the golden bough-第122章

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　the　villagethe　figure　is　stripped　of　its　clothes　and　ornaments；　then　the　crowd　rushes　at　it　and　tears　it　to　bits；　scuffling　for　the　fragments。　Every　one　tries　to　get　a　wisp　of　the　straw　of　which　the　effigy　was　made；　because　such　a　wisp；　placed　in　the　manger；　is　believed　to　make　the　cattle　thrive。　Or　the　straw　is　put　in　the　hens'　nest；　it　being　supposed　that　this　prevents　the　hens　from　carrying　away　their　eggs；　and　makes　them　brood　much　better。　The　same　attribution　of　a　fertilising　power　to　the　figure　of　Death　appears　in　the　belief　that　if　the　bearers　of　the　figure；　after　throwing　it　away；　beat　cattle　with　their　sticks；　this　will　render　the　beasts　fat　or　prolific。　Perhaps　the　sticks　had　been　previously　used　to　beat　the　Death；　and　so　had　acquired　the　fertilising　power　ascribed　to　the　effigy。　We　have　seen；　too；　that　at　Leipsic　a　straw　effigy　of　Death　was　shown　to　young　wives　to　make　them　fruitful。

It　seems　hardly　possible　to　separate　from　the　May…trees　the　trees　or　branches　which　are　brought　into　the　village　after　the　destruction　of　the　Death。　The　bearers　who　bring　them　in　profess　to　be　bringing　in　the　Summer；　therefore　the　trees　obviously　represent　the　Summer；　indeed　in　Silesia　they　are　commonly　called　the　Summer　or　the　May；　and　the　doll　which　is　sometimes　attached　to　the　Summer…tree　is　a　duplicate　representative　of　the　Summer；　just　as　the　May　is　sometimes　represented　at　the　same　time　by　a　May…tree　and　a　May　Lady。　Further；　the　Summer…trees　are　adorned　like　May…trees　with　ribbons　and　so　on；　like　May…trees；　when　large；　they　are　planted　in　the　ground　and　climbed　up；　and　like　May…trees；　when　small；　they　are　carried　from　door　to　door　by　boys　or　girls　singing　songs　and　collecting　money。　And　as　if　to　demonstrate　the　identity　of　the　two　sets　of　customs　the　bearers　of　the　Summer…tree　sometimes　announce　that　they　are　bringing　in　the　Summer　and　the　May。　The　customs；　therefore；　of　bringing　in　the　May　and　bringing　in　the　Summer　are　essentially　the　same；　and　the　Summer…tree　is　merely　another　form　of　the　May…tree；　the　only　distinction　（besides　that　of　name）　being　in　the　time　at　which　they　are　respectively　brought　in；　for　while　the　May…tree　is　usually　fetched　in　on　the　first　of　May　or　at　Whitsuntide；　the　Summer…tree　is　fetched　in　on　the　fourth　Sunday　in　Lent。　Therefore；　if　the　May…tree　is　an　embodiment　of　the　tree…spirit　or　spirit　of　vegetation；　the　Summer…tree　must　likewise　be　an　embodiment　of　the　tree…spirit　or　spirit　of　vegetation。　But　we　have　seen　that　the　Summer…tree　is　in　some　cases　a　revivification　of　the　effigy　of　Death。　It　follows；　therefore；　that　in　these　cases　the　effigy　called　Death　must　be　an　embodiment　of　the　tree…spirit　or　spirit　of　vegetation。　This　inference　is　confirmed；　first；　by　the　vivifying　and　fertilising　influence　which　the　fragments　of　the　effigy　of　Death　are　believed　to　exercise　both　on　vegetable　and　on　animal　life；　for　this　influence；　as　we　saw　in　an　earlier　part　of　this　work；　is　supposed　to　be　a　special　attribute　of　the　tree…spirit。　It　is　confirmed；　secondly；　by　observing　that　the　effigy　of　Death　is　sometimes　decked　with　leaves　or　made　of　twigs；　branches；　hemp；　or　a　threshed…out　sheaf　of　corn；　and　that　sometimes　it　is　hung　on　a　little　tree　and　so　carried　about　by　girls　collecting　money；　just　as　is　done　with　the　May…tree　and　the　May　Lady；　and　with　the　Summer…tree　and　the　doll　attached　to　it。　In　short　we　are　driven　to　regard　the　expulsion　of　Death　and　the　bringing　in　of　Summer　as；　in　some　cases　at　least；　merely　another　form　of　that　death　and　revival　of　the　spirit　of　vegetation　in　spring　which　we　saw　enacted　in　the　killing　and　resurrection　of　the　Wild　Man。　The　burial　and　resurrection　of　the　Carnival　is　probably　another　way　of　expressing　the　same　idea。　The　interment　of　the　representative　of　the　Carnival　under　a　dung…heap　is　natural；　if　he　is　supposed　to　possess　a　quickening　and　fertilising　influence　like　that　ascribed　to　the　effigy　of　Death。　The　Esthonians；　indeed；　who　carry　the　straw　figure　out　of　the　village　in　the　usual　way　on　Shrove　Tuesday；　do　not　call　it　the　Carnival；　but　the　Wood…spirit　（Metsik）；　and　they　clearly　indicate　the　identity　of　the　effigy　with　the　wood…spirit　by　fixing　it　to　the　top　of　a　tree　in　the　wood；　where　it　remains　for　a　year；　and　is　besought　almost　daily　with　prayers　and　offerings　to　protect　the　herds；　for　like　a　true　wood…spirit　the　Metsik　is　a　patron　of　cattle。　Sometimes　the　Metsik　is　made　of　sheaves　of　corn。

