Folklore: Corn King, Year King

Subject: Folklore: Corn King, Year King
From: Amergin
Date: 04 May 15 - 07:00 PM

Hello,

I am looking into some folklore in regards to human sacrifice. I was intrigued by an article I recently read, and wanted to look into it some more. I remember the film the Wicker Man, and hints in some novels in regards to sacrifice, about the Year King, or the Corn King, or whatever they were called. Does anyone else have any information? There was a wikipedia link in a John Barleycorn thread, but the link is dead, not going to be revived into beer.

Also, does any one know any songs (besides the possibility of John Barleycorn) that may be descended from those times?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Corn King, Year King
From: Joe Offer
Date: 04 May 15 - 08:01 PM

refresh. This sounds like it could be very interesting.
-Joe-

...and it's nice to have you around again, Amergin.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Corn King, Year King
From: GUEST,#
Date: 04 May 15 - 08:41 PM

"songs . . . that may be descended from those times?"

Amergin, what times are you referring to. Do you have any rough dates? (I should probably rephrase that.)

Subject: RE: Folklore: Corn King, Year King
From: GUEST,Blandiver (Astray)
Date: 05 May 15 - 04:14 AM

The book you want is this:

Bob Stewart - Where is Saint George?

Subject: RE: Folklore: Corn King, Year King
From: BillOC
Date: 05 May 15 - 10:13 AM

If you Google -- Corn King Human Sacrifice -- you will get some interesting hits that are not related to beer.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Corn King, Year King
From: LadyJean
Date: 05 May 15 - 11:14 PM

Of course St. George is killed in the mummer's play, after a fashion, but he comes back.

Subject: RE: Folklore: Corn King, Year King
From: GUEST,Dave
Date: 06 May 15 - 03:48 AM

I don't think that there is evidence of human sacrifice (as opposed to capital punishment or ritual murders) in the British Isles for a very long time. The suggestion that we burned people in Wicker Men seems to have been spread by the Roman spin doctor Posidonius, who we might regard as the Lynton Crosby of his day (except that Posidonius also did useful stuff like Mathematics).

Subject: RE: Folklore: Corn King, Year King
From: Jack Blandiver
Date: 06 May 15 - 06:58 AM

The main religion of the British Isles these past night on 2,000 years is based on human sacrifice. Some of it's bound to have rubbed off...