Druids and the Wicker Man: do you think they really burnt up human sacrifices in a wickerwork man?

Question

Yes, I just saw The Wicker Man. But I've seen pics and read about the whole "wicker man" sacrifice thing in other places. Do you think it was real, or just propaganda? Or maybe the Druids started the rumor to make themselves look tougher? (BTW, the movie is entertainment only--it has just a wee tiny bit of truth in it!)

Answer 1

the druids preformed human sacrifices in a willing manner,

basicaly the person being sacrificed was a willing messanger to the gods.

celtic law did not have a death penalty. everything and everyone had an Honor price. a murderer or rapist was more likely to become a slave to the family that he had wronged than to be put to death. however once that happened they could do whatever they wanted with you.

many times a straw man was constructed and burnt as a symbolic sacrifice. sometimes it was said that bad energies were trapped in the straw man.

in general hollywood just tries to sell a story and they do not care for any accuracy at all. look at "the craft" and "charmed" for examples of the s**t that hollywood will try to sell.

Answer 2

*If* it is rumor, it was started by the Romans, since they're the ones who recorded it. All told, I wouldn't be surprised if the Romans did sensationalize the practice, even if it did happen, given the Roman viewpoint on history and the political (read, anti-Celt) stance at the time.

That said, it's well-documented that the Druids did perform sacrifices, including human sacrifices. Some of those were POWs, some were willing sacrifices. IIRC, the burned people in the wicker man, according to the Romans, were prisoners.

Answer 3

They only sacrificed POWs, and then only very rarely. I think it was a sacrifice reserved for extreme situations (like an invasion by the Roman Army). Keep in mind though that the Romans wrote the histories, so it was probably in their best interests to discredit the Druids as savages.

Answer 4

according to historical accounts these "sacrifices" were prisoners and/or criminals. It was more a ritualized death sentence for rapists and murderers than a sacrifice. before you reject this answer, consider that in our modern court system, the proceedings are very ritualized. ritualized does not necessarily mean religious

Answer 5

I haven't seen the movie yet, but really want to see it. It looks interesting. I do think there are things that happened eons ago that we would probably be shocked by in this day and age.

Answer 6

It's pretty well documented that the Druids performed human sacrafices.

Answer 7

Yup. Usually prisoners.

Answer 8

just propaganda