From The Wicker Man (1973) to Atlantean Kodex

Extreme music, alternative identities and the invention of paganism

Bibliographic Data

ID21876111
AuthorsKarl Spracklen (0000-0002-6390-9022, Leeds Beckett University, corresponding author)
Year2020
Volume6
Issue1
Pages71-86
Publication date2020-03-01
Open AccessNo
TypeARTICLE
VenueMetal Music Studies (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2052-3998 • E-ISSN: 2052-4005
PublisherIntellect (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1386/mms_00005_1
OpenAlexW2988098201
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited16

The German epic heavy/doom metal band Atlantean Kodex has written two concept albums based on the folklore and paganism of old Europe and the West: The Golden Bough and The White Goddess . The two albums owe their titles to two books that have influenced the rise of modern paganism, though they remain deeply problematical. In this article, I explore possibly the most important influence on Atlantean Kodex, which is also one of the most important influences on modern paganism: the 1973 horror film The Wicker Man . I discuss the ways in which the film uses the speculative folklore of Frazer and Graves to construct a set of invented traditions about paganism and its alternative, counter-Christian nature, which have made paganism appealing to extreme metal musicians and fans. In this discussion, I use examples from other metal bands and fans who have name-checked the themes and the traditions of the film. In discussing the folklore of the Wicker Man, I also explore the folk music used in the soundtrack, which has also contributed to the invention of modern paganism and extreme folk music. I conclude by suggesting that, although many pagans have adopted this extreme music and myth into their world-views, the myth of the Wicker Man is also used as a playful rejection of Christianity and its authority by those of a secular or humanist persuasion

Archaeology · Art · Christianity · Folklore · Literature · Mythology · Paganism · Crime, Deviance, and Social Control · Folklore, Mythology, and Literature Studies · History · Music History and Culture

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