The Stag and the Deer The deer was the principal animal hunted by the Celts for food. The doe is associated with most woodland goddesses, such as Diana.  The stag is the symbol for Cernunnos or Herne, the horned gods; it also is sometimes associated with the Green Man and with gods of the Underworld.  The Druid's Horned God of Fertility, Hu Gadarn, was usually portrayed with the head of a stag.  Among the Celts, the stag was thought to be one of the three Oldest Animals. They are the blackbird, trout and stag; and they represent the water, air and earth. The Man in the Tree, or Derg Corra, is always accompanied by a stag. He is the Celtic guardian of knowledge. Many people believe that today's "Santa's reindeer" represent the stags that drew the chariot of the Norse gift-giving goddess, Freya. One of the central stories about Finn concerns a malevolent individual known as the Black Druid. One day, while hunting, Finn encountered a young woman in the form of a deer; her name was Sava. She had been metamorphosed by the evil magic of a druid because she had spurned his attentions. Finn was able — at least temporarily — to reverse the spell, and he married her.  Sava produced a son, Oisin (Little Deer), who had a close affinity with stags and may himself have been a skin changer. Finn found the boy abandoned in the wilderness, after his mother had been reclaimed by her unwanted Druid suitor. See Also: The Fionn Cycle Herne, the Horned One Shaun Kiley and the White Stag The Unicorn Sources may include: The Celtic Book of the Dead by Caitlin Matthews; Celtic Cross Stitch by Anne Orr and Lesley Clark; Celtic Designs, Dover Publications: Toronto, Ontario; Celtic Folklore, Bellinus Press: Wiltshire; Celtic Magic by DJ Conway; Celtic Myth and Magick by Edain McCoy; Celtic Wisdom by Caitlin and John Matthews; Personal knowledge/traditions; and The World of the Druids by Miranda J Green. Page updated 25 Sep 2006 Celtic Animals Background by Míchealín Daugherty Copyright © 2006 Ireland's OWN All Rights Reserved.