I work with, and indeed worship, a being I know as Herne. He was the first of the entities commonly called gods that approached me, and he came as a man with the antlers of a red deer growing from his brow. This may be because at that time I was under the mistaken belief that 'the God' was always horned but since then he has appeared in many forms.

Most common though is Herne of the Wild Wood, not tall by any means, in fact I would say he barely reaches my brow, but he seems taller, partly because of those antlers that spout from his forehead but largely because his 'self' is much bigger than his physical form, in fact you could say that while his body is the centre, his presence fills up all the available space. In this form he is naked, well almost; his body is lithe and muscular but clothed in thick dark hair and shadow. One thing however that is not veiled is his sexuality. To be honest I'd rather not dwell too much on what he has down there, not out of jealously I hasten to add, but simply because I don't think you'd believe me, well at least my male audience would find it hard to stomach. Don't however think that his ample (ample, now that's an understatement) attributes are all that flags his sexual dynamic, no, his virility is there in every word, every movement and every look. And he smells; whenever he is present the air is heavy with the scent of ancient woodland mingled with a pungent musk. This is the God of fertility, of regeneration, of all things wild and free. He is Nature personified and he wants you to know this.

At other times he comes clothed, still with antlers, but often smaller and more subtle. In this form you could imagine him walking down the high street unnoticed by all accept those that have heard his call. In this form he reminds me of a banker, or some other suit, and indeed he has often appeared clothed in a pinstripe of a sage green. At these times I fear him, for he is so intense and guarded that it is hard to reconcile with the wilder aspect of the Woods. Now he is Herne of the Crossroads, here he stands at a point where a decision must be made, where consequences will be incurred and where my life may change for better or ill. He still smells by the way, but you just don't feel like mentioning it.

I have never met him in his third aspect, though I know instinctively what to expect. He will be tall and grim, cloaked in darkness and all about him is the scent of death. This is Herne Opener of the Way, here to guide my soul to the life beyond. Herne as psychopomp, guide through the doorway between life and death. Though I do not fear death itself, I do not harbour any urgent need to meet my Lord in this guise.

Then there is Herne the Hunter, brash and wild, with fire in his eyes, he is in pursuit and pity his quarry. Though whether this is a punishment or simply a means of prompting movement towards a specific goal I could not venture. Though as Lord of the Hunt he is also death to many of those of the Wild Woods that he also personifies, this is simply one of those many paradoxes that seem to define divinity.

Lastly we have Herne the Trickster. I have never met him in this form, but I have been the beneficiary of his attentions on many an occasion. Perhaps though it would be better to refer to this aspect as Herne the Teacher, as those events, unwelcome though they may have seemed, have often lead to new directions and a deeper undertanding.

Well this is how I have experienced the god I know as Herne, you may know him by other names; Cerne or Cernunnos perhaps. Maybe you know him in different forms and by other names still.

Cos, this is absolutely wonderful.

Interesting what you say too about the smell, Herne (and I know Him by Herne) "announces" himself to me by the scent that lingers around him, almost exactly like you describe: mossy, damp, mushroomy, decaying vegetation - the scent of the woodland. It's almost overwhelming, that's the interesting thing, nothing subtle about it.

When I meet him, he wears a cloak of leaves, other times of fur - sometimes you just get a sense of a cloak but it's so insubstantial you couldn't quite say what it's made from.

He has taught me joy in simple pleasures, the ability to find fun in freedom, glee and laughter. He is merry. A laugh that shakes the earth and wakes the trees, a laugh that you find yourself wanting to almost jump up and down with delighted joy at having heard.

To me he is steadfast, unswerving. Even when he has to teach the sorrows of life and pain, he doesn't "pretty" it up or shield - he simply presents it as it is - as nature is. Not bad, or good, just "is".

I know what you mean about his, er, ample attributes! I don't find it threatening as such (being a girly and all) but I think it's the potency that's so evident that's a bit like "whoa!" Funny (okay, I'm in brain-dump mode so don't expect this to be in any way coherent! ) but I do feel very female when he appears, and not necessarily human. Makes me feel very nervous but finding the hunter irresistibly attractive.

you know I forgot to mention the leaves, I think I was being distracted by his ample you know whats

The do tend to make me want to, er, compare, but I know there's no point

kev

Is Herne the same as Pan? Sorry if that sounds stupid. Your stunning description, Coz, put me in mind of the scene in "Wind in the willows" when the wild god appears to the small animals. But there is music and not smell, as far as I remember. And of course, no mention of parts.

