Unearthing the Mythology and Religious Themes in Hozier’s Music

Hozier, the artist celebrated for his poetic lyrics and mesmerizing vocals, has been blessing our ears since his first single “Take Me to Church”, which was released in 2013. His music explores themes like complexities of human experience, religion, society, and profound, sacred love. He has a remarkable ability for storytelling and incorporates folklore, mythology, and religious themes, adding depth and complexity to his music and providing the listener with an otherworldly experience. 

This article aims to dissect two of his songs rich with mythological and religious references. Note that Art is always open to interpretation and some of the opinions presented here are subjective.

I Carrion (Icarian)

The song I Carrion (Icarian) is heavily inspired by the myth of Icarus and explores the narrator’s willingness to be swept away by his intense and all-consuming love, despite being aware of its potentially destructive nature.

The Greek Tale of Icarus

In Greek mythology, when Icarus and his father Daedalus are imprisoned in the labyrinth, they construct two pairs of wings out of bird feathers and wax from the candles to escape. Daedalus warns Icarus that flying too close to the sun will melt his feathers. However, Icarus feeling exhilarated by the thrill of flight gets carried away and ventures too near the scorching sun, causing his wings to melt. Daedalus is overcome with grief as he spots his son’s feathers floating on the water below, signifying his tragic demise.

In the song, Hozier uses Icarus’s euphoric experience of flying as a metaphor for the sensation of falling in love and compares the sun to his lover. Hozier never explicitly mentions the fall but, as the audience, we understand that it’s inevitable that Icarus is doomed.

“If the wind turns, if I hit a squall. Allow the ground to find its brutal way to me.”

From the beginning, Hozier imagines himself as Icarus and is aware of the inescapable fate he will face, but still welcomes it with open arms. He expresses that the source of his burning is his love, not the heat from the sun.

And though I burn, how could I fall

When I am lifted by every word you say to me?

If anything could fall at all, it’s the world. That falls away from me.

He acknowledges that although the love is ruining him, he cannot fall because he is uplifted by every word his lover utters. The character is in denial of his destruction because he is so enamored and ecstatic at the moment, that he almost becomes reckless. He is in an illusion that he is not falling at all, blissfully neglecting reality, choosing to believe that the world would be the thing to fall away instead.

You have me floatin’ like a feather on the sea  

The tragic imagery of Icarus’s death, when Daedalus saw his feathers floating, is juxtaposed with a calm, serene state of how the object of his love makes him feel. He rejoices in the fact that he is the feather floating on the sea.

If these heights should bring my fall, let me be your own. Icarian carrion.”

The character is aware of how perilous it is to be in the flight position, so his only wish for his lover is to be with him.  Hozier uses clever wordplay here. Carrion means the decaying dead flesh of an animal. Together, Icarian and Carrion suggest the remnants (carrion) left after pursuing grand but doomed endeavors, alluding to being aware of the devastating consequences of a doomed romance, yet still surrendering and embracing the outcome.

From Eden

From Eden is another track that draws inspiration from the imagery and narrative of the Garden of Eden, where he reimagines himself as the serpent in the story, which is an interesting and unconventional take.

The Garden of Eden

According to the biblical texts, God created the first man, Adam, and placed him in the Garden of Eden. Realizing that Adam needed a companion, he created the first woman from his rib, Eve. They lived a tranquil life in the garden with the only rule being that they were forbidden from eating from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. However, a talking serpent tempted Eve to eat the forbidden fruit, and she shared it with Adam as well. Enraged, the god cursed all three of them and cast Adam and Eve out of the garden.

The song is from the perspective of the evil serpent or the devil and depicts his feelings towards a woman (Eve), who clearly has a significant other (Adam).

“babe / there’s something tragic about you / something so magic about you / don’t you agree?”

The song directly addresses Eve. The character has passionate feelings for her but is unsure about what exactly draws him towards her.

“no tired sighs, no rolling eyes, no irony/no ‘who cares’, no vacant stares, no time for me”

This refers to the tense situations and neglect that can often arise as a result of arguments in a relationship. But the narrator bemoans not having the most dreaded parts of a relationship because it means not being with Eve, demonstrated by his discontentment that she has no time for him.

Idealism sits in prison, chivalry fell on its sword

Innocence died screaming, Honey, ask me I should know

He expresses how idealism, chivalry, and innocence have died in different ways because the state of their relationship is not as ideal and his behavior isn’t chivalrous, as she is with someone else. He is no longer innocent as he is willfully indulging in adultery.

“I slithered here from Eden just to sit outside your door,”

He addresses himself as the serpent for the first time here by using “slithered” and expresses how he left the garden just to see her even if he is snubbed in the form of a closed door. 

He continues, “ There’s something broken about this…….oh, what a sin” as adultery is mentioned as a sin in the bible.

“To the strand a picnic plan for you and me / a rope in hand for your other man to hang from a tree,”

He invites Eve to eat with him in the Garden of Eden again, and just like the first time, with ill intentions. He desires Eve to fully embrace the darkness and as a result, make her entirely his, and alludes to the violent imagery of wanting to kill her husband (Adam) by referring to a rope in his hand, to hang Adam from the tree.

If you enjoyed this article, consider reading Dark Truths Behind Disney Fairytales: From Sinister Origins to Enchanted Cinema.