The Horned God

''The Horned God is viewed as the masculine side of divinity, being both equal and opposite to the Goddess. The Wiccan god himself can be represented in many forms, including as the Sun God, the Sacrificed God and the Vegetation God''

''The Goddess and her son-consort, the Horned God of Wicca, we are referring to the archetype or source energies of the feminine and masculine aspects of ultimate power. They are the creative female and male principles, acting not in opposition to each other but as complementary and necessary parts of a whole. All the named goddesses and gods in witchcraft represent the different qualities of these supreme forms, for example the goddesses of the hunt, or specific forms in different cultures.''

''He contributes the male role or part in the male-female polarity. He is worshipped. In rites he is personified by the high priest just as the Goddess is personified by the high priestess. The high priest sometimes wears an antlered headdress or a horned helmet.''

''It is believed the Horned God represents sexuality, vitality, the hunt, logic and power. But, he does not exploit his attributes nor will he let them be exploited. He is considered to be gentle, tender and compassionate in a masculine manner.''

''The Horned God, the most "male" in the conventional sense, of the Goddess’ projections, is the eternal Hunter, and also the animal which is hunted. He is the beast who is sacrificed that human life may go on, as well as the sacrificer, the one who sheds blood. He is also seen as the sun, eternally hunting the moon across the sky. The waxing and waning of the sun throughout the seasons manifest the cycle of birth and death, creation and dissolution, separation and return.''

''In the beginning, our ancestors worshiped the Horned God to give them strength and virility represented by the powerful horned animals such as the bison and the bull.''

''To the Celts, the Horned God was known as Cernunnos, or Kernunno in the Gardnerian tradition. Or in the Alexandrian tradition as Karnayna. To the ancient Egyptians he was Apis, an aspect of Ptah. The Ancient Greeks knew him as Pan. In the Hindu tradition, Siva is also known as the Horned God. To the Teutonic tribes he was called Wayland. And Herne to the Britton’s. The Greeks actually had two Horned Gods. Besides Pan there was also Hades, the God who ruled the Underworld, while his brothers, Zeus and Poseidon, ruled the sky and the sea.''

''The medieval Church claimed he was the enemy of Jehovah and his domaine was where bad souls were punished. Those who revered the God and Goddess were often tortured or murdered savagely.''

''To the Summerland’s Wicca believes we will all be reincarnated, one way or another. The Horned God carries us to the Summerland’s returning us safely to our mothers at conception.''

''The Horned God impregnates the Goddess and then dies during the autumn and winter months and is then reborn by the Goddess in spring. The relationships between the Goddess and the Horned God are mirrored by Wiccans in seasonal rituals. For example, the Horned God dies on October 31, which Wiccans call Samhain, the ritual of which is focused on death. He is then reborn on Winter Solstice, December 21.''

''Other important dates for the Horned God include Imbloc when he leads a wild hunt.''

''The Celts believed they were the descendants of the God of the Underworld, who was also the God of Fertility: the Latinized form of His name was Cernunnos, which means simply, the Horned One.''

''The God aspect of Wicca is known as the Horned God. Like the Goddess with her three personas, the God has two main figures. The first is the Sun-God which coincides with the sabbats and seasons, much like the triple goddess with the lunar changes. The story of the Sun God begins on Yulewhen he is reborn every year, bringing the beginning reign of light again.''

At Imbolc

''He continues to grow with the days, growing longer in length. He begins coming into bis full youth while the Goddess is too in her Maiden aspect. Together they grow until Ostara. The God is now a young man and takes the Goddess as his bride.''

On Beltane

Their marriage is consummated with a joyous celebration.

On Litha

''The Sun God reaches his peak of life with the summer Solstice. The Goddess is now in her Mother aspect.''

On Lammas

He dies, remembering that through all death is life.

On Mabon

''He is mourned by the Goddess, now heading into her Crone stage. He resides in her womb, awaiting Summerland.''

At Samnhain

''He returns to Summerland and awaits rebirth. There he waits, growing younger until he is reborn again at Yule. The Goddess is now fully in her Crone form.''

''The God and Goddess of Wicca represent the balance of the universe and they compliment and complete each other. Two sides of the same coin. However, they do not represent opposing or opposite sides. Both God and Goddess can represent the same things. Both can embody nature or life and death, for example. They work together as a single force within nature and the universe, yet separate from each other. They are beyond such concepts. They are no more evil than a hurricane or as good as a gentle summer rain that waters human crops. They are creation and destruction, life and death, birth and rebirth. They are the raging ocean and the calm sea, the hurricane and gentle breeze. They are the embodiment of the universe.''