Is Herne the same as Pan? Hmmm... I guess it depends on several things: whether you see "The God" with aspects and Herne as one of His names, Pan as another; whether you're a polytheist and see them as distinctly separate deities; or whether you take the view that Herne is the "anglicising" of Pan - a British translation of a Greek deity. Certainly with the latter the similarities are striking: woodland, nature, fertility, wildness, etc etc.

Being a polytheist I see Herne and Pan as being different Gods, different pantheons, and different in appearance. Though, if you were of a duotheist outlook, you could argue that the difference in appearance is simply another way He chooses to present Himself...

I guess the answer to your question is entirely personal, and only you know whether they're one and the same or not.

That's my view anyway.

....and then of course we have the green man or Jack in the Green.
Thats probably how I most often think of him and sometimes feel him but his other forms are always there to some degree too. I suppose I feel Jack in the Green as Herne or Cerrunos without the pomp and ceremony; a sort of peasants woodland vision of the hunter maybe.

I am polytheist but with the proviso that some gods (or all) may take on different identities for different cultures.

So perhaps Pan and Herne are the same, perhaps not. He certainly came to me as Herne and I have never encountered Pan.....

Kev

and of course its only a coincedence that some of the foliate masks have horn like leaves......

I'd seen the leafy face with small antlers just peeking through long before I ever saw him protrayed that way in art.
the first time I saw that someone else had seen a Green man with antlers really surprised and excited me.

Cos, a lot of what you describe I know.

especially the smell.

I keep telling them at Black Phoenix alchemy Lab that they should get that smell as a perfume.

there is musk, and leafmold and moss, and dark Loamy Earth and nettle, and stone. there is animal pelt and rotting wood and fresh green growth.

it's like Tramp showergel gone wild

can I share this chap with you again...


Cernunnos Bust (that I have Lusted after since I first saw him)

He is gorgeous! Having looked at some of their other statues though, their "standing Cernunnos" isn't exactly standing

The Green man is one of his guises is trying to make himself known to me - Pomona, I know exactly what you mean about that laugh, the irrepressible joy that bubbles up inside you and makes you want to shout out loud with happiness.

I came across him once, it was during a ritual on the hunters moon, i think he were passing through and give me a bit o a helping hand. I wrote this poem to him in thanks of his help.


Herne..

Over head the moon goddess look down and light the way over darkest night and jet black forest.

He crouch...still as death but sences awake, the smell of the forest so strong he can taste it...he drool, licks his lips and arise from his deathly sleep of winter.
The blood an fur, of tooth an claw run through his very essence.

He is one with the forest.

The moon goddess look down an smile upon him, the lady and the lord, a union of nature and the higher ones....its lor.

The smallest twitch of ear and tense of nose, he see with eyes of wolf and sences the air, awake, alert, sences honed on the blood let and offerings to please his hunger and thirst tonight.
With stealth of instinct and breath of night, the great God crawl on his belly, like a lowly creature of the earth.

To know your prey is to be the master of it.

With reflex of muscle , he is on it...he show no mercy but it is swift and deals the blow of death with dignity, and respect for the blood that flow in his honor. He drink from the life blood of the forest and fiest on the offerings of the earth...its lore.

He look into the night an feel the earth, feel the primal energy from all that he calls his hunting ground, look up at his Goddess in the sky.

The moon goddess look down and smile on her man, without her he would be hungry tonight.....a blessing.

Rain

Thanks for sharing that poem Rain, it's very evocative

I had a very similar vision to that when I went to sleep in the middle of a meditation a couple of years back. It's in my mind because I told someone about it a couple of days ago, still trying to dissect exactly what it meant. I didn't associate it with Herne or even Frey. A lot of food for thought there.

great poem Rain, its nice to see something that focusses on Herne's bloodier side, other than the majority that either go for the jolly lord or the sexy beast (hmmm back to those bits again

I see more sex in the eyes than in the manparts.

those eyes make me shake.

Same here...

thanks for sharing your poem,
I call him the green man myself and to me him and pan are seperate but as it as been said it depends on your own veiws

Look into my eyes, look into my eyes, the eyes, the eyes, not around the eyes, don't look around the eyes, look into my eyes......

