Get the look: Cernunnos

The Celtic god Cernunnos was possibly one of the most important gods in Celtic culture. He was likely known as the ruler of nature and the forest. About sixty depictions of him have been found, well-known examples are the Pillar of the Boatmen, the Gundestrup Cauldron, and possibly a rock carving from Valcamonica. However, much about Cernunnos is unknown and open to interpretation and debate. 

It is assumed that Cernunnos was originally a proto-Celtic god and was worshipped by both the Celtic and Gallo-Roman peoples. Cernunnos is often depicted with antlers, seated with crossed legs, and associated with deer, horned serpents, dogs, and bulls. Cernunnos typically holds a torc and sometimes carries a bag of coins (or grain) and a cornucopia.

Trigger warning: contains nudity

The Gallic variant of his name is Karnonos, derived from the root karnon, meaning 'horn' or 'antler'. 

Due to the lack of Gallic written sources about Cernunnos, his specific role in religious traditions is unknown. Interpretations vary from a god of animals, nature, fertility, and prosperity to a symbol of authority, strength, endurance, and masculinity. He is also seen as a god of travel and trade, or associated with crossroads, the underworld, and reincarnation, symbolizing the cycle of life and death. The 9th-century Stuttgart Psalter possibly depicts an image of Cernunnos as Lord of the Underworld.

Cernunnos is often depicted with a deer or a snake with ram's horns. Less frequently, there are depictions with bulls, dogs, and rats. 

Some scholars describe Cernunnos as the Lord of the Animals or the Lord of the Wild Things, while others see him as a peaceful god of nature and fertility. He is also considered a god of bidirectionality and a mediator between opposites. 

The Pillar of the Boatmen (Pilier des nautes) links him with sailors and trade, suggesting he was also associated with material wealth. This is also evident from the bag of money he holds on the Altar of Cernunnos from Reims, and the deer standing next to him on the stela of Niedercorn, which regurgitates coins.

In later Christian literature, the attributes of Cernunnos are associated with the life of Saint Ciarán of Saighir, where animals recognize him as their leader. Because Cernunnos was still used in pagan cults after the introduction of Christianity, he might have been equated with the devil. 

Pwyll Pendefig Dyfed (Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed), the first branch of the Mabinogion, tells, among other things, about Arawn, king of Annwn, the realm of the dead. The protagonist of the story, Pwyll, drives away Arawn's dogs from a stag they have caught with his own dogs. Arawn becomes angry about this, and as compensation, Pwyll agrees to take Arawn's place in the underworld for a year and defeat his arch-enemy. Thus, Pwyll, Prince of Dyfed, also becomes head of Annwn.

In the story Owain, neu Iarlles y Ffynnon (Owain, or the Lady of the Fountain), Kynon, a knight of King Arthur, tells of his encounter with a black man, with only one eye and one leg. This man resides in a forest and is surrounded by animals. This is possibly a parallel to Cernunnos, or to the motif of the Lord of the Forest.

The story of Owain is likely directly or indirectly based on Yvain ou le Chevalier au Lion (Yvain, or the Knight of the Lion) by Chrétien de Troyes. Local Welsh poets have woven motifs of their own folklore into this. Because the story was written down by Franciscan monks, the pagan aspect of this black man has been greatly weakened and simplified.

In our Cernunnos composition, we have chosen to depict Cernunnos as the Lord of the Forest in both male and female form. This composition can be seen as either a representation of the god Cernunnos or as a pagan expression in honor of the god Cernunnos. All photo’s of this composition were taken in the 'wild' nature in sparsely populated areas. 

Antlers have been used since the stone Age in shamanistic religions. An example of this is the antler bridle from Biesdorf, dating back to 9000 BC. A similar Mesolithic headdress with antler has been found in Star Carr. Both antlers originate from red deer. 

In this composition, we have made a headdress from roe deer antlers. We glued these antlers to a headband and reinforced them with leather laces.

The torque was a status symbol in Celtic culture. Many torques have been found in France (ancient Gaul), Ireland, and the British Isles. We used two torques in our photos, based on the original from Snettisham and a torque with dragon heads, which are actually more based on the Viking art style.

The Thorsberg trousers are a trousers from the 3rd century AD.

The wide belt is decorated with Celtic knots.

We have based the make-up on early Celtic and proto-Celtic art styles: the sun wheel and stylized depictions of daily life.

The clothing of the female Cernunnos is made from natural material: leather and fur. This symbolizes the wildness of nature.

The bracelet is made of twisted brass and crafted in the La Tène style. The nice thing is that it is adjustable in size, making it suitable for all types of people.

The make-up is inspired by the well-known Celtic knotwork.