Kris Leliel

Cernunnos

Celtic god of the wilderness, vegetation, and fertility

Cernunnos is the Gaelic god of beasts and wild places and has his name meaning “Horned One”. Cernunnos is a mediator of man and nature, able to tame both predator and prey alike. He remains a mysterious deity since his original mythos has been lost due to the destruction of pagan artifacts by Christians and their demonization of him. 

As a god of the wilderness, Cernunnos often appears as a bearded man with antlers who is surrounded by wild beasts. He was often shown with a torc - a traditional Celtic necklace that was made of metal. In some depictions, he merely holds one, while in others he wears it either on his neck or antlers. Some scholars have connected Cernunnos to oak trees, which served as prominent symbols in Celtic lore and Druidry.  

This wild god is deeply connected to uncivilized ways and free-spirits. Animals are his subjects, and free-growing fruits and vegetable are his bounty. Classical depictions of this god included gatherings of animals such as elk, wolves, snakes, and aurochs. Such gatherings were possible thanks to Cernunnos’ ability to bring natural enemies into peaceful communion with one another. This ability may have cast Cernunnos as a protector and provider amongst rural tribes and hunters. Most of all, Cernunnos  is connected with male animals, particularly the stag in rut, as this portrays him in his role of fertility and reproduction.  

Whenever a Celtic king would die, Cernunnos was honoured during the funeral ceremony, which likely has caused neo-pagans to misinterpret Cernunnos as a god of the Underworld. He was indeed a sort of psychopomp for the ancient kings, but not much more than that in regards to death. Alternatively, Cernunnos may have been a god of life. In some classical societies, the natural world was the origin of all life. Under this, the god of the wilds would also have served as a god of life, creation, and fertility. 

In my personal workings with Cernunnos, he is very playful, joyful, peaceful, care-free, and loves to embrace the present moment and savour life. He says that one must remember that they are not immortal, we need to focus on what truly matters to us so we can make the most of what time we have. He respects all of life and hates those who destroy forests and animals for no reason (hunting for food is fine). Cernunnos has stated that he is not exactly the same god as Pan, but they are indeed linked. Pan is an aspect of him, meaning that Cernunnos created Pan as a shard from himself and then gave him free-will, which all elder gods have done many times. 

Offerings: brown ale, fruit punch, cider, apple cider, roasted rabbit, pheasant, ram roast, mushrooms (especially brown), dried figs, wild chestnuts, wild berries (mixed), ram horns, deer antlers, boar hide, hare pelts, pheasant plumage, wild dog skulls, wild cat hides, fox pelts, bone carvings, and wood carvings.

Danu is considered the mother of the Tuatha de Dannan and a primordial mother. However, I am reading the Lebor Gabala Erenn, and if I use that as my source, Danu is not the entire tribe's ancestor. According to this text, they are descendants of Noah (the writers of the manuscripts this text is based on were Christians creating a history for Ireland and altered the myths to fit a Christian lense.) The text, though, says the Tuatha took their name from three specific gods who were the [three] gods of "Dana," their mother being "Donand" or Donann. So we have a "Danu" figure, mother of three gods. Her father is also a "descendant of Noah."

On the other hand, in the Welsh tales of the Mabinogion, there is a Goddess Don who is a mother to several figures, not just three male gods like the Irish Dana. In Hinduism, there is a water Goddess named Danu who gives birth to a whole race of asuras, called the Danavans, enemies to the devas.

I've been told that deities of the same etymology etc. are not the same deity, but if she is the same figure repeated in different cultures, perhaps the Irish Dana can be constructed as the mother of the tribe of Irish gods.

What do you all think?

*Note. I am using the Lebor Gabala Erenn as my source here and know there is much more research, culture, material, etc. to this situation. I would love more knowledge and perspective.

So...

The Lebor Gabala Erenn has been criticized has being completely fictious by many scholars and also loosely based on true events by others (mostly regarding Celtic migration). I only did a brief look through of what this book is and I find it most interesting that it’s making in the 11th century was seemingly more for the Christianization of Europe (which you pointed out that it’s a Christian remaking of Irish history). This book isn’t the only pseudo-historical piece created for theological gain.

https://www.ancient.eu/Lebor_Gabala_Erenn/

This source was just the first one I came across among others, but I would suggest searching the purpose of this book more because it’s really intriguing. The Irish archaeologist R.A. Stewart Macalister who focused on biblical archaeologist and translated/edited the Lebor Gabala Erenn in 1939 was either amused or annoyed after all his work. Here’s a quote from him on pg. 252 of the source below:

“It must be understood quite clearly that there is not a single element of genuine historical detail, in the strict sense of the word, anywhere in the whole compilation. After many efforts, I find myself forced to the conclusion that it is all together chimerical to attempt to draw any correlation between the successive waves of historical immigration, to which Archaeology and Ethnology introduce us, and the wild tales contained in this book.”

But to be fair, as Wikipedia kinda flubbed this, this quote is specifically about an “independent narrative” regarding the Milesian Invasion. The book in its entirety is described as taking accounts of multiple invasions which is probably why other scholars have mixed feelings about the work itself.

https://archive.org/details/LeborGablarennTheBookOfTheTakingOfIreland-Volume21939/page/n131/mode/2up

To conclude, this source seems like a controversial mess in Irish history, but I think it’s still worth the read if you’re interested. Was it for Christianization purely? Who knows lol. Would I take it as a legitamate source for Celtic folklore? Definitely not. I know many belief systems overlap in history, but rewriting any country’s history for any nonfictional reason is suspicious to me.

Sorry for writing a book, but that’s my take. I had a lot of fun learning about this and I hope I’m not coming off as snooty. I’m still learning about Celtic folklore myself so I had to dive in. Thank you for sharing information about this book. I’ll have to look into the Mabinogion!