The Horned God of the Witches

by Jason Mankey

  [contents]

  * * *

  105. St. Giles’ Cathedral was established in the twelfth century, though much of the church’s current structure was built about two hundred years later. Originally a Catholic church, it’s part of the Church of Scotland today.

  106. Conway, Lord of Light and Shadow, 58. Arddhu and Atho are allegedly names of Welsh Underworld gods. Arddhu is sometimes honored in the Anderson Feri Tradition, and Atho was the name of the god in an English Witchcraft tradition that existed in England during the late 1950s.

  107. Conway, Lord of Light and Shadow, 151.

  108. Anderson, Green Man, 20.

  109. Hutton, Pagan Britain, 347.

  110. Livingstone, “The Remarkable Persistence of the Green Man.”

  111. Hutton, Pagan Britain, 349.

  112. Hutton, Pagan Britain, 349 and 350.

  113. Hutton, Pagan Britain, 350.

  114. Anderson, Green Man, 20.

  115. Hutton, Pagan Britain, 349.

  116. Anderson, Green Man, 47.

  117. Anderson, Green Man, 46.

  118. Anderson, Green Man, 111–112.

  119. Hutton, The Stations of the Sun, 242.

  120. Frazer, The Golden Bough, 247.

  121. Hutton, The Stations of the Sun, 242.

  122. Hutton, The Stations of the Sun, 242.

  123. Hutton, The Stations of the Sun, 242.

  124. Interlocking roots are especially true of redwood trees on the Pacific Coast. In most redwood groves, all of the trees there are connected, and the healthy ones will help keep the weaker ones alive. If you ever get a chance to do this meditation near the Pacific Ocean, I highly recommend it!

  Chapter Ten

  Herne the Hunter and Elen of the Ways

  The figure known as Herne the Hunter has been a part of Modern Witchcraft from the very start. Gerald Gardner called him a “British example par excellence of a surviving tradition of the Old God of the Witches” in 1959’s The Meaning of Witchcraft. Since then, Herne has most often been equated with the Gaulish Cernunnos, with many authors arguing that the two figures are the same god with different names. I disagree with that premise, but I understand why many people continually conflate the two deities.

  Books about male Pagan deities have always been in short supply, and one of the earliest and most influential of those very limited number of books was The Witches’ God by Janet and Stewart Farrar. In that book, Cernunnos and Herne share a chapter and are basically written about as the same deity. I understand the confusion; because of Cernunnos’s association with all things “Celtic” and Britain’s large Celtic population in antiquity, the idea makes some sense. But while a few ancient images of Cernunnos have been found in Britain, he doesn’t seem to have been a particularly popular (or even well-known) god there. The two names also sort of sound alike when one drops the “ous” from Cernunnos, but other than that superficial similarity and their antlers, the two deities have very little in common.

  Unlike Cernunnos, whose name and visage appear on altars and statues, the first mention of Herne occurs in William Shakespeare’s play The Merry Wives of Windsor, most likely written between 1597 and 1599 and first mentioned in print in 1602.125 By that date, England had long been Christianized, suggesting an even more tenuous link to Cernunnos. In that play, Herne is more ghost than deity and is written about in a way that’s drastically different from how most people view him as a deity:

  There is an old tale goes, that Herne the Hunter,

  Sometimes a keeper in Windsor Forest,

  Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,

  Walk round about an oak, with great ragg’d horns;

  And there he blasts the tree, and takes the cattle,

  And makes milche-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain

  In a most hideous and dreadful manner.

  You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know

  The superstitious idle-headed eld

  Receiv’d and did deliver to our age,

  This tale of Herne the Hunter for a truth.126

  It’s possible that Shakespeare made up the figure of Herne specifically for his play, but I find that unlikely. The Merry Wives of Windsor is full of references to places and names from the area, which suggests Shakespeare knew Windsor well, or at least had an informant who did. In addition, there are several folk tales that mention Herne (though it’s possible they were created in reaction to Shakespeare), along with the remains of a tree that was associated with him in England’s Windsor Forest.

  For most of the last four hundred years, sightings of Herne in the Windsor Forest have been similar to his appearance in The Merry Wives of Windsor : he’s been more ghost than god (Figure 11). Folklore about Herne from the Berkshire area (next to Windsor Forest) has generally focused on the hunter as a figure to be feared, not worshipped. To call Herne the local “bogeyman” of the area would not be an exaggeration. But the gods of the old religion often become the devils of the new, so it’s worth looking at the history of Herne to discern both his character and where his origins might lie outside of Shakespeare’s quill.

  Figure 11: Herne the Hunter.

  A spectral Herne the Hunter hunts by night in the great Windsor Forest.

