The Wicker Man iz paganske perspektive

Posljednjih nekoliko godina sam se od strane prijatelja filmoljubaca naslušala komentara i komentara o "kultnim filmovima" poput The Big Lebowski, Fight Club, Clerks i slično. Na tom popisu je The Wicker Man bio neizostavan (pritom naravno mislim na original iz 1973. godine, a ne preradu iz 2006. godine s Nicolasom Cageom). Tako sam jednog dana konačno odlučila pogledati i njega. Moram priznati da me film kao takav nije razočarao ni po pitanju glume, radnje, načina snimanja, glazbe i tako dalje iako mnogi kritiziraju apsolutno sve glumce osim Christophera Leeja koji je ujedno jedan od glavnih. Međutim, kao paganki su mi najviše do izražaja došli paganski elementi ovog filma kojih ima na pretek. Neki od njih su me oduševili, dok su me drugi iritirali pa sam odlučila izraziti svoje oduševljenje i iskaliti frustracije u ovom postu. Prije svega je ipak potrebno dati kratki sažetak filma za vas koji ga niste gledali. Odmah upozoravam da ću odati cijelu radnju pa ako ne želite sebi uništiti doživljaj filma, predlažem da preskočite ovaj post. Radije pogledajte film, ili pročitajte sinopsis ispod. Možete u potpunosti besplatno pogledati cijeli film na ovoj web stranici!

Usput napominjem da se Wicker Man danas smatra horor filmom iako je zapravo samo kraj užasavajuć dok je ostatak filma po mom mišljenju više detektivski sa mnoštvom sarkastičnih, posprdnih trenutaka koji mu daju dozu humora.

Sinopsis

Film započinje likom policajca Neila Howieja koji je prikazan kao predani katolik. On dobiva anonimno pismo u kojem ga se moli da dođe na otok Summerisle (izmišljeni hebridski otok uz zapadnu obalu Škotske koji je poznat po uzgoju jabuka) istražiti nestanak djevojčice po imenu Rowan Morrison.

U svojoj istrazi, Howie nailazi na brojne prepreke. Mještani glume da nikad nisu čuli za malu Rowan, ali on uskoro počinje sumnjati u to. Howie je smješten u gostionici Green Man (Zeleni Čovjek) gdje upoznaje gazdu i njegovu prekrasnu kćer Willow. Na zidu gostionice su poredane fotografije godišnje berbe jabuka u centru koje je majska kraljica (po tradiciji djevojka koja je još djevica i koja te godine nosi odgovornost za ljetinu i plodnost zemlje). Za svaku godinu stoji jedna fotografija, izuzev baš te godine čije je mjesto prazno (slika je navodno pukla i odnešena na popravak, a negativa nigdje nema). Howie ide dalje u potragu i nailazi na druge tragove koji upućuju na Rowanino postojanje i nestanak, između ostalog na grob s njezinim imenom.

U daljnjoj potrazi za istinom, sada kad ima potrebne dokaze Rowaninog nestanka, ide do najviše pozicionirane osobe na otoku tražeći pravdu. To je gospodar Summerislea (Lord Summerisle kojeg glumi Christopher Lee). On mu objašnjava prošlost otoka. Tada saznajemo da je njegov djed zatekao otočane u depresivnom stanju i podigao ih na noge. Angažirao ih je oko uzgoja nove sorte jabuke i uvjerio da će urod uspijevati dok god štuju stara božanstva te da je sam uzgoj oblik štovanja. Kada su urodi počeli uspijevati, a mještani ponovno pronašli smisao u svojim životima, otjerali su svećenstvo i vratili se starim bogovima vjerujući da ih oni nagrađuju za trud i štovanje, dok ih je kršćanski Bog bio osudio na isprazne živote.

Potraga se nastavlja i Howie odlučuje iskopati Rowanin lijes u kojem naposljetku otkriva mrtvog zeca. Tada optužuje gospodara Summerislea da je Rowan žrtvovana u sklopu nekakvog paganskog obreda i obećava da sve otkriti te da će svi stanovnici otoka snositi posljedice za svoja djela.

Naš policajac u daljnjem istraživanju ipak uspijeva naći negativ izgubljene fotografije u kojem vidi da je Rowan te godine bila majska kraljica, a oko nje su bile prazne kutije. Ljetina je te godine očito propala i, nakon nešto istraživanja o paganskim običajima, Howie zaključuje da su mještani okrivili Rowan za propast uroda (ujedno glavnog prihoda zarade otoka o kojemu ovise svi), zatočili je negdje i da sada samo čekaju prikladni dan za žrtvovanje - majski dan (May Day, odnosno 1. svibnja). Drevni običaji nalažu da je propast ljetine znak da bogovi nisu nečim zadovoljni, a ljudska žrtva (posebice žrtva djevice) je jedan od načina na koji ih ljudi mogu umiriti. Tek nakon što su bogovi zadovoljni će vratiti plodnost zemlji. Tako su barem mještani Summerislea mislili.

