The Horned God and the Goddess of Wicca are the Divine Masculine and the Divine Feminine, They are heterosexual lovers and a symbol of polar opposites, like yin and yang. it seems quite certain that there once an ancient deer mother goddess associated with the sun at winter solstice. ... Usually depicted as sitting in a lotus position with horns/antlers on his head, a beard, naked except for a neck torque and sometimes holding a shield and spear. Some deities have been remembered in our days of the week. In that season, I walked down to the elm in a light, cold rain. Deer are gentle and perceptive beings, and their antlers symbolize deep awareness. And when it comes to the deer, well there is much talk of the stag, but little mention of what was once an important spiritual figure to our northern ancestors – the Deer Mother. And it is she who leads the herds in winter. Her antlers showing her free nature spirit. Antlers symbolize the pagan Horned God, the sacred Stag. Upper Left Image: Pen and Ink Sketch of Mongolian Deer Stone by Penny Sinclair, Scottish Narratives. You want to choose the easiest, safest route. ), and she is variously listed as mother to a host of multiple mythological heroes and heroines. Add to. The Scriptures are full of sound, sensible advice that require love and kindness as its basis. Her image was etched in standing stones, woven into ceremonial cloth and clothing, cast in jewelry, painted on drums, and tattooed onto skin. To know more of all this, we must study the literature and the archaeology, and we must dream on it. Today I'm here to celebrate, with you, Marina Kanavaki: her special personal art, her love of all arts & music and passionate caring for all animals on earth. So this season, when we gather by the fire to tell children bedtime stories of Santa and his flying reindeer – why not tell the story of the ancient Deer Mother of old? Many have never heard of the Deer Mother or her female shaman -which is no surprize. Antlers are like spiritual antennae that direct your energy towards higher pursuits and goals. Odin/Wodan – Wednesday. In the British Museum there is a bronze figure from the Iron Age, discovered at Besançon in France, of an antlered goddess (see below). Digital stamp nature goddess, girl with antlers flowers feathers, nature digistamp coloring SLSLines. Hekate, above perhaps all others, is the original and official goddess of witchcraft. Mary B. Kelly’s book Goddess Embroideries Of Eastern Europe explores images of the horned deer mother in the sacred textiles of women. This is the oldest church,  in the city, founded (according to legend) by Helen, the mother of the emperor Constantine, who is famous for her dreams; Helen is shown dreaming on the cover of my book The Secret History of Dreaming. The Antler Goddess Charm is detailed with a genuine Moonstone, a gemstone associated with divine feminine energy and inner fortitude. Today some of our most cherished Christmas iconography features antlered “stags”. And across the northern world, it was the Deer Mother who took flight from the dark of the old year to bring light and life to the new. And from the British Isles, Scandinavia, Russia, Siberia, across the land bridge of the Bering Strait, she was a revered spiritual figure associated with fertility, motherhood, regeneration and the rebirth of the sun (the theme of winter solstice). For example, a plethora of “alternative” articles observe the link between Santa’s red and white garb and the Siberian shaman, and consistently refer to this shaman as “him”. I looked ahead, and saw a huge orange disk very low on the horizon. Talk about a wild night. It's a 2021 must-have. I caressed the scaly bark of the trunk, and wished the elm health and renewal. Ceremonial Embroidery of Rohanitsa, Image Source from Mary B. Kelly. Antlers are like spiritual antennae that direct your energy towards higher pursuits and goals. In fact, the so-called “Sorcerer” of the Paleolithic cave art of Trois Freres is a famous example that has been used for art tattoo. She is to be experienced, not to be read about. (By Danielle Prosom Olson) This postscript is in response to the many comments and requests I’ve received for the sources of the above post. In Search of the Antlered Goddess of the Ways - Dream Gates Charm Dimensions: 16.4mm L x … We can do this even on the other side of an ocean from Elen’s ancient trackways, especially if our ancestors knew her – and if we know the right tree. From The Deer-Cult and the Deer-Goddess Cult of the Ancient Caledonians  by J.G. Most risks can be reduced if not eliminated. Top right to left: Siberian Deer Tattoo 2nd century BCE., Shamanic Headdress found in Düsseldorf Burial, Scythian Deer figurine, Mesolithic Burial of two women in France, Scythian Rod, Iron Age. In Miranda Green’s book Symbol and Image in Celtic Religious Art she states, â€œanimal symbolism associated with goddesses reachs it apogee with horned female images, usually adorned with antlers.”