The Celtic Wicker Man and 1973 movie
This page is about the Pagan tradition of the Wicker Man found mostly in
Celtic Gaelic cultures, but also covers the brilliant British movie of the same name that
happens to be my most favourite film of all time,
written by Anthony Shaffer, and Directed by Robin Hardy, and staring
Christopher Lee and Edward Woodward.
The Pagan tradition of the Wickerman
The Wicker man is an ancient Pagan ritual mostly seen in the British Isles and done on Beltane (Mayday the Pagan start of the light summer half of the year). Little is know about the legend and ritual involved in the burning of the huge wicker figure in the shape of a human, as the only accounts come from Julius Caesar's writings.
What is known is that the figure was a towering effigy representing to the Pagan Sun or Oak God. Many in Celtic Pagan times believed that the Sun (God) was responsible for growing their needed crops, and therefore was responsible for giving life or taking it away, so when they had a poor crop one year they would sacrifice animals and in some cases human beings to appease the Gods to then insure a fruitful and bountiful crop the following year. Although its good to make clear that there is no real evidence that this did actually happen expect from Caesar's accounts, but it seems possible as other forms of Ancient sacrifice did exist and can be proven such as with the “bog men“ cases. However in other forms of proven ancient sacrifices, many of the people sacrificed were old, or had a terminal disease, and were said to have been treated like martyrs before their deaths, and often willingly volunteered themselves, as being old or ill they knew that they would not survive the coming harsh winter anyway (in the Samhain cases anyway). They believed that to be sacrificed was an honour as you would come back as the next seasons crops helping your children and ancestors survive.
Above A Wicker Man as believed to be in ancient times.
Above a modern Wicker Man held at Buster Farm in Hampshire England every Beltane. There is also a famous Scottish one every year also.
As for the Wickerman structure it self, if this did indeed happen as Caesar wrote, it was most probably criminals put in the wooden structure or the willing, and then burnt to the Gods and Goddess that they (the Pagan Priests and Priestess) were trying to ask for assistance from. Animals were also used, but its believed humans were sometimes a much more powerful offering than just a chicken or pig ect.
Beltane is also strongly connected with fertility and the Celtic fertility Goddess. Beltane is a festival on the east of the Pagan festival of the year of life (which is why Easter is often connected to Eggs and Rabbits that is also near to the date of Beltane) The fertility of their fruits and harvest were important to the survival of the ancient Pagan peoples, so its not hard to imagine where their beliefs came from.
Of course modern Pagans don’t do such things today, as Paganism has advanced with time, unlike some other religions I could mention that are still killing.
Wicker man Festivals have now started up all over the UK and U.S as music festivals, where they burn a wicker man, that had some Pagan connection to them, which I think started out well and meaningful, but as usual, the big companies have seen the money making possibilities of them, and now the festivals have sold out and are corporate businesses, so have now ruined the spirit of the whole thing.
The Movie
In 1973 a movie came out called The Wicker man, now the most talked about cult movie classic of all time. It was made with little to no money, but made by people with an imagination and initiative foresight that puts modern film makers to shame. At first it did poorly because of ignorant reviews, and people high up in the movie industry doing everything in their power to make the movie fail even before it got onto the cinema screens by editing it horrendously, and destroying the only copies of some of the scene (although some believe they still exist somewhere) Why people were so against the move being release is a topic of controversial debate. The movie was released in the UK as a "art house movie" and flopped because of poor promoting, and because of the bad reviews and was considered a failure and “cheap B movie“.
Lord Summerisle: "I think I could turn and live with animals. They are so placid and self-contained. They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins. They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God. Not one of them kneels to another or to his own kind that lived thousands of years ago. Not one of them is respectable or unhappy, all over the earth."
Later an American Sci-fi company saw the movie and could not understand why it had got such a bad rep and reviews, they saw the movie as a movie made before its time (and today’s success proved they were right) They, under their company re-released the movie in America, and although never became huge it did much better than it did in the UK, and started to form a dedicated fan base, who have since caused the movie to become more and more popular and recognised as time has gone on, getting it the recognition it so desperately deserved.
The movies resistance and rebirth (pun indented) is quite astonishing, being all that was against it in the beginning. It is as if you cant keep a good Pagan movie down, it seems to have a supernatural vigor and charismatic appeal all of its own, and just refused to die, giving it eternal life and a place in movie heaven (or hell however you see it) forever.
Above a scene from the movie.
I wont go into the storyline of the movie to deeply, because I don’t want to spoil it for those who have not seen it, but it basically centres around a Pagan community in Scotland around the festival of Beltane.
The soundtrack to the movie is hauntingly beautiful, Composed and sung by Paul Giovanni I recommend it to anyone with a love of spirituality or Paganism. It’s an enchanting mix of Scottish Folk music and Pagan melodies sure to bring out the spirituality in most.
If you have not watched this movie, I cant promise your like it as you have to be into dark atmospheric movies with a lot of symbology in them to appreciate it, but give it a go, whatever you think of it, I guarantee it will have a lasting impression on you, and your never forget it.
Above The 1973 movie Trailer
A word of warning, the punch fool and movie blasphemer Nicolas Cage thought it would be a good idea to Hollywoodize the Wickerman and re-made it in 2006. It is a hideous pile of dog crap.
By Barry Stevens (Faeden)
The page is dedicated to Anthony Shaffer
15th May 1926 - November 6th 2001. R.I.P
Source of pictures.