Tu večer Willow pokušava Howieja zavesti svojom pjesmom, ali on odolijeva samo zahvaljujući svom čvrstom karakteru i obećanja Bogu (celibat). Sutradan, odlučivši da će se vratiti na kopno po pojačanje, otkriva da mu se hidroavion (kojim je došao na otok) pokvario i zaključuje da mu ne preostaje ništa drugo nego sam ići u potragu za Rowan. Pošto je taj dan upravo majski dan i dan velike svečanosti i parade na otoku, svi su u maskama, kostimima, plešu, pjevaju i slave. Jedna od glavnih figura jest figura Lude (Punch). Tradicionalno je na majski dan uvijek birana jedna luda, odnosno lokalna budala koja bi bila kralj za jedan dan. Te je godine ova uloga dopala vlasnika gostionice kojeg Howie onesvijesti kako bi se sam prerušio u Ludu. Pridružuje se ostalim mještanima u paradi po otoku koja završava uz obalu gdje se otkriva vrhunac ceremonije. Lord Summerisle najavljuje žrtvu i otkriva se Rowan koja zavezana stoji na ulazu u špilju. Howie joj trči u pomoć, oslobađa i bježi s njom kroz pećinu na čijem ih izlazu dočekuju Lord Summerisle i nekolicina drugih mještana. Howie je upao u klopku u koju ga je Rowan direktno dovela.

Tada saznajemo u podužem monologu cijelu priču: mještani su namamili Howieja na otok kako bi ga žrtvovali, a sve do tog trenutka su njime manipulirali. Istina je da je ljetina propala i da je potrebno sada bogove umiriti, a za to nije dostatna životinjska žrtva, pa čak niti žrtva djeteta. Za to, kako kaže Lord Summerisle, nema ništa bolje od "prave vrste odrasle osoba" (the right kind of adult). Prava vrsta odraslog podrazumijeva da je osoba došla svojevoljno, da odgovara figuri kralja (kao policajac, Howie odgovara ovoj ulozi jer predstavlja zakon), a istovremeno i figuri lude (što su od njega i učinili) i koji je djevica. Naš policajac odgovara svim kriterijima. On je nakon ovoga opran, presvučen u čiste bijele halje, zavezan i odveden na vrh litice gdje ga dočekuje figura golemog čovjeka od pruća (wicker man) u kojemu se nalaze brojne životinje, a jedno mjesto stoji prazno za njega. Howie je zatvoren u ovu glomaznu skulpturu koju mještani potom pale. Posljednja scena prikazuje gorućeg čovjeka od pruća, Howieja kako se obraća Bogu u svojim posljednjim trenucima i moli mještane da zaista razmisle o tome što rade, a njih kako veselo pjevaju i plešu u krugu oko vatre i dozivaju ljeto.

Paganski elementi u filmu

Prvi paganski element koji se uočava u filmu je glazba; prepun je pjesama koje su uglavnom narodne sa mnoštvom paganskih referenci. Na samom početku filma je pjesma po imenu Corn Riggs čiji refren glasi:

Corn Rigs and barley rigs
Corn rigs are bonny
I'll ne'eer forget that Lammas night
Amang the rigs wi' Annie.

Vjerojatno prepoznajete u njemu direktni spomen Lammasa, jednog od osam neopaganskih sabata. Cijela pjesma se dotiče različitih aspekta ovog sabata, a još važnije i centralne teme filma - plodnosti. Kada smo već na toj temi...

Možda najpoznatija pjesma iz filma i ona s najviše paganske simbolike po mom skromnom mišljenju je May Pole.

