retro_eidas (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
retro_eidas) wrote2004-06-14 07:50 pm
retro_eidas) wrote2004-06-14 07:50 pm
Tale of the Oak King and Holly King & Interesting Similarities to HP, Pt.1
This is the product of several days speculating on and off on a few other boards (so yes, this is quite long. Long enough I'm dividing it in three parts). I've condensed and altered it for coherence here, but haven't included many canon quotes as yet (mostly because I can't remember where all of them are, but I know they're all part of canon). Hopefully I will within the next few days if I can find time at work to waste... and there's always time for that somewhere. ;) A theory isn't much good without canon backing it up.
In a nutshell, the Tale of the Oak King and the Holly King is a Celtic myth about the changing solstices. Two warring brothers/twins (God of the Waning Year and God of the Waxing Year) who do battle at midsummer and midwinter, on an eternal cycle of birth, coming of age, death and rebirth.
The Oak King
The Oak King, the Lord of the Greenwood and golden twin of the waxing year, rules from Midwinter to Midsummer. At Midwinter, he goes to battle with his twin, the Holly King, for the favor of the Goddess. He slays the Holly King, who goes to rest in Caer Arianrhod until they do battle again at Midsummer. The Oak King and Holly King are mortal enemies at Midsummer and Midwinter, but they are two sides of a whole. Neither could exist without the other.
Two themes run throughout the Oak King and Holly King saga. The first, of course, is the two great yearly battles between the two. The second is the sacrificial mating, death, and resurrection of each in his season. At Beltane, the peak of the Oak King's reign, he sacrificially mates with the Great Mother, dies in her embrace, and is resurrected. This is an enactment of the natural fertility theme of the season, and is not uncommon in other mythologies: Osiris, Tammuz, Dionysus, Balder, and Jesus are only a few other gods who die and are resurrected. (The Holly King on the other hand, mates, dies and is resurrected at Lammas.) This aspect of the Oak King and Holly King is not widely discussed, but is an important element in their roles as fertility gods.
Represents: Growth, Expansion
Gods: Jupiter (Roman god of light and sky)
Janus (Roman god of planting, marriage, birth, and other types of beginnings)
Dagda (Irish-Celtic god of the earth)
Frey (Norse fertility god)
Pan (Greek god of fertility, unbridled male sexuality and carnal desire)
Colors: Red, green, yellow, purple
Plant: Oak, mistletoe
Bird: Robin
Associated myths: Robin Hood, King Arthur, Gawain (when he meets the Green Knight), Jesus, Balder, Green Man
The Holly King
The Holly King, the Lord of the Winterwood and darksome twin of the waning year, rules from Midsummer to Midwinter. At Midsummer, he goes to battle with his twin, the Oak King, for the favor of the Goddess. He slays the Oak King, who goes to rest in Caer Arianrhod until they do battle again at Midsummer. The Oak King and Holly King are mortal enemies at Midsummer and Midwinter, but they are two sides of a whole. Neither could exist without the other.
Two themes run throughout the Holly King and Oak King saga. The first, of course, is the two great yearly battles between the two. The second is the sacrificial mating, death, and resurrection of each in his season. At Lammas, the peak of the Holly King's reign, he sacrificially mates with the Great Mother, dies in her embrace, and is resurrected. This is an enactment of the natural fertility theme of the season, and is not uncommon in other mythologies: Osiris, Tammuz, Dionysus, Balder, and Jesus are only a few other gods who die and are resurrected. (The Oak King on the other hand, mates, dies and is resurrected at Beltane.) This aspect of the Holly King and Oak King is not widely discussed, but is an important element in their roles as fertility gods.
