By Bonnie (Bonnie) on Wednesday, May 17, 2006 - 02:27 pm:
I thought this was an interesting thought, which I picked up from “Greenmantle”, a novel by Charles de Lint; I’m paraphrasing, not quoting.
The mystery of the Lord of Nature is present in his diverse forms. He reflects back what is brought to him.
In Gaul & Britain his title was Cernunnos (horned one). In Wales he was called Mabon.. Germanic people knew him as Uller, the Winter Bowman. Greeks knew him as Apollo, Romans as Orion; in Egypt he was the bowman Amen Ra, and Osiris; to the Hindus he was Surya, and in the biblical book of Genesis he was Nimrod, the mighty hunter. He was a solar god, a huntsman and the hunted himself as the mighty stag, and thus he is lord of animals. As the Green Man he is in human form covered with leaves. As the trickster he is Robin of the Hood and Pan, and Coyote.
So you can see he has many guises, but what makes it a mystery? He is different because people are different. If you approach him with fear, he fills you with panic. If you approach with lust he appears as a lecherous satyr. If you approach with evil he becomes a demonic figure. If you approach with reverence he becomes a majestic figure.
He becomes what you bring to him.