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n One of the strangest, and cruellest, of thenChristmas customs was the Hunting of the Wren. The wren is one of our smallestnbirds and is traditionally said to be the King of the Birds; the birds metntogether and decided that the bird that could fly the highest would becomentheir King. The Eagle soared above all the rest but when he reached his limitnand began to tire, the Wren emerged from hiding in the Eagle’s tail feathersnand flew above him, declaring himself to be King and proving that brains arensuperior to brute strength.
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nThis tradition as the wren being called the King ofnthe Birds is common across all European languages. In Greek it is Βασιλίσκοςn(little king), in Spanish reyzuelo (a diminutive of rey – king),nin Italian reatino, in Swedish kungs-fogel – King’s fowl, innDanish fugle-konge – fowl king, in German zaun-könig –nhedge-king, in Dutch winter-koninkjc – little Winter-king, and in Welsh brenn– King. The bird was held in great reverence in all cultures and to harm thenwren invited the worst of bad luck.
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n“He that hurts Robin and the Wren,n
nWillnnever prosper, boy or man.”n
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nGiven this enormous respect for the bird, it isnsurprising that a tradition began in which the wren was hunted and killed atnChristmastide. There are numerous theories why the Hunt began; some say that itnrelated to the transgressions allowed during the reign of the King of Misrulenthat are forbidden during the rest of the year. Others think that the earlynChristian missionaries took exception to the reverence accorded the wren by thenDruids and commanded that it be hunted to spite their opponents and tonsymbolise the ‘killing’ of their pagan practices.
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| B Daddi – The Martyrdom of St Stephen |
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nAnother view is that thenfirst Christian martyr, St Stephen, was betrayed by the song of the wren, whichngave away his hiding place and the bird was hunted in revenge on his feast day,nDecember 26th. Yet another version is that St Stephen ‘took over’nthe customs associated with the Norse god Freyr and the hunting is related tonYule myths associated with him, with the murder of the King of the Birdsnrelated to the killing of the year and the death of the Year King. We willnnever know.
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| Hunting the Wren at Christmas |
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nBut, usually on the morning of St Stephen’s Day, groups of men ornboys would seek out the wren and ultimately kill one, which would then bencarried in procession and buried with great ceremony. The wren would be stonednto death, echoing the form of Stephen’s martyrdom, or killed with sticks orneven shot with firearms. In variations, the bird was taken alive, maimed andnfixed by the leg to two rings overlapping at right angles, on the end of anpole, whilst boys sang,
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n“The wran, the wran, the King of all birds,n
nSt.nStephen’s Day was caught in the furze:n
nCome, give us a bumper, or give us ancake,n
nOr give us a copper, for Charity’s sake.”n
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| Walter Crane – Hunting the Wren |
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nOn the Isle of Man, a feathernfrom the wren was given in return for a donation, and this would bring luck fornthe following year. In Scotland, the wren was hunted on New Year’s Day, caughtnalive and decorated with ribbons before being released, in a custom called then‘Deckan of the Wren’.
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| The Peasants Revolt 1381 |
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nAn English folk-song, The Cutty Wren,ndating from at least 1776, relates the story of the hunting and dismembermentnof a wren, and some have associated this song to the Peasant’s Revolt of 1381,nwith the wren being a symbol for King Richard II, but this is a very suspectnnotion. Thankfully, Hunting the Wren has now died out, although the ceremonynremains in some locations, where a proxy, imitation bird is displayed instead,namidst dancing, music and fancy costumes.
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