The King of All Birds

The King of All Birds

"The wren, the wren, the king of all birds
On St. Stephen's Day was caught in the furze,
Although he is little, his family is great
So rise up, good people, and give us a treat."
   ___ "The Wren's Song"  traditional Irish lay


   The old Celtic custom of hunting for the wren, killing it, and passing it around the village in a holly-bush care in return for money, food or drink continues in Ireland on this December day, although a wren is no longer killed. Instead, wren-boys take an empty decorated wren-cage around their neighborhood and beg for treats. The origins of this custom are lost to us, but we may conjecture. A folk story common across Europe tells how the birds had a battle to see who would be their king. The contest required all the birds to fly into the sky and see how near they could get to the sun. As all the birds climbed higher only the eagle could be seen soaring above the others on its powerful wings. It loudly claimed the kingship, asserting that it had risen higher than the rest. Then a little voice cried out from its back, 'But I am higher even than you!'   It was the tiny wren, who was then made king of all birds.
    The wren or drelan, is the druid's bird, and its utterances and cries were once the subject of augury and divination by the ovates (or druidic seers). The oracular bird was clearly important to them and was protected throughout the year. Indeed, it is still thought to be unlucky to harm a wren. The sacrifice of living beings is very distasteful to us now, but our ancestors made offerings of precious life to create bridges between this world and the otherworld at certain times. The death and honoring of wrens seems to be inextricably associated with the returning of the sun: a rite of propitiation and celebration at once, a case of 'the king is dead, long live the king.'

"Set aside from your winter riches, your own charitable offering."
[From: "The Celtic Spirit" by Caitlin Matthews]