wicker men
Braided humanoid sculptures
Wicker men are large human-shaped figures woven from branches or straw, associated with ancient Celtic ritual and modern pagan festivals.
Classical sources claim druids burned criminals or captives inside such effigies as sacrifice to the gods—though the historical accuracy is disputed.
The image has become iconic through the 1973 horror film *The Wicker Man* and its burning-effigy climax.
Modern wicker men appear at festivals and celebrations, sometimes burned ceremonially: They built a forty-foot wicker man for the summer solstice.
- effigySculpted human representation
- fireCombustion with flames
- going up in flamesBeing destroyed by fire
- woodenMade from timber
- idolObject of worship
burning effigy · sacrifices · figure · weaving · ceremonies · harvest festival · basket · neo-paganism · Celtic tradition · ritual · ancient Britain · Gaul · Christopher Lee · cult classic · Iron Age · folklore · folk horror · statue
wicker menstone monuments
Lasting rock tributes
marble statues · bronze statues · stone idols · Mount Rushmore · Stonehenge
wicker mencrucifixes
Crosses bearing Christ's image
church steeples · Christian iconography · Christian relics · saints' relics · madonnas
wicker menwar memorials
Structures honoring fallen soldiers
cenotaphs · commemorative statues · mausoleums · Lincoln Memorial · tombs