Picture one
Picture two
Picture three
Picture four
To discuss this topic please click HERE
The Pagan tradition of the Wickerman
The Wicker man is an ancient Pagan ritual mostly seen in the British Isles and done on Beltane (Mayday the Pagan start of the light summer half of the year). Little is know about the legend and ritual involved in the burning of the huge wicker figure in the shape of a human, as the only accounts come from Julius Caesar's writings.
What is known is that the figure was a towering effigy representing to the Pagan Sun or Oak God. Many in Celtic Pagan times believed that the Sun (God) was responsible for growing their needed crops, and therefore was responsible for giving life or taking it away, so when they had a poor crop one year they would sacrifice animals and in some cases human beings to appease the Gods to then insure a fruitful and bountiful crop the following year. Although its good to make clear that there is no real evidence that this did actually happen expect from Caesar's accounts, but it seems possible as other forms of Ancient sacrifice did exist and can be proven such as with the “bog men“ cases. However in other forms of proven ancient sacrifices, many of the people sacrificed were old, or had a terminal disease, and were said to have been treated like martyrs before their deaths, and often willingly volunteered themselves, as being old or ill they knew that they would not survive the coming harsh winter anyway (in the Samhain cases anyway). They believed that to be sacrificed was an honour as you would come back as the next seasons crops helping your children and ancestors survive.
Above A Wicker Man as believed to be in ancient times.
Above a modern Wicker Man held at Buster Farm in Hampshire England every Beltane. There is also a famous Scottish one every year also.
As for the Wickerman structure it self, if this did indeed happen as Caesar wrote, it was most probably criminals put in the wooden structure or the willing, and then burnt to the Gods and Goddess that they (the Pagan Priests and Priestess) were trying to ask for assistance from. Animals were also used, but its believed humans were sometimes a much more powerful offering than just a chicken or pig ect.
Beltane is also strongly connected with fertility and the Celtic fertility Goddess. Beltane is a festival on the east of the Pagan festival of the year of life (which is why Easter is often connected to Eggs and Rabbits that is also near to the date of Beltane) The fertility of their fruits and harvest were important to the survival of the ancient Pagan peoples, so its not hard to imagine where their beliefs came from.
Of course modern Pagans don’t do such things today, as Paganism has advanced with time, unlike some other religions I could mention that are still killing.
Wicker man Festivals have now started up all over the UK and U.S as music festivals, where they burn a wicker man, that had some Pagan connection to them, which I think started out well and meaningful, but as usual, the big companies have seen the money making possibilities of them, and now the festivals have sold out and are corporate businesses, so have now ruined the spirit of the whole thing.
The Movie
In 1973 a movie came out called The Wicker man, now the most talked about cult movie classic of all time. It was made with little to no money, but made by people with an imagination and initiative foresight that puts modern film makers to shame. At first it did poorly because of ignorant reviews, and people high up in the movie industry doing everything in their power to make the movie fail even before it got onto the cinema screens by editing it horrendously, and destroying the only copies of some of the scene (although some believe they still exist somewhere) Why people were so against the move being release is a topic of controversial debate. The movie was released in the UK as a "art house movie" and flopped because of poor promoting, and because of the bad reviews and was considered a failure and “cheap B movie“.
Lord Summerisle: "I think I could turn and live with animals. They are so placid and self-contained. They do not lie awake in the dark and weep for their sins. They do not make me sick discussing their duty to God. Not one of them kneels to another or to his own kind that lived thousands of years ago. Not one of them is respectable or unhappy, all over the earth."
Later an American Sci-fi company saw the movie and could not understand why it had got such a bad rep and reviews, they saw the movie as a movie made before its time (and today’s success proved they were right) They, under their company re-released the movie in America, and although never became huge it did much better than it did in the UK, and started to form a dedicated fan base, who have since caused the movie to become more and more popular and recognised as time has gone on, getting it the recognition it so desperately deserved.
The movies resistance and rebirth (pun indented) is quite astonishing, being all that was against it in the beginning. It is as if you cant keep a good Pagan movie down, it seems to have a supernatural vigor and charismatic appeal all of its own, and just refused to die, giving it eternal life and a place in movie heaven (or hell however you see it) forever.
Above a scene from the movie.
I wont go into the storyline of the movie to deeply, because I don’t want to spoil it for those who have not seen it, but it basically centres around a Pagan community in Scotland around the festival of Beltane.
The soundtrack to the movie is hauntingly beautiful, Composed and sung by Paul Giovanni I recommend it to anyone with a love of spirituality or Paganism. It’s an enchanting mix of Scottish Folk music and Pagan melodies sure to bring out the spirituality in most.
If you have not watched this movie, I cant promise your like it as you have to be into dark atmospheric movies with a lot of symbology in them to appreciate it, but give it a go, whatever you think of it, I guarantee it will have a lasting impression on you, and your never forget it.
Above The 1973 movie Trailer
A word of warning, the punch fool and movie blasphemer Nicolas Cage thought it would be a good idea to Hollywoodize the Wickerman and re-made it in 2006. It is a hideous pile of dog crap.
By Barry Stevens (Faeden)
The page is dedicated to Anthony Shaffer
15th May 1926 - November 6th 2001. R.I.P
Source of pictures.
Picture one
Picture two
Picture three
Picture four
To discuss this topic please click HERE
