How The Horned One Got His Name ���Many years ago in the days of our great and wise ancestors there was many a good hunter. Yet one man seemed to be perhaps a little more blessed with his talent, and a far better hunter than all the men in the land. This man is the one those of the Craft refer to as the balance to the Goddess...The God. Yes, our God has many names and many faces among the traditions of the Craft, but here I will attempt to share one version of how he became known as the Horned One. ���Long ago, during the turn of of the Wheel in which the Horned One now rules, there was a great hunt. For the skillful hunter had successfully hunted down a rather large stag, perhaps the largest of all his days. The great hunter was most pleased with this and proud of this accomplishment. Hence, he was a bit tired and weary from this wild hunt. Yet, before sitting down for a much needed rest, he carefully and diligently cleaned, gutted and prepared the stag for the long haul back to his home. ���Upon feeling that his catch was satisfactorily prepared for his journey that laid ahead of him, he sat down comfortably to rest and reflect on his success. ���While he sat there in the mists of the forest, an old wise man appeared and was most awed at the fine stag the great hunter had killed. He told the great hunter that he did indeed believe that he was perhaps the best hunter of the land, but perhaps this status was only for the time being. This confused the mighty hunter a bit as he was sure that in all his days there had not been a hunter who had worked as hard as he had, perfecting and mastering the skill of the hunt as the other Deities so desired of him. ���At last, he asked the old wise man what it was the Deities sought of him so that he shall remain the greatest hunter in all the lands. The wise man replied, "I have been sent here to bestow upon you that gift if it shall be your true desire." ���Well of course the great hunter desired so and told the wise man of his decision. Yet, the wise man remained mysterious about exactly how he was to bestow this great honor upon the mighty hunter. For he simply told him, "You have had a long and hard hunt, you must rest now, and when you awake your desire shall be bestowed." ���Although the mighty hunter longed for this gift to be bestowed upon him in a timely fashion, he was tired from the hunt and knew better than to question the words of his wise elders. Thus,he laid his head down upon the stag and he slept for many an hour. ���When he awoke, he first thought that perhaps all had been a wonderful dream. Yet the flesh of his great stag laid before him and somehow he felt a little differently than before his much needed rest. ���Meanwhile as he was gathering up his possessions for his journey back to his home, he suddenly noticed that the stag's antler's appeared to be attached to him. ���At first this frightened and confused the mighty hunter. But soon, the old wise man appeared once more and explained that his desire was so moted. The mighty hunter knew that this was not something to be fearful of, but instead a blessed gift from the Deities he so respected. ���For you see, as the mighty hunter slept, the skin of the stag he had laid above his head shrank and when it did, it shrank onto his own head. Hence, because the mighty hunter so desired to remain the best hunter in all the lands, the stag horns were bestowed to remain atop of his head throughout all times so that all who encountered him would know that his is the mighty hunter of all lands...The Horned One.
Published with Permission by Crystalvision Copyright � 2001 Crystalvision |
