My first impressions were based upon the Dancers, the Horns,
costume, the ‘characters,’ ‘Maid’ Marion, Robin, the Jester, the Oss, the
minstrels and of course the two teams of Horn Dancers with their impressive
Horns – which varied in weight up to 26lb – a fair weight to carry for a few
miles, and certainly not an easy weight to hoist above head height when going
‘through’ during the dancing! Visually it is a spectacle in itself, their
matching clothing, with britches of an oak embroidered fabric and shirts and
waistcoats of opposing colours, the two ‘teams’ of Horn Dancers with their
‘light’ and ‘dark’ horns wore opposite colours on shirt and waistcoats,
symbolism aplenty and all looked fantastic in their garb. Something ‘ancient’
in form, yet timeless, the uniform did not look anachronistic, it looked and
felt right.
Looking next to the troupe itself, made up of locals whose
families have been traditionally involved for many, many years, ages varied,
some young and strong, some older and more experienced, one family had 3
generations present, and one person was celebrating 50 years of being involved!
The dancers were well versed in their moves, they moved as one, the smaller
‘steps’ being woven into an ever evolving and changing pattern as the lead
dancer called out instruction or led them into a wheel. It was obvious to those
of us watching that the Horn Dance was something valued greatly by all
involved, the troupe had an easy familiarity with one another, mutual respect,
friendship and camaraderie were self-evident, an easy humour pervading the day.
It felt akin to the brotherhood of absolute trust that is often felt in close
knit units of the armed forces, kith and kin, that each would do anything for
the others, including lay down their lives – which several did during the great
war – overall it appeared that they were a true ‘companie’ in the traditional
sense of the word.
Not only was the respect between the troupe itself, but also
to those whose homes they visited to ‘beat out the bounds’ and to offer the
blessing of their presence. The householders received the dancers with joy,
providing refreshments, cakes, sausage rolls, and cups of tea, coffee, beer,
juice, and the occasional tot of whisky to keep the dancers going until their
next stop. A warm welcome and genuine friendship and a sense of community
pervaded the atmosphere, those of us who were visiting were as welcomed as the
dancers, each of us blessed by their hospitality.
Next the dance itself, the music provided by the 2 accordion
players and their assistant with his triangle, who kept the music going all day
long, tunes from modern to medieval contributed greatly to the feel of the
whole, the music lifted the heart and when combined with the rest of the
spectacle it put a huge grin on my face, from ear to ear. The moves of the
Dance were of several types, with the light and dark teams challenging one
another with mock ‘rutting’ moves before going ‘through’ with one tem raising
their horns above the others as the teams moved between each other, plenty of
potential for mistakes, but none were made, no horns set a clashing! Next would
be the spiralling of the Horns as a whole, with either light or dark leading
they would all process around a figure eight or circle, snaking this way and
that, and then there were the opposed and synchronous double circle, where
light would be encircled by dark, moving either in the same direction, or in
opposite ways, a call from the leader or the fool would then change the form of
the dance, onwards ever onwards.
To myself it appeared that there is much symbolism within
the dancer’s movements and the Horn Dance itself, from the ‘beating of the
bounds’ – which sets the village boundaries and brings together the outlying
folks into the community as a whole, to the Dance for the Lady of the Manor,
from the dancing of light and dark together to the opposition of the ‘through’,
life and death in harmony, the Oss dying from an arrow and coming back to life
again with a chop of his jaw! All in all it is challenging, living, loving,
blessings given and received, kinship restated and accepted, brotherhood and
companie, living Traditional and Culture alive, Fate acknowledged and position
understood, there is much that can be seen, but ultimately the symbolism
depends upon your own point of view, your own frame of reference and your own
personal ‘truth’, if you share my viewpoint then I would hope you will see much
beyond the spectacle of a unique Tradition that is kept alive by the Dancers
and their families.
Home was reached for 8pm, and then the three of us sat and
talked of the day’s experiences for an hour or so, and agreed that we will all
return next year. If you have yet to visit the Horn Dance, then I would urge
you to do so, and go early in the morning, to get the full feel for the day,
the atmosphere changes as more folks arrive, and become slightly less intimate,
it may be a trek, and an early start, but to me it is something totally
worthwhile.
Suzanne Read - Breaca
Aranwen the Maid of the Hearth of Albion
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