*slaps Cos*

Herne was the first god I encoutered. He is wild, strong, all verility, all male. for me he first blended into the greenery, the trees, and now he appears in various guises. I find Herne in the area of the wood outside my gate, he is wild, free, alluring, enthralling, you cannot refuse or resist him. He blends into the land, the trees, sometimes you can see him, other times you can't. Sylvanus is also found in this area, (more like Pan than Herne) and he is lusty, bawdy, induces a fear that you want to face, I cannot describe him any other way. Sucellous is found further down in the wood, where the beck separates the wood from the fields. He is hunter, farmer, healer, hammer welder, he crushes, he cures, he kills and maims yet he holds and cares tenderly too.

Herne is usually in greens and browns, with a cloak of mossy green browns, with leaves and twigs in his hair, he is bare chested and sometimes has brown velvety trousers/leggings. Sucellous is bare chested, wild of hair and beard, and carries a large hammer, Sylvanus appears like Pan, half man, half goat, to me each are different, they are not the embodiment of one God but each one is different, very, very different. hope this makes sense anyway. I can't comment on scent because I have no sense of smell

This is how I see Herne, the trousers I would describe as more suade than velvety, though the scent is definatly present, most times I do not see him, but sense him and always smell him, as has been described previously, old damp earth/leaves, with a strong musk mingled in, its almost overpowering at times, very heady indeed.

and yeah Coz, definatly no point trying to measure up to him what so ever.... must admit when I first encountered him, I felt very very inadiquate in that department

Yeah, that's more like it, suade, my brain was thinking of the wrong texture

Meant to say that I love your poem Rain, it is good to read writing that focuses on the other major aspects of him

funny how men seem more aware of the willy, than us girlies.

It's clearly feelings of inadequacy that make them notice certain aspects more than others

now which goddess was it that had a multitude of breasts.........?

I can't remember but I bet she had a whole lot of fun

One of the hindu goddesses isn't it?

I thought it was Artemis of Ephesus

Could be both

I like Herne, but then I have to say that as I live near Windsor.

He falls nicely between the Celtic and the Anglo-Saxon cultures - a bit of both!

yes that was something I didn't realise at first, so much seems to be thrown at the Celtic side the Anglo Saxon aspects tend to get passed over.

I suppose it suits me as though I wouldn't class myself as following a Heathen path, there are aspects of Heathenry that I identify with and have always been attracted to the Norse stories. So I suppose as I am a bit in the middle Herne entering my life is 'right'

Andred also has a bilateral path, being Andraste to the Celts and Andred to the Anglo Saxons. Seems I'm destined to bridge the two.

Welcome back BTW Swanhild

Kev

I don't humanise any of the Gods & I don't think I have ever smelt them, but what I do feel is that they are here with me 24 hours a day. They don't need to be invoked because they are already here with us & so it's just down to me to recognise them, honour them & work within what they do on a daily basis.

I have been searching for some kind of god connection for a while now... and it just dawned on me that I already have one. I encountered him during a meditation years ago as a young strong man (him not me ) with wild brown hair and horns and a wicked smile who had me dancing around playing my penny whistle while the sun set over a hill. It was.. wild.. exciting.. sexy to the extreme. And no I didn't see his bits They were safely stashed away in... brown. I don't remember his lower half, possibly because I wasn't sexually mature then and would have been freaked

The poem I wrote was fairly recent, I can't believe I forgot about it!

QUOTE("Suliwyensis")

Light the fire, beat the drum, feel the heart beat, let it come.

He is the wild, the tangled forest.
The fright of the dear and the fall of the tree.
He's the stink of the beast, the blood on the ground,
The chase and the hunter, the snarl of the hound.

Come with me, cry with me, run with me, die with me,
Freeing your spirit for the Lord of the Dance.

He is the night, the secret hour.
The cry of the wolf and the hoot of the owl.
He's the silence of midnight, the horns of the moon.
The creeping of insects, the shadows and gloom.

Filling you, scaring you, thrilling you, daring you,
Freeing your spirit for the Lord of the Dance.

He is the daylight, the shining sun.
The gold of the corn and the warmth of the air.
He's the ripening fruit, the life in the earth.
The giver and taker of love and of mirth.

Live with me, see with me, give with me, be with me,
Freeing your spirit for the Lord of the Dance.

Light the fire, beat the drum, feel the heart beat, let it come.

12th July 2005

Great poem Suliwyensis

very good.

