Happy Birthday Wicker Man

One of my daughters bought me a 3D pen for Fathers' Day last year. 

I can't say that I've got the hang of it yet but I did make myself a Wicker Man (as in the film) using the pen, some twigs and a bit of spray paint.

It's hard to believe that The Wicker Man is 50 years old this year. It's a brilliant film, often touted as one of the best ever made in the UK. The late Cristopher Lee - who was one of the world's most prolific actors with nigh on 300 film roles under his belt - reckoned playing Lord Summerisle was his best performance.

But was the Wicker Man based on any kind of true historical practice? Probably not. Although there is some evidence that the Celts engaged in blood sacrifices, there are few mentions of a Wicker Man and they all stem from Julius Caesar who wrote in his Commentary on the Gallic War that a large wickerwork figure with limbs was filled with living men and set on fire. He says that criminals were the preferred victims, but that innocent people might also be burned if there were no criminals. 

Writing slightly later, Strabo wrote in his Geographica that men and animals were burned in a large figure of wood and straw, although he does not make clear whether the victims were burned alive. He added that the ashes were believed to help the crops grow. 

Some modern historians and archaeologists stress that the ancient Greco-Roman accounts should be viewed with caution, as Greeks and Romans 'had good reason to dislike a long-term enemy' and it may have benefited them to 'transmit any bizarre and negative information' about the Celts. Their desire to depict Celtic peoples as barbarians may have led to exaggeration or even fabrications.

Whatever the truth, happy birthday Wicker Man.