The Hunter of Windsor

[Dept of PMM Artists & things]

"Woden is the Woodland Spirit, and the Lord of all Nature.  His son is the Hooded Man, the English folk hero who will deliver us from oppression."    -Woden's Folk

Although nowadays the Horned God is solely associated with Wicca, this was not always so.  Horned deities are an extremely ancient Indo-European tradition with even earlier precedents.  Thirty-thousand years ago, the horned one made an appearence on the Paleolithic walls of the Caverne des Trois Freres in what is now France.  In 3000 BCE, he could be found in the Indus Valley of northern India where he was known as Pashupati or Rudra. The Northern European Celts and Teutons were also very familiar with this concept.  The Romano-Celts gave one of their horned gods the title Cernunnos.  This is linguistically and conceptually related to the Anglo-Saxon god Herne.  Herne is the Wild Huntsman who in certain parts of England leads the howling spirits of the dead. 

With this in mind, it has been suggested that Herne is, in fact, the same god as Woden.   In my opinion, one of the strongest indications of a connection between Herne and Woden can be found in the figure of St. Nicholas.  The fact that St. Nick has many commonalties with Woden has been well established.  Woden has worn the Santa Claus disguise for over a millennia.  However, what makes this pertinent to the Herne discussion, is the fact that in some parts of Europe, St. Nicholas sports horns.   

According to English legend, the reason Herne rode the night skies was that he had committed suicide by hanging himself from an oak in Windsor Forest.  This is, of course, reminiscent of Woden's plight on the World Tree.     

Robin Hood has often been regarded as a son of Herne.  The Anglo name Robin Hood is a variant of the Saxon name Rof Breocht Woden- the Bright Strength of Woden.

It would seem that Woden, when leading the Wild Hunt, sometimes takes the form of Herne.  The All-Father has many faces after all. 

Aside from the Odinnic nature of Herne, there are also Vanic elements at work in his character.  Ing-Freyr, who seems to have a curious alliance with Woden, is closely associated with the stag and tusked boar.  Freyr is the Horned God of the Vanir while Woden assumes this role among the Aesir.  The Hunter of Windsor, fed by the energies of both these gods, is a powerful figure that still haunts the English forest and the inner landscape of the Northern Folk.

( The following quote is provided to compliment the possible connections between Woden and Freyr.  While not in literal agreement with this conclusion, I do find some truth in the general idea of it when it comes to the woodland attributes of the two deities.)

"Like Odin, Frey was regarded as the god or patron of seafaring folk.   Also like Odin, he was described as the god of rain, sun, and fruit, which makes him Odin under another name."   
- Herbert Spencer Robinson & Knox Wilson,  1950

"Woden is Herne the Hunter i.e. The Wild Huntsman. We also call him Ing."    -Woden’s Folk

image is possibly by Ariaxs-Druuis Boutios