Topsy-turvy rabbits

Mikhail Bakhtin used the term "carnivalesque" to describe a literary style in which expectations and heirarchy are turned topsy-turvy. He linked the term to celebrations in medieval Europe, such as the Feast of Fools, the Feast of the Ass, and Carnival when chaos ruled, and the established order was turned on its head.

This type of inversion is also found in the marginalia of medieval manuscripts, the most famous examples are the so-called "killer rabbits".

Rabbits were viewed as innocent and vulnerable in medieval symbolism, with tapestries and illustrations often showing them being hunted as food by humans.

The marginalia subverted these concepts, and switched the roles of the rabbits and humans.

Skull & Crown Miniatures did a Kickstarter campaign a few of years back to turn these rabbits into miniatures. I was intrigued by the project, but didn't end up backing it.

Anyway, a couple of months ago, curiosity finally got the better of me, and I ordered a bunch of the rabbits. They're definitely big, but they're still shorter than the average 1/72 scale human, and don't seem too far off with respect to the apparent size of the typical killer rabbit shown in marginalia.

The first group of rabbits are from the Kickstarter Set (KR01). The set includes a separate heater style shield for one of the rabbits.

The next group is from the Hunting Party Set (KR02). The spear and crossbow poses are identical to ones from the previous set.

Whimsically, a snail rests on the gauntlet of the noble rabbit.

The next set includes another creature that is commonly encountered in marginalia, and is the Rabbit Mounted on Snail (KR06). The set includes an extra snail that I think was part of the 250 backer stretch goal of the Kickstarter campaign.

The miniature is based on a composite of two different illustrations.

The Rabbit Command Set (KR14) includes the same bagpipe pose from the Kickstarter Set, and the same mounted noble pose from the Hunting Party Set.

I also was able to get some figures from the Rabbit Trebuchet Set (KR17), Castle Siege Set, and Rabbit Ecclesiastical Set. Normally, the sets come with MDF architectural pieces, but Crown & Skull was kind enough to find some loose miniatures for me.

There is also a crossbow rabbit with the Trebuchet Set, but I didn't bother including one in the photo, since it is identical to the ones from the other sets.

It would have been nice if the Ecclesiastical Set contained all of the poses in the illustration on which it was based.

The final image is of the Wing’d Dog and Pilgrim Set (KR11). I ordered it because I liked the winged dog, and was curious about how tall the hounds were.

To conclude, I have to say that I really like these miniatures, and they are quite faithful to the illustrations found in medieval manuscripts (although the awkward 2D style rendition of the crossbow and crucifix are not ideal).

One thing I do want to mention is that the miniatures are cast in a very soft metal, making me wonder about the lead content in them. During flash removal they left a dark residue on my fingertips, which I washed off with soap and water afterwards.

This is something that I often observed in the past after handling old lead minis. If you are concerned about this, you might want to consider wearing gloves to handle the miniatures until after they are painted.

The Wicker Man

The nation of all the Gauls is extremely devoted to superstitious rites; and on that account they who are troubled with unusually severe diseases and they who are engaged in battles and dangers, either sacrifice men as victims, or vow that they will sacrifice them, and employ the Druids as the performers of those sacrifices; because they think that unless the life of a man be offered for the life of a man, the mind of the immortal gods cannot be rendered propitious, and they have sacrifices of that kind ordained for national purposes. Others have figures of vast size, the limbs of which formed of osiers they fill with living men, which being set on fire, the men perish enveloped in the flames. They consider that the oblation of such as have been taken in theft, or in robbery, or any other offence, is more acceptable to the immortal gods; but when a supply of that class is wanting, they have recourse to the oblation of even the innocent.

– Commentaries on the Gallic War

Aylett Wicker Man, 1676

The Wicker Man was a large wicker effigy mentioned by Julius Caesar, in which human sacrifices were offered by the Gauls to the Celtic gods.

