The Antlered Goddess

Elen of the Ways, is a horned goddess of ancient Britain who presided over the migration pathways of deer and reindeer. To hunters this knowledge was invaluable, and she came to be equated with the 'dreamtime' of the earth. She is elusive and not much is known about her save for a small fragment in the Mabinogion, where she is mentioned as the beautiful and radiant Elen Llwyddog or Empress Helen.

Horns are often associated with the moon's first flush between new and crescent when it looks 'horned'. Horns are also associated with many goddesses, such as Babylonian Ishtar and Egyptian Hathor. Many gods too are depicted with horns, the Celtic god of fertility, Cernunnos, Herne the Hunter, and the Greek gods Dionysus and Pan. Around this time we find the earliest traces of animal groom tales such as Beauty and the Beast, and Cupid and Psyche.

These stories teach us about balance and harmony, within ourselves, and between humans and the natural world. I believe understanding was at the root of this, for as our ancestors tracked the stars in the sky they would have seen the wild deer, and followed their tracks down ancient paths across the land. This knowledge was so entwined between the land and the hunter, or the shaman that deities arose. The earth was not just a resource to them, it was a place that both nourished life and took it away. There was a reverence and respect. Always a prayer on the lips of the hunter who knew of the cycles, and who understood the ecosystems of the earth. When too much is taken, when the harmony of balance is gone, a tear occurs. This is seen with the swan maiden, the seal woman and the fox woman, they all take their skins and are gone. One of the greatest things we can know is what Rilke said, that “we need, in love, to practice only this: letting each other go. For holding on comes easily; we do not need to learn it.” .

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Photographs: Antlered woman:http://darkpassenger1313.tumblr.com/post/119807402503 Stag: http://livetalskare.tumblr.com/post/132446463892 Forest: Unknown http://ohpioneer.com/post/13776005335 Berries: http://www.callmecupcake.se/ All via Pinterest