Riječi pjesme jasno aludiraju na centralni misterij Beltanea (majskog dana/1. svibnja), to jest plodnost i stvaranje (u najbazičnijem smislu seks). Majski stup i dan danas ima istu simboliku falusa, a krug koji se stavlja na njegov vrh simbolizira vulvu (sam čin postavljanja stupa tj. njegovo postavljanje u rupu u zemlji i stavljanje dekorativnog kruga na vrh predstavlja spolni odnos, odnosno ultimatno ljudsko utjelovljenje plodnosti).
Postoji bezbroj manjih paganskih elemenata prisutnih u filmu, primjerice naziv gostionice Green Man koji se referira na jedno od dva centralna neopaganska božanstva (odnosno aspekt Boga) i poznatu figuru iz keltske mitologije. Također, imena nekih stanovnika su vrlo paganska - Willow, Myrtle, Rowan (sve su imena stabala koje su druidi štovali i koji imaju svoju mitologiju i važnost u keltskoj tradiciji). Uz to je jasno rečeno da vjeruju u reinkarnaciju, što je integralni dio neopaganskih vjerovanja (iako nije obavezan, ali za većinu neopagana je dio njihovog svjetonazora). Još jedna zanimljivost je da su određene lokacije u filmu (na primjer pećina pred kojom je Howie "spasio" Rowan) izabrane upravo zbog narodnih predaja koje se vezuju uz njih i upućuju na njihovu pagansku prošlost.
Jasno je da mještani slave drevne blagdane i provode stare tradicije. Ovo možda najviše dolazi do izražaja u pripremama za paradu i njoj samo te općenito u svečanostima za majski dan. Kostimi su tu kako bi predstavljali određene sile i aspekte blagdana. Glavne figure su čovjek-konj za kojeg saznajemo u filmu da ima simboliku plodnosti i čije je zaduženje loviti žene, čovjek-žena koji predstavlja sile kaosa i kojeg obično utjelovljuje glavni svećenik, ili vođa općenito te čovjek-luda čiju ulogu obično igra seoska budala i kojeg se časti kao kralja taj dan. U procesiji ih prate šestorica mačevaoca koji na vrhuncu ceremonije unakršćuju mačeve i njima tvore simbol Sunca pošto je cijeli majski dan posvećen Bogu Sunca (i u slučaju Summerislea, Božici Polja/Voćnjaka). U drevnim vremenima je žrtvovanje bilo sastavni dio procesije. Kada je urod bio bogat, za žrtvu su se davali plodovi i životinje, ali kada bi urod bio loš, trebalo se žrtvovati osobu kako bi se umirilo bogove. Zanimljivo je da su autori teksta za film izvlačili drevne običaje i prakse primarno iz knjige Zlatna grana (The Golden Bough) od Sir Jamesa Frazera koja je i dan danas poznata među paganima kao kvalitetan izvor. Koliko sam uspjela saznati, i Margaret Murray je još jedan mogući izvor informacija. Primjerice, i ona i Frazer spominju drevni običaj žrtvovanja kralja koji je bio ultimatni dar bogovima. Uostalom, ako bi urod propao, ili nešto drugo pošlo krivo, koga drugog se moglo okriviti nego vođu tog društva? Žrtvovanje kralja, kralja-lude, ili neke druge prikladne zamjene (kao što je Howie u filmu zamjena za Lord Summerislea) je dakle drevni običaj koji je izvrsno prikazan u filmu.

Posljednja scena prikazuje čovjeka od pruća po kojemu je film dobio naziv i žrtvovanje policajca Howieja. Poznato je da su se takve figure od pruća zaista koristile u ove svrhe iako prije mnogo stoljeća, ili se pak same palile kao simbolična žrtva bogovima. Kada su se krvne žrtve prinosile bogovima u ovakvim figurama, radilo se pretežito o životinjama, a ako su ljudi bili uključeni, onda se obično radilo o ratnim zarobljenicima, ili zatvorenicima koje je zajednica osudila na smrt. Smatra se da je primarna inspiracija za ovu scenu bio Cezarov iskaz o tome kako su druidi prinosili svoje žrtve tijekom galskih ratova (identičan je filmskom prikazu). Paljenje je bio važan aspekt žrtvovanja za stare Kelte jer su vjerovali da vatra kao takva simbolizira Sunce i Boga Sunca, da dim nosi poruke božanstvima i na taj način spaja slavljenike na Zemlji s božanstvima u višim sferama. Nadalje, za vatru se smatralo da donosi prosvjetljenje (simbolika svjetla kojeg daje), plodnost (na temelju povezanosti topline vatre i topline Sunca bez koje biljke ne bi mogle rasti) te da ima moć pročišćavanja. Ovo posljednje zasigurno vrijedi na Summerisleu jer je cilj mještana pročistiti otok i svoje voćnjake te umiriti Boga Sunca i Božicu Voćnjaka kako bi sljedeći urod bio dobar. Beltane tj. majski dan je inače poznat kao jedan od vatrenih blagdana (koji se nalaze između solsticija i ekvinocija) u paganizmu i preuzet je iz keltske tradicije. Za ove blagdane je bilo uobičajeno paliti krijes i skakati kroz vatru kako bi se pročistilo i prizvalo plodnost (po starim vjerovanjima, kad osoba skače kroz vatru, njeni spolni organi su izloženi pozitivnim utjecajima vatre). Poznat je citat iz filma kada Howie u čudu gleda mlade djevojke koje skaču nage preko krijesa. Na to mu Lord Summerisle mudro odgovara: "Naturally! It’s much too dangerous to jump through the fire with your clothes on!" (Naravno! Previše je opasno skakati kroz vatru odjeven!").

