Wiccan gods and goddesses are derived from a number of ancient cultures and pantheons of gods. Many Wiccan’s have a pair of patrons, a god and goddess, to whom they offer prayers and blessings in exchange for the ability to perform their spells. Patrons are always one god and one goddess; though a Wiccan may have multiple patrons they are always found in a god and goddess pairing. Wiccan’s who are just beginning are encouraged to learn about and study the different pantheons. Many who practice Wicca felt a pull or calling for a certain set of patrons or a certain pantheon and focus their attention on those beings. It is rare to find someone who has mixed pantheons as this can cause problems.
The History of Wiccan Gods
Learning about the history of your pantheon is important as it allows you to provide the necessary tidings that your patrons will be expecting. The last thing you want to do is give an offering that your patrons find offensive or to set up a shrine that encourages them to ignore your requests and prayers. There are many different gods and goddess to look at and learn about. Here are some of the most common and recognized:
Popular Wiccan Gods and Goddesses
Brighid is a Celtic goddess of fertility and healing and became recognized as a Catholic Saint! She is also believed to be a goddess of protection and poetry, and is a triune goddess made of three different parts: Brighid the Physician, Brighid the Smith, and Brighid the Poet.
Rhiannon is a Celtic goddess of horses, the hunt, of strength, and the moon. She was believed to be a fay but gave up her immortal existence to become the wife of a human prince.
Isis is an Egyptian goddess and the mother of Horus. She is believed to be the mother of nature and magic, and goddess of children and ritual.
Ma’at is the Egyptian goddess of justice and truth. She brings order and balance to both the spiritual and earthly realms. In Egyptian mythology she is believed to hold the scales that weight the hearts of the dead and determine their worthiness to move on to the afterlife.
Leonard is a German god who is believed to be the grand master of the Sabbats of the Wiccans. Like most of the Wiccan gods, he appears very similarly to early depictions of Satan with horns on his head and a goat beard.
Cernunnos is the most famous of the gods and is the Celtic god of animals, good fortune, wealth and abundance. He is often depicted in images as wearing antlers and is one of the oldest gods in the history of Europe. Depictions of him have been found as far East as Italy and all throughout Britain and Ireland. He has suffered perhaps the most of any of the Celtic gods with first the Romans seeking to stamp out pagan worship of Cernunnos by turning him into Mercury and then into Herne. Later, as Catholicism grew it was his likeness that was first taken and turned into depictions of the horned devil Satan and Cernunnos became associated with the greatest evil in the Bible.
