Reclaiming the Horned God
with this year’s first full moon on the 23rd — after an intense eclipse portal — in the sign of Scorpio (the Alchemist), now is a great time to look at one of our oldest masculine archetypes
What is your first thought when you read the term “Horned God”?
How fast did “the Devil” pop up before your inner eye? Are you thinking of fire and brimstone? Maybe the Major Arcana Tarot card comes to mind, instead? Or are you dreaming of uninhibited dances around a Walpurgis fire, erecting Maypoles, and celebrating abundant feasts of fresh-baked bread and early strawberries in honor of the life-death-rebirth cycles of nature?
The end of April marks the time of late spring and early summer festivals of several ancient archetypal deities:
the Greenman (ca. April 23rd)
the Horned God (ca. April 25rd)
The Witches’ Sabbat, Beltane, also known as Walpurgis Night (evening of May 1st)
And with this year’s first full moon on the 23rd — after an intense eclipse portal — in the sign of Scorpio (the Alchemist), now is a great time to look at one of our oldest masculine archetypes: the Horned God. It was equal parts remarkably difficult, curiosity-sparking, and intensely fulfilling to research the Horned God archetype and his spring festivities for this piece. And so now I’m very excited to invite you on a little deconstruction journey of the Devil archetype and a series of inspiring prompts to bring the Horned God back.
Deconstructing the Devil
The basis of every good reclamation is a little deconstruction. The Devil, with his fiery visage and ominous presence, has long cast a shadow over our understanding of masculine archetypes. But as we peel back the layers of myth and misconception, we uncover a narrative shaped by fear, control, and patriarchal dominance.
Once, he was not the epitome of evil, but rather a complex figure embodying elements of rebellion, sensuality, and wildness. In pre-Christian European pagan traditions, deities like Pan and Cernunnos represented the untamed forces of nature, revered for their vitality and potency. Yet, with the rise of the Church, these once sacred symbols were twisted into symbols of sin and temptation.
The Devil's image became synonymous with everything deemed unholy by the church: sexuality, non-conformity, witches, and heresy. Anything that threatened the authority of this budding patriarchy was demonized in “the Devil’s” name, from women accused of witchcraft to cultures practicing earth-based animism, from Muslim Arabs accused of bestiality to Alpine tribal folk. Here are just a few of his names over the centuries
Satan: Hebrew word "שָׂטָן" (pronounced "satan"), meaning "adversary" or "accuser". However, this word only appears a handful times in the Old Testament, mostly to describe those acts of Yahweh that he doesn’t want to be associated with.
Lucifer: Latin word "lucifer", meaning "light-bringer" or "morning star". This title was originally reserved for the goddess associated with the planet Venus, the Sumerian goddess Inanna, or the Akkadian goddess Ishtar.
Baphomet or Mahomet: a corruption or misinterpretation of the name "Mohammed" (Mahomet), the prophet of Islam, during the time of the Crusades.
Beelzebub or Baal: from ancient Semitic languages. It likely originated from the Canaanite god Baal, associated with fertility, storms, and power. In Hebrew, "Baal Zebub" (בַּעַל זְבוּב) means "lord of the flies" which could be a derogatory epithet applied to the deity to discredit them.
Beneath this judgment and slander lies rooted wisdom and grounded resilience. Consider, for example, the misunderstood nature of Satanism. Contrary to popular belief, Satanists do not worship the Christian Devil but rather embrace critical thinking and personal autonomy. Their rejection of oppressive dogma mirrors the rebellious spirit of ancient deities like Pan or Dionysus, challenging us to question authority and reclaim our power.
And what about the Devil card in tarot, with its dark imagery and striking symbolism of chains and fire? Look closely, you'll notice a detail often overlooked: the Devil has a belly button. This subtle nod to human anatomy reminds us that "hell" is not some otherworldly realm of the afterlife, but rather a man-made construct, wielded as a weapon of control, shame, and manipulation here on earth.
As we fully deconstruct the Devil archetype, we expose the ancient truth suppressed by centuries of patriarchal distortion. Behind the smokescreen of flames and brimstone lies the essence of the Horned God, waiting to be reclaimed and celebrated.
“The Horned God, the wild man, symbolizes everything that the patriarchal persona disdains, because he plunges people into change, uncertainty, freedom from conformity. He is spontaneous, not rational and controlled; he is honest and straightforward, not devious and manipulative; he is in service to life, not in domination over it. He is confident of his own potency and does not need to compensate with phallic missiles. He is creative, not destructive of the earth or of relationship.” [Woodman, M., & Dickson, E. (1996). Dancing in the flames: The dark goddess in the transformation of consciousness.]
Reclaiming the Horned God
The origins of the Horned God archetype can be traced back to our earliest cave paintings, where horned beings were depicted from the Paleolithic era to the beginning of civilization. They are usually half human, half animal beings with bull horns or antlers and are believed to symbolize fertility and life. The oldest such drawing is dated to 15000 BCE: “The Sorcerer” in the “Trois Frères” Lascaux Cave in southwestern France is a horned figure with the body of a man and the head of a bird. Archaeological evidence from sites such as Çatalhöyük in Turkey and the Indus Valley Civilization in India indicate that horned deities were venerated in cultures across the globe and all throughout time, long before their Christian demonization. “This is Cernunnos, Lord of the Animals. It is Shiva, or Dionysus - archetypal energies long repressed by Christianity.” [Woodman, M., & Dickson, E. (1996). Dancing in the flames: The dark goddess in the transformation of consciousness.]
