Hunting the Wren (2)

So this little bird was actually hunted and killed at the Winter solstice in Britain and Europe... why?

Artwork by Michael Kerbow 

It's an old, old myth... the story of the Holly King who rules during the dark half of the year from Midsummer to Midwinter, only to be defeated by the Oak King who rules then from Midwinter through Summer.  In Europe the winters are long and bleak, and for people in the past it was a very hard time. They desperately craved the return of summer and light. The wren symbolized the Holly King and its sacrifice depicted the battle between the two elemental beings.  Also with early Irish tribes there was a tradition of killing their king at the end of his reign, especially if the land had failed in some way. The king was 'married' to the land and inextricably bound to it. It was the ultimate sacrifice.  So on several levels, the killing of the wren was essential for the turning of the wheel of the year.

The Hunting of the Wren occurs on the 26th of December, sometimes called Wren Day, St Stephen's Day or Boxing Day.  In the past, boys, disguised with straw or sticks ('Straw Boys'), would chase a wren until it was exhausted and they could catch it.  They would tie it to a stick and parade through the streets of the village.  This practice is still observed !  The only change is that no wren is killed.  An effigy is made of the bird.

This made me remember many customs that we embrace but forget the original meaning.  We dress it up and make it look pretty, hang it on our lounge room wall and domesticate it.  We adapt old traditions to suit the sensibilities (or religion) of the present day.

So this idea was percolating away in my mind as I did the next few charcoal drawings of my effigy....

I began to think this effigy looked rather like a 'straw boy'.

This is a drawing of just a part of the piece... enlarging it up to spread right across the page.

This last drawing had to incorporate a word... something relevant yet not over-powering.  Of course I knew my word!