Represents: Withdrawal, lessons, life, rest
Gods: Saturn (Roman agricultural god)
Cronos (Greek god, also known as Father Time)
Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (Russian winter god)
Odin/Wotan (Scandinavian/Teutonic All-Father who rides the sky on an eight-legged horse)
The Tomte (a Norse Land Spirit known for giving gifts to children at this time of year)
Thor (Norse sky god who rides the sky in a chariot drawn by goats)
Color: Black, Red, Green, Gold
Plant: Holly
Bird: Wren
Associated myths: Santa Claus in all his variations, the Green Knight from Arthurian legend, Mordred (who struck down King Arthur), St. John, Corn King, Bran the Blessed
I'm particularly intrigued in that the Oak King and Holly King, popularly, are actually two halves of a binity. Two gods in one god. For this they're often referred to as "twin gods" (Voldemort and Harry's "twin" wands). The god of the waning year kills his brother at midsummer. The god of the waxing year kills his brother in midwinter. The one god being Cernunnos aka the "Green Man", the Horned God, the Great God, Father Earth, King of All Beasts, God of the Hunt, the Stag God, etc. His appearance, generally, is that of a man with stag antlers coming out of his head. Although he's also sometimes associated with a green giant wearing clothes made of Holly leaves (Which is where the Jolly Green Giant slogan originated from). He's one of the most important gods of the Celtic pantheon.
The Celtic myth of Cernunnos has been considerably maligned when the Christians swept through the whole of Europe. The Christians strongly associated the image with satan in attempt to "christianize" the pagans (malign the heathen gods and push them towards the Christian). This is primarily why satan's image is so often associated with a horned demon, part man / part stag/bull/ram, etc.
However, due to Cernunnos also being the Holly King and Oak King... the god also has association to various "good" characters too. Some of which are listed above, but a few examples are King Arthur (born in midwinter), Jesus Christ, Santa Claus, Robin Hood, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (from the Arthurian legend Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) etc.
In regards to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the poem is another version of tale of the Oak and Holly Kings of which both characters do battle and are resurrected afterwards. Gawain (Oak King) lops off the Knight's (Holly King's) head, to seemingly no effect (the Green Knight simply picks up his head and goes about his business). Thus, the means of "death" in the poem is by decapitation. Harry jokes in GoF, while making up a bunch of morbid predictions for his Divination homework, that he will die by "decapitation". In PoA, McGonagall jokes about a "mad axe-man" waiting outside the Great Hall to slaughter the first to rise from the dinner table (in the case of PoA, Harry or Ron. Since it was Christmas, aka midwinter, when this happened, whichever one of them that represents the Holly King when the axe finally falls is going to lose his head). Towards the end of the book, Macnair - the executioner with a huge axe - is ready to lop off Buckbeak's head. Buckbeak was saved by H/Hr via the Time Turner. Macnair is incidentally a Death Eater. Macnair is also the man who nearly strangled Harry to death in the Department of Mysteries in OotP (before he's saved by Neville jabbing Hermione's wand into Macnair's eye). All very interesting.
Another British folklore / Oak/Holly King parallel is with the Robin Hood legends, focusing on OotP. Doesn't Dumbledore's Army have a rather Robin Hood's Band of Merry Outlaws theme to it? Harry as Robin Hood, Hermione as Maid Marian and Ron as Will Scarlett (particularly fitting surname). The idea of robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. In the case of OotP and the DA, useful DADA-knowledge is substitute for "riches" ("riches" Harry/Robin Hood is giving to the "poor" students of Hogwarts who seek him for help). High Inquisitor Umbridge posing as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Minister Fudge as the dubious, but cowardly Prince John.
Whether good or evil, the idea of death and resurrection are prevalent throughout. As is the concept of immortality. This is en par to Voldemort's quest for immortality (replicating King Arthur's quest for the Grail? Hitler's?). I'm sure Nicolas Flamel probably works in here too. An alchemist who had also been searching for the key to immortality (and apparently found it as Arthur's knights supposedly had found it). The quest for the grail in other words. Nicolas Flamel could be the representation of King Arthur, while Voldemort is Hitler.
Today, Cernunnos has become an image of both good and evil. The eternal battle between good and evil. However, in that that Holly King and Oak King are depicted as equals, this all harkens back to the "Lost Prophecy". How Harry (or Voldemort) *must* either be the murderer or the victim. The hunter or the hunted. Such is the infinite destiny of the Holly and Oak Kings. Such is the embodiment of Cernunnos (both the King of all Beasts and the God of the Hunters. Hunter and the Hunted).
