This Ukiyo A print was designed from an old sketch I did when I was working on the branding for Cernunnos Foundation. It is based directly on the Gunderstrup Cauldron and was originally done in a choppy brush pen. I then took it through its digital paces and made what I think is a really cool little print of the image.
Because I love these kinds of things and it makes for a good read for me; here is a little tale I gave the prompts for my brobot to write.
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The Rest of Cernunnos
As the wheel of the year turned once more, the work of the wild began anew. Cernunnos, the Horned One, keeper of the untamed places, stirred from his winter stillness with the rising light of Imbolc. The land, still held in winter’s grasp, shuddered at his touch as frost melted into dark, fertile earth. With each step, he roused the roots from their slumber, whispering life into the seeds buried beneath the frozen soil. The trees trembled, their bare limbs stretching toward the softening sky, sensing the promise of the coming seasons.
At Ostara, the balance shifted. The day met the night as an equal, and the forest awakened in full. Cernunnos walked among the trees, his great antlers adorned with budding vines, his breath stirring the wind with the scent of fresh blooms. The stag beside him scraped his antlers against bark, marking the land for the season’s renewal. The bull turned the earth with his hooves, readying it for growth. The rabbit darted between the shoots of young plants, scattering seeds and ensuring their spread. The rivers, swelling with melted snow, carved their paths through the valleys, carrying the wild god’s vitality into every corner of the land.
Then came Beltaine, the fire festival, the height of passion and life. The forests pulsed with wild energy as the creatures of the wood celebrated the turning of the year’s great cycle. Cernunnos moved through the thick greenery, his touch weaving unseen bonds between plant and beast, air and earth. He ensured the mating of animals, the pollination of flowers, and the rich explosion of life that would soon bring abundance. He was in the wind that carried new seeds, in the buzzing of bees flitting from blossom to blossom, in the hunt that kept the balance of predator and prey. The night burned with revelry, the fires of Beltaine glowing like stars upon the hills, and the Horned One stood among them, guardian of the sacred wilds.
With the arrival of Litha, the longest day, the sun sat heavy upon the land, watching over a world in full bloom. The rivers ran clear, the trees stood tall, their canopies thick and green. The great work was done. The wild had been tended, the balance upheld, and the earth had been given all it needed to bring forth the bounty that would sustain life through the darker seasons ahead.
Weary from his endless labor, Cernunnos sought the shade of the oldest tree in the wood, its roots deep in the memory of the land. There, beneath its ancient boughs, he let his body rest upon the cool earth. The great stag lay beside him, his massive frame still. The bull, his work of turning the land complete, lowered his head and closed his eyes. The wolf curled in the shade, his ears flicking lazily as the wind stirred the leaves above. The rabbit nestled near Cernunnos’s feet, while the rat climbed onto the folds of his cloak, curling into sleep.
They had labored through the waking of the land, ensuring the bounty to come. Soon, Lughnasadh would arrive, and the first fruits of their efforts would be harvested. Mabon would bring the balance once more, the great wheel preparing for its descent into winter. But for now, as the solstice sun bathed them in golden light, they would do what so few ever saw of the great god of the wild—rest.
And in that stillness, the forest breathed with him, waiting for the wheel to turn again.
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