batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l2198-l2268
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l2198-l2268
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 2198-2268
start: '2198'
end: '2268'
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: "“Green George we bring, / Green George we accompany, / May he feed our herds
well, / If not, to the water with him.”"
summary: Frazer surveys spring and May customs in Europe and Bengal involving green
boughs, May-trees, leaf-clad human figures, offerings, processions, dancing, water
ducking or drenching, cattle blessing, and the distribution of flowers. He interprets
these rites as representations of a vegetation or tree spirit that brings fertility,
rain, cattle prosperity, and good fortune.
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: May singers are described as going about with green boughs, singing, collecting
money, and expecting payment for bringing plenty and good luck to houses.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: In Russian Lithuania, a green tree was set up before the village on May 1,
and a crowned girl swathed in birch branches was placed beside it while people
danced, sang, and shouted.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: In Brie, a May-tree stood in the village, decorated with flowers, leaves,
twigs, and green branches; girls danced around it while a leaf-wrapped lad called
Father May was led about.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: In Bavaria, a tree was erected before a tavern, and a man called the Walber
danced around it while enveloped in straw, with ears of corn forming a crown above
his head.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: In Carinthia, young people decorated a felled tree with flowers and garlands,
carried it in procession, and included a young man called Green George clad in
green birch branches.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: At the close of the Carinthian ceremonies, an effigy of Green George was thrown
into water, or in many places the young man playing Green George was ducked in
a river or pond to ensure rain.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: A song accompanying crowned cattle threatens Green George with water if he
does not feed the herds well.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The Oraons hold a spring festival while the sál trees are in blossom and connect
the occasion with a marriage of earth and the need for sál flowers.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: Oraon villagers and their priest go to the Sarna sacred grove, where the goddess
Sarna Burhi is thought to dwell and to influence rain.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: The priest sacrifices five fowls to Sarna Burhi, distributes morsels to those
present, gathers sál flowers with the villagers, and returns to the village.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:11
text: The next day the priest carries sál flowers from house to house; women wash
his feet, bow to him, dance with him, and receive flowers over their doors and
in their hair.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:12
text: After receiving sál flowers, the women empty water-jugs over the priest, drenching
him; afterward there is a feast and all-night dancing by young people wearing
sál flowers.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:13
text: Frazer explicitly compares the drenching of the Oraon priest with the ducking
of Green George as a rain-charm.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: May singers / children with green boughs
description: Children or singers who go about on May Day with green boughs, singing
and collecting money.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Crowned girl in Russian Lithuania
description: The prettiest girl, crowned and swathed in birch branches, seated beside
the May-tree.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Father May
description: A lad wrapped in leaves and led about beside a decorated May-tree in
Brie.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Walber
description: A man in Bavaria enveloped in straw from head to foot, with ears of
corn forming a crown, dancing around a tree.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Green George
description: A young man in Carinthia clad from head to foot in green birch branches,
or an effigy substituted for him and thrown into water.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Cattle in Carinthian rite
description: Cattle are crowned and driven from their stalls while a song invokes
Green George to feed the herds well.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Oraon priest
description: The priest who visits the sacred grove, sacrifices to Sarna Burhi,
carries sál flowers to houses, dances with women, and is drenched with water.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Sarna Burhi
description: The goddess or woman of the grove supposed to dwell in the Sarna sacred
grove and to have influence on rain.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:13
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Oraon women of each house
description: Women who wash the priest’s feet, bow, dance with him, receive sál
flowers, and pour water over him.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: bringers of plenty and good luck
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage says the May singers bring plenty and good luck to houses with
the spirit of vegetation and expect payment for the service.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: human representative of vegetation or tree spirit
assigned_to:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:7
basis: The passage treats leaf-, branch-, straw-, or flower-bearing human figures
as living representatives of the tree or vegetation spirit.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:13
- id: role:3
label: rain-securing figure
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Green George, or his effigy, is thrown into water, and the ducking is said
to be intended to ensure rain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:4
label: beneficiaries of herd-fertility rite
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The cattle are crowned and accompanied by a song asking Green George to feed
the herds well.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:5
label: flower-bearing ritual mediator
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The priest carries sál flowers to every house, places them over doors and
in women’s hair, and is drenched with water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: role:6
label: grove goddess associated with rain
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: Sarna Burhi is described as dwelling in the sacred grove and having great
influence on rain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:7
label: household ritual participants
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The women wash the priest’s feet, bow, dance with him, receive flowers, and
drench him with water.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: green boughs and birch branches
literal_form: Green boughs or birch branches carried, worn, or used to swathe ritual
figures.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:5
- id: sym:2
label: May-tree or decorated tree
literal_form: A green tree or May-tree set up or carried in procession, decorated
with flowers, leaves, twigs, branches, or garlands.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: leaf, straw, and corn covering
literal_form: Leaf wrapping, straw envelope, and ears of corn forming a crown on
human figures.
