batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l1319-l1362
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l1319-l1362
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
passage_locator:
label: PREFACE. / J. G. FRAZER. / CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY.;
lines 1319-1362
start: '1319'
end: '1362'
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: Frazer lists examples in which kings, chiefs, priests, or sacred animals
are held responsible for rain, crops, food supply, health, fish, and calamity;
when drought, famine, pestilence, failed harvests, or poor fishing occur, they
may be bound, beaten, deposed, threatened, killed, or sacrificed.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Among the Antaymours of Madagascar, the king is described as responsible for
crop growth and for every misfortune that befalls the people.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: In some parts of West Africa, when prayers and offerings to the king fail
to procure rain, subjects bind the king with ropes and take him to the grave of
his forefathers to obtain rain from them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The passage says the Scythians put their king in bonds when food was scarce.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The Banjars attribute to their king the power to cause rain or fine weather;
they give him grain and cattle in fine weather, but insult and beat him during
threatening drought or rain until the weather changes.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The people of Loango accuse their king of a “bad heart” and depose him when
the harvest fails or fishing is obstructed by heavy surf.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: On the Pepper Coast, the Bodio is responsible for communal health, fertility
of the earth, and abundance of fish, and is deposed if the country suffers in
these respects.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The Burgundians of old are said to have deposed their king if crops failed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: In Sweden, during a long famine under King Domalde, chiefs decided that Domalde
caused the scarcity and sacrificed him for good seasons, smearing his blood on
the gods’ altars.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: In King Olaf’s reign, famine was attributed to the king’s sparing sacrifices;
the people attacked him, burned him in his dwelling, and gave him to Odin as a
sacrifice for good crops.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: After a pestilence among Chukch reindeer, Shamans declared that chief Koch
must be sacrificed to angry gods, and his own son stabbed him with a dagger.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: On Niuē, kings were also high priests and were supposed to make food grow;
people killed them in scarcity until no one would be king and the monarchy ended.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: In ancient Egypt, sacred animals are compared to divine kings as responsible
for the course of nature; priests threatened them during drought-related calamity
and killed them if the evil did not abate.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Antaymours king
description: King among the Antaymours of Madagascar, described as responsible for
crops and misfortune.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: West African rain-responsible king
description: King to whom prayers and offerings are presented for rain and who is
bound and taken to ancestral graves if rain fails.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Scythian king
description: King put in bonds when food was scarce.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Banjars king
description: King credited with power over rain and fine weather, rewarded in good
weather and beaten during crop-threatening weather.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Loango king
description: King accused of a bad heart and deposed when harvest fails or fishing
is prevented.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Bodio
description: High priest on the Pepper Coast responsible for communal health, earth’s
fertility, and fish abundance.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Burgundian king
description: King deposed if crops failed.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: King Domalde
description: Swedish king judged cause of famine and sacrificed for good seasons.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: King Olaf
description: King blamed for famine because of sparing sacrifices and burned as
a sacrifice for good crops.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Chief Koch
description: Beloved Chukch chief declared by Shamans to be a sacrifice to angry
gods during reindeer pestilence.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Koch’s son
description: Son of chief Koch who stabs him with a dagger.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Niuē kings
description: Line of kings who were also high priests and were supposed to make
food grow; killed in scarcity.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Ancient Egyptian sacred animals
description: Sacred animals described as responsible for the course of nature and
killed if calamity did not abate.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Egyptian priests
description: Priests who secretly threaten sacred animals by night and kill them
if the evil continues.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: responsible for natural or communal prosperity
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:12
- fig:13
basis: These figures are explicitly linked to crops, rain, weather, food growth,
health, fish, good seasons, or the course of nature.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: role:2
label: punished or deposed leader
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
basis: The passage describes these rulers or ritual leaders as bound, beaten, insulted,
or deposed in response to scarcity, failed crops, failed rain, or other communal
suffering.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: role:3
label: sacrificial victim
assigned_to:
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:12
- fig:13
basis: These figures are killed or explicitly sacrificed in response to famine,
scarcity, pestilence, or calamity.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: role:4
label: ritual or communal execution agent
assigned_to:
- fig:11
- fig:14
basis: Koch’s son stabs the chief; Egyptian priests threaten and kill sacred animals
if calamity continues.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:12
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: rain
literal_form: rain
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: sym:2
label: crops and food growth
literal_form: crops, harvest, food, good seasons
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:12
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:11
- id: sym:3
label: ancestral grave
literal_form: grave of his forefathers
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:4
label: blood on altars
literal_form: blood of King Domalde smeared on the altars of the gods
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:5
label: burning of the king
literal_form: king burned in his dwelling
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: dagger
literal_form: dagger used to stab chief Koch
associated_figures:
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:7
label: sacred animals
literal_form: divine beasts or sacred animals
associated_figures:
- fig:13
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: King held responsible for failed rain and scarcity
summary: Several rulers are treated as responsible for rain, food, or crop success
and are bound or punished when these fail.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:2
label: Deposition after failed crops, health, or fishing
summary: Kings or a high priest are deposed when harvests fail, fishing is obstructed,
public health suffers, fertility is lacking, or fish are scarce.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:3
label: Royal sacrifice for good crops or seasons
summary: Swedish kings Domalde and Olaf are killed as sacrifices after famine or
scarcity is attributed to them.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:4
label: Chief sacrificed during animal pestilence
summary: After pestilence among reindeer, Shamans declare chief Koch must be sacrificed,
and his son stabs him.
