There was a least a century of assimilation of Gallic or Celtic tribes within ancient Thrace with their south eastern expansion into the Balkans and Anatolia /Asia Minor ; after the death of Alexander the great during the late Iron Age of central and southern Europe. Cernunnos or Kernunno was an important, if ambiguous, deity of the Celts, essentially a nature god possibly associated with produce and fertility. He was called the "Horned One" (a literal translation of his name) or a "Horned God", and was one of a number of similar deities found in many ancient cultures. Like a lord of the animals and of subterranean wealth with connected powers of prophecy. Although the first letter of the name is defaced, it is probable it was 'Cernunnos' on the basis of linguistic and other archaeological evidence. The Gaulish word carnon or cernon means 'antler' or 'horn'. This can produce the names Carnonos, 'Deer-Hoofed One' or Cornonos 'Horned One'. The central syllable '-on-' denotes a deity, as in Epona or Maponos, .. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Maponos ..and would only have been replaced by '-un-' to provide a Latinised form of the name for inscriptions. Latin was the common language of Roman Europe and names mentioned in Latin texts are converted to a Latin form. This name-dualling,such as Britains Sulis-Minerva ,does not often imply acceptance in the Romans world. www.timelessmyths.com/celtic/gallic.html But he is almost cross-legged not sitting in the 'lotus', he is simply sitting on the ground, as with one of two other Celtic figures found . His legs are not crossed.(View Large).Kernunnos surrounded by mystical animals. Held in one hand a ram-headed serpent is the symbol of balance between the solar forces and ground forces. On the other hand wears a torc / torque, which is a typical Celtic symbol for the nobility. Cernunnos was often called the "Lord of the Wild Things".He was clearly a god of nature, and probably of fertility of animals and agriculture. Cernunnos was also god of grains and fruits. Cernunnos was equated with another god with stag-like antlers on his head, Belatucadnos, a British god of war. The Romans associated Cernunnos with their god Mercury (Hermes), though Julius Caesar associated him with Dis Pater, cthlonic god of the underworld. The Greek Pluto's Roman equivalent is Dis Pater, "The Shining Sky Father" is more universal . Pluto (Greek: Πλούτων, Ploutōn) was the ruler of the underworld in classical mythology. The earlier name for the god was Hades, which became more common as the name of the underworld itself. In ancient Greek religion and mythology, Pluto represents a more positive concept of the god who presides over the afterlife. Ploutōn was frequently conflated with Ploutos (Πλοῦτος, Plutus), a god of wealth, because mineral wealth was found underground, and because as a chthonic god Pluto ruled the deep earth that contained the seeds necessary for a bountiful harvest. The name Ploutōn came into widespread usage with the Eleusinian Mysteries, in which Pluto was venerated as a stern ruler but the loving husband of Persephone. The couple received souls in the afterlife, and are invoked together in religious inscriptions. Later...The early Christians later associated or rebuked Cernunnos as ' the Devil', because of previous 'pagan' ritual.And Druids too , the Celtic belief in the killing power of satire...and a sense of otherworld eternity is here. 'Only the Devil Laughed' - Vision - Hildegard von Bingen www.youtube.com/watch?v=mB5WtpP1OS4&list=PL_ihIA8ygtw... 'Only the Devil laughed, honour to the scorn: in his envy he left no work of God untouched'.. The worship of Cernunnos could be found in the France, the Alps, Italy, and in Britain. The most famous depiction of Cerrunnos can be found here on the Gundestrup Cauldron (c. 1st century BC). www.flickr.com/photos/28433765@N07/3219660215/ Further panels www.flickr.com/photos/28433765@N07/sets/72157612858689885... Furthermore, his arms are in the primitive version of the orans position which can be seen on a number of other figures on the Gundestrup cauldron. As well as depicted on at least one ancient Celtic coin from Britain by a druid figure. Sometimes they are holding emblems, sometimes they are not. This position can also be seen on the rock art from Val Camonica where other "Cernunnos" figures are depicted -- one whose arms are also in the orans position and has a torc and what is believed to be a horned serpent. The orans position was slightly changed or adapted and was depicted in early Christianity, notably in the catacombs at Rome. Cernunnos was worshipped over a wide area of Europe, from Romania to Ireland, as evinced by various representations found in around thirty different sites across the continent. The earliest known depiction of Cernunnos was found at Val Camonica in Italy, dating from the 4th century BC, while the best known depiction is on the famous Gundestrup cauldron found in Denmark and dating from the 1st century BC. Cernunnos is the most common name used today for the deity called "Uindos" in Old Irish literature. He is also sometimes called "Finn," the name of a main hero in a cycle of ancient stories about the "Fianna" or warrior-bands of Old Ireland. HERE , The Cauldron was likely to have been stolen by the (probably Germanic or Teutonic) Cimbri tribe yet with some Celtic influence (at least going by chieftain names) themselves. Apart from Cernunnos and Taranis , there is no consensus regarding the other figures, and many scholars reject attempts to tie them in to figures known from much later and geographically distant sources. