batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l12628-l12766
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l12628-l12766
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
passage_locator:
label: CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE. / CHAPTER III. KILLING THE GOD.
/ FOOTNOTES; lines 12628-12766
start: '12628'
end: '12766'
translation: 'The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 1 of 2)'
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: 'The passage is a series of footnotes citing comparative examples and sources
for harvest and vegetation customs: last-sheaf figures called the Old Man or Maiden,
ceremonies possibly connected with Ariadne and crop production, annual descents
of Proserpine at sowing or harvest seasons, gestures toward the last sheaf, Demeter’s
control over corn, Egyptian lamentation near first harvested ears, songs or laments
such as Linus and Bormus, and the Lityerses story including a sickle.'
language: English, with some Greek citations
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Among the Wends, the last sheaf is made into a puppet called the Old Man and
hung in the hall until the next year’s Old Man is brought in.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: In Inverness and Sutherland, a figure or sheaf called the Maiden is kept until
the next harvest.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: A Cyprian ceremony associated with Ariadne involved a young man lying down
and imitating the speech and actions of women in labour.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The author notes that Ariadne has elsewhere been treated as a goddess or spirit
of vegetation, while also cautioning that the Cyprian ceremony may have belonged
to a vintage rather than harvest context.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Among the Minnitarees in North America, a tall strong woman pretended to bring
a stalk of maize up out of her stomach to secure a good maize crop in the following
year.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The annual descent of Proserpine in Greece is said to have occurred at the
Great Eleusinian Mysteries and the Thesmophoria, around the time of autumn sowing;
in Sicily it is said to have been celebrated when the corn was fully ripe.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: In some places people knelt before the last sheaf; in others they kissed it.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: The Homeric Hymn to Demeter is cited as representing Demeter as controlling
the growth of corn.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: A cited passage of Diodorus is used for a custom in which people at harvest
placed the first cut ears of corn and beat themselves near the sheaf.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The footnotes cite traditions and sources for Linus or Ailinus, Bormus, and
related laments or songs.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: The story of Lityerses is cited from several sources, and one cited source
is noted as mentioning the sickle.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: The last sheaf can be treated either as something preserved and honored or,
in some cited places, as an object of desire and competition.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Old Man
description: A last-sheaf puppet among the Wends, hung in the hall until the next
year’s Old Man is brought in.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Maiden
description: A harvest object or figure kept in Inverness and Sutherland until the
next harvest.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Ariadne
description: Named figure associated with a Cyprian worship and described by the
author as previously regarded as a goddess or spirit of vegetation.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Young man in Cyprian Ariadne ceremony
description: A young man who lay down and imitated women in labour during a sacrifice
or ceremony.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Minnitaree woman
description: A tall strong woman who pretended to bring a stalk of maize out of
her stomach in a crop-securing ceremony.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Proserpine
description: A goddess whose annual descent is discussed in relation to sowing or
ripened corn.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Demeter
description: A goddess represented in the Homeric Hymn as controlling the growth
of corn.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Lityerses
description: A named figure whose story is cited, with one source mentioning a sickle.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Last-sheaf harvest figure
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: Both figures are associated with the last sheaf and are preserved until the
following harvest or year.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: Vegetation goddess or spirit
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The author states that Ariadne has already been considered on grounds as
a goddess or spirit of vegetation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: Ritual performer imitating crop birth or production
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: One performer imitates childbirth actions; another pretends to bring maize
from her stomach to secure a future crop.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: Seasonally descending goddess
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The annual descent of Proserpine is connected with autumn sowing in Greece
and ripened corn in Sicily.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:5
label: Controller of corn growth
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The Homeric Hymn to Demeter is cited for Demeter’s control over corn growth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: Harvest-story figure
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The story of Lityerses is cited in a harvest-comparative context, and a sickle
is mentioned in one source.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Last sheaf
literal_form: Final sheaf of the harvest, made into a puppet or preserved as the
Maiden.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:5
- ev:10
- id: sym:2
label: Old Man puppet
literal_form: A puppet made from the last sheaf and hung in a hall.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: Maize stalk from stomach
literal_form: A stalk of maize pretended to be brought up out of a woman’s stomach.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: Annual descent
literal_form: The seasonal descent of Proserpine timed with sowing or ripened corn.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: First cut ears of corn
literal_form: The first ears harvested and placed near a sheaf during lamenting
or self-beating.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:6
label: Sickle
literal_form: A sickle mentioned in connection with the Lityerses story.
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Keeping the last-sheaf figure
summary: The last sheaf is formed into a named harvest figure and kept until the
following year or harvest.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Ritual imitation of childbirth or crop emergence
summary: A young man in an Ariadne ceremony imitates labour, and a Minnitaree woman
pretends to produce a maize stalk from her stomach for future crop success.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Seasonal descent of Proserpine
summary: Proserpine’s annual descent is situated at sowing festivals in Greece and
at the ripe-corn season in Sicily.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Gestures and lament near harvested corn
summary: People kneel before or kiss the last sheaf in some places; another cited
custom involves self-beating near the first cut ears and a sheaf.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: Lityerses harvest story citation
summary: The Lityerses story is cited from multiple sources, with one reference
noting a sickle.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Preserved last-sheaf harvest figure
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The last sheaf is personified as the Old Man or Maiden and preserved until
the next agricultural cycle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is a footnote summary and does not provide full ritual context.
