Finding the Deer Goddess of the Ancient World | Caroline Wise | Megalithomania 2021

Caroline Wise shares her quest to find ‘Elen of the Ways’, an elusive figure who is associated with deer and the ancient tracks of the land. In Britain, her story is conflated with that of St Elen of Wales, Elen Luyddog, whose mythic story is told in the Mabinogion. But her tracks and her ways take us much further afield. Who is Elen? Where does she come from, and where can we find her?

Caroline Wise has contributed to several books on goddesses, is the author of Finding Elen, the Quest for Elen of the Ways, and co-editor, with John Matthews, of The Secret Lore of London. She was involved in Earth Mysteries from the late 70s, taking part as a volunteer in the Dragon Project, which investigated the reality behind the claims of strange phenomena at ancient sacred sites in Britain and Ireland. She was associated with the Ley Hunter magazine in the 1980s, and was a founder member of ASSAP in 1982. In 1981 she met Andrew Collins at the home of the counter-cultural ‘Sage of Notting Hill’, John Michell, and fell into the intriguing world of Psychic Questing – following dreams and intuition to uncover enigmas in the landscape. A former owner of Atlantis Book- shop, she also worked for the spiritualist newspaper, Psychic News.

Explore the world with Megalithomania Tours:
Copyright Megalithomania MMXXI. All Rights Reserved.

[wendydee]

Elen is a shapeshifter, not really human at all, although she can appear to us with the seemingly human form of a female. She cannot completely lose her identity as a wild deer, hence always being seen with the antlers. She will not appear to the brash and noisy, but she will reward the gentle folk with her company. As the deer, she can fly, although the light treading and running along woodland paths brings her equal joy. Oh, the paths! The weaving of enchantments along those meandering paths, not really intended for human footfall. So be careful before you tread them; ask permission, prove your worthiness with a Loving heart, and perhaps Elen will show you the paths of the forest and the gifts of Nature along the way.

[mariettad]

AMAZING...I have been having images of the antlered woman come to me. I have painted her a couple of times. I am Hungarian and our people originate from the Steppes of Siberia...WOW!

[Lovebeing]

Her name in Cherokee is Anikawi. She seems to be in many cultures far and wide.

[antoanto]

Thank you Hugh and Caroline for this VERY timely I can't help but feel deer woman is making herself known at this strange time in our lives for a multitude of reasons, Herne and/or Cernunnas may be around too?

[budscroggins]

I thought the Deer Goddess was Maria Franz of Heilung? LOL

[voyagehorizontale]

In the section on Russian embroidery I paused to ask my Russian wife about the etymology of ‘Roznitsa’ she replied : She who gives birth. I pressed play and the next words spoken were: She gives birth. Freaky

[hArtyTruffle]

This was the highlight of my year. Fascinating! And the synchronicity is flowing for me with this one ✨

[jackaction]

The reason I know about these deer head star people is when I was visited by the Blue Kachinas last year I specifically remember one of them with the deer head similar to the mask worn by Lady Rothschild at that 1972 surrealistic Ball.
The other 2 resembled masks worn by the Hopi Indians.
I was parked in front of a giant field with mountains on the sides.
They had me in some induced state of paralysis but I was alert
They had a giant screen showing me how we were destroying our planet.
They were blue and gold bright neon type colors.
I've always been a seeing is believing type person and I absolutely seen it.

[cmmapeldoorn]

This was what I saw after the first time I used Amanita, I feel she is so deeply connected with this medicine:: 'I closed my eyes and it was as if I was looking through a window. I saw a female Siberian shaman, dressed in thick cloths around her. She was standing on the tundra or steppe, there were reindeer and there was also some ice. I felt that the mushroom picks up the vibes from her environment, and that this comes out after we take her. It was all crystal clear and beautiful. Just like the landscape.'

[Muggle]

This was fascinating. Caroline was very thoughtful and her work is very well-researched. I can't wait to read her full book

[crayzeedayzee]

Wonderful and so interesting, thank you for sharing! Elen of the Ways is so primal and full of mystery, more please 💞💞

[timbrennan]

Interesting but I was surprised that there was no mention of Elen Sentier's 2 books 'Elen of the Ways: British Shamanism: Following the Deer Trods' (2013!) and 'Shaman Pathways - Following the Deer Trods: A Practical Guide to Working with Elen of the Ways' (2015).

[vickiburns]

Thank you so much for a wonderful presentation!

[simontmitchell]

Deer or reindeer in Hebrew is 'Ayal', which also means hart and ram. Similarities to so many names and themes - Aries, Artemis..
אַיָל
Tree is 'Ayaln'
אִילָן
The tree (antlers?) is central to so much mystery and myth..
Step comes from the Arian 'stebh' meaning post, support and also crown, surround. The centre and boundary of the 'whirlpool' of creation.

[hArtyTruffle]

I wasn’t going to comment further, as I thought the link I noticed is probably not related, but it might be and might be useful. The Huichol Indians in northwest Mexico “hunt” for Peyote buttons and I believe they refer to it as hunting for deer. For them, the Deer, Corn and Peyote are one and the same. I only mention it because of what Caroline said when talking of the Reindeer and Amanita Muscaria. Both Peyote and Amanita Muscaria being considered sacred.

[dockarlita]

Caroline's lecture is fabulous, I'm so glad you put this up today! I'm noticing that the designs on the Rozhenitsa picture remind me of the Maltese cross.

[jonathanphillips]

I've always thought that the image of the divine is deeply personal...and the image I've always come to as my interpretation of a representation for my own beliefs is a wild goddess with a crown of Antlers, and a witch of the wild. This is so interesting to me. It seems like more and more people are resonating with this particular image.

[Neon-Shadowcaster]

The words ELAN and ELAND in Dutch are worth studying as well in this context.

[Legobricks-gn]

Elain in welsh means fawn, Elenydd is the plural form.
We have Elan valley in mid Wales and an area called Elenydd in mid Wales too.

[GeriBee]

Thank you so much for this fascinating talk, Caroline. I will definitely be investigating further. Stag and deer have been extremely synchronistic over the last few weeks for me, and now this video lol.. It has me wondering more about Artemis/Diana now. Cernunnos and Herne intrigued me for a long time, but now the female deity aspect of the antlered ones are igniting my thirst for knowledge. Great stuff!