the golden bough-第156章

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rst　food。　The　neglect　of　this　would　have　untoward　effects　upon　the　foal；　and　disastrous　consequences　upon　farm　operations　generally　for　the　season。　In　the　north…east　of　Aberdeenshire　the　last　sheaf　is　commonly　called　the　clyack　sheaf。　It　used　to　be　cut　by　the　youngest　girl　present　and　was　dressed　as　a　woman。　Being　brought　home　in　triumph；　it　was　kept　till　Christmas　morning；　and　then　given　to　a　mare　in　foal；　if　there　was　one　on　the　farm；　or；　if　there　was　not；　to　the　oldest　cow　in　calf。　Elsewhere　the　sheaf　was　divided　between　all　the　cows　and　their　calves　or　between　all　the　horses　and　the　cattle　of　the　farm。　In　Fifeshire　the　last　handful　of　corn；　known　as　the　Maiden；　is　cut　by　a　young　girl　and　made　into　the　rude　figure　of　a　doll；　tied　with　ribbons；　by　which　it　is　hung　on　the　wall　of　the　farm…kitchen　till　the　next　spring。　The　custom　of　cutting　the　Maiden　at　harvest　was　also　observed　in　Inverness…shire　and　Sutherlandshire。

A　somewhat　maturer　but　still　youthful　age　is　assigned　to　the　corn…spirit　by　the　appellations　of　Bride；　Oats…bride；　and　Wheat…bride；　which　in　Germany　are　sometimes　bestowed　both　on　the　last　sheaf　and　on　the　woman　who　binds　it。　At　wheat…harvest　near　Müglitz；　in　Moravia；　a　small　portion　of　the　wheat　is　left　standing　after　all　the　rest　has　been　reaped。　This　remnant　is　then　cut；　amid　the　rejoicing　of　the　reapers；　by　a　young　girl　who　wears　a　wreath　of　wheaten　ears　on　her　head　and　goes　by　the　name　of　the　Wheat…bride。　It　is　supposed　that　she　will　be　a　real　bride　that　same　year。　Near　Roslin　and　Stonehaven；　in　Scotland；　the　last　handful　of　corn　cut　got　the　name　of　'the　bride；'　and　she　was　placed　over　the　bress　or　chimney…piece；　she　had　a　ribbon　tied　below　her　numerous　ears；　and　another　round　her　waist。

Sometimes　the　idea　implied　by　the　name　of　Bride　is　worked　out　more　fully　by　representing　the　productive　powers　of　vegetation　as　bride　and　bridegroom。　Thus　in　the　Vorharz　an　Oats…man　and　an　Oats…woman；　swathed　in　straw；　dance　at　the　harvest　feast。　In　South　Saxony　an　Oats…bridegroom　and　an　Oats…bride　figure　together　at　the　harvest　celebration。　The　Oats…bridegroom　is　a　man　completely　wrapt　in　oats…straw；　the　Oats…bride　is　a　man　dressed　in　woman's　clothes；　but　not　wrapt　in　straw。　They　are　drawn　in　a　waggon　to　the　ale…house；　where　the　dance　takes　place。　At　the　beginning　of　the　dance　the　dancers　pluck　the　bunches　of　oats　one　by　one　from　the　Oats…bridegroom；　while　he　struggles　to　keep　them；　till　at　last　he　is　completely　stript　of　them　and　stands　bare；　exposed　to　the　laughter　and　jests　of　the　company。　In　Austrian　Silesia　the　ceremony　of　the　Wheat…bride　is　celebrated　by　the　young　people　at　the　end　of　the　harvest。　The　woman　who　bound　the　last　sheaf　plays　the　part　of　the　Wheat…bride；　wearing　the　harvest…crown　of　wheat　ears　and　flowers　on　her　head。　Thus　adorned；　standing　beside　her　Bridegroom　in　a　waggon　and　attended　by　bridesmaids；　she　is　drawn　by　a　pair　of　oxen；　in　full　imitation　of　a　marriage　procession；　to　the　tavern；　where　the　dancing　is　kept　up　till　morning。　Somewhat　later　in　the　season　the　wedding　of　the　Oats…bride　is　celebrated　with　the　like　rustic　pomp。　About　Neisse；　in　Silesia；　an　Oats…king　and　an　Oats…queen；　dressed　up　quaintly　as　a　bridal　pair；　are　seated　on　a　harrow　and　drawn　by　oxen　into　the　village。

