Herne, the Hunter or Lord of Stags Horned and hoofed animals are popular in Celtic lore, as they are thought to be the animals that accompanied dead spirits to the Otherworld.  In particular, the Celtic hunters had a fondness for the stag. They instituted a stag god, sometimes called, Herne, the Hunter, but known more collectively to the Celts as Cernunnos, the Horned One. Additionally, the stag god, is sometimes referred to in Celtic mythology as the Lord of All Stags.  The stag is believed to represent those qualities of masculinity, which the Celtic hunters thought most important to achieving success. These qualities, such as, the vigilance, alertness, aggression and potency one sees during the rutting season, served to make the stag a symbol of reverence for hunters.  A greater understanding of the worship of Herne in Celtic lore may be achieved by understanding the concept of  Green Man. Essentially, whether it be Herne, Cernunnos or Green man, this character or symbol, was profoundly representative of masculine vitality in Celtic mythology. In addition, Celtic myths, such as, the Mabinogi, in which a stag is the interlocker through which Pwyll and Arawn meet, served to heighten this sense of identity with the stag.  See also: Celtic Symbols: The Stag and the Deer Shaun Kiley and the White Stag  Page last updated 2 Dec 2006 Myths & Magic logo by Míchealín Daugherty   Copyright © 2006 Ireland's OWN. All Rights Reserved.