Sunday 25 December 2011

Herne

I have just read the statement that Santa's reindeer probably evolved from the Celtic horned deity Herne. Firstly let me say that Herne is a deity I honour but Celtic he is not. The first mention of him is in a Shakespeare play as a ghost who is seen in Windsor park.But like so many of the modern constructs he has to be given the the aura of age as if that gives him more credence Herne is in my mind a modern construct you cannot avoid it but he is tied up with all the ancient horned images of the fertility Gods it matters not that he is a relative newcomer.