In　these　last　instances　the　corn…spirit　is　personified　in　double　form　as　male　and　female。　But　sometimes　the　spirit　appears　in　a　double　female　form　as　both　old　and　young；　corresponding　exactly　to　the　Greek　Demeter　and　Persephone；　if　my　interpretation　of　these　goddesses　is　right。　We　have　seen　that　in　Scotland；　especially　among　the　Gaelic…speaking　population；　the　last　corn　cut　is　sometimes　called　the　Old　Wife　and　sometimes　the　Maiden。　Now　there　are　parts　of　Scotland　in　which　both　an　Old　Wife　（Cailleach）　and　a　Maiden　are　cut　at　harvest。　The　accounts　of　this　custom　are　not　quite　clear　and　consistent；　but　the　general　rule　seems　to　be　that；　where　both　a　Maiden　and　an　Old　Wife　（Cailleach）　are　fashioned　out　of　the　reaped　corn　at　harvest；　the　Maiden　is　made　out　of　the　last　stalks　left　standing；　and　is　kept　by　the　farmer　on　whose　land　it　was　cut；　while　the　Old　Wife　is　made　out　of　other　stalks；　sometimes　out　of　the　first　stalks　cut；　and　is　regularly　passed　on　to　a　laggard　farmer　who　happens　to　be　still　reaping　after　his　brisker　neighbour　has　cut　all　his　corn。　Thus　while　each　farmer　keeps　his　own　Maiden；　as　the　embodiment　of　the　young　and　fruitful　spirit　of　the　corn；　he　passes　on　the　Old　Wife　as　soon　as　he　can　to　a　neighbour；　and　so　the　old　lady　may　make　the　round　of　all　the　farms　in　the　district　before　she　finds　a　place　in　which　to　lay　her　venerable　head。　The　farmer　with　whom　she　finally　takes　up　her　abode　is　of　course　the　one　who　has　been　the　last　of　all　the　countryside　to　finish　reaping　his　crops；　and　thus　the　distinction　of　entertaining　her　is　rather　an　invidious　one。　He　is　thought　to　be　doomed　to　poverty　or　to　be　under　the　obligation　of　providing　for　the　dearth　of　the　township　in　the　ensuing　season。　Similarly　we　saw　that　in　Pembrokeshire；　where　the　last　corn　cut　is　called；　not　the　Maiden；　but　the　Hag；　she　is　passed　on　hastily　to　a　neighbour　who　is　still　at　work　in　his　fields　and　who　receives　his　aged　visitor　with　anything　but　a　transport　of　joy。　If　the　Old　Wife　represents　the　corn…spirit　of　the　past　year；　as　she　probably　does　wherever　she　is　contrasted　with　and　opposed　to　a　Maiden；　it　is　natural　enough　that　her　faded　charms　should　have　less　attractions　for　the　husbandman　than　the　buxom　form　of　her　daughter；　who　may　be　expected　to　become　in　her　turn　the　mother　of　the　golden　grain　when　the　revolving　year　has　brought　round　another　autumn。　The　same　desire　to　get　rid　of　the　effete　Mother　of　the　Corn　by　palming　her　off　on　other　people　comes　out　clearly　in　some　of　the　customs　observed　at　the　close　of　threshing；　particularly　in　the　practice　of　passing　on　a　hideous　straw　puppet　to　a　neighbour　farmer　who　is　still　threshing　his　corn。

The　harvest　customs　just　described　are　strikingly　analogous　to　the　spring　customs　which　we　reviewed　in　an　earlier　part　of　this　work。　（1）　As　in　the　spring　customs　the　tree…spirit　is　represented　both　by　a　tree　and　by　a　person；　so　in　the　harvest　customs　the　corn…spirit　is　represented　both　by　the　last　sheaf　and　by　the　person　who　cuts　or　binds　or　threshes　it。　The　equivalence　of　the　person　to　the　sheaf　is　shown　by　giving　him　or　her　the　same　name　as　the　sheaf；　by　wrapping　him　or　her　in　it；　and　by　the　rule　observed　in　some　places；　that　when　the　sheaf　is　called　the　Mother；　it　must　be　made　up　into　human　shape　by　the　oldest　married　woman；　but　that　when　it　is　called　the　Maiden；　it　must　be　cut　by　the　youngest　girl。　Here　the　age　of　the　personal　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　corresponds　with　that　of　the　supposed　age　of　the　corn…spirit；　just　as　the　human　victims　offered　by　the　Mexicans　to　promote　the　growth　of　the　maize　varied　with　the　age　of　the　maize。　For　in　the　Mexican；　as　in　the　European；　custom　the　human　beings　were　probably　representatives　of　the　corn…spirit　rather　than　victims　offered　to　it。　（2）　Again　the　same　fertilising　influence　which　the　tree…spirit　is　supposed　to　exert　over　vegetation；　cattle；　and　even　women　is　ascribed　to　the　corn…spirit。　Thus；　its　supposed　influence　on　vegetation　is　shown　by　the　practice　of　taking　some　of　the　grain　of　the　last　sheaf　（in　which　the　corn…spirit　is　regularly　supposed　to　be　present）；　and　scattering　it　among　the　young　corn　in　spring　or　mixing　it　with　the　seed…corn。　Its　influence　on　animals　is　shown　by　giving　the　last　sheaf　to　a　mare　in　foal；　to　a　cow　in　calf；　and　to　horses　at　the　first　ploughing。　Lastly；　its　influence　on　women　is　indicated　by　the　custom　of　delivering　the　Mother…sheaf；　made　into　the　likeness　of　a　pregnant　woman；　to　the　farmer's　wife；　by　the　belief　that　the　woman　who　binds　the　last　sheaf　will　have　a　child　next　year；　perhaps；　too；　by　the　idea　that　the　person　who　gets　it　will　soon　be　married。

Plainly；　therefore；　these　spring　and　harvest　customs　are　based　on　the　same　ancient　modes　of　thought；　and　form　parts　of　the　same　primitive　heathendom；　which　was　doubtless　practised　by　our　forefathers　long　before　the　dawn　of　history。　Amongst　the　marks　of　a　primitive　ritual　we　may　note　the　following：

1。　No　special　class　of　persons　is　set　apart　for　the　performance　of　the　rites；