batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l12768-l12923
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l12768-l12923
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 12768-12923
start: '12768'
end: '12923'
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 consists of footnotes citing comparative harvest customs:
a Ceylon threshing-floor knot buried in grain to keep devils from reducing the
crop; a Thuringian Rush-cutter detected by silent threshing; and European and
Russian customs of leaving or knotting unreaped grain for named field or crop
beings such as the Old Rye-woman, Corn-mother, Little Wood-woman, Old Woman, Volos,
and the aul'' man.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: In the Cingalese threshing-floor custom called Goigote, threshers tie stalks
with ears of corn into a knot and bury it in a grain heap.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The stated purpose of the Goigote knot is to prevent devils from diminishing
the quantity of corn in the heap.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The passage states that a European custom involving a key probably served
the same purpose as the Cingalese knot.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: In Thuringia, a being called the Rush-cutter was said to walk through fields
on St. John's Day morning with sickles tied to his ankles, cutting avenues in
the corn.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: To detect the Rush-cutter, seven bundles of brushwood were silently threshed
with a flail, and the stranger who appeared at the barn door during the threshing
was identified as the Rush-cutter.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: In several cited harvest customs, a portion of the crop is left standing or
lying in the field for a named being.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: obs:7
text: At Kupferberg in Bavaria, standing corn is dedicated to the Old Woman with
words asking her to be kind next year as she has been this time.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: In Russia, an unreaped patch of corn is knotted together and called the plaiting
of the beard of Volos.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:9
text: The Russian unreaped patch is described as tabooed, with a belief that anyone
who meddles with it will shrivel up and become twisted like the interwoven ears.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: threshers in the Goigote custom
description: Generally six threshers sit around the grain heap, tie a knot of stalks
with ears of corn, and bury it in the heap.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: devils
description: Beings believed able to diminish the quantity of corn in the heap unless
prevented by the knot ceremony.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Rush-cutter
description: A dreaded Thuringian being said to walk through fields with sickles
tied to his ankles, cutting avenues in the corn.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: stranger at the barn door
description: The stranger who appeared at the barn door during the silent threshing
was identified as the Rush-cutter.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Old Rye-woman
description: A being for whom the last sheaf was left standing in a village of the
Tilsit district.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Corn-mother
description: A being to be satisfied by throwing away the first three ears of corn
on the field in Neftenbach, Canton of Zürich.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Little Wood-woman
description: A being to whom a little heap of after-grass belongs in Thuringia,
in return for her blessing.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Old Woman
description: A being to whom some standing corn is dedicated at Kupferberg, Bavaria,
with a spoken request for kindness in the next year.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Volos
description: A named being associated in Russia with the unreaped, knotted patch
called the plaiting of the beard of Volos.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: aul' man
description: A being for whose benefit a few stalks were sometimes left unreaped
in north-east Scotland.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: ritual participants
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They carry out the tying and burying of the threshing-floor knot.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: crop-diminishing threat
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The knot ceremony is said to prevent them from diminishing the corn heap.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: crop-damaging field being
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The Rush-cutter is described as cutting avenues in the corn while walking
through fields.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: identified manifestation of the Rush-cutter
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The stranger appearing during the detection rite is identified as the Rush-cutter.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: recipient of reserved crop portion
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
basis: Each named being is associated with crop left, thrown away, knotted, or otherwise
reserved in the field.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: protective knot in grain heap
literal_form: stalks with ears of corn tied into a knot and buried in the heap
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: key in European harvest custom
literal_form: key
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: sickles tied to ankles
literal_form: sickles tied to the Rush-cutter's ankles
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: seven bundles of brushwood
literal_form: seven bundles of brushwood silently threshed with a flail
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:5
label: reserved crop portion
literal_form: last sheaf, first three ears, little heap, standing corn, unreaped
stalks, or unreaped patch
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:6
label: beard of Volos
literal_form: interwoven ears in an unreaped patch called the plaiting of the beard
of Volos
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Goigote knot on the threshing-floor
summary: After a sheaf has been threshed and the grain heaped, threshers sit around
the heap, tie a knot of stalks with ears attached, and bury it in the heap to
keep devils from diminishing the corn.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Detection of the Rush-cutter
summary: Seven bundles of brushwood are silently threshed; the stranger appearing
at the barn door during this action is treated as the Rush-cutter, a dreaded being
associated with damage to cornfields.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Leaving crop portions for field beings
summary: The passage collects examples in which part of the crop is left, thrown
away, knotted, or dedicated in the field for named beings such as the Old Rye-woman,
Corn-mother, Little Wood-woman, Old Woman, Volos, and the aul' man.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: protective binding of harvested grain
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Goigote custom ties stalks into a knot and buries them in the grain heap
to prevent devils from diminishing the crop; the passage also links this function
to a European key custom.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives only a footnote summary and does not describe the European
key custom in detail.