Pennant Wicker Man, 1781

Many scholars say that Caesar (and presumably Strabo) was an unreliable source who merely repeated earlier accounts made by Posidonius. Many writers also caution that the Wicker Man was likely a fabrication used to impugn the reputation of the Celts, but I get the feeling that this assertion similarly comes from a single source, since every article making this declaration also repeats the phrase "bizarre and negative information" in regard to Caesar's remarks.

Wicker giants are also associated with later traditions related to Gog Magog, while the bearded mask depicted in some engravings of the effigy is sometimes seen as being the face of a Green Man.

Unknown origin, 1832

Neo-pagans are less skeptical about the Wicker Man, and many groups burn wicker effigies (minus the live humans) during some of their fire festivals. The most important festivals are held at the Spring Equinox, Midsummer, the Autumn Equinox, and the Winter Solstice. Sir James Frazer states that the fire festivals are rites of purification and renewal, while neo-pagans view the purpose of the ritual as a way to create a spirit messenger to commune with supernatural powers (though they do not discount Frazer's definition either).

The Wicker Man entered popular culture due to the 1973 cult film The Wicker Man directed by Robin Hardy. A companion film called The Wicker Tree was released decades later in 2011.

People have drawn parallels between The Wicker Man and the Burning Man event, but Larry Harvey stated that he was was unaware of the film prior to the founding of Burning Man.

There is also a roller coaster at Alton Towers Resort in Staffordshire, England which is said to have been drawn from local legend by the design team, but I have been unable to find any legends related to the Wicker Man originating from the region.

Wicker Men have appeared in a number of fantasy media franchises as sacrificial effigies.

In the Assassin's Creed video game, the human sacrifices are portrayed as [somewhat] voluntary.

A Wicker (or rather, Straw) Man appears during a Halloween event in the World of Warcraft game.

Crashing the Wickerman Festival

They also make appearances in the Sláine comic book.

A number of Wicker Men are also portrayed as magically animated constructs as in the Berserk manga.

In the Fate/Grand Order mobile game, the Wicker Man appears as the Noble Phantasm invoked by Cú Chulainn in his Caster incarnation.

The Grand Order Wicker Man is also known as the Cage of Scorching, Consuming Flames, and it scoops up its own human sacrifices to imprison and immolate within its torso.

As far as miniatures of the Wicker Man go, there are a couple of 3D printed versions available which I won't go into, but the field is relatively sparse.

Alan the Wicker Man is made by Ainsty Castings as part of their Trader Town line.

The 10" tall figure comes with two head variants (plain and Iron Maiden versions), and a Green Man mask which fits on the resin head. It also has a compartment in the torso with a separate door that can be used to imprison a 28mm figure.

Artwork for The Wicker Man 12" picture disk

Another 10" Wicker Man that I particularly like is made by Wailing Dip, but it is actually a candle made of pure beeswax (No, not the bees!).

Wailing Dip candle also available on Etsy

I think the candle really captures the look of the effigy from the film, and I like the idea that you can set it on fire, though I guess that would be the end of your miniature at that point.

The downside of these large figures however, is that they are too big for 1/72 scale.

For various reasons, there is confusion regarding the actual height of the Wicker Man effigies from the movie, with estimates ranging from 22 to 60 feet tall.

I get the impression that the height is under 30 feet tall, which would call for a figure that might be anywhere from 4" to 5" tall.

Wailing Dip makes a Wee Wicker Man candle that falls exactly into this size range, and I am extremely tempted to get it. However, it's not as detailed as the large candle, so I'm really on the fence about it.

Wailing Dip Wee Wicker Man

The figure I did end up getting is Nicolas The Strawman, from Crooked Dice Game Design Studio. It is part of the Children of the Fields faction for the 2nd edition of their 7TV game.

The figure comes in three pieces made of a hard resin, and stands 80mm tall. It is not a proper Wicker Man, but I thought it was a well executed sculpt.

Nuada, mighty god of the sun, accept our sacrifice and be appeased.
Avellenau, bountiful goddess of our orchards, accept our sacrifice and make our blossoms fruit.