published on in blog

Fierce as folk: Charles Frger's Wilder Mann - in pictures | Art and design

Fierce as folk: Charles Fréger's Wilder Mann - in pictures

Charles Fréger visited 18 European countries in search of the mythological figure of the Wild Man. His strange and beautiful photobook, Wilder Mann: the Image of the Savage, explores human fascination with myth, ritual and tradition. View some of his images here

• Read Sean O'Hagan's review of Wilder Mann: the Image of the Savage

Tue 26 Jun 2012 15.22 BST First published on Tue 26 Jun 2012 15.22 BST

  • Strohmann

    The Strohmann (Straw Man) of German rural mythology has been variously interpreted as a Wild Man, a personification of lust and a symbol of winter

  • Babugeiri

    From Bansko in Bulgaria, the masked Babugeiri, dressed in goat skins, hold a procession on 1 January. They originally symbolised fertility

  • Juantramposo

    From the Basque country, the Juantramposo, a masquerade performed only by single young men and women, appears on Shrove Tuesday to join a huge procession of other mythical beasts like the Momottxorro (half-man, half-bull)

  • Schnappviecher

    From Italy, these horned creatures are often three metres high and appear on Shrove Tuesday to spread terror on the streets of the wine village of Tramin. Their origin is unknown

  • Cerbul din Corlata

    Goat characters appear across Romania, but in Corlata, the Stag is the central character, surrounded by dancers who resurrect the figure after it is ritually slain
Topics

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7tbTEoKyaqpSerq96wqikaJmiqa6vsMOeqqKfnmS0orjLnqmyZ2JlfnN7ya6laGpmZLCprdGlnKxllqeyqLHRZq6ipJSav265wKelZqGeYr2qr9OuqZ6r