Wicker Man
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A wicker man is burned as part of possibly traditional Gaelic or possibly neo-pagan festivities, especially Beltane, a rite of spring. Wicker men are tall, anthropomorphic wooden structures, woven from flexible sticks such as those of willow as used in wicker furniture and fencing.
In popular culture, a wicker man may be expected to contain sacrificial livestock or persons, as in the 1973 cult film, The Wicker Man. There is little evidence for such extravagances in reality, beyond a single account of Druid rituals recorded by Julius Caesar. Fire rituals in most cultures are associated with simple purification, and the burning of a human effigy is typically intended to create a messenger to carry a community's prayers to its favored deity.
See also:
- Project Gutenberg text for Frazer's The Golden Bough (http://onlinebooks.library.upenn.edu/webbin/gutbook/lookup?num=3623)