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimbri who raided Gaul at least twice (see link www.swartzentrover.com/cotor/bible/Timelines/Rome/Cimbri.htm ) or another tribe that later inhabited Jutland as it may have originated or been made from south east Europe, Thrace. [ NB ...Bronze bridle ring from the Celtic Chariot burial from Mezek (detail) – Published by Bulgarian archaeologists as ‘Thracian’ and included in the ‘Thracian Treasures’ exhibition. (See Megaw 2004)] balkancelts.wordpress.com/tag/institute-of-thracology/ His name ' ERNUNNO is known from the "Pillar of the Boatmen" ("Pilier des nautes"), a monument now displayed in the Muse national du Moyen Age in Paris. It is believed to have been erected as an altar by Gallic sailors in the early 1st century AD and was found in the foundations of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris on the site of the Celtic settlement of Lutetia. It depicts Cernunnos and other Celtic deities alongside Roman divinities, providing an illustration of the way in which Celtic gods were absorbed into the Roman pantheon. www.flickr.com/photos/dameboudicca/7706430760/ (From the Gallo-Roman collection - a representation of two very Roman gods (Apollo to the left and Mercury to the right), complete with their usual attributes (a lyre for Apollo and Mercury has wings on his hat/helmet). And in the middle is the Celtic god Cernunnos, complete with horns and crossed legs and animals at his feet) Indeed, Julius Caesar associated him with the Roman god Dis Pater, while other Roman sources associated him with Mercury.The celtic Breton pseudo-saint Korneli, a patron of horned creatures, also shows traces of Cernunnos. The Pilier des nautes provides the earliest written record of the deity's name. It is not known whether the name Cernunnos (given as Kernunno) was a local name bestowed by the Parisii tribe (from whom Paris got its name). The structure of the name suggests otherwise. The word Cornu means "horned" in modern French and the cognate Celtic Cern_ means much the same. In Gallo-Roman religion, his name is known from the "Pillar of the Boatmen" (Pilier des nautes), a monument now displayed in the Musée National du Moyen Age in Paris. It was constructed by Gaulish sailors in the early first century CE, from the inscription (CIL XIII number 03026) probably in the year 14, on the accession of the emperor Tiberius. It was found in 1710 in the foundations of the cathedral of Notre-Dame de Paris on the site of Lutetia, the civitas capital of the Celtic Parisii tribe. It depicts Cernunnos and other Celtic deities alongside Roman divinities such as Jupiter, Vulcan, Castor, and Pollux. Additional evidence is given by two identical inscriptions on metal plaques from Seinsel-Rëlent in Luxembourg, in the territory of the Celtic Treveri tribe. These inscriptions (AE 1987, 0772) read Deo Ceruninco, "to the God Cerunincos". Lastly, a Gaulish inscription (RIG 1, number G-224) written in Greek letters from Montagnac (Hérault, Languedoc-Roussilion, France) reads αλλετ[ει]υος καρνονου αλ[ι]σο[ντ]εας thus giving the name "Carnonos".In Gallo-Roman religion, his name is known from the "Pillar of the Boatmen" (Pilier des nautes), a monument now displayed in the Musée National du Moyen Age in Paris. It was constructed by Gaulish sailors in the early first century CE, from the inscription (CIL XIII number 03026) probably in the year 14, on the accession of the emperor Tiberius. www.deomercurio.be/en/cernunnos.html Whether or not the name differed from place to place, the depictions of Cernunnos are strikingly consistent throughout the Celtic world. His most distinctive attribute are his stag's horns, and he is usually portrayed as a mature man with long hair and a beard. He wears a torc, an ornate neck-ring used by the Celts to denote nobility. He often carries other torcs in his hands or hanging from his horns, as well as a purse filled with coins. He is usually portrayed seated and almost cross-legged, in a position which some have interpreted as shamanic, or 'meditative' although it may only reflect the fact that the Celts squatted on the floor and did not use chairs. Cernunnos is nearly always portrayed with animals, in particular the stag. The 1st century B.C. ritual cauldron is an extremely important artifact in deciphering many aspects of Celtic mythology. This is the most commented upon panel of the cauldron in that it includes many intriguing hints about Celtic beliefs, not the least being the inclusion of Cernunnos, the antler-headed god. The depiction of the stag god is so prevalent in artifacts throughout the Celtic world that Cernunnos appears to have been the main Celtic deity. The shape-shifting aspect of Cernunnos in appearing as half man - half beast is certainly important and there are indeed many tales of changing shapes in Celtic mythology. He occupies space here as Lord of the Animals, being the only forward facing relief on the panel. The other animals are also interesting from a mythological standpoint, especially the ram-headed serpent held in Cernunnos' hand (the other holding a Celtic torc, symbol of kingship). The horned serpent is a purely Celtic manifestation found in as far flung locations as prehistoric artifacts in Halstatt, Austria to horned serpent armlets in Scotland / Alba/ Scotia minor. Also depicted are a stag, a wolf, two fighting lions, ibises and a boar. The stag could suggest, like another panel on the cauldron where a god holds two stags in his hands, the god's mastery over his animal nature. The wolf is also found on Celtic art and the boar is considered an important Celtic symbol of war. The ibises are a Middle Eastern motif and the lions look decidedly Oriental. It is believed that the cauldron was commissioned by a Celtic tribe (Scordisci ) as a war offering and later thrown in the Danish bogs as an offering to the Gods. The Celts, retreating from Delphi (280–278 BC), settled on the mouth of the Sava and called themselves Scordisci. In the Celtic belief system, a great deal of power and magic was to be found in bogs and around water and therefore much religious activity, including both offerings and human sacrifices surrounded these places. The worship of Cernunnos was particularly vehemently opposed by early Christianity, which saw him as an unacceptable symbol of paganism. Illustrations of Cernunnos-like figures were used to symbolise demonic and anti-Christian forces, and it may be presumed that shrines to Cernunnos were targets of early attempts to root out paganism. Even so, traces of the god survived well into Christian times. The literary traditions of both Wales and Ireland contain allusions to him, while in Brittany the legendary saint Korneli (or Cornly) had attributes of Cernunnos. It has also been suggested that the English myth of Herne the Hunter is an allusion to Cernunnos? In the modern Neo-Pagan movements the 'worship' of the Horned or Antlered God has been revived. Whether or not these religious groups are modern reconstructions, the adherents generally follow the life-fertility-death cycle for Cernunnos, though his death is now usually set at Samhain, the Celtic New Year Festival usually associated with October 31.