Many of the gods of ancient religions wore a pair of "beautiful horns". Both in the Greek pantheon as among the Egyptian gods it is easy to find them. In Supercurioso we wanted to approach this time to 5 Gods with horns and we have asked ourselves: why did they carry antlers? Accompany us to find out!
5 Gods with horns and why they wore them
At present, any relationship of a person with animal horns is quickly related, whether in jest or not, with the alleged infidelity of his partner and even the horns symbol What we do with the hand has different explanations. One of them has to do with one of the gods we will talk about, the god horned or "horned god" of wica. In this neopagan religion based on witchcraft and some ancient religious beliefs, the manual symbol of the horns would serve to invoke or represent that god.
The explanation that there gods with horns you have to look for it in the animal world. The horns are a symbol of power in nature and that is why the gods of antiquity wore them. The horns have been a constant in the religious iconography of many cultures as a sign of power and fertility. With the arrival of Christianity and the attribution of horns to Satan as part of their iconography they were related to evil.
1. Hathor, the horned goddess of Egypt He has cow horns on his head. In the middle of the two horns and above the head, a solar disk appears. Hathor carries horns because she is related to a cow that was the symbol of fertility and motherhood. She is the cosmic mother goddess and when she gave birth to the sun, she placed it between her horns.
two. Moloch , the Canaanite deity, It was represented with the horns of a bull. Symbol of power, the horned god worshiped by Carthaginians, Phoenicians and Syrians demanded the sacrifice of children in the flames at the feet of their statues to ensure the fertility of the lands.
3. The third of these gods with horns is Cernunnos, the horned god of Celtic mythology . This god would be the master of wild animals and would wear deer antlers on his head. These are related to fertility, regeneration and abundance.
4. Amun or Amun, the ram god of Egypt, Greece, Nubia and Libya . Coming from Egypt he came to the other cultures as a god with ram's horns and represented war and fertility. The rams were considered in antiquity a symbol of virility due to the behavior of these animals during the heat. In Egypt , the historians believe that the horns of Amón could symbolize the east and the west, that is to say the extension of the conquests of the Empire.
5. Ikenga of the Igbo of southeastern Nigeria . It is a deity or "alusi" represented in many ways, but the most common is like a man sitting with horns. The horns of this god are believed to obey the fact that for the Igbo tradition, rams are the first to enter into a fight. Whether as a warrior or to engage in a personal activity to the ultimate consequences, the horns mean power and aggression.
Do you know more gods with horns ? If so, share it with us! We will love to expand the list. If you like mythology, we invite you to read the post: Ekeko | The curious Andean god of abundance and prosperity .
Images: Keith Schengili-Roberts , Joachim Menant , Nationalmuseet