“I have had as many names as there are years to time itself! roared the monster. I am Herne the Hunter. I am Cernunnos. I am the eternal Green Man.”
Patrick Ness, A Monster Calls
Cernunnos is a very well known figure in the Druid but also the wider pagan community. He is the epitome of the wild or green man with horns. He’s the very God that was likely demonized and had devils made in their image and undoubtedly an immense figure in Druid tradition. My relationship with him has deepened over the years and I feel he can gift initiations onto the Druid path. More specific to how I interpreted an initiatory dream, he was showing me a path that I could feel connected with enough that would lead to higher development of my consciousness. Many things have been argued about the mysterious Cernunnos, one of which is that he is the continental Gaulish cognate of the Irish Gods Dagda or Donn, British Herne or the Green Man. All of this should be prefaced with the knowledge that there is very little information on Cernunnos aside from sculptural images, symbology held therein and etymology. Yet, he still reaches through the edges of the Otherworld and when we combine physical world knowledge with that of our dreams, visions and journeys, a deeper understanding can be found.
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Isla Skye / The Druid's Cauldron Historical Society
Isla Skye is a writer, photographer, herbalist and teacher of 20 years who lives in Mayo, Ireland.
We are a registered non-profit, The Druid’s Cauldron Inc. 501(c)(3) The Druid’s Cauldron is an independent journal established in 2016, dedicated to the preservation and exploration of the druids, filid/poets, culture, native wisdom, and the living traditions of the isles. We exist to recover folklore, herbalism, spiritual philosophy, and ecological knowledge embedded in the whispers of our ancestors.
Through deep research into traditional folklore, herbalism and mythology as well as personal artistic endeavors, we seek to cultivate a deeper relationship with the land, the seasons, and to one another. We are committed to serious inquiry and evidence-based information, or it is alluded that it’s personal philosophy and labeled as such. The Druid’s Cauldron is a space for the curious, the contemplative, and those who feel called to remember older ways of being in right relationship with the land and each other.
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