Thus　we　may　fairly　conjecture　that　the　names　Carnival；　Death；　and　Summer　are　comparatively　late　and　inadequate　expressions　for　the　beings　personified　or　embodied　in　the　customs　with　which　we　have　been　dealing。　The　very　abstractness　of　the　names　bespeaks　a　modern　origin；　for　the　personification　of　times　and　seasons　like　the　Carnival　and　Summer；　or　of　an　abstract　notion　like　death；　is　not　primitive。　But　the　ceremonies　themselves　bear　the　stamp　of　a　dateless　antiquity；　therefore　we　can　hardly　help　supposing　that　in　their　origin　the　ideas　which　they　embodied　were　of　a　more　simple　and　concrete　order。　The　notion　of　a　tree；　perhaps　of　a　particular　kind　of　tree　（for　some　savages　have　no　word　for　tree　in　general）；　or　even　of　an　individual　tree；　is　sufficiently　concrete　to　supply　a　basis　from　which　by　a　gradual　process　of

generalisation　the　wider　idea　of　a　spirit　of　vegetation　might　be　reached。　But　this　general　idea　of　vegetation　would　readily　be　confounded　with　the　season　in　which　it　manifests　itself；　hence　the　substitution　of　Spring；　Summer；　or　May　for　the　tree…spirit　or　spirit　of　vegetation　would　be　easy　and　natural。　Again；　the　concrete　notion　of　the　dying　tree　or　dying　vegetation　would　by　a　similar　process　of　generalisation　glide　into　a　notion　of　death　in　general；　so　that　the　practice　of　carrying　out　the　dying　or　dead　vegetation　in　spring；　as　a　preliminary　to　its　revival；　would　in　time　widen　out　into　an　attempt　to　banish　Death　in　general　from　the　village　or　district。　The　view　that　in　these　spring　ceremonies　Death　meant　originally　the　dying　or　dead　vegetation　of　winter　has　the　high　support　of　W。　Mannhardt；　and　he　confirms　it　by　the　analogy　of　the　name　Death　as　applied　to　the　spirit　of　the　ripe　corn。　Commonly　the　spirit　of　the　ripe　corn　is　conceived；　not　as　dead；　but　as　old；　and　hence　it　goes　by　the　name　of　the　Old　Man　or　the　Old　Woman。　But　in　some　places　the　last　sheaf　cut　at　harvest；　which　is　generally　believed　to　be　the　seat　of　the　corn　spirit；　is　called　the　Dead　One：　children　are　warned　against　entering　the　corn…fields　because　Death　sits　in　the　corn；　and；　in　a　game　played　by　Saxon　children　in　Transylvania　at　the　maize　harvest；　Death　is　represented　by　a　child　completely　covered　with　maize　leaves。

5。　Battle　of　Summer　and　Winter。

SOMETIMES　in　the　popular　customs　of　the　peasantry　the　contrast　between　the　dormant　powers　of　vegetation　in　winter　and　their　awakening　vitality　in　spring　takes　the　form　of　a　dramatic　contest　between　actors　who　play　the　parts　respectively　of　Winter　and　Summer。　Thus　in　the　towns　of　Sweden　on　May　Day　two　troops　of　young　men　on　horseback　used　to　meet　as　if　for　mortal　combat。　One　of　them　was　led　by　a　representative　of　Winter　clad　in　furs；　who　threw　snowballs　and　ice　in　order　to　prolong　the　cold　weather。　The　other　troop　was　commanded　by　a　representative　of　Summer　covered　with　fresh　leaves　and　flowers。　In　the　sham　fight　which　followed　the　party　of　Summer　came　off　victorious；　and　the　ceremony　ended　with　a　feast。　Again；　in　the　region　of　the　middle　Rhine；　a　representative　of　Summer　clad　in　ivy　combats　a　representative　of　Winter　clad　in　straw　or　moss　and　finally　gains　a　victory　over　him。　The　vanquished　foe　is　thrown　to　the　ground　and　stripped　of　his　casing　of　straw；　which　is　torn　to　pieces　and　scattered　about；　while　the　youthful　comrades　of　the　two　champions　sing　a　song　to　commemorate　the　defeat　of　Winter　by　Summer。　Afterwards　they　carry　about　a　summer　garland　or　branch　and　collect　gifts　of　eggs　and　bacon　from　house　to　house。　Sometimes　the　champion　who　acts　the　part　of　Summer　is　dressed　in　leaves　and　flowers　and　wears　a　chaplet　of　flowers　on　his　head。　In　the　Palatinate　this　mimic　conflict　takes　place　on　the　fourth　Sunday　in　Lent。　All　over　Bavaria　the　same　drama　used　to　be　acted　on　the　same　day；　and　it　was　still　kept　up　in　some　places　down　to　the　middle　of　the　nineteenth　centu