  There are several versions of the Herne story. The one I’m most familiar with appears in William Harrison Ainsworth’s (1805–1882) novel Windsor Castle, published in 1842. In that version of the tale, Herne is a gamekeeper at Windsor Forest, employed by the monarch Richard III (1452–1485). Herne was a favorite of Richard, and as a result the other gamekeepers became jealous. On one particularly tragic day, Herne and Richard went off on their own in pursuit of a prized buck, but instead of being easily subdued, the buck gored the horse of the king. As the king fell from his horse, the buck attempted to strike a killing blow, but Herne lept between the buck and the king with his knife out. Herne delivered a lethal blow upon the deer, but not before he himself was mortally wounded.

  Now gored, Herne lay dying, and the King was distraught. When the rest of the hunting party caught up to Richard and the dying Herne, the king promised a large reward to whoever could restore Herne to life. As Herne prepared to take his last breath, a wizard appeared promising to bring Herne back from the precipice of death. The king readily agreed, but the other keepers conspired against Herne, asking the wizard to take away the woodland skills that Herne used in service to the king upon his return. The wizard agreed for a price, and Herne was revived after one month in stasis. Curiously, the wizard grafted the antlers of the buck killed by Herne onto the keeper’s head.

  Stripped of his woodland skills, the revived Herne went mad and eventually hung himself from a mighty oak in the forest that later became known as “Herne’s Oak.” After this second death, Herne returned to both curse the keepers who had taken his woodcraft away and the forest, causing hunting in Windsor Forest to cease for lack of game. With nothing to hunt, Richard III grew concerned and met with Herne. At that meeting, Herne revealed the duplicity of the other keepers and demanded justice. Richard agreed and had Herne’s tormentors hung on the very oak Herne had used to take his own life. His quest for vengeance satisfied, Herne took up permanent residence in Windsor Forest, where he leads the hunt as a ghostly presence, often accompanied by other spectral hunters and hunting dogs.

  There are a few variations on the tale of how the mortal Herne became Herne the Hunter, the most shocking of which has Herne returning after death to the realm of the living to seek vengeance upon the English king who defiled his daughter. Other versions of the story have Herne hanging himself to atone for either hunting illegally or committing some other sort of foul deed in Windsor Forest that betrays his king.127 Whatever the variation, most of these stories involve Herne hanging hims
elf, a noteworthy end that we will come back to later.

  One of the details that makes the story of Herne so interesting to me is that there is further evidence of the reality of Herne beyond Shakespeare and folklore.

  Several different versions of Shakespeare’s plays have been published over the centuries, and the versions that most of us are familiar with come from the First Folio, the collection of his plays published in 1623. An earlier version of The Merry Wives of Windsor from 1602 features a slightly different take on Herne, here called Horne. While he still remains a ghostlike figure, in addition to having antlers atop his head, Horne also takes the appearance of a stag:

  Oft haue you heard since Horne the hunter dyed,

  That women to affright their litle children,

  Ses that he walkes in shape of a great stagge.

  Now for that Falstaffe hath bene so deceiued,

  As that he dares not venture to the house,

  Weele send him word to meet vs in the field,

  Disguised like Horne, with huge horns on his head.128

  The spelling of Herne as Horne is most likely not an accident. In the first half of the sixteenth century during the reign of King Henry VIII, a parchment currently in the British Museum tells of a man named Rycharde Horne, who, along with several compatriots, was caught poaching in Windsor Forest.129 The punishment for poaching was most often death, and if that death involved hanging, it’s possible that Horne is at least one part of Herne’s myth. Rycharde could be the original ghostly source of Herne, or perhaps his name was added to an already existing myth.

  Herne’s Oak was the name given to a particular oak tree in Windsor Forest where Herne was alleged to have hung himself. Sadly the tree itself was cut down in 1796 (most likely by mistake), but its location was marked on a map dating back to 1742, where it’s called Sir John Falstaff’s Oak, named after a character in Shakespeare’s play. A few pieces of wood survive from Herne’s Oak, along with drawings of what it looked like in the eighteenth century.130 Upon the tree’s demise, the local newspaper, the Whitehall Evening Post, published a poem commemorating the oak “that nightly Herne walk’d round.” 131

  If Herne is more than a figure of folklore and literature, where might his true origins lie? Instead of looking at figures such as Pan and Cernunnos, I prefer to look further afield at deities whose stories contain at least a little bit of Herne’s myth. While it’s popular to think of Britain as being one of the homes of the Celts, other pagan groups settled there too. The area around Windsor Forest was settled extensively by one of those groups, the Vikings, who imported their own myths and legends. One of those myths involves the god Woden (or Odin) hanging himself from Yggdrasil, the World Tree, in order to gain the wisdom of the runes.

  If Herne is directly related to an ancient pagan deity, it’s far more likely to be Odin than Cernunnos, an idea I first came across in the work of Eric Fitch (author of In Search of Herne the Hunter). The two deities share being hung from a tree, and both figures have been linked to spectral hunting parties. The Vikings settled in England during the ninth and tenth centuries, which means the figure known as Herne would have spent less time “underground” before being written about than if he were related to Cernunnos. Perhaps myths of Odin mixed with ghost stories of executed poachers, creating the figure we know today as Herne. We’ll never know for sure, but this seems likely to me.

