The Truth About the Horned God of Paganism

In Witch Cult in Western Europe, Margaret Murray put forth the theory that the horned god was a father deity worshipped by an ancient witch cult. This idea prevailed throughout most of the 20th century. Scholars have seriously questioned this however. Ms. Murray believed that this cult survived unbroken in one form or another until the 17th century. In her theory, this cult was sent underground by the Christian church which maligned the horned god by making him into the devil of the bible. She based much of her theory on James Frazer's The Golden Bough in which he presents the idea of a dying vegetation god that is born again in the spring.

In Ronald Hutton's book The Triumph of the Moon: A History of Modern Pagan Witchcraft, he asserts that Ms. Murray came to this conclusion by combining the numerous artistic references to a horned god over many centuries instead of assessing each piece individually. Hutton also suggests that the artists of the Romantic Era contributed to the horned god's popularity today.

Whatever theory you agree with, it is apparent that the image of the god stirs the Pagan imagination and heart in ways that allow us to connect with nature and all of its aspects.

There is no question that his horned head has been negatively played upon by those who think Pagans just worship the devil but don't know any better. Pagans generally do not believe in the concept of hell from the Christian bible. Therefore, the idea that they worship a god that rules a place they don't believe exists is usually met with laughter or rolled eyes if not outright (understandable) defensiveness.

The fact that he represents such a wild, uncontrollable force as that of nature could be exactly why he was thought to be a demon. However, there is a primal, unspoiled beauty in him, for nature is not only a one-sided force of destruction but a force of creation as well.

There are several horned gods that have become stars in their own right. One of the most famous is Pan, the Greek god of shepherds, flocks, the wild hunt, mountains and nymph chasing. He chased one nymph, Syrinx, who ran (like most of them) and was transformed into reeds, which Pan made into pipes, thus the famous Pan pipes we know of today.

Cernunnos is the Gallic horned god generally shown torc clad and surrounded by stags and serpents. One of these representations is the stone bas-relief, the Pillar of the Boatmen believed to be constructed in the first century CE.

Sometimes associated with Herne of British folklore, he is pictured with a stag head in his role as lord of the animals of the forest. Other figures that have come to be associated with the horned god because of their wild nature are the Green Man, satyrs and even Robin Hood. It's important to note that the connection between these figures and the horned god is tenuous.

The horned god has been known by many incarnations from early cave paintings to the Lord of the Forest we know today. His impact on the Pagan community throughout the ages is clearly immense evident in the poetry, art, and literature that has been devoted to him. He inspires us to look at the beauty in every aspect of nature and in ourselves.

Opening (horned god symbol): P.J. Deneen, Cernunnos and Isaac Beckett's Pan and Syrinx: Wikimedia Commons.

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