The list is so long, that I am including only a small part here for you, with an invitation to go digging deeper1:
The Egyptian goddess Hathor is a cow goddess with horns.
The Canaanite god Moloch is often depicted as a bull deity; it wasn’t until Abrahamic traditions that he was turned into a bull demon.
The Sumerian goddess Inanna and the Akkadian Ishtar are revered as the Morning and the Evening Star, symbolizing life and death. They are both often depicted with a crescent moon behind or on top of their heads, imitating horns.
The Mesopotamian god Enkidu (partner to Gilgamesh on his many adventures) is sometimes depicted as a man with horns, hooves, and a tail.
The Egyptian god Amun, later known as Ammon-Ra, is often depicted with horns or wearing bull skins.
The Phoenician/Carthaginian Baal Hamon of Northern Africa (also worshiped as Baʿal Qarnaim or "Lord of Two Horns") is a deity associated with the ram.
The Egyptian earth god Osiris (also the god of renewal) is a bull deity and often wears a crown of horns. The "Ram of Mendes" means the “soul of Osiris”. His consort, goddess Isis is also frequently depicted wearing a headdress of horns.
The Greek deity Pan is the god of shepherds and flocks, of mountain wilds, and rustic music.
The Greek moon goddess Selene is often described as horned. It is also worth mentioning that goddesses such as Artemis (and the Roman Diana) are goddesses of the hunt, also associated with bulls, stags, and consequently horns.
The Celtic god Cernunnos is a horned god of animals, found in both the continental and insular traditions.
The Odinani deity Ikenga is a horned god of honest achievement, whose two horns symbolize self-will.
The Indus Valley civilizations had horned gods as well; most well-known is Pashupati, an early Hindu avatar of Shiva, also considered a “Proto-Shiva”, as the "Lord of animal-like beings".
The mythologies of many Indigenous tribes of Turtle Island include stories of a horned serpent; the Cherokee name of this spirit, for example, is Uktena.
The Horned God is intimately connected to the life-death-rebirth cycles of the earth, mirroring the changing seasons and the eternal circle of creation and destruction. While this being is often interpreted as a male or masculine deity, we can all connect with this archetype regardless of gender identity: ”[...]allowing the horned god to live within us means accepting death as transformation. It means living an incarnated life - a life in which spontaneous spirit is allowed to transform matter.” [Woodman, M., & Dickson, E. (1996). Dancing in the flames: The dark goddess in the transformation of consciousness.]
In ancient festivals dedicated to the Horned God, celebrated in full Spring around the time of Beltane and May Day, communities would come together to celebrate the union of the Horned God and the Great Mother, honoring the sacred bond between masculine and feminine energies. These festivities, rooted in the rhythms of nature, serve as a reminder of our deep connection to the earth and the importance of honoring the cycles of life. As we witness the blossoming of spring, we are reminded of the impermanence of our existence and the eternal renewal of the natural world.
“He is gentle, tender and comforting, but he is also the Hunter. He is the Dying God - but his death is always in service of the life force. He is untamed sexuality - but sexuality as a deep, holy, connecting power. He is the power of feeling, and the image of what men could be if they were liberated from the constraints of patriarchal culture.” [Woodman, M., & Dickson, E. (1996). Dancing in the flames: The dark goddess in the transformation of consciousness.]
Invitation
There are several ways in which we can bring these ancient truths back into our modern lives.
Explore the deities listed above and research indigenous practices associated with them. Find the ones that most call to you, those that are closest to your own ancestry, or those that are important to the land you inhabit.
Find contemporary celebrations in your area: many European traditions have survived to this day, in one way or another — Maypole erections and Walpurgis bonfires in the Alpine regions of Bavaria, Switzerland, and Austria, for example.
Plant a garden of wildflowers for bees, start growing your own food, and set up a compost heap for your neighborhood to share.
Invite your community to a feast of storytelling around a bonfire.
Dance, wildly and freely.
Organize rallies and protests for collective liberation.
Reflect on the archetype of the Horned God and its relevance in your own life:
How can we embody the qualities of fertility, vitality, and wildness in our daily lives? What makes you feel most alive? Can you do more of that?
How can we honor the cycles of life and death, both within ourselves and in the world around us? What can death teach you about your priorities? Can you join communities and activist groups that align with those values?
How can we integrate our masculine shadow? What does toxic masculinity show up as in your life? Can you create new stories of masculinity for yourself, for the boys in your life, and for the men you choose to be with?
As we reclaim the essence of the Horned God, let me offer these two parting thoughts:
“The disembodied masculine, which sees its freedom as control over the cycles of nature, matter, mother, puts its energy into dominating her. What our energy flows into, we are captivated by. If love is behind that energy, it can lead to an intoxication with life - the Horned God and the Great Mother. However, if fear is behind the energy, drivenness can lead to captivation by destructive forces - the Horned Devil and the Devouring Mother.” [Woodman, M., & Dickson, E. (1996). Dancing in the flames: The dark goddess in the transformation of consciousness.]
“The Horned God is a positive model for male power - free from the patriarchy and all other authoritative models - as he grows and passes through his changes during the wheel of the year, he remains in relationship to and not separate from the prime life and nurturing force - the Goddess.” [Gary Lingen in Rowan, J. (2012). The Horned God (RLE Feminist Theory): Feminism and Men as Wounding and Healing. Routledge.]
May we find strength, wisdom, and connection in the rhythms of nature.
May we embrace our role as stewards of the Earth.
May we rise for collective liberation.
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