Despite the frequency of the creepy stickman with antlers found in the woods in horror movies, there isn’t much in the way of supporting evidence to ground it in reality. There’s the general Pagan insinuations, and of course Wiccan, and some eastern European lore, but with much of the evidence based in oral traditions, I haven’t found a definitive link to its origin. If anyone can point me to a study, please let me know.
One thing that can be absolutely proven, however, is that I find them scary. So with Halloween around the corner, and with a pile of sticks in my backyard from the power company’s recent War on Trees, I decided to build an effigy.
The deer skull decoration was surprisingly difficult to find. And even an internet product required substantial delivery time. I guess I’m an outlier with my tastes, with most people seeming to prefer either humor or extreme gore. Subtle fear is apparently not popular.
But I like it. Maybe I’ll leave it up year-round in the backyard by AT&T’s unfinished trenching operation. As a suggestion from the homeowner. A thought…
–Simon