As some of my readers will know, I’m not fond of turning deities into symbols or interpreting them as mere archetypes, but I have nothing against symbols.
|
|
|
“But it’s made up!” “This isn’t traditional!” Well, no, it certainly isn’t. At least it isn’t a tradition of long standing, although it’s become something of a tradition among many modern Pagans. There is nothing wrong with new traditions, and as new traditions go, I think the Oak and Holly Kings idea is both benign and useful. Not all Pagans are religious. Some have no interest in deities but most of us are interested in the seasonal cycles of nature, and these chaps give us something which personifies that in a non-deific way. Most people don’t worship the Oak and Holly Kings, they are just symbols.
As symbols, these figures have come to riff pretty obviously on the foliate head iconography found on (mostly) English Norman churches. It’s generally thought that their original meaning is far from the ideas of the veneration of nature that are now applied to them, but I don’t think that’s important. It’s a modern, post-Christian interpretation of a common artistic expression, as is the modern understanding of The Green Man. On the cultural appropriation scale, I would rank it 1 (very low) to 0 (you must be joking). It doesn’t ask us to apply any archetypal mumbo-jumbo to some unsuspecting deity who will find it a poor fit.
As symbols, these figures have come to riff pretty obviously on the foliate head iconography found on (mostly) English Norman churches. It’s generally thought that their original meaning is far from the ideas of the veneration of nature that are now applied to them, but I don’t think that’s important. It’s a modern, post-Christian interpretation of a common artistic expression, as is the modern understanding of The Green Man. On the cultural appropriation scale, I would rank it 1 (very low) to 0 (you must be joking). It doesn’t ask us to apply any archetypal mumbo-jumbo to some unsuspecting deity who will find it a poor fit.
Of course you may feel that your own culture or mythology offers all you need to understand and celebrate the endless journey between midsummer and midwinter, and if so, that’s fine. Christians don’t really need Santa Claus, but he’s fairly harmless and popular, and largely what you make of him. A symbol of the season, a Christian saint, or something for kids. I don’t feel that my own tradition has deities which strongly personify summer or winter, in spite of some associations. Nor do I feel that there are myths in any Celtic tradition which really describe the seasonal changes as a strong theme. There are hints. The Cailleach is a big one – but I still feel a bit wobbly about whether or not she is even a deity, and I think she has acquired a lot of new folklore, especially concerning her imprisonment of Bride as a spring maiden. The seasonal battle between Gwythyr ap Greidol and Gwyn ap Nudd, alluded to in Culhwch and Olwen, suggests that there may have once been a seasonal battle myth, as does Arawn and Hafgan’s annual battle in the First Branch of the Mabinogi.
The fact that many modern Pagans try hard to find or recreate myths from cultural traditions may indicate that there is a need for such a myth. It’s possible that this is largely a modern need, but that doesn’t make it unimportant. It’s also possible that it’s just another neoPagan hangover from the glory days of Frazier and Graves. Well, modern Paganism owes them a lot, whether we like it or not.
Old isn’t always better. Culture-specific isn’t always better, either. I’m a devotional polytheist. I do my specific thing within that. However, I’m extremely glad of the wider neoPagan community. I like many of its traditions and loathe others. I like the Oak and Holly Kings. I occasionally get a little frustrated when people start making claims for their antiquity or spouting nonsense about the meanings of foliate heads on churches. But I’m nerdy like that. I love to get at the truth of things.
Still, what a great new set of symbols. People like writing stories about them, and creating beautiful new art depicting them. So now you know. I’m completely and utterly out of the closet as a fan on the Oak and Holly Kings.
Still, what a great new set of symbols. People like writing stories about them, and creating beautiful new art depicting them. So now you know. I’m completely and utterly out of the closet as a fan on the Oak and Holly Kings.
RSS Feed