- id: motif:2
label: Ritual production or birth of the crop
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_birth
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The Ariadne ceremony includes imitation of childbirth, and the Minnitaree
ceremony includes producing a maize stalk from the body to secure next year’s
crop.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The Ariadne connection is explicitly presented as possible, and the author
notes uncertainty between harvest and vintage contexts.
- id: motif:3
label: Seasonal descent linked to grain cycle
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
- departure
basis: Proserpine’s annual descent is tied to autumn sowing in Greece and the time
when corn is ripe in Sicily.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: The passage only discusses timing and does not narrate the descent myth.
- id: motif:4
label: Honouring or mourning the harvested grain
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
- sacrifice
basis: The last sheaf is knelt before or kissed; first harvested ears are associated
with self-beating near a sheaf.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
confidence: medium
cautions: The sacrificial or mourning interpretation is suggested by context but
not fully elaborated in the excerpt.
- id: motif:5
label: Harvest figure with sickle
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The Lityerses story is cited in the harvest-comparative apparatus, and one
source is noted as mentioning the sickle.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
confidence: low
cautions: The passage gives only bibliographic notes and does not summarize the
story’s actions.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The Wends’ Old Man and the Scottish Maiden are presented as comparable last-sheaf
customs in which a harvest figure is kept until the next annual cycle.
claim_level: same_function
target: European last-sheaf harvest figure customs
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage gives brief footnote examples and not detailed ritual descriptions.
- id: claim:2
claim: The Cyprian Ariadne ceremony and the Minnitaree maize ceremony are juxtaposed
as possible crop-production or fertility rites involving bodily imitation or production.
claim_level: same_function
target: Ritual imitation of crop birth or generation
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: The author marks the Ariadne interpretation as possible and notes a
possible vintage rather than harvest setting.
- id: claim:3
claim: Greek and Sicilian timings of Proserpine’s descent are compared as seasonal
variants tied respectively to sowing and ripe corn.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Proserpine descent in Greek and Sicilian seasonal observance
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: Only the festival timing is compared; no full ritual sequence is provided.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 12628-12634; footnote 1177
quote_or_summary: Among the Wends the last sheaf is made into a puppet called the
Old Man and hung in the hall until the next year’s Old Man is brought in; in Inverness
and Sutherland the Maiden is kept until the next harvest.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 12667-12679; footnote 1188
quote_or_summary: A Cyprian worship of Ariadne may have involved a ceremony in which
a young man lay down and imitated women in labour; the author notes Ariadne has
been regarded as a vegetation goddess or spirit and cautions that the ceremony
may have been vintage rather than harvest-related.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 12679-12683; footnote 1188
quote_or_summary: Among the Minnitarees, a tall strong woman pretended to bring
up a stalk of maize from her stomach, with the stated object of securing a good
maize crop in the following year.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 12695-12701; footnote 1191
quote_or_summary: Proserpine’s annual descent is said to have occurred in Greece
around autumn sowing at the Eleusinian Mysteries and Thesmophoria, while in Sicily
it seems to have been celebrated when corn was fully ripe.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 12705-12707; footnote 1193
quote_or_summary: In some places people knelt before the last sheaf; in others they
kissed it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 12711-12713; footnote 1195
quote_or_summary: The Homeric Hymn to Demeter is cited for Demeter being represented
as controlling the growth of corn.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 12720-12723; footnote 1199
quote_or_summary: Diodorus is cited for a harvest custom involving the first cut
ears of corn and people beating themselves near the sheaf.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 12727-12742; footnotes 1203-1208
quote_or_summary: The notes cite sources for Russian songs, Linus or Ailinus, and
Bormus or a Mariandynian lament.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 12743-12750; footnote 1209
quote_or_summary: The story of Lityerses is cited from Sositheus and other sources,
and Photius is noted as mentioning the sickle.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 12755-12761; footnote 1212
quote_or_summary: The last sheaf is sometimes an object of desire and emulation,
with examples of competition for the honour of cutting it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary used.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: low
notes: The passage is primarily a footnote apparatus with condensed examples and
citations. Motif extraction is strongest where customs are explicitly summarized,
and weaker where only source references or brief comparative notes are given.
reviewer_status:
status: needs_review
reviewer: ''
reviewed_at: ''
notes: Machine-generated draft from OpenAI Batch; not human-reviewed.
extracted_by: openai_batch:gpt-5.5
extracted_at: '2026-04-28'
notes: |-
Used only the provided passage and metadata. Taxonomy references are limited to the supplied available motif families; symbol taxonomy references were left empty because no supplied symbol exactly matched the main harvest objects.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg__l12628-l12766
passage_sha256=e6fa4e2d0c5e9f07d19a113ddda068fb5d2e2273e50a1f3fab60bd31746a0c1d