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Wicca Living

Banner
Menu
  • Home
  • Getting Started
    • Frequently Asked Questions About Wicca, Witchcraft, and Magic
    • What is Wicca?
    • What is Witchcraft?
    • Are Wiccans Really Witches?
    • What is Paganism?
    • What is Magic? (And Magick?)
    • What’s the Difference Between Black Magic and White Magic?
    • Is Wicca Connected to Satanism?
    • What is Known of the History of Wicca?
    • Close
  • Wiccan Magic
    • A Beginners Guide to Wiccan Magic
    • Candle Magic
      • A Beginners Guide to Candle Magic: A Wiccan Overview
      • Candle Magic Spell for Beginners
      • Magical Properties of Colors
      • Close
    • Crystal Magic
      • A Beginners Guide to Crystal Magic: A Wiccan Overview
      • Crystal Magic Spell for Beginners
      • Magical Properties of Crystals and Other Minerals
      • Close
    • Herbal Magic
      • A Beginners Guide to Herbal Magic: A Wiccan Overview
      • A Herbal Magic Spell for Beginners
      • Magical Properties of Herbs
      • Close
    • Oil Magic
      • A Beginners Guide to Magical Oils: Essential Oils Magic
      • How to Make Your Own Magical Oil Blends
      • Close
    • Moon Magic
    • The Book of Shadows: A Modern Grimoire
    • Magic and the Law of Attraction
    • Wiccan Guide to Tarot
    • The Ancient Runes
    • Close
  • Core Wiccan Beliefs
    • Introduction to the Core Wiccan Beliefs
    • Deities of Wicca
      • The Wiccan Goddess and God
      • Triple Goddess: Maiden, Mother, and Crone
      • The Oak King and the Holly King: Aspects of the God
      • Working with Ancient Deities
      • Close
    • The Classical Elements in Wicca
      • The Earth Element
      • The Water Element
      • The Fire Element
      • The Air Element
      • The Spirit Element (Akasha)
      • Close
    • The Wiccan Rede
    • The Threefold Law
    • Close
  • Wiccan Ritual
    • An Introduction to Wiccan Rituals
    • Tools of Magic: Ritual Tools and the Wiccan Altar
      • Wiccan Altar
      • Athame
      • Bell
      • Boline
      • Broom (Besom)
      • Cauldron
      • Chalice
      • Incense
      • Pentacle
      • Wand
      • Close
    • Setting Up the Altar and Casting the Circle
    • The Book of Shadows: A Modern Grimoire
    • Clearing and Charging Your Ritual Tools
    • Clothing and Ritual Attire
    • Close
  • Wheel of the Year
    • The Wiccan Sabbats
      • Yule (Winter Solstice)
      • Imbolc
      • Ostara (Spring Equinox)
      • Beltane
      • Litha (Summer Solstice)
      • Lammas / Lughnasadh
      • Mabon (Autumn Equinox)
      • Samhain
      • Close
    • Wiccan Esbats
    • Close
  • Wiccan Paths
    • Wiccan Traditions
    • Covens, Circles, and Solitary Practitioners
    • Wiccan Initiation and Self-Dedication
    • Close
  • Learn More
    • About
    • Recommended Reading List
    • Free Wicca Audiobooks
    • Books by Lisa Chamberlain
    • Contact
    • Close

The Oak King and the Holly King: Aspects of the God

In some Wiccan traditions, the ritual observation of the Wheel of the Year is augmented by the legend of the Oak King and the Holly King. Representing the waxing and waning of the Sun as the seasons turn, the two figures take turns ruling over the year. The Oak King reigns during the light half, or throughout Spring and Summer, while the dark half—Autumn and Winter—belongs to the Holly King.

As the ruler of the dark half of the year, the Holly King is named for the cheery evergreen tree whose bright green leaves and red berries are a welcome sight in the cold winter months. The Oak King, by contrast, is named for the decoratively-shaped leaves that symbolize the height of summer. Both trees are considered sacred to Wiccans, Witches, and other Pagans, and have long been treasured for their magical properties.

The two kings are brothers, but they are also rivals, who battle each other throughout the year, alternately conquering each other as the seasons shift. The dates on which the battle is won depends on the tradition. In some forms of Wicca, the Oak King takes over at the Winter Solstice, while the Holly King ascends at the Summer Solstice, as these Sabbats are the technical markers of the Sun’s waxing and waning relative to Earth. Other traditions, however, have the change in rule occur at the Spring and Autumn Equinoxes, so that the Holly King is at the height of his power at the Winter Solstice, when the darkness reigns supreme, and the Oak King is in full glory at the Summer Solstice, when the light is at its strongest.

Wiccan God

Some hold that this second version makes more sense in terms of the way the seasons are typically experienced, but both interpretations highlight the ever-changing nature of the Wheel of the Year: although there may be times when the Summer or the Winter seem endless, we are always moving inexorably forward into the next season.

Some Wiccans view the Oak King and the Holly King as twin aspects of the God, in constant battle with each other for the love and attention of the Goddess. Others don’t see such an exact equivalence, but rather observe the legend as another layer of the larger picture of the Wheel of the Year. As with most legends, the actual origins of the Oak King and the Holly King are unknown, but since being introduced into Wicca by Janet and Stewart Farrar in the late 1970s,  they have become part of the lore of a number of Pagan traditions.

And although they are not exclusive to Wicca, they clearly fit in with the Wiccan reverence for the paradox of light and dark, and of death and rebirth. After all, there can be no light without the dark—it is the contrast between the two that makes each possible. This is arguably the lesson of the Oak King and the Holly King, as it is traditional, when speaking of the legend, to point out that neither can exist without the other.

Learn More About the Wiccan God:

Wiccan Goddess

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