- id: motif:2
label: detection of a crop-damaging field being
taxonomy_refs:
- trickster_boundary
basis: The Rush-cutter is detected by a prescribed threshing action, and an arriving
stranger is identified as the dreaded field being.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: low
cautions: The taxonomy reference is approximate; the passage does not explicitly
identify the Rush-cutter as a trickster.
- id: motif:3
label: reserved harvest portion for a field or crop spirit
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Multiple cited customs reserve a portion of the crop for named beings, sometimes
explicitly in return for blessing or to secure kindness and abundance in the next
year.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: The passage reports comparative customs through Frazer and cited sources;
local meanings may vary among the examples.
- id: motif:4
label: tabooed knotted remnant of the harvest
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The Russian unreaped and knotted patch is called the beard of Volos and is
described as tabooed, with danger to anyone who meddles with it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives the belief but not a full ritual context.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: 'The passage cautiously equates the European key custom and the Cingalese
threshing-floor knot by function: both are presented as devices to prevent loss
or diminution of the grain heap.'
claim_level: same_function
target: European harvest key custom and Cingalese Goigote knot
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: Only the Cingalese custom is described in detail here; the European
key custom is referred to briefly.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage groups several European and Russian practices as variants of
leaving a crop portion for a named field or crop being.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Old Rye-woman, Corn-mother, Little Wood-woman, Old Woman, Volos, and aul'
man harvest-remnant customs
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The comparison is made at the level of harvest-remnant practice; the
identities and local interpretations of the named beings are not established as
identical.
- id: claim:3
claim: The passage suggests that the Scottish aul' man is probably equivalent to
the German Old Man, indicating a cautious functional or naming comparison within
nearby European harvest traditions.
claim_level: same_function
target: Scottish aul' man and German Old Man harvest figure
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: The note uses 'probably' and gives no detailed description of the German
Old Man in this passage.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: fn. 1245
quote_or_summary: 'Cingalese Goigote custom: after threshing, grain is heaped, threshers
tie stalks with ears of corn into a knot and bury it in the heap to prevent devils
from diminishing the corn; the European ''key'' is said probably to serve the
same purpose.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: fn. 1251
quote_or_summary: In Thuringia the dreaded Rush-cutter walked through fields on
St. John's Day with sickles tied to his ankles, cutting avenues in the corn; seven
bundles of brushwood were silently threshed, and the stranger appearing at the
barn door was the Rush-cutter.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: fn. 1253, Tilsit district example
quote_or_summary: In a village of the Tilsit district, the last sheaf was left standing
in the field for the Old Rye-woman.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: fn. 1253, Neftenbach example
quote_or_summary: In Neftenbach, the first three ears of corn reaped are thrown
away on the field to satisfy the Corn-mother and make the next year's crop abundant.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: fn. 1253, Thuringian after-grass example
quote_or_summary: In Thuringia, a little heap of after-grass is left in the field
for the Little Wood-woman in return for the blessing she has bestowed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: fn. 1253, Kupferberg example
quote_or_summary: At Kupferberg, Bavaria, some corn is left standing and dedicated
to the Old Woman, with words asking that next year she be as kind as she has been
this time.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: fn. 1253, Russian example
quote_or_summary: In Russia, an unreaped patch of corn is left and the ears are
knotted together; this is called the plaiting of the beard of Volos, is treated
as tabooed, and is believed to harm anyone who meddles with it.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: fn. 1253, north-east Scotland example
quote_or_summary: In north-east Scotland a few stalks were sometimes left unreaped
for the benefit of the aul' man; the note says this is probably equivalent to
the German Old Man.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is a set of scholarly footnotes rather than a continuous mythic
narrative. Extraction emphasizes explicit harvest customs and Frazer's own comparisons,
while avoiding unsupported reconstruction.
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 supplied passage and metadata. Taxonomy references are limited to supplied motif family IDs and are included only where the passage gives functional support.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg__l12768-l12923
passage_sha256=4c7937f560944c650c5f38eea4ad5100198544da0886dd9c05047b5a7796dcd7