Little is known about Cernunnos, but his depictions have been found across Europe and scholars suspect that he was closely connected to nature.
Public Domain A depiction of Cernunnos with a serpent in his hand on the Gundestrup cauldron c. 200 B.C.E. to 300 C.E.
In 1710, workers constructing a crypt underneath Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, France discovered a curious Roman artifact. Dubbed the “Pillar of the Boatmen,” the limestone column featured depictions of Roman and Gaulish deities — including one deity identified as “Cernunnos.”
The god was depicted with a human face and deer antlers that held Celtic metal rings. This discovery sparked interest in Cernunnos, especially as researchers were able to connect the “Pillar of the Boatmen” image with other similar depictions of Cernunnos found across Europe.
Scholars suspect that ancient people revered Cernunnos as some kind of nature god associated with wild places, animals, hunting, and the cycle of life and death. Today, his unique image continues to inspire modern Pagans — and those fascinated by the ancient Celtic world.
The Depictions Of Cernunnos Found Across Europe
Public Domain Cernunnos depicted in the Pillar of the Boatmen discovered under Notre Dame in 1710.
Cernunnos’ name has only been found once — on the Pillar of the Boatmen in Paris. This ancient Roman limestone pillar dates back to the reign of Roman emperor Tiberius in the 1st century C.E.. Mainly dedicated to Jupiter (Zeus), the pillar also contains depictions of other Roman and Gaulish gods.
One of these figures was “Cernunnos.” The figure was male, bearded, and had antlers. His face was human, but he had many animal-like features.
Public Domain An illustration of Cernunnos as he is depicted in the Pillar of the Boatmen.
Following the Pillar of the Boatmen discovery, other findings related to Cernunnos surfaced across Europe. In 1891, workers in Gundestrup, Denmark discovered a silver cauldron with a depiction of a man with antlers, thought to be Cernunnos, in a peat bog. Dating from 200 B.C.E. to 300 C.E., the cauldron showed the deity surrounded by animals and sitting cross-legged with a snake in his hand. Similar to his depiction in the Pillar of the Boatmen, Cernunnos had antlers and a torc, a metal neck ring worn by Celtic heroes.
While these two artifacts are the best known depictions of the Celtic god, other areas across Europe have claimed to have ties to the horned deity.
In Spain, a fragment of a 2nd century B.C.E. painted vase from Numantia shows a horned figure which may represent Cernunnos. In Italy, a rock carving of a horned figure left in Val Camonica may date back to 400 B.C.E — when the ancient Celts lived there. While not conclusively tied to Cernunnos, this depiction is an example of the horned deity archetype that would later become a staple in Celtic iconography.
Wikipedia Commons/CC BY-SA 3.0A rock carving of a horned figure, likely an early representation of Cernunnos.
That said, much about Cernunnos remains a mystery. But modern day scholars have made guesses about his role in Celtic society.
The Personality And Powers Of The Horned God From Celtic Mythology
Public DomainPiece of a painted vase with a depiction of Cernunnos.
Known today as “The Horned One,” “The Lord of Wild Things, and “The Green Man,” Cernunnos is a widely recognized figure in Celtic mythology. He has been depicted in various forms, each one offering tantalizing clues about how Celts viewed his nature and powers.
With his signature antlers and torc — or sometimes long beard and wild hair — Cernunnos is seemingly a god connected to nature. He is associated with animals like snakes, deer, and hyenas, which has led scholars to believe that he was closely associated with the worship of nature and wild places.
Aside from his iconic antlers, Cernunnos is often portrayed in a seated position with his legs crossed, similar to Shiva in Hindu tradition. Scholars have argued about where this originated, with some camps crediting the spread of religion from the east and others pointing to dining habits among the Gauls that included sitting on the floor during meals.
Hints of how Celtic populations worshipped Cernunnos are also left within the artifacts which seemingly depict him. In a statuette of the deity from Étang-sur-Arroux, France, for example, Cernunnos holds a basket of fruit in his lap. On the Lyon cup, a silver Roman chalice from the 1st century C.E., Cernunnos holds a cornucopia. Other depictions show the deity with coins.
It is thus likely that worshippers of the horned god left offerings to him in the form of food and money, calling on his blessings and protection.
Public DomainA crisscrossed Cernunnos on an altar from Vendœuvres, France.
Why? Cernunnos may be connected to fertility: in some Celtic communities, Celts would don antlers in fertility festivals, leading scholars to believe that they may have had a connection to Cernunnos. He also may have had a role in the afterlife, as some believe that Cernunnos would sing to the dying as they passed into the spirit realm. His similarities to Mercury, the Roman god of travelers who helped bring people to the afterlife, have supported this.
Cernunnos has also been compared to the Greek god Pan, the half goat deity of the wild. His similarities to the English folk hero Herne the Hunter, first mentioned in William Shakespeare’s The Merry Wives of Windsor, also suggest that his myth lived on long after the ancient Celts died out.
The Evolution Of The Celtic God Cernunnos
Today, Cernunnos is seen as a god of the forest, a protector deity with ties to the cycle of life and death. However, without concrete historical evidence — after all, his name appears just once in the historical record — it is difficult to pinpoint how and why Cernunnos was worshipped in ancient times.
But speculation and hypotheses based on his physical characteristics and association with animals have kept interest in the god alive, and even inspired a resurgence in Neopaganism.
Indeed, some Neopagan beliefs state that Cernunnos dies every fall and is reborn each spring to fertilize the land. He is seen as a powerful primordial masculine being with a connection to hunting and to life and death.
“In modern times he is often called the God of the Witches and embodies uncorrupted masculine energy. A masculine energy that is fully-developed and in balance with the natural world,” the Order of Bards, Ovates & Druids explained in a 2020 article about Cernunnos.
But while many questions about Cernunnos remain, he continues to fascinate. This elusive Celtic god is named only once — on the Pillar of the Boatmen — but he seemingly played an important role in ancient societies.
After reading about Cernunnos, the horned Celtic god of wild places whose depiction has been found across Europe, learn about six of the craziest gods ever worshipped by mankind. Then, read about some of the most bizarre mythological creatures from Celtic folklore.