Jasno, prije spomenuta praksa žrtvovanja je odavno izgubljena. Suvremeni pagani još odavno ne prinose krvne žrtve (ni životinjske ni ljudske). Prikladni darovi božanstvima su hrana, biljke, kristali, nešto što je ručno napravljeno, prikladna djela, sjemenke (koje se sadi) i tako dalje. Iz ove perspektive film potiče negativne stereotipe, što je najveća zamjerka koju imam na njega.
Ovakav prikaz paganizma ide u prilog glavnoj temi filma - borba između "novih" kršćanskih običaja i starih paganskih. Ovo je vidljivo u kontrastu dvaju glavnih uloga tj. predanog kršćanskog policajca i paganskog civilnog vođe kao i u policajčevom odnosu prema lokalnim običajima. On neprestano izražava negodovanje prema njima i u više navrata se oštro okomljava na njih. No, Lord Summerisle također nema dlake na jeziku i dobacuje nekoliko kritika kršćanstvu:

Sergeant Howie: What religion can they possibly be learning jumping over bonfires (Koju religiju uopće mogu učiti skačući preko vatre?)
Lord Summerisle: Parthenogenesis. (Partenogenezu.)
Sergeant Howie: What? (Što?)
Lord Summerisle: Literally, as Miss Rose would doubtless say in her assiduous way, reproduction without sexual union. (Doslovno, kako bi gospođica Rose sigurno rekla na svoj ustrajni način, reprodukciju bez seksualnog sjedinjenja.)
Sergeant Howie: Oh, what is all this? I mean, you've got fake biology, fake religion... Sir, have these children never heard of Jesus? (Oh, pa što je sve ovo? Mislim, imate lažnu biologiju, lažnu religiju... Gospodine, zar ova djeca nikad nisu čula za Isusa?)
Lord Summerisle: Himself the son of a virgin, impregnated, I believe, by a ghost... (I sam sin djevice koju je, vjerujem, oplodio duh...)

Sergeant Howie: And what of the TRUE God? Whose glory, churches and monasteries have been built on these islands for generations past? Now sir, what of him? (A što s PRAVIM Bogom? Čija su slava, crkve, samostani građeni na ovom otoku za prošle generacije? Dakle gospodine, što s njim?)
Lord Summerisle: He's dead. Can't complain, had his chance and in modern parlance, blew it. (Mrtav je. Ne može se buniti, imao je svoju priliku i, kako bi se reklo u modernom žargonu, zabrljao je.)

U suštini se radi o suprotstavljanju starog i novog koje se u određenim trenucima (kao u citatima poviše) doslovno izražava, dok se u nekima metaforički prikazuje. Poznata scena u kojoj Willow zavodi Howieja je odličan primjer ovoga. Cijelu pjesmu je Willow gola u svojoj spavaćoj sobi i riječima pjesmi doslovno poziva Howieja da joj se pridruži. Početak pjesme je koliko-toliko pristojan, ali se pjesma pri kraju bazira na dvosmislenim rečenicama koje se poigravaju maštom i koje su sigurno izazivale šaputanje među gledateljima davne 1973. godine:

Fair maid, white and red,
Comb you smooth and stroke your head
How a maid can milk a bull!
And every stroke a bucketful.

(U slobodnom prijevodu:
Lijepa djeva, bijela i rumena,
Počešljat' će te glatko i pogladit' ti glavu.
Kako samo djeva može pomusti bika!
Od svakog poteza izađe puno vedro.)

Za to vrijeme je Howie preopterećen odolijevanjem njenom pozivu. Uostalom, kojeg muškarca riječi ove pjesme ne bi mamile? Na trenutak skoro posustane, ali na kraju uspije nekako odoljeti. U prenesenom značenju se ovdje radi o borbi između prirodne ljudske čežnje i iracionalnog odbijanja užitka, između paganskih običaja i kršćanstva, prastarih liberalnih običaja i novije rigorozne tradicije, između starog i novog, između života i smrti. Ovo posljednje kažem jer je Willowin poziv bio test za Howieja. Da je prekršio svoje obećanje Bogu i spavao s njom (da, prije braka), mještani ga više ne bi smatrali prikladnim za žrtvovanje i poštedjeli bi mu život. U ovom smislu paganizam (odnosno priklanjanje paganskim običajima) u filmu predstavlja život, dok kršćanstvo predstavlja smrt jer upravo zbog toga što je ostao vjeran svom Bogu, Howie je bio žrtvovan. Na kraju filma su pagani ipak dobili, ne samo jer su žrtvovali predstavnika kršćanstva i kršćanskog Boga, pobožne Engleske i educirane civilizacije. Oni su dobili već kada se Howie vratio spavati u svoj krevet i odbio Willowin poziv; sam način na koji je on pružio ruke prema njenoj sobi i grebao zid dokazuje da se radi o čovjeku koji nije živio život i kojeg je vjera ostavila neispunjenog. 

