It is often said that despite the seemingly wealth of information avaailable of all aspects of Paganism, there is one area in particular that tends to be overlooked - that of the God, the Divine Masculine. Luckily for us, however, the team at Avalonia Publishing recognised this gap when they produced an anthology of articles and poems back in 2008 entitled “Horns of Power: Manifestations of the Horned God” (edited by Sorita d’Este).
With Marc Potts’s wonderful painting of “Herne” painting glaring out from the cover, this book is truly something special. The series of articles, impregnated with illustrations, photographs and even guided visualisations, are well research and provide the reader with a wealth of information about this rather overlooked aspect within modern Paganism, and in particular Wicca.
Written from both scholarly as well as personal experiences, the articles contained within this book (re)introduce the reader to the Deity our ancestors viewed as encapsulating the wild essence of life and nature. From the better known Celtic Cernunnos, Herne the Hunter of Windsor forest and the Greek goat-footed God Pan, through to lesser known Gods such as the Slavic Veles and Egyptian Khnum, this book offers up something for almost everyone. Also included is an interpretation of the Irish Táin Bó Cúailnge ("Cattle Raid of Cooley”), a look at the faery Puck and horned serpents in general even get a mention.
The final chapter brings a feminine slant to things as a matter of duality and completeness by acknowledging the horned Goddess – from those associated the Moon such as Hekate and Artemis, to even an antlered Goddess by the name of Elen.
With my personal bias that I have towards Sorita and her husband, David Rankine, aside, this book goes a long way in filling a much needed gap and is a definite must for any Pagan bookshelf. It can be ordered direct from Avalonia Publishing
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