It’s the season when we tell children the tales of Santa and his flying reindeer. But this year why not tell the story of the sacred “Deer Mother” of old? Taking flight from the darkest, longest night of the year, it was she who brought the life-giving light of the sun back to the land, in her horns.
To learn more about the Deer Mother and Winter Solstice lore click here.
thank you for reminding me of the deer mother – this has started me wondering about the Celtic god Cernnunos and whether the antlers he wears represent a “marriage” the deer mother …
What a fascinating idea! I’d like to hear more….
well – I’d love to think more about it – Cernunnos is often referred to as the “Lord of wild things” – and on the Gundestrup cauldron he is surrounded by horned animals – I’ve always thought of him as a very male presence – representing all the cliches of strength, virility …
But what if the horns he wears are those of the Deer Mother – then perhaps he is in union with her (thinking of the little I know of the sacred marriage of the priestess and her consort/king at solstice), perhaps deferring to her wiser influence.
And after reading your post – if the shamans were usually women – could we even question the identity and gender of ‘Cernunnos’ on the Cauldron …? (taking another look – there is little about the image to suggest one gender more than another).
I might be way off – but I’m all for questioning and re-establishing the role of women in our myths and lives.
And add to that the cauldron itself – the tool of women and symbol of the womb…
I also just learned that the male antlers fall off in Winter and the females (of the reindeer) do not.. so all of Santa’s reindeer are female…. 🙂
Always have felt kinship with Reindeer as family has Sami ancestors Curiosity about connection here to Kayumari
Kayumari is known in the Huichol Indian tradition as a blue deer that brings messages to the people from Spirit
Thank you, this is yet another amazing post!
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jinxx⛄xoxo
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My question seems trivial after reading others’ comments, but I really would like to know more about the deer illustration that accompanies the article. Any idea who the artist is, or the source? Thanks for an info.
Hi there! I’m happy to help but could you be more specific which image you mean? Thanks!
The painting at the top of the column of three reindeer in a snowy woods. There’s one in the center and two behind her.
Here it is! https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Reindeer_in_art#/media/File:A_group_of_reindeer_searching_for_food_in_a_snowy_forest._Co_Wellcome_V0022839.jpg
Thank you so much. I should have realized from the detail that it was a lithograph. I love this site for the subject matter but also for the art/photos/illustrations with each topic. I am printing practically everything and accumulating a nice little work book for reference, but this picture touched me especially, probably because I am concerned about what is happening to the planet. I worry that people won’t wake up in time to stop the disintegration, but your site is always encouraging that there are caring souls out there Thanks again for taking the time to track down the information for me.
Thank you for this ! I am Wolf Clan of the Ojibwe Tribe, I hold Sharing/Healing Community Circles with the Elders of the Grandmother’s Lodge. . A lot of women in our circle are non- native, we always try to include non-native traditional stories/ teachings with our traditional teachings. We teach that everyone sitting in our circle is indigenous to some land and no one person belongs to the circle more than another. Facebook Conni Maiingan – Grandmother’s Lodge…. email connimaiingan@hotmail.com
Lovely! Thank-you for this comment. And thank you for your important work. I’d love to chat more in the new year. Seasons blessings!
I am enchanted by this story and plan to read more about the Deer Mother. Such a lovely post. For some reason it made me feel peaceful. Thank you for sharing.
Thank-you!
Thank you for this beautiful post, Danielle!
You’ve shared many aspects of ancient Northern cultures that I had never heard of before.
Blessings on your scholarship <3
It is amazing to me how much of this knowledge has been lost (almost!) to us, I find such joy & connection in it! Thank-you!
This video is gorgeous – thank you so much for sharing! I feel almost emotional watching it, I cannot wait to share this beauty with my 2 daughters. Can I ask what the background music is? It is beautiful too.
Thank you! It is “canned” music so to speak – it was part of the music library of the video editing software.