Mještani jako kontrastiraju Howijeu u ovom pogledu jer otvoreno slave seksualnost na sve načine (od vođenja ljubavi u poljima, izvođenja drugih rituala plodnosti, pričanja o seksu otvoreno do nesputanog mijenjanja seksualnih partnera). Slavlje seksualnosti i spolnosti je prisutno i u neopaganizmu. Svaki sabat ima određeni seksualni aspekt u smislu slavlja određene faze odnosa Boga i Božice, simboli plodnosti su prisutni i u ritualima, a plodnost u svim aspektima se slavi tijekom rituala, ali i van njih (plodnost ljudi, životinja i posebice zemlje).

Kada je Wicker Man snimljen, neopaganizam i wicca su tek izlazili u javnost. Provirili su glavom 50-ih godina s Geraldom Gardnerom, a do 70-ih se koliko-toliko obznanili javnosti putem knjiga i časopisa. Sve je ovo bilo jako novo i sporno tada, ali je ovaj film približio neke temeljne elemente paganizma javnosti. Iz današnje perspektive je jedini problem što je mogao usaditi negativno mišljenje o njemu (i stvoriti negativne stereotipe) zbog kraja. Dakle, iako se Wicker Mana ne može shvatiti kao ispravni prikaz modernog paganizma, on podsjeća na njega u određenim aspektima. Mi kao pagani mu možemo jedino biti zahvalni što je jednu potencijalnu tabu temu na vrijeme iznio na vidjelo i osvijestio širu javnost uopće o postojanju paganizma.

Na kraju filma prevladavaju sile kaosa (mještani) koje se sa svojim maskama, mahnitim plesom, zanesenim pjevanjem i slavljem života putem orgazmičnog uživanja suprotstavljaju novijoj tradiciji koja sputava njezine sljedbenike. Kozmos (red) je uništen paljenjem čovjeka od pruća. Ovo odgovoara i mentalitetu u vrijeme porasta popularnosti paganizma kada su brojni lokalni i globalni problemi potaknuli ljude da traže alternativna rješenja i izvore nade za društvene i vlastite dileme. Smatram da film ukazuje na prirodnu izmjenu tradicija s izmjenom balansa između sila kaosa i kozmosa. Takva izmjena ne mora biti loša, ali je gotovo uvijek drastična. Jer da bi nastao novi poredak, mora se srušiti stari. Ovakav stav je možda ekstreman, ali je i cijeli film ekstreman i šokantan.

Sve u svemu, od srca preporučam da ga pogledate, ali vas molim da zapamtite da Wicker Man, iako zanimljivo prikazuje neke njegove elemente, nipošto nije ispravno ogledalo modernog paganizma.

Do sljedećeg posta,

vaša Witch's Cat

The Wicker Man from a Pagan Perspective

For the last few years, I have been listening to numerous comments on behalf of my movie-loving friends about "cult movies" such as The Big Lebowski, Fight Club, Clerks and so on. The Wicker Man is most definitely on that list (of course, I'm referring to the original 1973 version, not the remake from 2006 with Nicolas Cage). So I finally decided to have a look at it one day. I have to admit that the movie as such did not disappoint me in any respect; acting, plot, camerawork, music or in any other manner, although many criticize absolutely all the actors apart from Chrisopher Lee who plays one of the main characters. However, as a Pagan, the most prominent elements of the movie for me were the Pagan ones which there is a surplus of. Some of them thrilled me, while others irritated me so I decided to express my excitement and vent my frustrations in this post. But before I begin, I find it necessary to give a short summary of the movie for those of you who haven't seen it. I warn you that I will reveal the whole plot so if you don't want to ruin the movie-watching experience for yourself, I recommend you skip this entire post. It's best if you watch the movie yourself beforehand. Either that or simply read the synopsis below. By the way, you can watch the whole movie free of charge on this web site.

I would also like to add that The Wicker Many is nowadays thought of as a horror movie although only the very end is horrific, whereas the rest of the movie is more detective-oriented in my opinion with a bunch of sarcastic, snooty moments which give it a dose of humor.

Synopsis

The movie begins with sergeant Neil Howie who is depicted as a devout Catholic. He receives an anonymous letter in which he is asked to visit a nearby island called Summerisle (an imaginary Hebridean island off the west coast of Scotland which is famous for the cultivation of apples) to investigate the disappearance of a young girl by the name of Rowan Morrison.

In his search, Howie faces many obstacles. The locals act as if they have never heard of young Rowan, but he soon begins to doubt them. Howie is staying at the Green Man Inn where he meets the owner and his beautiful daughter Willow. On the wall of the inn, one can find photographs of the annual apple harvests in the center of which is the May Queen (according to tradition, this is a young girl, also a virgin, who bears the responsibility for that year's harvest and the fertility of the earth). There is one photograph for each year, except for precisely the current year whose place is empty (the photo was allegedly broken and had to be fixed, and there is no negative to be found). Howie continues searching and comes across other clues which indicate that Rowan really did exist and that she has in fact disappeared. One of these clues is a grave with her name on it.