Ive only just read through this thread but how very interesting it is. Herne was the first deity I experienced and it was a sense of rpesence when in the woods that I had first. then iot becamse a gathering of shadows, then later, the scent.......and im not embarrassed to admit, it was a very horny smell!!!! I felt very womanly and earthy and..ok you get the picture. but thats precisely what was needing to be reawakened in me.
He has opened my eyes to the joys of nature around me, the beauty, the pain, but mostly he gives me inner strength, he helps me find what is within. I have not, as yet, experienced the laughter, just the intensity, but hopefully I will soon!
It is a joy to know him and to have him with me is a true blessing!

Tree......off to lie in the woods! ;-)

Wow Wow wow wow
Thanks Tree for finding and bumping this post. It is amazing how much stuff is on here and I never seem to have the time to sift through old posts as am occupied with the new ones!!
BUT what an amazing thread - It is really lovely to receive of Cos' wisdom - never had the opportunity to know him ( he died the week before I joined the valley) and such amazing descriptions and poems of Herne/Cernunnos

I experience him (I call him Cernunnos) along with Brigid - no scent yet but last week I was in a sacred grove ( a visualisation) and picked up a handful of the dry but moist rich brown fruity earth and smelt it - felt it was a really important message to me about the importance of soil/earth as part of the cycle of life. Seems to fit with the scent described in this thread. Really want to know him (and her) more.

yeah ED, Im at the beginning of my journey too and feel that there is so much to learn, hence sifting thru older threads etc and in this case, learning from an obviously very wise man. I too did not kno whim as he died the week I joined, but the proof is here that his knowledge lives on.

I LOVE the smell in the woods, and especially from Herne. I only wish they could bottle it as an aftershave...............midn you, it'd be hard to stay vertical!! lol

tree x
Oh, forgot to add, i have a pic of Herne too, but i feel its a bit, well, girly!
See what you think

[attachmentid=704]

The Goddess with all the breasts is Artemis of Ephesus, but they are NOT in fact breasts. What is represented on her statues is BULL'S TESTICLES! Fertility again.

Big thank you from me too. I recently had an encounter with Herne and experienced the same virile, sexually magnetic presence others describe. It was pretty overwhelming and it's great to read about other people's experiences.

MMMM photo is hot - is it worng to erm lust after an icon of a god?
ED gets struck down by lightening!

NO, as this is exactly one of the aspects Herne represents, earthy lust!
It might be more useful Ed, to try and ask him to infuse you with some of this so you can use it for yourself.......better make sure the kids are away for the night first tho! ;-)

tree

I'll settle for that one!

Hi folks,

I am in the process of building a private online study group regarding Herne and Andred (Andraste, Andrasta), this group is for the study of these deities and discussions regarding sources, rituals, peoms, theologies and so forth.

If anyones is interested please contact me off list.

Thanks for your time!

I'd be interested in this on-list - ie, here

May I ask if you'd be intending discussing any of that here?

Same reply as in the other thread:



Saves typing it again...lol

What is your list interest in this goddess please?

please excuse me bluntness but it saves time and messing.

Ardred is the goddess o the south downs o england. Do you live on her turf?

I can understand you linking her to Hern as the two o them make a fine partnership. What concern me though is the new trend to affiliate yourself with an ancient British goddess an try and turn them into new age fluff.

Andred is a bloody, war torn goddess , a feisty bitch an will never cur out, an Hern is the blood let o the hunt an the land an shows no mercy.

I wish you luck with your list so long as it is not a romantic fluffy one singing their paises for every blessed deed.

I live in Andreds wield, on Andreds turf, an i can tell ya somin for nothin, i speak from personal experiance.... she is hard task Mistress, an she rule with an iron fist in a velvet glove. Cross her if you dare.

The witches that are born on Andreds turf learn to steer well clear o each other or all hades breaks loose.

Rain

Firstly, I am sure Herne will not appreciate you calling him a Goddess!

Secondly, I will answer this in the proper thread for Andred!

I have known Cernunnos (derg corra) the green man of the tree of the celts for a long time but have only recently met him under the guise of Herne and although they may be one and the same, to me at least they felt slightly different. The smell you mention too so similar, i smell the earth and the trees after fresh rain has fallen whenever Cernunnos is near me, he makes the senses quicken and perception sharpen.

'nother question

Will you be posting the links to said sites/databases etc here?

I couldn't see that Rain did call Herne a goddess.

Edain, I have to say that your personal style may put off some of those here, whom I know to have extensive personal contact at least with Herne, from responding to your request. It might help if you were to share your own experiences here.