland.
And Herne to the Brittons.
o may it be
The Greeks actually had two Horned Gods. Besides Pan there was also Hades, the God who ruled the Underworld, while his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, ruled the sky and the sea.
The medieval Church claimed the horned god, as Lucifer was the enemy of Jehovah and his domaine was where bad souls were punished. Those who revered the God and Goddess were often tortured or murdered savagely.
No, the horned god is not evil, nor is his namesake: Lucifer which means light bearer or morning star; he is the passion that rises up in the hearts of man, he is the hunt for the woman, he is lust personified.
Wicca believes we will all be reincarnated, one way or another. The Horned God carries us to the Summerlands returning us safely to our mothers at conception.
The Charge of the God
Listen to the words of the Horned God,
The Guardian of all things wild and free, and Keeper of the Gates of Death, whose Call all must answer:
I am the fire within your heart... The yearning of your Soul. I am the Hunter of Knowledge and the Seeker of the Holy Quest; I who stand in the darkness of light; I am He whom you have called Death. I am the Consort and Mate of Her we adore, call forth to me.
Heed my call beloved ones, come unto me and learn the secrets of death and peace. I am the corn at harvest and the fruit on the trees. I am He who leads you home. Scourge and Flame, Blade and Blood these are mine and gifts to thee.
Call unto me in the forest wild and on hilltop bare and seek me in the Darkness Bright. I who have been called; Pan, Herne, Osiris , and Hades, speak to thee in thy search. Come dance and sing; come live and smile, for behold: this is my worship.
You are my children and I am thy Father. On swift night wings it is I who lay you at the Mother's feet to be reborn and to return again.
Thou who thinks to seek me, know that I am the untamed wind, the fury of storm and passion in your Soul. Seek me with pride and humility, but seek me best with love and strength.
For this is my path, and I love not the weak and fearful. Hear my call on long Winter nights and we shall stand together guarding Her Earth as She sleeps.
Other names of Male Gods of strength with links to more information:
Thor | Taranis | Cicolluis or Cicoluis | Gilgamesh |
Kratos or Cratus | Zeus | Monthu | Odin |
Apollo | Apollo | Saturn | Horus |
Hercules, or Heracles |
Hermes | Vishnu | Gabriel |
The Wheel of the Year is often portrayed as the joining of the God and the Goddess.
The Horned God impregnates the Goddess and then dies during the autumn and winter months and is then reborn by the Goddess in spring. The relationships between the Goddess and the Horned God are mirrored by Wiccans in seasonal rituals. For example, the Horned God dies on October 31, which Wiccans call Samhain, the ritual of which is focused on death. He is then reborn on Winter Solstice, December 21.
Other important dates for the Horned God include Imbloc when he leads a wild hunt.
Finally, the Horned God as tamed by the gentle maiden in the Age of Chivalry. The unicorn’s horn is a euphemism for the phallus. But we are left to speculate how the maiden actually tames the beast.
Important: See Are the Gods Real
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