. I understood that I was entering the embrace of an Antlered Goddess. I like to think so. For many Pagans, the antlers of the stag are associated directly with the fertility of … Immediately Deer appeared to me. They took to the skies led by a bevy of flying animals. Elen is very special, for me, because she is the patron of roads and gates between the worlds. She was also a goddess of childbirth, and the protectress of the girl child up to the age of marriage. As a solar goddess, she embodies the element of fire and is commonly depicted with rays of light or fire emanating from her head. In some depictions, the horns grow directly from his head. This article was written by Danielle Prohom Olson & originally published on Gather Victoria, The Deer Goddess Of Ancient Siberia: A Study In The Ecology Of Belief, The Deer-Cult and the Deer-Goddess Cult of the Ancient Caledonians. Green makes the point that while the antlered god Cernunnos is well known in eastern Gaul (and is revered in many pagan circles today) there were also feminine counterparts found in at many sites such as Clermont-Ferrand  (Puy de Dome) and at Besancon (Doubs). Female reindeer sprout antlers too, and that the females grow bigger racks than the males! Likewise, Lord and Lady are titles of respect by which we call any God or Goddess, respectively; Lord and Lady are not names. One of these is […], Every individual’s health is important to their growth and the wellness of a nation. He alternates with the goddess of the moon in ruling over life and death, continuing the cycle of death, rebirth and reincarnation. The British visionary artist Chesca Potter says that when she moved to London, she had a vision of an immense goddess figure, dressed in green and gold, over the church of  St Pancras. Tyr is remembered in Tuesday. Her book The Deer Goddess Of Ancient Siberia: A Study In The Ecology Of Belief traces the image of the deer from rock carvings, paintings, and monolithic stelae from the Neolithic period down through the early Iron Age. Celtic antler and skull tattoos meaning. She painted and sketched several versions of this antlered goddess. Other folktales tell how shamans, dressed in red suits with white spots, would collect the mushrooms and then deliver them through chimneys as gifts on the winter solstice. Folk art of red and white embroideries were made of her for solstice celebrations. The latter cult was administered by women only…”, Antlered female shaman (believed to be Nishan from NE Asia), The book The Golden Deer of Eurasia published by the Metropolitan Museum of Art, is a wonderful visual exploration of the sacred significance of the deer and reindeer in the shamanic traditions – which “was understood as essentially female” and associated with the tree of life, fertility, motherhood  birth and the rebirth of the sun (the theme of winter solstice! I understood that I was to get on the deer’s back and let it lead me. Irish mythology relates that she was born at sunrise of Dagda, the earth god, and Boann, the goddess of fertility. They are a common feature of polytheistic religions. Reindeer bones have been found in three caves near Inchnadamph, a hamlet in Assynt, Sutherland, Scotland. Freya (‘lady’) was the Norse goddess of love, fertility, sorcery, gold, war and death. Their long lineage of connection with the induction of spiritual journeys through the drum, their relationship of healing with “Reindeer-Magic” and their ability to create potions and salves which could incite ecstatic visions or “Shamanic Journeys,” give us a deeper look at the Solstice and contemporary Christmas symbol. Goddess of hot springs who came to Brittany from Celtic Gaul. Bull. The statue (of Elen) in the British Museum certainly has antlers similar to those of reindeer. Much historical scholarship has assumed that many horned images found in archaic relics, ritual objects and artwork were male. She was the patron of voyagers; seafarers and traders made offerings to her for safe passage and success in their transactions. Ripe fruits are often carved over the top of Nehalennia’s shrines. This female pagan deity is unique in that she is the only horned goddess, wearing the antlers of the female reindeer, in turn the only deer whose females are antlered. When she invited me into her embrace, we became the same size. Solid Sterling Silver. Shamans would join them on a vision quest, by taking the mushrooms themselves. The saddlecloth was a deep red with a brocaded border. But considering the evidence for a reindeer mother goddess cult dating from the prehistoric, many scholars now suggest that some of these images may be in fact, female reindeer. The use of cern for “horned” was common in Indo-European languages, such as the Greek corn (the word unicorn, referring to the one-hornedhorse-like creature) and several Latin taxonomic terms for antlered animals. Her antlers were frequently depicted as the tree of life, carrying birds, the sun, moon and stars. (157) 157 reviews. This reindeer-sun-bird imagery can symbolize the female shaman’s soul transformation from human to deer, from earth of the middle world to higher gates of the middle world and even the lower world.”, Mesolithic female shaman of Bad Dürrenberg, 7000-6500 bce, with reconstructed regalia from animal bones, horns, teeth, and shells. It all began with Marina’s love of … It is less well known that there is solid evidence for the ancient worship of the Antlered Goddess. Heading from California to Phoenix is a journey of about 11 hours, and driving it with kids can be hair