Horned God of the Witches

Horned God of the Witches, Jason Mankey

In recent decades, the number of books about the Horned God have lagged somewhat behind those about the Goddess. However, this gap seems to be narrowing and with The Horned God of the Witches, Jason Mankey makes a strong contribution to the growing list of volumes devoted to the Horned Lord.

While his audience is clearly the religious Witch looking to connect with the Lord of the Witches, either as a singular deity or as a constellation of related figures, Mankey’s research is thoroughly grounded in history and carefully footnoted. He presents chapters on diverse horned Gods and discusses how they relate to the figure of the Horned God found both in Wicca and other forms of Witchcraft. There are chapters on the familiar favorites of many readers such as Pan, Cernunnos and the Green Man. Mankey also doesn’t shy away from figures that might be more challenging to some: there is a chapter on Ellen of the Way—a female horned God—and one on the Christian devil and how interpretations of that figure have influenced pagan understanding of the Horned God.

 The Horned God of the Witches does not just present scholarship and history, though. Mankey states in the introduction that the Horned God has been central to his own practice, and the book is clearly written by someone with a personal connection to the God of the Witches. He includes rituals to help the reader connect with many of the horned Gods he describes and he also presents modern religious insights (his own and those of others,) while being careful to note where they are at odds with a strictly historical or scholarly view. He leaves room both for those who see each of the horned Gods he presents as faces of the same God and for those who see them as distinct but related figures.

In The Horned God of the Witches, Mankey provides a valuable resource both for experienced Witches from a variety of traditions as well as newcomers seeking to build a stronger relationship with the Horned God. Whether you’re approaching the Horned God for the first time or you’re looking a deepen an existing practice, this book will prove both informative and insightful.v