Cernunnos The Stag

The image of the Stag has appeared throughout all pagan cultures. Naming him Cernunnos, or "the horned one", the Celts believed he balanced with the female fertility symbol Epona - commonly depicted as a Mare.

Petroglpyhs, cave paintings and bronze-age statues often depict man donning antlers and wearing deerskins. Some images show man copulating with a deer to presumably ensure successful hunting or abundant fertility for the nearby herd. Man depended on deer for food and skins and therefore based many rituals on them - providing a basis for the first belief systems.

Conquering Romans quickly discovered the Epona-worshipping Epidae and the Ceinae clans, using them as expert horse trainers, farriers and breeders. Both clans were responsible for the chalk carvings on the hillsides throughout England and Europe. The Ceinae reportedly fled their captors - possibly to Caledonia, where carvings also exist.

Early Christians promoted their belief systems by adapting pagan rituals and local icons - twisting them to their own ends. Thus the goddess became ultimately stylized as Madonna, Celtic designs were incorporated into stonework and stained-glass designs - knotwork even adorned crucifixes! And worship of Cernunnos continued...

Considered a threat, early Christians thus adopted Cernunnos as an image of evil - a symbol to be reviled. Years have simplified and stripped away at the true meaning behind "the horned one".Today he reflects the symbolic representation of all that is not controlled by the Christian God.

This tattoo was my first - as such it remains special to me, marking a respect for old powers and ancient ways. As a pagan, walking the path of the deer means walking the path of gentleness and caution - yet fierce protection towards kin and clan.

This artwork is by Jen Delyth of Keltic Designs - an artist living in San Francisco whose work appears in books and designs all over the world. The Tattoo is by Igor at Tattoo City

Picture Details: Cave painting representing coitus between human and animal (possibly a deer). Image from the Val Comonica region, Italy. Circa 7th Century BCE. (Image Source: The Kinsey Institute for Sex Research. Bloomington. Indiana. USA).