The Bucca, also called the Grand Bucca or simply ‘Bucca’, is a Cornish deity with very little written record of Their existence. They represent the constant change that takes place in Cornwall - the tides, weather, seasons, harvest, life, death & renewal. They also take the role of the trickster in more recent times - teasing the overly-serious, overly-rigid structures in place in Modern Cornwall.
Made of two halves (Bucca Dhu and Bucca Gwidder), the Bucca is a androgyne deity - encompassing all genders and transcending them in equal measure, referred to by myself as They/Them in english and hynn/ho in kernewek. They straddle and freely ride the line between deity and pobel vean - a folk deity confined to the Cornish landscape with far reaching influence on weather and fish. They freely move between Annown, here and Nevek, encompassing the threefold track.
To me, the Bucca presents Themself as a goat-skulled figure in black and white, though the impression is a far cry from someone looming and threatening. They carry the air of a reveller, looking for a party and friends for the night. Mazed and chaotic but all smiles, laughs, good humour and jokes. Approachable, someone to pull your hair back behind the hedge when you throw up, someone to stagger home with and to ensure you do get home.
At the same time, Their hands speak of hard work with the soil and sea, broad shouldered and resolute like the cornish oaks or a harbour wall. Land would be traditionally given over to Them by a farmer, a corner to grow wild and harbour life which would be tended and nurtured by Them. Still, when something dies They help guide them away, and are equally responsible for conjuring up fierce and terrible storms that sink ships or dash them on rocks.
There's a lot more to Them than just this - this is more of a starting point and a way forward.
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