Horns for Halloween

'Sometime a keeper here in Windsor Forest,
Doth all the winter-time, at still midnight,
Walk round about an oak, with great ragg'd horns;
And there he blasts the tree, and takes the cattle,
And makes milch-kine yield blood, and shakes a chain
In a most hideous and dreadful manner.
You have heard of such a spirit, and well you know
The superstitious idle-headed eld
Receiv'd, and did deliver to our age,
This tale of Herne the Hunter for a truth.'

William Shakespeare , "The Merry Wives of Windsor"

There's not much more to the folklore of Herne than that: great spectral/divine dudes with horns bound across the landscapes of the past; Smernie, supposed originator of those dreadful Campbell folk, Cernunnos of the Gauls, Frey of the Norse/Teutons who, while not depicted horned as far as I know,is linked to antlers because one such is his only weapon at Ragnarok, having given the sword of victory away for love; Pan of course and Lucifer by extension, and Moses, who in Exodus 34 comes away from his godly conference with some rather odd extensions of his own.



( The perils of interpretation )

If you go to Charlton village on the hills of south east London, you will find a church there which is reputed to have an image of horned Moses. Every time I go, it's locked. I think they do it on purpose. The mists around that area are very atmospheric, with legends of a great red eyed black spectral hound. Charlton House was associated with strange occult practises and lustful ghosts in the habit of trying bedroom doors and pinching bottoms.


I am indebted to Lorna sans lj for the quote above from William. A link to her art is here: http://www.artoflore.com/gallery.cfm?artwork=canvas&forsale=1

Her work is very strong. My personal favourite is The Roar.

And for myself, I want to write but there is nothing in my head except the day after tomorrow. The assignment is still in bolts and bits. I can't focus on it now. Time to prepare, time to go and find out. How I love this! See you when I get back. Happy whatever you celebrate:-)