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Ker, Ancestral Deer Mother

The Deer mother, the ancestral Deer mother .The Grain mother and the lady with the horns, whose partner is the stag god Kernunnos. Her name Ker comes from the latin for horn (corn, cor, ker) but it is used for all grains and of course all of nature's fruitfulness. She is the life within the seed or kernel, known to the romans as Ceres and to the Greeks as Demeter.

The Lammas harvest supper is known as a kernsupper in some parts of Britain and the making of corn dollies is still common practice all over the country and indeed the world (where these tradititions are still upheld).The name of this goddess can still be seen in the names of places such as Kernow (Cornwall), Kerswell and Kerry in Ireland and other deviations such as Cerne Abbas, Castle Cary, Carlisle and a few unpronounceable welsh places including Kerdigan, Cardiff and Caernarvan.

In some Scottish and Irish legends there are still stories of women who can turn into deer and deer that can turn into women. The myth of Ker says that the maiden kernal daughter of ker was so entranced by her own reflection in the narcissus flower; she slipped and fell into the underworld. Ker watches in horror as the ground closes over.

Kernel eventually becomes accustomed to the darkness and sees her grandmother Keridwen sitting beside a bubbling couldron, although she is not allowed to touch it or its contents.

Ker sits waiting for her daughter but when there is no sign she goes into mourning and winter descends on the earth. Ker's sister Rhiannon rode her white horse through the underworld she finds Kernal and Kernal is reminded by the golden light of the upperworld and returns to her mother Ker.

Kernal grew to love her grandmother and for three months of the year she still goes into the underworld to help her blow the fire beneath the cauldron. Before Kernel leaves the underworld Keridwen allows her to put her finger into the cauldron of regeneration and the germs of Kernel begin to grow.

Suky 07