figure_refs:
- fig:10
- fig:11
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: scene:5
label: Niuē priest-kings killed in scarcity
summary: Kings who are also high priests and are thought to make food grow are repeatedly
killed during scarcity, ending the monarchy.
figure_refs:
- fig:12
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: scene:6
label: Sacred animals threatened and killed during drought calamity
summary: Ancient Egyptian priests threaten sacred animals during drought-related
calamities and kill them if the evil persists.
figure_refs:
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Ruler responsible for fertility and weather
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The passage repeatedly links kings or priest-kings to crop growth, rain,
weather, harvest, food, and good seasons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is a later comparative synthesis and does not provide primary
local narratives for each case.
- id: motif:2
label: Punishment or deposition of ruler after communal calamity
taxonomy_refs:
- divine_judgment
- royal_legitimacy
basis: Rulers or a high priest are bound, insulted, beaten, or deposed when rain,
crops, health, or fishing fail.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The examples vary in office and context; not all are described as divine
kings.
- id: motif:3
label: Sacrifice of king or chief to restore prosperity
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Domalde, Olaf, Koch, and Niuē kings are killed or explicitly sacrificed in
relation to famine, good crops, scarcity, or pestilence.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: 'The purposes differ: good seasons, good crops, appeasing angry gods,
or response to scarcity.'
- id: motif:4
label: Sacred animal held accountable for nature’s disorder
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: Ancient Egyptian sacred animals are described as responsible for the course
of nature and are threatened or killed if calamity continues.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives this as an analogy to divine kings, but does not identify
the animals or a full ritual context.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage compares multiple societies in which a ruler or ritual leader
is treated as causally responsible for rain, crops, food supply, or communal welfare
and is punished when those fail.
claim_level: same_function
target: cross-cultural pattern of ruler as guarantor of fertility and weather
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The comparison is made within Frazer’s secondary synthesis; the passage
does not supply the primary evidence behind each cited note.
- id: claim:2
claim: The Swedish, Chukch, and Niuē examples are presented as variants of killing
or sacrificing a ruler or chief during famine, scarcity, or pestilence.
claim_level: same_motif
target: sacrificial killing of ruler or chief to address communal crisis
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The cited cases differ in agents, ritual language, and stated divine
recipients.
- id: claim:3
claim: Frazer explicitly compares divine kings with ancient Egyptian divine beasts
by saying both are responsible for the course of nature.
claim_level: same_function
target: divine kings and sacred animals as accountable embodiments of natural order
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage frames the analogy but gives only a brief summary of the
Egyptian practice.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1319-1320
quote_or_summary: Among the Antaymours of Madagascar, the king is responsible for
crop growth and every misfortune that befalls the people.
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: lines 1321-1325
quote_or_summary: In parts of West Africa, if prayers and offerings to the king
fail to bring rain, subjects bind him and take him to his forefathers’ grave to
obtain rain.
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: lines 1325-1326
quote_or_summary: The Scythians are said to have put their king in bonds when food
was scarce.
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: lines 1326-1331
quote_or_summary: The Banjars credit their king with rain or fine weather, reward
him in fine weather, and insult and beat him during long drought or rain until
the weather changes.
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: quote
locator: lines 1331-1334
quote_or_summary: The people of Loango accuse their king of a “bad heart” and depose
him when harvest fails or heavy surf prevents fishing.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 1334-1338
quote_or_summary: On the Pepper Coast, the Bodio is responsible for health, fertility,
and fish abundance and is deposed if the country suffers in these respects.
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: lines 1338-1339
quote_or_summary: The Burgundians of old deposed their king if crops failed.
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: lines 1339-1345
quote_or_summary: During a long famine under Swedish king Domalde, chiefs decided
he caused the scarcity, slew him for good seasons, and smeared his blood on the
gods’ altars.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: quote
locator: lines 1345-1352
quote_or_summary: In King Olaf’s reign, famine was blamed on the king’s sparing
sacrifices; the people burned him in his dwelling, “giving him to Odin as a sacrifice
for good crops.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short excerpt used.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 1352-1355
quote_or_summary: After pestilence among Chukch reindeer, Shamans declared chief
Koch must be sacrificed to angry gods, and his own son stabbed him with a dagger.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 1355-1360
quote_or_summary: On Niuē, kings were also high priests thought to make food grow;
people killed them during scarcity until no one would be king and the monarchy
ended.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 1360-1362
quote_or_summary: In ancient Egypt, divine beasts were responsible for the course
of nature; during drought-related calamity priests threatened sacred animals and
killed them if the evil did not abate.
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: high
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is itself a comparative scholarly synthesis with explicit repeated
patterns. Confidence is high for extracting Frazer’s stated comparisons, but primary-source
validation is outside the provided passage.
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 supplied available motif families and symbols.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg__l1319-l1362
passage_sha256=c385f76cdf5569c80103b89d82b128ef52d910002816e5488d7692686be73b0e