raising when you’re on your […], Having faith can help you maintain a better lifestyle. And while these women are largely forgotten today, the Deer Mother still lives in our Christmas cards, seasonal decorations and tales of Santa’s flying reindeer. The stag plays a key role in the tales of the Greek Artemis and her Roman counterpart, Diana, as well as the Celtic hero Finn mac Cumhail. Deer Stones Image Source Wikipedia. While many historical explorations of the pagan origins of Christmas observe the link between Santa’s garb and the red and white amanita mushroom ingesting shaman, few mention that is was the female shamans who originally wore red and white costumes trimmed with fur, horned headdresses or felt red hats! On her feast day, December 26, cookies made in the shape of deer were given and eaten for good luck. Climbing the tree of life in her horns, they would take flight like a bird into the upper realms. Active dreaming is crucial to collective soul retrieval, to recovering and living our authentic spiritual inheritance. The deer goddess was known across northern Europe. P.S. From a wonderful color-illustrated pdf of “Archaeological Finds from Germany”, This fascinating article describes the ancient traditional clothing worn by “Medicine Women Healers” in Siberia and what once known as Lapland. The reindeer was often shown leaping or flying through the air with neck outstretched and legs flung out fore and aft. The antlers represent strength, fertility, and virility. Elen is the guardian of the leys, the ancient track ways . She was not an Aesir god, but one of the secondary Vanir gods. For her feast day in late December (most likely solstice) white iced cookies shaped like deer were given as presents or good luck tokens, and red and white embroidery depicting her image were displayed. Let me add that Elen of the Dreamways has a double or close sister across the North Sea in Nehalennia, who was venerated at Celtic sacred sites on what is now the coast of the Netherlands. https://thejournalofahedgedruid.blogspot.com/2011/01/elen-ot-ways.html Are we remembering the long forgotten mother of winter solstice? 4 Nearly-Forgotten Ancient Germanic Goddesses for the Modern Pagan. Also known as the Green lady, Elen of the shimmering ways or Elen of the Hosts. Instantly we were off at a terrific pace, heading north across a landscape of frozen marshes. $63.26. A wooden seat had been placed under the tree and I sat there, open to vision without insisting on it. If you follow what the Scriptures say, then you will naturally do what they require. Considering that most of the shamans in this region were originally women, it is likely that their traditional wear is the true source for Santa’s costume. The Antler Goddess Charm is detailed with a genuine Moonstone, a gemstone associated with divine feminine energy and inner fortitude. It seemed we were flying straight into the face of the sun. Greek. It was she who once flew through winter’s longest darkest night with the life-giving light of the sun in her horns. December 27, 2017 Elen of the Ways is an antlered goddess, female reindeer are antlered, indeed they are the only female cervid to carry antlers. I call it the Village Tree because its canopy resembles a collection of thatched cottages, especially in late fall, when the leaves are matted dull brown. When you travel the British isles, you may feel Elen’s soft footfall – beneath the traffic and modern construction – along the deer paths and ancient trackways and in the the lapping of quiet streams. Tattoos on buried shaman women also contain deer tattoos, featuring antlers embellished with small birds’ heads, and since the goddess cultures of female shaman is most associated with deer, serpent and birds, it is right that these deer stones were the sacred ritual grounds of women. Cernunnos is depicted with the antlers of a stag, sometimes carries a purse filled with coin. Miranda Green. Illustration “Lady of the Ways” by Chesca Potter from The Celtic Shaman’s Pack by John Matthews, published by Element. In early times reindeer were native to Scotland. The image of the mother goddess Rohanitsa is often shown with antlers and gives birth to deer as well as children. And in ancient Europe (as in Polynesia) one of the favorite forms of transportation for the Otherworld voyage is the dolphin. The name Brigid means exalted one, while her most ancient Gaelic name, Breo-Saighead, means fiery power or fiery arrow. For her feast day in late December (most likely solstice) white iced cookies shaped like deer were given as presents or good luck tokens, and red and white embroidery depicting her image were displayed. IlFusodellaStrega. And it is also very likely that they were the first to take shamanic flight with the reindeer on winter’s darkest night. Esther Jacobson compiled the deer iconography of the early nomads of South Siberia and northern Central Asia. And if you want another way to share the story of the Deer Mother – CLICK HERE to see a little video about her! Eye of … Some Pagan writers claim that the triquetra is the symbol of a triple goddess, but there is no scholarly evidence of a connection between any triune goddess and this particular symbol.
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