Cont. to Pt. 2, Pt.3
The (H/Hr) shipper perspective.
In a nutshell, the Tale of the Oak King and the Holly King is a Celtic myth about the changing solstices. Two warring brothers/twins (God of the Waning Year and God of the Waxing Year) who do battle at midsummer and midwinter, on an eternal cycle of birth, coming of age, death and rebirth.
The Oak King
The Oak King, the Lord of the Greenwood and golden twin of the waxing year, rules from Midwinter to Midsummer. At Midwinter, he goes to battle with his twin, the Holly King, for the favor of the Goddess. He slays the Holly King, who goes to rest in Caer Arianrhod until they do battle again at Midsummer. The Oak King and Holly King are mortal enemies at Midsummer and Midwinter, but they are two sides of a whole. Neither could exist without the other.
Two themes run throughout the Oak King and Holly King saga. The first, of course, is the two great yearly battles between the two. The second is the sacrificial mating, death, and resurrection of each in his season. At Beltane, the peak of the Oak King's reign, he sacrificially mates with the Great Mother, dies in her embrace, and is resurrected. This is an enactment of the natural fertility theme of the season, and is not uncommon in other mythologies: Osiris, Tammuz, Dionysus, Balder, and Jesus are only a few other gods who die and are resurrected. (The Holly King on the other hand, mates, dies and is resurrected at Lammas.) This aspect of the Oak King and Holly King is not widely discussed, but is an important element in their roles as fertility gods.
Represents: Growth, Expansion
Gods: Jupiter (Roman god of light and sky)
Janus (Roman god of planting, marriage, birth, and other types of beginnings)
Dagda (Irish-Celtic god of the earth)
Frey (Norse fertility god)
Pan (Greek god of fertility, unbridled male sexuality and carnal desire)
Colors: Red, green, yellow, purple
Plant: Oak, mistletoe
Bird: Robin
Associated myths: Robin Hood, King Arthur, Gawain (when he meets the Green Knight), Jesus, Balder, Green Man
The Holly King
The Holly King, the Lord of the Winterwood and darksome twin of the waning year, rules from Midsummer to Midwinter. At Midsummer, he goes to battle with his twin, the Oak King, for the favor of the Goddess. He slays the Oak King, who goes to rest in Caer Arianrhod until they do battle again at Midsummer. The Oak King and Holly King are mortal enemies at Midsummer and Midwinter, but they are two sides of a whole. Neither could exist without the other.
Two themes run throughout the Holly King and Oak King saga. The first, of course, is the two great yearly battles between the two. The second is the sacrificial mating, death, and resurrection of each in his season. At Lammas, the peak of the Holly King's reign, he sacrificially mates with the Great Mother, dies in her embrace, and is resurrected. This is an enactment of the natural fertility theme of the season, and is not uncommon in other mythologies: Osiris, Tammuz, Dionysus, Balder, and Jesus are only a few other gods who die and are resurrected. (The Oak King on the other hand, mates, dies and is resurrected at Beltane.) This aspect of the Holly King and Oak King is not widely discussed, but is an important element in their roles as fertility gods.
Represents: Withdrawal, lessons, life, rest
Gods: Saturn (Roman agricultural god)
Cronos (Greek god, also known as Father Time)
Father Ice/Grandfather Frost (Russian winter god)
Odin/Wotan (Scandinavian/Teutonic All-Father who rides the sky on an eight-legged horse)
The Tomte (a Norse Land Spirit known for giving gifts to children at this time of year)
Thor (Norse sky god who rides the sky in a chariot drawn by goats)
Color: Black, Red, Green, Gold
Plant: Holly
Bird: Wren
Associated myths: Santa Claus in all his variations, the Green Knight from Arthurian legend, Mordred (who struck down King Arthur), St. John, Corn King, Bran the Blessed
I'm particularly intrigued in that the Oak King and Holly King, popularly, are actually two halves of a binity. Two gods in one god. For this they're often referred to as "twin gods" (Voldemort and Harry's "twin" wands). The god of the waning year kills his brother at midsummer. The god of the waxing year kills his brother in midwinter. The one god being Cernunnos aka the "Green Man", the Horned God, the Great God, Father Earth, King of All Beasts, God of the Hunt, the Stag God, etc. His appearance, generally, is that of a man with stag antlers coming out of his head. Although he's also sometimes associated with a green giant wearing clothes made of Holly leaves (Which is where the Jolly Green Giant slogan originated from). He's one of the most important gods of the Celtic pantheon.