In his further search for truth, and now that he has finally got the necessary proof of Rowan's disappearance, Howie goes to the highest authority on the island looking for justice - Lord Summerisle (played by Christopher Lee). He explains the history of the island to Howie. Here we find out that Lord Summerisle's grandfather found the islanders in a depressive state when he came to Summerisle and brought them to their feet. He engaged them in the cultivation of a new sort of apples and convinced them that the harvest would be good as long as they worshiped the old gods (a part of which was the very cultivation of the apples). When the apples started to yield, the locals found meaning to their lives once again, drove away the clergy from the island and returned to the old gods believing that the harvest was the gods' way of awarding them for their effort and worship whereas the Christian God had condemned them to empty lives.

The search for Willow continues and Howie decides to dig up her coffin in which he ultimately finds a dead hare. He then accuses Lord Summerisle of taking part in some sort of Pagan sacrificial ritual in which Rowan was killed, promises to find out everything and that the islanders will bear the consequences of their actions.

Our sergeant still manages to find a negative of the missing photograph in his later search. In it, he sees that Rowan was that year's May Queen and that she was surrounded by empty boxes. Obviously, the harvest failed that year and, after some research on Pagan customs, Howie comes to the conclusion that the locals blamed Rowan for this. The apples are of extreme importance to the island since they are it's primary source of income and everyone depends on them. He believes that the locals have trapped Rowan somewhere and are just waiting for the right day to sacrifice here. And what better day than May Day (i.e. May 1). Ancient customs dictate that crop failure is a sign that the gods are displeased with something and that a human sacrifice (possibly that of a virgin) is one way to calm them down. It is only after the gods have been pleased that fertility will be restored to the land. Or at least that's how the inhabitants of Summerisle thought.

That night, Willow attempts to seduce Howie with her song, but he manages to resist the temptation only thanks to his firm character and his promise to God (he is celibate). In the morning, deciding that he will have to return to the mainland for backup, Howie finds his seaplane (in which he arrived) has broken down and that he has no other choice but to continue the search for Rowan on his own. Since this day is May Day and therefore a day of great festivities as well as parades on Summerisle, everyone is wearing masks, costumes, singing, dancing and celebrating. One of the main characters is Punch, the fool. Traditionally, someone is chosen to play the fool each May Day. This person is usually the local buffoon and is treated as a king for a day. This year, the owner of the Green Man Inn was chosen for this honor. Howie decides to knock him unconscious so he can steal his Punch costume and join the parade in disguise to find out more about Rowan's disappearance. So he joins the parade which finally ends on the beach where it culminates. Lord Summerisle announces a sacrifice and reveals Rowan who is tied up in front of the entrance to a nearby cave. Howie runs to her rescue, frees her and escapes through the cave only to find that he is trapped on the other side. Rowan and Howie are met by Lord Summerisle and a few other locals. He now finally understands that Rowan lead him right into the trap.

In a somewhat lengthy monologue by Lord Summerisle, we find out the whole story: the islanders lured Howie onto the island so they could sacrifice him and they have been manipulating him all along. It is true that the harvest failed and that the islanders now believe that his problem can only be solved by appeasing the gods. But an animal sacrifice, or even that of a child will not do now. As Lord Summerisle puts it, there is nothing better in this case than the "right kind of adult". This implies that the adult came willingly, that they suite both the figure of the king (a figure of authoriy and law such as a sergeant) and the fool (which the locals have managed to turn Howie into). This person also has to be a virgin. Our sergeant matches all the criteria. He is then cleaned, dressed in clean white robes, tied up and taken to the summit of a cliff where he is met by a huge wicker man filled with animals. And one place is reserved for him. Howie is then locked up in this gigantic sculpture which the locals then set on fire. The final scene shows a burning wicker man, Howie praying to God in his last moments and begging the islanders to really think about what they're doing. Meanwhile, they merrily sing and dance in a circle around the fire and call upon the summer.

Pagan Elements in the Movie

The first Pagan element of the movie which is immediately noticable is the music; it's mainly filled with folk songs which are packed with Pagan references. The movie itself begins with the song "Corn Riggs" whose chorus reads:

Corn Rigs and barley rigsCorn rigs are bonnyI'll ne'eer forget that Lammas nightAmang the rigs wi' Annie.

 You probably noticed the direct mention of Lammas, one of the eight Neopagan sabbats. The whole song touches upon different aspects of this sabbat and, more importantly, the central theme of the movie - fertility. Speaking of which...

Perhaps the most well-known song from this movie is, in my humble opinion, the one with the most Pagan symbolism in it - "May Pole".

