The Wicker Man (soundtrack) tunes such as "Miri it is" the oldest surviving middle English song fragment, the "Struan Robertson's Rant" strathspey (plays while Sgt. Howie searches the ship for Rowan), the "Tenpenny Bit" jig (Plays while Lord Summerisle and MacGregor prepare for the festivities), and "Drowsy Maggie" reel (plays while Sgt. Howie searches a house for Rowan). "Chop Chop" is based on the nursery rhyme "Oranges and Lemons". "Procession" is an arrangement of the tune of the Child Ballad "Fause Foodrage". Although some of the music is Scottish, and the film is set in the Hebrides, no traditional Scottish Gaelic numbers are featured.
The Wicker Man a huge man-shaped sculpture of woven twigs. For Shaffer, this was "the most alarming and imposing image that I had ever seen." The idea of a confrontation between a modern Christian and a remote, pagan community continued to intrigue Shaffer, who performed painstaking research on paganism. Brainstorming with Hardy, they conceived the film as presenting the pagan elements objectively and accurately, accompanied by authentic music and a believable, contemporary setting. One of their main resources was "The Golden Bough", a study of mythology and religion written by Scottish anthropologist James Frazer. Television actor Edward Woodward was cast in the role