Here’s the most intact depiction of Cernunnos that exists, the Gundestrup Cauldron:
Note
the symbols associated with him – the antlers, snake, torc, deer, cow,
and dogs. TheBloodyBones does a great job of breaking down what those
symbols mean in the context of Gaulish society in that second link. Note
the symbols that are not present, such as a penis.
Yes,
cultures can change. The biggest change the Gaulish culture has gone
through is that they’re dead. So they can’t defend against the
misinformation neo-pagans have been spreading in the last century or so.
But before the Gaulish people were wiped out by the Romans, they
did share their religion. The Romans were familiar with Cernunnos, they
considered him equivalent to their Dis Pater, also sometimes drawing
paralells between Apollo, Mercury, and Pluto as well. None of those are
gods of sexuality either.
The examples of cultural
appropriation that were mentioned in the argument are indeed huge problems in the
neo-pagan community. I completely agree with that. But I didn’t
bring those up because that’s not what I’m talking about in the first
place. I’m talking about the fact that Wiccans took the name Cernunnos
to use for their masculine god of sexuality, and by them making that
connection, it is now nearly impossible to find accurate information on
the Gaulish god Cernunnos because most sources use the Wiccan’s
portrayal of him.
I never once said that we have to worship
exactly as the ancent people did. I certainly don’t have the resources
to construct a Nemeton in the middle of the forest to worship exactly as
the Gauls did. What I am advocating for is for the basic definition
of Cernunnos to be correct – meaning he should never be called the god
of masculinity, sexuality, animals, forests, hunting, or fertility. His
basic definition should be a god of liminality.
Nothing can change the fact that Cernunnos was never considered a
god of sexuality before the Wiccans came along and decided with no
factual basis that he should be.
“I’m talking about the fact that Wiccans took the name Cernunnos to use for their masculine god of sexuality, and by them making that connection, it is now nearly impossible to find accurate information on the Gaulish god Cernunnos because most sources use the Wiccan’s portrayal of him.”
“What I am advocating for is for the basic definition of Cernunnos to be correct – meaning he should never be called the god of masculinity, sexuality, animals, forests, hunting, or fertility. His basic definition should be a god of liminality.”
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