Cerdar - The Horned Lord

*The Horned Lord is a male human or elf figure often depicted with deer antlers on his head. He is known as a wild guardian primarily of beasts, but sometimes of the wilderness in general. He is sometimes invoked as a guardian of the wildness in the human heart, as a source of power but also of balance and guidance; healthy channeling of wild and deep wells of vitality; a mediator between the human mind and animal instinct. Woodsmen, hunters, and trackers often specifically worship Him.*

### Aliases

The Lord of Resurrection, All Father, Hanged God, Rune Speaker, Stag God, Old One Eye

### Affiliations

Abundance, Affirmation, Authenticity, Balance, Honesty, Phallic Symbolism, Resurrection, Virility, Wilderness

## Physical Description

### Appearance

Cerdar is most often depicted as an bearded, older man with one eye and antlers. He is sometimes shrouded as many stories say He walks among us disguised as a simple wanderer.

## Rituals

*Hunters may pray or give offerings to Him for permission to reap the bounty of the woods or for aid in their hunts.*

## Holy Day

**The first day of spring.**

*Holy Awakening is a preparation for spring. Folk clean and organize their living environments, as well as their minds and hearts, in preparation for the upcoming season of growth. It’s a time to shake off the doldrums of late winter and light the fires of creativity and inspiration. Shedded deer antlers blessed by a priest of Cerdar are sacred decorations.*

## Associations

#### **Holy Symbol:**

* Cerdar's symbol is "The Horns of the Moon"

#### **Holy Animal:**

* The Deer
	+ Grants vitality, health, and fertility

**Holy Places:**

* Sacred Groves, consecrated by druids in wilderness, near settlements, and inside cities.

#### **Holy Stone:**

* Amber
	+ Said to attune one with beasts and one’s inner beast.

#### **Colors:**

* Dark Greens / Browns

# Resurrection of the World

**Written by Hyam of Kestral Run**

And so it was that the world had died in the flames of the Great War. Cerdar walked the ruined landscape, weeping as He could not restore the world, no seed or creature remained which He could cultivate. He wandered in His despair for some time before spotting a great tree in the distance, scorched, and still with burning embers it loomed on the horizon. Cerdar felt life in the great tree still however, He asked how He could resurrect the land, He asked what the great tree needed to heal, but there being no other life in the world Cerdar knew He must give his own. He climbed the tree and pierced Himself to it with his own sacred spear. His sacred blood poured down the cracked, burning wood, quenching the flames and feeding the roots, under which formed a deep pool of divine vitality and magic. The tree unfolded into life, it's roots spanning over the world, it's limbs reaching into the heavens. Cerdar became one with the tree and thus the world, He gained an Understanding of existence that was hidden until then. Cemtrix listened to His whispers and recorded these Runes in depths of the pool into the great roots of the tree. Eatora collected Her husband’s body, handing the spear to Abizboah who She tasked with guarding the Runes in the depths. She took Her husband to Dutreana to send Him off on Her rivers, but on the full moon He returned on the same river, having been given His own resurrection by the rivers. Cerdar then wielded great power and understanding which He used to return the land to life. The Gods celebrated on that day, The Holy Awakening.