Honoring the Horned God

Who is the Horned God?

He stands waiting at the edge of the forest; fierce Hunter, tender guardian, lover of mirth and revelry.  He is Cernunnos, Herne, Pan, the Horned God, the Green Man.  He brings life to nature each spring and hunts the woods in autumn. 

He sacrifices himself at Lughnasadh and is reborn at the Winter Solstice; He marries the Goddess at Beltane and is the King of fertility as He impregnates Her at the Summer Solstice. 

He is the embodiment of masculine energy, strong, sexy, wild and free, while fatherly and protective at the same time.  This is our Horned God!

The Antlered God in History

Ancient times

People have revered, honored, and worshipped the Horned God in some aspect in cultures throughout the world. Antlered human figures have been found in petroglyphs dating as far back as the 4th-7th centuries B.C.E. as well as small carved stone figures. In addition, the likeness of horned deities existed in ancient Egypt, usually in the form of bulls or rams.

Cernunnos

The name Cernunnos was connected with the Horned God image on a first-century Roman column, The Pillar of the Boatman.  All over western Europe similar carvings have been found. The hammered images on the Gundestrup cauldron, discovered in Denmark in 1891, is among the most famous of these.

God of many faces

The Horned God has been depicted in many ways; Osiris is usually shown with either ram’s or bull’s horns, Pan and Dionysus with ram’s horns, Cernunnos and Herne with antlers, and many others. The Horned God (Cernunnos in particular) is regarded as a god of nature and fertility, the hunt, the forest, animals, and wild living things.  He is also sometimes considered a god of death and resurrection because of his connection with the seasons.  Wealth is also in his domain as he is often pictured with a pouch of coins;  his torc marks him as King.

The Horned One’s story in music

Out of the many pagan songs written for the Horned God, my personal favorite is “Antlered Crown and Standing Stone” by Damh the Bard. It is a beautiful tribute to the God’s aspects and his story around the Wheel of the Year.

I am lover, I am father, I am Horned God and King;
I’m the life in all of Nature, That is reborn every spring,
Call of stag and cry of eagle, I am Child of Barleycorn,
And I am the Antlered Crown and Standing Stone!

from Antlered Crown and Standing Stone, title track of the album by Damh the Bard

Here is Damh firsthand speaking about his song and his reasons for writing it. I couldn’t agree more with his assertion that there needs to be more songs and chants honoring our God of Nature. This particular song moved and touched me very deeply the first time I heard it, and it still makes me catch my breath every time I hear it.

“Green and Grey” is another song by Damh the Bard that describes how the Horned God has been demonized by people of other beliefs, His worship and His story twisted or forgotten.

I’m no devil I’m Father to the land
I have lived here since the Earth began
Neither black nor white, Priest hear what I say
I’m green and grey.

Green and Grey by Damh the Bard, from his album The Cauldron Born

Finding the Horned God in song

Jenna Greene (a guest blogger here on Pagan Song who recently did a lovely post on water magic) has a powerful and mysterious song called Herne from her Crossroads album, that describes an encounter with the Horned God deep in the woodlands. Accentuating the wild and primal power of the God, this song puts you into the wind and darkness to seek his company and his strength.

Herne Herne Herne, I seek you in the woodlands
Herne Herne Herne, Your fire rages in my heart
Herne Herne Herne, Mist and Shadows call thy name
Herne, Herne, Herne, The Wild Hunter rides

Herne from the album Crossroads by Jenna Greene

S. J. Tucker’s rousing Hymn to Herne explores the sexier side of the Horned God, associated with the Goddess and fertility. She suggests that if you call on the Horned One, you’d best be ready!

Honoring the Horned God in Ritual

While you may call on the Horned God to be present in any ritual, you may want to perform one specifically to honor him, or have a special need or intention that would benefit from his presence and aid.

Obviously, observing your ritual in a wooded and natural area would enhance the working greatly as this is the Horned God’s preferred environment. If this is not possible, at least try to adorn your sacred space with natural items such as plants, leaves, pine cones, even a fallen antler if you have one.

When you call the Horned God into your ritual space forego your usual reverent call with poetry and closed eyes; instead dance, laugh, shout, sing! The Horned One loves a party! Be fervent and call, call, call! He will arrive in all his aspects; you may want to honor him by singing one of the above mentioned songs, or any song that moves you. You may want to make offerings of wine, grain, and/or fruit.

The Magic and Ritual How-to section of the Book of Shadows here on Pagan Song offers many more ideas for enriching your pagan rituals. Come explore!

Searching for the Horned One in modern times

Here is a stirring call and response invocation by John Beckett, from his post The Cernunnos Ritual on Patheos. (If you are solitary you could just speak both parts).

In our high-tech world the Horned God tells us we are part of Nature, not separate from it.
May our lives honor and strengthen our connection to all living things.
In an era of factory food the god who is both hunter and hunted reminds us that in order for us to live, something else must die.
May our eating be a sacrament, and may it honor the sacrifice of the plants and animals who die to feed us.
In an era of resource depletion and climate change the God of the Forest warns that our fate is inseparably intertwined with the fate of other people and other species.
May we honor our ancestors by leaving a healthy world for our descendants.
Cernunnos, Lord of the Animals and Lord of the Hunt, we ask you to join our circle and bless us with your presence.

The Charge of the Horned God

The Charge of the God is a beautiful and powerful way to honor the God in your ritual. You may want to use the impressive version below, or create one of your own.

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.

(As found on spells-witchcraft.org)

Finding the Horned God in your life

Bold and free

When you’re feeling constrained, over-directed, or stagnant, call on the energies of Cernunnos to help you find your freedom and spontaneity. He will light the fire of youthful exuberance and help you overcome obstacles and have some fun! Conversely, if you’re too out of control, feeling reckless and even a bit destructive, the fatherly protective side of the Horned God will come to aid you.

Self-reliant and motivated

Too much dependency on others can slow us down and kill our motivation. The Horned God can be relied upon to fulfill his responsibilities of life and death, taking care of the cycles of nature; call upon him for aid in finding your own focus and purpose, drive and growth. On the flip side, if you are isolating yourself from others’ help, inflexibly following your own dictates, remember the Horned God works alongside his consort the Goddess, together renewing the Earth, providing for all.

Provider God

If you are having a struggle with material issues, Cernunnos is a God you can turn to. He is a generous provider and can help you along in your time of need. Share with him your wine, laughter, and song and you will feel his bounteous presence.

Finding the Balance

As pagans and wiccans, we many times focus on the Goddess to the exclusion of the God. Just as in nature, it can be valuable and fulfilling to find balance, recognizing both feminine and masculine energies, perceiving times when it would be beneficial to have more of this vigorous dynamic energy in our lives.

Hail Cernunnos! Hail Horned God!

Featured image is a print by Jane Starr Weils available on Etsy.