Monday 10 September 2012

Paralympic Closing Ceremony based on Druid Ritual

I've just read on the BDO website that the reason the Paralymic closing ceremony was so pagan, was that parts of it were written by druids Emma Restall Orr and Greywolf.

On the BDO website, Greywolf says:
"Emma Restall Orr and I were approached by the organisers of the 2012 Paralympics closing ceremony with a surprising request. They wanted our permission to use parts of the gorsedd ritual we wrote in 1997. So, about 20 minutes into the ceremony, these words went out to 750 million people around the world, spoken by Rory Mackenzie on behalf of Help For Heroes:

"I call upon the Spirit of Summer. The spirit of fire, of energy of passion; spirit of the noonday sun, the heat of summer, vitality and abundance.
I call upon the spirit of Winter. The spirit of earth, of the womb of creation; of the night and the snows of winter, deep roots and ancient stones.
I call upon the spirit of Spring. The spirit of air, the breath of life; of sunrise, of new life and new growth.
I call upon the spirit of Autumn. The spirit of water, of the ebb and flow of emotion; of open seas and running streams, of cleansing rain; spirit of the evening sun, of twilight and of Autumn.

"And then, about 30 minutes in, Rory spoke these words:

"The circle is unbroken,
The ancestors awoken.
May the songs of the Earth
and of her people ring true.
Hail to the Festival of the flame
of root and branch, tooth and claw,
fur and feather, of earth and sea and sky."
Fantastic!

Link: http://www.druidry.co.uk/2012/09/09/bdo-ritual-in-paralympics-closing-ceremony/

5 comments:

Lisa said...

Aha! I bloody knew it, I was jumping around like a demented Pagan nutter last night at the symbolism in the ceremony..I chuffing loved it:) Thanks for this post confirming it:)

Jane K said...

Aha, thank you. I've been trying to find those words today. While watching it I kept saying to myself this has so many pagan overtones. Now you've explained why.

What with that and all the steampunk effects and vehicles I thought it was a brilliant show.

J x

MorningAJ said...

And I missed it! I hop I can find a recording to watch somewhere.

MorningAJ said...

*hope, even. (I must get this keyboard fixed.......)

Vivienne said...

you can watch it here :) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pIRHMmM2z7c