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he wren was associated with the Celtic
god Bran, and opposed to the robin, the bird of Belin. Bran was the god of the old year and Belin
the god of the new year. These two gods fought a
ritual battle twice a year where the one killed
the other and then was reborn; the wren kills the
robin as the new year wanes, and the robin kills
the wren as the old year wanes. It is an
archetypal battle that probably has psychological
as well as anthropological significance.
The wren
was also considered to be the 'King of Birds' -
winning the contest of who could fly the highest
by hiding himself in the eagle's wings, and then
flying just a little higher when the eagle
reached it's limit. It is as the king of birds
that he is hunted and killed on St Stephen's Day
in Ireland - a ritual that used to be common all
over Europe and harkens back to a primitive time
when that king was sacrificed annually to ensure
the fertility of the crops. Read
more here
The
wren design I based my piece on was found at a
hill fort in Cork.
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Colours:Lapis Blue
Size: 1 3/4" x 1"
inspiration artifact:
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