The Celtic myth of Cernunnos has been considerably maligned when the Christians swept through the whole of Europe. The Christians strongly associated the image with satan in attempt to "christianize" the pagans (malign the heathen gods and push them towards the Christian). This is primarily why satan's image is so often associated with a horned demon, part man / part stag/bull/ram, etc.
However, due to Cernunnos also being the Holly King and Oak King... the god also has association to various "good" characters too. Some of which are listed above, but a few examples are King Arthur (born in midwinter), Jesus Christ, Santa Claus, Robin Hood, Sir Gawain and the Green Knight (from the Arthurian legend Sir Gawain and the Green Knight) etc.
In regards to Sir Gawain and the Green Knight, the poem is another version of tale of the Oak and Holly Kings of which both characters do battle and are resurrected afterwards. Gawain (Oak King) lops off the Knight's (Holly King's) head, to seemingly no effect (the Green Knight simply picks up his head and goes about his business). Thus, the means of "death" in the poem is by decapitation. Harry jokes in GoF, while making up a bunch of morbid predictions for his Divination homework, that he will die by "decapitation". In PoA, McGonagall jokes about a "mad axe-man" waiting outside the Great Hall to slaughter the first to rise from the dinner table (in the case of PoA, Harry or Ron. Since it was Christmas, aka midwinter, when this happened, whichever one of them that represents the Holly King when the axe finally falls is going to lose his head). Towards the end of the book, Macnair - the executioner with a huge axe - is ready to lop off Buckbeak's head. Buckbeak was saved by H/Hr via the Time Turner. Macnair is incidentally a Death Eater. Macnair is also the man who nearly strangled Harry to death in the Department of Mysteries in OotP (before he's saved by Neville jabbing Hermione's wand into Macnair's eye). All very interesting.
Another British folklore / Oak/Holly King parallel is with the Robin Hood legends, focusing on OotP. Doesn't Dumbledore's Army have a rather Robin Hood's Band of Merry Outlaws theme to it? Harry as Robin Hood, Hermione as Maid Marian and Ron as Will Scarlett (particularly fitting surname). The idea of robbing from the rich and giving to the poor. In the case of OotP and the DA, useful DADA-knowledge is substitute for "riches" ("riches" Harry/Robin Hood is giving to the "poor" students of Hogwarts who seek him for help). High Inquisitor Umbridge posing as the Sheriff of Nottingham. Minister Fudge as the dubious, but cowardly Prince John.
Whether good or evil, the idea of death and resurrection are prevalent throughout. As is the concept of immortality. This is en par to Voldemort's quest for immortality (replicating King Arthur's quest for the Grail? Hitler's?). I'm sure Nicolas Flamel probably works in here too. An alchemist who had also been searching for the key to immortality (and apparently found it as Arthur's knights supposedly had found it). The quest for the grail in other words. Nicolas Flamel could be the representation of King Arthur, while Voldemort is Hitler.
Today, Cernunnos has become an image of both good and evil. The eternal battle between good and evil. However, in that that Holly King and Oak King are depicted as equals, this all harkens back to the "Lost Prophecy". How Harry (or Voldemort) *must* either be the murderer or the victim. The hunter or the hunted. Such is the infinite destiny of the Holly and Oak Kings. Such is the embodiment of Cernunnos (both the King of all Beasts and the God of the Hunters. Hunter and the Hunted).
Cont. to Pt. 2, Pt.3
The (H/Hr) shipper perspective.