▶️ Charge of the God

The Charge of the God is a Wiccan poem created alongside the Charge of the Goddess. Both are used before or during ritual, as prayers to exalt the Divine. The Charge of the God is meant to call forth the Divine Masculine, and is associated with the Horned God.


What is the Charge of the God?

The Charge of the God is a major piece of Wiccan poetry. It can be considered a religious text, a prayer, or an invocation. As a religion, Wicca is not centered around a dogma or doctrine, but rather creativity, poetry and ritual acts.

The Charge of the God may be recited during any rituals in which the High Priest/Priestess is expected to represent, and/or embody, the Horned God within a sacred circle.

Several different versions of a Wiccan Charge of the God have since been created. This is a standard version. The author is unknown.

Click here to read: The Charge of the God

Listen to the words of the Horned God,
the Guardian of all things wild and free,
and Keeper of the Gates of Death,
whose Call all must answer.

I am the fire within your heart.
The yearning of your Soul.
I am the Hunter of Knowledge
and the Seeker of the Holy Quest.

I – who stand in the darkness of light
am He whom you have called Death.
I – the consort and mate of Her we adore,
call forth to thee.

Heed my call beloved ones,
come unto me and learn the secrets of death and peace.
I am the corn at harvest
and the fruit on the trees.

I am He who leads you home.
Scourge and Flame,
Blade and Blood –
these are mine and gifts to thee.

Call unto me in the forest wild
and on hilltop bare
and seek me in the Darkness Bright.

I – who have been called;
Pan, Herne, Osiris, and Hades,
speak to thee in thy search.

Come dance and sing;
come live and smile,
for behold:
this is my worship.

You are my children and I am thy Father.
On swift night wings
it is I who lay you at the Mother’s feet
to be reborn and to return again.

Thou who thinks to seek me,
know that I am the untamed wind,
the fury of storm and passion in your Soul.

Seek me with pride and humility,
but seek me best with love and strength.
For this is my path,
and I love not the weak and fearful.

Hear my call on long Winter nights
and we shall stand together guarding Her Earth
as She sleeps.

See also: Pagan Chants, Spells and Songs 📜

Who is the Wiccan God?

The Horned God is one of the two main deities in Wicca. He is most often associated with animals and the natural world. Most Wiccans believe in a Horned God and a Moon Goddess.

The Wiccan God & Goddess

Also known as the Horned God and Triple Goddess. Watch this lesson to learn who they are and how are they depicted.

Wiccan-Deities-Lesson
Wiccan-Deities-Lesson

Print this Prayer (2 pages) 📄

This PDF version comes with a transparent background so you can print it on any kind of paper you want and add it to your own Book of Shadows. Log in to download it or find free printable grimoire pages.

Charge of the God Wiccan Poem
Charge of the God Wiccan Prayer

Origin of the Pagan Horned God

“Horned God” is a modern syncretic term used among Neopagans, influenced by the Wiccan religion, which unifies numerous deities of nature. Confused? Learn the difference between Wicca, Witchcraft and Paganism

The gods of nature that influenced the concept of a Horned God come from a wide series of mythologies such as:

  • Cernunnos (Celtic)
  • Herne the Hunter (English)
  • Hu Gadarn (Welsh)
  • Osiris (Egyptian)
  • Pashupati (Indian)
  • Pan (Greek)
  • Faun (Roman)
  • Vestio Alonieco (Galoecian)

All of these male deities are usually represented with horns and in association with nature.

The Horned God on the Gundestrup Cauldron, on display at the National Museum of Denmark in Copenhagen

Cernunnos is the conventional name given in Celtic studies to depictions of the “horned god” of Celtic polytheism.

Cernunnos is remarkable in that, unlike most Celtic divinities, he appears in the pre-Roman, free period. The earliest recorded manifestation is on a 4th century BC rock-carving at Paspardo in Camonica Valley in North Italy, where an antlered god bears a torc on each arm and is accompanied by a ram-horned snake and a small ithyphallic being.

Symbols of the Horned God Cernunnos

On the Gundestrup Cauldron, which could date back as early as the 4th-3rd century BC, Cernunnos appears cross-legged, with two twisted torcs and antlers; he is accompanied by a stag, a ram-horned snake and other creatures.

So already in the pre-Roman period, there are associations between certain symbols: Stags, multiple torcs, ram-horned snakes and fertility, all of which are reflected by imagery whick appears in the Romano-Celtic world.

Learn more about Offerings and Decorations to celebrate Litha.

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