The lyrics allude to the central mystery of Beltane (May Day/May 1), that is to say fertility and creation (in the most basic sense sex). The Maypole remains to this day a phallic symbol and the garland which is placed on top of it symbolizes the vulva (the very act of planting the pole i.e. placing it in a hole in the ground as well as that of placing the decorative garland on top of it symbolizes coitus - the ultimate human embodiment of fertility). There is a myriad of smaller Pagan elements presented in the movie, such as the figure of the Green Man on the sign of the Green Man Inn. This is, of course, a reference to one of the two central Neopagan gods (that is the aspect of the God) and a well-known figure in Celtic mythology. Also, the names of some of the islanders are very Pagan - Willow, Myrtle, Rowan (all names of trees the druids worshiped and which have their own mythology and importance in the Celtic tradition). In addition to all this, it is clearly stated in the movie that the islanders believe in reincarnation, which is an integral part of Nopagan belief (though it isn't mandatory, it is a part of the worldview of the majority of Neopagans). Another interesting fact is that certain locations in the movie (such as the cave in front of which Howie "rescued" Rowan) were chosen precisely because of the folklore which surrounds them and refers to their Pagan past.  It is quite clear that the islanders celebrate ancient holidays and practice old traditions. This is perhaps most prominent in the parade preparations and in the parade itself and generally the May Day festivities. The costumes are there to represent certain forces and aspects of this holiday. The main characters are the man-horse which is introduced to us as a symbol of fertility and whose obligation it is to pursue the women of the island, the man-woman who represents the forces of chaos and who is usually played by the high priest, or other sort of leader. Finally, there is the man-fool who is usually played by the town buffoon and who is honored as a king for a day. In the procession, they are followed by six swordsmen who cross their swords at the peak of the ceremony to form the symbol of the Sun, which is fitting since May Day is dedicated to the Sun God (in case of Summerisle, also the Goddess of the Fields/Orchards). In ancient times, sacrifice was an integral part of the procession. When the yield was good, the sacrifices were the fruits of the harvest and animals, but when it was bad, it was necessary to sacrifice a person so as to appease the gods. It's interesting that the authors of the film script got all of this information about ancient customs and practices primarily from the book The Golden Bough by Sir James Frazer which is to this day known among Pagans as a quality source of information. From what I have gathered, Margaret Murray was another possible source for the writers. For example, both she and Frazer mention the ancient practice of sacrificing the king who is in himself the ultimate gift to the gods. Besides, if the crops failed, or something else when awry,, who else was there to blame but the leader of that society? Sacrificing the king, fool-king or any other appropriate substitute (such as Howie was for Lord Summerisle in the movie) is therefore an ancient practice which is wonderfully represented in the movie.  The final scene shows a wicker man which the movie was named after and the sacrifice of sergeant Howie. It is known that these sorts of wicker figures were indeed used for these purposes albeit many centuries ago and that they were otherwise burnt alone as a symbolic sacrifice to the gods. When blood sacrifices were given in these figures, they were usually animal sacrifices, and if humans were included, then they were usually prisoners of war, or those prisoners which the society condemned to death. It is thought that the main inspiration for this scene was Cesar's account of how the Druids gave their sacrifices during the Gallic wars (it's identical to the movie reproduction). Burning was an important aspect of sacrifice for the ancient Celts because they believed that fire as such symbolizes the Sun and the Sun God, that smoke carries messages to the gods and thus connects the celebrants on Earth with the gods in the higher spheres. Furthermore, it was believed that fire could bring enlightenment (symbolized by the light it gives), fertility (based on the connection between the fire's warmth and the Sun's warmth without which plants cannot grow) and that is has purifying powers. The latter is definitely true for Summerisle because the main goal of the islanders is to cleanse the island and its orchards as well as to appease the Sun God and Goddess of the Orchards so the next harvest is plentiful. Beltane i.e. May Day is generally known as one of the fire festivals (which are celebrated halfway between the solstices and equinoxes) in Paganism and has its roots in the Celtic tradition. It was customary during these festivals to light bonfires and jump through the fire so as to cleanse oneself and bring forth fertility (according to ancient beliefs, when a person jumps through flames, their reproductive organs are exposed to the fire and thus also its beneficial influences). A famous quote from the movie is from the scene in which Howie stares in astonishment at a group of young girls jumping naked through the flames. Lord Summerisle simply comments wisely: "Naturally! It’s much too dangerous to jump through the fire with your clothes on!".

Of course, the aforementioned practice of sacrifice is long lost. Contemporary Pagans have long ago given up this practice and do not perform blood sacrifices (either animal or human). Appropriate gifts to the gods are food, plants, crystals, something handmade, suitable actions, seeds (which are usually planted) and so on. In this respect, the movie promotes negative stereotypes, which is the largest objection I have to it.

