She is the Lady of the Wildwood.
Hidden in the shadows of the trees, she watches you with eyes millennia old. You may catch a brief glimpse of her, and then she is gone, flitting silent as ghost amidst the snowy boughs, disappearing in a heartbeat.
She is the heartbeat of the wood, of the wild places, of heathland and moorland. She dances under the moon in star-filled skies, her dance exhilarating and free. And in the blink of an eye she is gone, lost in the mist that slowly curls over the land in eloquent drifts.
She is called Elen. Not much is known about her – she seems to have escaped the history books and academia of the human race. She knows this, and it pleases her greatly. You cannot know her without seeking her out, in the wild places, in the darkness and in the light, in the heat and in the cold. She is to be experienced, not to be read about.
She is an antlered goddess, her antlers showing her free nature spirit. Her hair is long and red, often with twigs and leaves entangled – sometimes plaited back in a long braid down her slim back. Her limbs are white – they glow in the shadows and shine in the moonlight. Her green eyes, full of mischief, hold the secret of the Ways.
She is Elen of the Ways, of the trackways and paths that cross both nature and the human soul. She is a physical deity – you must put one foot in front of the other if you are ever to know her. If you are lucky, you can find the ancient pathways she had trod, leaving her energy behind, enticing you further, deeper into the heart of the wood, where the mysteries lie.
Follow the footprints – in the snow, in the mud, in the sand. The cloven hoof of the deer will lead you to her. They are her children, they are Her. Like the deer, she is grace and strength, she is trusting and wary, she is capable of great stillness and explosive action. She is curious and wise, and she will beckon you further in if your heart is open.
Not much is known about Elen, a patron goddess of mine. I seem to be attracted to deities who have little written knowledge about them – Nemetona, goddess of sanctuary, is the other to whom I have given my heart and soul. Nemetona is a holding deity – she creates a space where we can simply be – Elen is a wild deity, running naked over the heather in wild abandon.
I’ve always known Elen, though I did not have a name for her. I’ve always known and felt her spirit with me, deep in the woods, wherever I am in the world, eyes watching me. She is strongest here, but I am sure that she is strong elsewhere in Europe – so many countries to visit and learn about. But here, in the east of England, where her children, the deer, run free is where I have found her. This is where I have come home, literally and figuratively.
More and more people are finding out about Elen – a friend of mine does an Immerse in Elen Retreat once a year, which is gaining ever increasing popularity, as well as a Reunion for previous attendees.
The group on Facebook for Elen of the Ways has 360 people and counting – more and more she is becoming known. But she is a deity that must be experienced – not talked or read about.
And so I would encourage you – if you feel your soul spreading out, your nemeton relaxing when deep in the heart of the wood, or out among the wild places where the deer roam, that is where you can seek and, if you are lucky, find Elen. Look for the flash in the shadows at sunset, the glimpse of an antler. When you have found Elen, you will know it, and be forever changed.
Photo from http://raniamaria.eu/blog/tag/antler/
Reminds me a great deal of Flidais! She sounds wonderful.
I have the same problem, attracting deity that so little is talked about. Nemetona, Flidais………. but the up side to that is that you get to know them with no pre-concieved notions.
That’s true – I never thought of it that way! x
This blog has stayed in my mind all day. It really triggered something in me.
Elen will do that to you!
Do you know a Goddess called Gerda, Jo? She is Frey’s Wife in the Norse myths. A Jotun godess, her name means ‘to guard’ and she is somewhere between Elen and Nematona, dancing the balance of the wild places and the sanctuary. She is the boundry, the walled garden, rather than the wild utguard (Elen) and the space inside (Nemetona). She too is intentionally childless and her sacred herb is the pennyroyal. She is a healer and herbalist, another godess of whom there are only fragments remaining. I think she too likes it that way. Like me, she seems to value solitude above most else.
I have read about Gerda, but not in any great detail (probably because there aren’t any!) – these insights I find fascinating! I’ve always loved Skadhi – for any goddess that snowshoes or skis is pretty awesome in my opinion. It’s that free spirit, that says “I’ll do what I want to do no one can dictate to me” that attracts me! I love these wild, solitary, independent goddeses… x
This… just blew me away. A few years ago, I had a dream about an antlered forest-woman who gave me a gift, and she continues to appear in my dreams every so often.
Honestly, I can’t even begin to tell you how deeply this resonated with me, on countless levels.
Thank you for letting me know her name.
<3
You’re very welcome! Sounds like Elen is calling you – have a wonderful journey with this wild goddess!
Interesting – especially because I have had occasional brushes with a deer Goddess of the land. But she appeared differently to me – fair haired and not antlered. Laughing – almost always laughing – with leaves in her hair. I feel that she’s very connected to the land near my old home as opposed to in other regions. I’ve often wondered if she is Flidais. Now, with regards to deer, the local spirit seems more of a Cailleach – a forest hag with a herd of deer.
I do wonder – it wouldn’t surprise me if deities changed their forms to best suit a relationship with us, much like we must change in certain ways to get to know them! And indeed – there are local land spirits who take many forms – my previous home I came across the spirit of Fynn Valley, which was a woman in white, with long dark hair and black eyes – fey and beautiful, a real sovereign deity.
Certain deities do seem to change their form… The way Brighid looks to me is different from the way she appears to others I’ve talked to. Perhaps they rely on our minds to give them some familiar form?
In my travels, I have definitely felt different “personalities” in the land. Some are more dominant, others demure, but they’re there when you stop and listen!
Indeed – I remember and episode of the tv sitcom, Dharma and Gregg, where Dharma is in hospital, praying, and her spirit guide shows up. He asks her what she’s doing, and she says she talking to whoever will listen. He asks “Ah, so you are communicating with the Great Spirit. And you are doing all the talking?” Too often we forget that we must also listen. x
Fascinating! In the land of enchantment where I live, I would put those brief glimpses of the lady, down to the Sidhe. Of which there are many hereabouts!
Yes – often I have no idea whether it is a god or goddess, or the fey folk – all I know is that they are different from me, and yet not…