  Working With Herne

  The tales of Herne’s origins reveal a figure focused on vengeance and atonement. He’s vengeful toward those who have wronged him (either his fellow keepers or the king) or he seeks atonement for his past misdeeds. Among Modern Witches who worship Herne, he tends to be worshipped as a rather generic version of the Horned God or as Cernunnos. But I think it’s worth noting these two additional characteristics that make Herne unique in the annals of horned and antlered deities.

  Certainly a figure associated with forests is very much an “earth deity,” but to look at or honor only that part of Herne feels shortsighted. If the deities we worship are real entities, then it behooves us to explore their mythologies in order to better understand them. Herne is more than just another name people sometimes use in place of Cernunnos; he’s a completely different god, born on a different shore during a different period of time. And if he is connected to Odin, he’s also a god of wisdom and prophecy, in addition to his other attributes.

  Because of Herne’s unique qualities as a horned deity, I often call upon him when seeking justice or trying to right a wrong in my life. While I’m not someone to actively go and toss curses and hexes at others, I do believe in defending myself and shining a light on the truth when falsehoods have gotten in the way of it. Several years ago, an old acquaintance of mine began spreading rumors about me and calling me a liar. When circumstances like that arise, it’s time for Witchcraft, and on this particular occasion I looked to Herne for help.

  Herne’s Witch Bottle Spell

  Traditionally Witch bottles are buried under windows and doors to reflect any negative energy directed toward a particular household. This spell is a variation on the classic Witch bottle, and sends all negativity, lies, and bad deeds back to the person instigating those things. It’s not necessary to know who the source of your problems is to work this spell, and it might even be more effective if you don’t. If you name the wrong person to receive the negative energies being directed at you, then that person will suffer needlessly, so certainty is a must!

  Here are the items needed for this spell:

  A small jar with a wide mouth, such as a spaghetti jar

  A small length of chain or cord to wrap around the object representing the cause of your problems (I recommend using something that resembles a chain, such as a small chain-link necklace.)

  Something representing the cause of your problems (If you know the exact individual who is at fault, a printed picture of them works very well, as does writing their name on a sheet of paper. If you don’t know their name, that’s fine too. In that case, just use something that represents the cause of the problem, such as a picture of lips if you are trying to fend off gossip, the word “LIES!” if someone is lying about you, etc.)

  Seven shiny dimes

  A reflective item, such as a very small mirrored item or a coin or rock wrapped tightly in a piece of aluminum foil (Aluminum foil is an easy way to create a reflective surface for your magick.)

  Stones of protection, such as black tourmaline, black obsidian, hematite, fluorite, smoky quartz, jet, or amethyst (If there’s a stone you associate with protection that is not listed here, you can use that too.)

  Vinegar

  Something from your body (This can be a strand of hair, a fingernail, or urine. If you want to take your magick up a notch, you can also use vaginal secretions, semen, or blood, including menstrual blood.)

  Anything else you want to add (Everything is on the table with a Witch bottle.)

  A libation to offer to Herne after the spell is complete (I suggest ale or cider.)

  If you prefer to do magick in sacred space, begin by casting a circle and calling the quarters. Once everything is set up to your liking, invoke Herne:

  I call to Herne to assist me today with my magick! May justice be swift and may those who have tried to wrong me feel the full brunt of their misdeeds. I ask for the protection and assistance of the great hunter Herne! Lend your power to mine so that I may be free from my tormentors and those who work against me shall be silenced. So mote it be!

  Start by taking whatever it is that you are using to represent the negativity being sent against you and wrapping it in your small chain. If you can tie the chain into a knot around the object, all the better. If you are using a picture or a small piece of paper, inserting that into one of the links of the chain and then tying the chain with a knot will work nicely here. As you wrap and knot the chain, speak these words:

  With Herne’s chains, I bi
nd you,

  To stop the damage you do.

  All harm toward me will cease,

  And all will be at peace.

  Repeat the above four lines as you wrap your chain around the object representing your troubles. When you reach the end of the chain, speak these final two lines:

  In the name of Herne, I cast this spell.

  My will be done. So mote it be!

  While wrapping your chain around the object representing your troubles, imagine all of the negativity being directed toward you ceasing. Visualize mouths being shut, whispers not being shared, and only good coming your way. When you are through with this mini binding, put the chain and your bound item into your Witch bottle.

  Pick up the dimes you have gathered for this ritual. Notice their reflective surface and imagine any negative energy being directed toward you being reflected back to its source. Think about yourself being surrounded by good luck and being free from all negativity and evil thoughts. Slowly place each of the dimes into your Witch bottle while reciting the following:

  One dime for good luck in all I do.

  A second for my wishes to come true.

  The third for being seen as I am.

  Four to stop all who would curse and damn.

  A fifth to reflect that which vexes.

  Their will turned into this Witch’s hexes [drop in the sixth dime].

  Seven for the power of the horn’d one, Herne.

  Protect from me all that which I spurn!

  Horned one, protector and power,

  Bless this work with your earthen glower!