Wicker Man
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
- For other uses, see The Wicker Man (disambiguation).
The Wicker Man was a large wicker statue of a human used by the ancient Druids for human sacrifice by burning it in effigy, according to Julius Caesar in his Commentarii de Bello Gallico (Commentary on the Gallic Wars). [1] In modern times the figure has been adopted for festivals, without the human sacrifice element; for example a Wicker Man is burned each year at Butser Ancient Farm in Hampshire, England, as part of neopagan-themed ceremonies. [2]
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[edit] The Wicker Man in history
While other Roman writers of the time described human sacrifice among the Celts, [3] there is no other evidence for the use of the wicker man beyond Caesar's account. He mentions it as only one way the Druids of Gaul performed sacrifices, and does not claim to have witnessed it for himself. He says some of the Gauls build the effigies out of sticks and place living men inside, then set them on fire to pay tribute to the gods. Though the Druids generally used thieves and criminals, says Caesar (they pleased the gods more), they sometimes used innocent men when no delinquents could be found. Caesar's words are looked on with skepticism by modern scholars, who note the lack of corroborating evidence and point out that the general, as the leader of the Gauls' enemies, may have just been repeating a sensationalistic rumor as propaganda to encourage his supporters back home.
[edit] The Wicker Man today
Today, a wicker man is burned as part of neopagan festivities, especially Bealtaine, a rite of spring. Wicker men are tall, humanoid wooden structures, woven from flexible sticks such as those of willow as used in wicker furniture and fencing. The Wickerman Festival is an annual rock and dance music event that takes place in Kirkcudbrightshire, Scotland. Its main feature is the burning of a large wooden effigy on the last night. The American Burning Man festival is somewhat similar.
Perhaps the use of the effigy that is most prominent in the modern cultural subconscious is the 1973 British horror film The Wicker Man, directed by Robin Hardy. The film tells the story of a devout Christian detective who uncovers the malevolent secrets of a pagan cult. An American remake of the film was released in 2006.
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Caesar, Julius; Hammond, Carolyn (translator) (1998). The Gallic War. The Gallic War, p. 128. ISBN 0-19-283582-3.
- ^ Wicker-Man: The Burning Question. Retrieved October 23, 2006.
- ^ Cicero, Suetonius, Lucan, Tacitus, and Pliny the Elder refer to human sacrifice among the Celts.
[edit] External links
- Caesar's Gallic War- De Bello Gallico, English translation by W. A. McDevitte and W. S. Bohn (1869); Latin text edition, from the Perseus Project [1]
- Project Gutenberg text for Frazer's The Golden Bough
- Meaning behind the symbols in the Wicker Man movies