Such a depiction of Paganism supports the main theme of the movie - the struggle between the "new" Christian customs and the old Pagan ones. This is noticeable in the contrast between the two main characters i.e. the devoted Catholic sergeant and the Pagan civil leader and also in the sergeant's attitude towards the local customs. He continuously protests them and in several occasions strongly attacks them. Yet, Lord Summerisle also speaks his mind and directs criticism at Christianity a few times:

Sergeant Howie: What religion can they possibly be learning jumping over bonfires?
Lord Summerisle: Parthenogenesis.
Sergeant Howie: What?
Lord Summerisle: Literally, as Miss Rose would doubtless say in her assiduous way, reproduction without sexual union.
Sergeant Howie: Oh, what is all this? I mean, you've got fake biology, fake religion... Sir, have these children never heard of Jesus?
Lord Summerisle: Himself the son of a virgin, impregnated, I believe, by a ghost... 

Sergeant Howie: And what of the TRUE God? Whose glory, churches and monasteries have been built on these islands for generations past? Now sir, what of him?
Lord Summerisle: He's dead. Can't complain, had his chance and in modern parlance, blew it.

What is at hand is essentially the opposition of the old and the new which is expressed literally in certain moments (as in the examples above), while is is expressed metaphorically in others. The well-known scene in which Willow seduces Howie is an excellent example of this. During the whole song, Willow is naked in her bedroom and in it literally asks Howie to join her. The beginning of the song is somewhat polite, but as the songs nears its end, it is based more and more on double entendres which excite the imagination and which surely caused murmuring among the public back in 1973:

Fair maid, white and red,Comb you smooth and stroke your headHow a maid can milk a bull!And every stroke a bucketful.

All this time, Howie is preoccupied with resisting her call. Besides, is there any man that wouldn't be enticed by these lyrics? For a moment he almost gives in, but he somehow manages to resist in the end. Metaphorically, this scene depicts the battle between natural human longing and irrational rejection of pleasure, between Pagan customs and Christianity, primeval liberal tradition and a new rigorous one, between the old and the new, between life and death. I mention the latter because Willow's invitation was a test for Howie. If he had broken his promise to God and slept with her (yes, before marriage), the locals would not have deemed him fit for sacrifice any longer and would have spared his life. In this sense, Paganism (or more precisely complying to Pagan customs) represents life in the movie, whereas Christianity represents death as Howie was sacrificed because he remained faithful to his God. At the end of the movie, the Pagans still won though. But not only because they sacrificed the movie's representative of Christianity and the Christian God, pious England and educated civilization. They had already won when Howie had returned to his bed and decided to reject Willow's invitation. The very manner in which he stretched out his arms towards her room and scratched the wall proves that Howie is a man who has never lived a day in his life and whose faith has left him unfulfilled.

The locals contrast Howie in this respect because they openly celebrate sexuality in every way possible (from making love in the fields, performing other fertility rituals, openly talking about sex to uninhibitedly changing sexual partners). The celebration of sexuality is present in Neopaganism also. Every sabbat has a sexual aspect (in the sense of celebrating a certain phase of the relationship between the God and Goddess), symbols of sexuality are present in rituals and fertility in all its aspects is celebrated in ritual, but also outside it (the fertility of humans, animals and especially the earth).

When The Wicker Man was filmed, Neopaganism and Wicca were just starting to reveal themselves to the public. The reared their heads in the 50s with Gerald Garner, and by the 70s had somewhat announced themselves to the public through books and magazines. This was all very new and controversial back then, but this movie brought some of the fundamental elements of Paganism closer to the public. From a contemporary perspective, the only problem is that it could have promoted negative beliefs about Paganism (and created negative stereotypes) only due to its end. Therefore, although The Wicker Man cannot be understood as an accurate depiction of modern Paganism, it resembles it in some aspects. We as Pagans can only be thankful because it brought to light one potential taboo in time and made the general public aware that Paganism even existed.

At the end of the movie, the forces of chaos (the islanders) dominate. It is by means of masks, wild dancing, enthralled singing and celebration of life through orgasmic enjoyment that they oppose the new tradition which fetters its followers. Cosmos (order) is destroyed in the act of burning the wicker man. This corresponds to the predominant mentality in the period of Paganism's upsurge in popularity when numerous local and global problems prompted people to find alternative solutions and sources of hope for social and their personal dilemmas. I believe that the movie points to the natural alteration of traditions which is followed by the modification of balance between the forces of chaos and cosmos. Such a change doesn't necessarily have to be bad, bit it is almost always drastic. Because in order for a new order to be created, the old has to be brought down. This stance is possibly a bit extreme, but the whole movie is extreme and quite shocking.

All in all, I sincerely recommend you watch the movie, but I ask that you remember that The Wicker Man is on no account an accurate reflection of modern Paganism, but it does interestingly depict some of its elements.

Until next time! Yours,

Witch's Cat