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: water ducking or drenching
literal_form: Throwing an effigy into water, ducking a man in a river or pond, or
emptying water-jugs over the priest.
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: sym:5
label: sál flowers
literal_form: Flowers from blossoming sál trees gathered from the sacred grove,
carried to houses, placed over doors, and worn in hair.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: sym:6
label: Sarna sacred grove
literal_form: Sacred grove, a remnant of old sál forest, where Sarna Burhi is supposed
to dwell.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: five fowls sacrifice
literal_form: Five fowls sacrificed to the grove goddess, with morsels given to
those present.
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: May singers bring boughs and seek gifts
summary: May singers or children carry green boughs, sing, collect money, and are
said to bring plenty and good luck to houses.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Russian Lithuanian May-tree and crowned girl
summary: A green tree is set before the village, a crowned girl in birch branches
is placed beside it, and people dance, sing, and shout to May.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Brie May-tree and Father May
summary: A decorated May-tree stands in the village while girls dance around it
and a leaf-wrapped lad called Father May is led about.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Bavarian Walber tree rite
summary: A tree is erected before a tavern, and the straw-covered Walber dances
around it with ears of corn forming a crown.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Carinthian Green George procession and water rite
summary: A decorated tree is carried in procession with Green George clad in birch
branches; afterward his effigy or the actor himself is put into water to secure
rain, and cattle may be crowned with a song for herd feeding.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:6
label: Oraon visit to Sarna grove
summary: During sál blossom season, Oraon villagers and their priest go to the sacred
grove, sacrifice five fowls to Sarna Burhi, share morsels, gather sál flowers,
and return.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: scene:7
label: Oraon priest distributes flowers and is drenched
summary: The priest brings sál flowers to houses, is honored by women, places flowers
on doors and in hair, is drenched with water, and a feast and all-night dance
follow.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: vegetation spirit represented by tree and human figure
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_tree_axis
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The passage repeatedly pairs a decorated tree with a leaf-, branch-, straw-,
or flower-bearing human figure and explicitly calls this a double representation
of the spirit of vegetation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy term sacred_tree_axis is broader than the passage’s local
seasonal tree-rite evidence; the passage does not frame the tree as a cosmic axis.
- id: motif:2
label: spring fertility procession bringing plenty to houses and fields
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
- sacred_exchange
basis: May singers collect gifts while being credited with bringing plenty and good
luck, and the Oraon priest carries flowers door to door to bestow fruitfulness.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: Frazer’s explanation is interpretive; literal customs differ by region.
- id: motif:3
label: water rite to secure rain and greenness
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Green George is ducked to ensure rain, and Frazer identifies the drenching
of the Oraon priest as a comparable rain-charm.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:12
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The passage supplies functional comparison but not direct historical linkage.
- id: motif:4
label: sacred grove goddess and blossom festival
taxonomy_refs:
- mother_goddess
- sacred_marriage
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The Oraon spring festival occurs when sál trees bloom, is associated with
the marriage of earth, and involves offerings to Sarna Burhi, a goddess of the
grove linked with rain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage names a goddess and an earth marriage, but gives limited theological
detail; mother_goddess and sacred_marriage are approximate taxonomy fits.
- id: motif:5
label: animal sacrifice to grove deity
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The priest sacrifices five fowls to Sarna Burhi in the sacred grove, and
morsels are distributed to those present.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The passage gives only a brief ritual description.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage presents the Carinthian Green George water-ducking and the Oraon
priest’s drenching as serving the same rain-making function.
claim_level: same_function
target: Carinthian Green George rite and Oraon sál-flower priest rite
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:12
- ev:13
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The claim is functional and based on Frazer’s comparison; the passage
does not demonstrate historical contact or common origin.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage groups European May-tree customs and the Oraon Sarna festival
under a shared pattern of representing vegetation through both a tree or flowers
and a living human participant.
claim_level: same_motif
target: double representation of vegetation spirit by tree/flowers and human figure
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:13
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The comparison is made by Frazer across geographically distinct customs;
the excerpt does not provide independent evidence for shared origin.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 2198-2204
quote_or_summary: May singers threaten non-givers with loss of produce and livestock;
children with green boughs bring plenty and good luck to houses and expect payment.
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 2204-2209
quote_or_summary: In Russian Lithuania on May 1, a green tree is set up, the prettiest
girl is crowned and swathed in birch branches, and people dance, sing, and shout
beside the May-tree.
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 2209-2214
quote_or_summary: In Brie, a decorated May-tree stands in the village; girls dance
around it and a leaf-wrapped lad called Father May is led about.
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 2214-2219
quote_or_summary: In Bavaria, a tree is erected before a tavern, and a man called
the Walber dances around it enveloped in straw, with ears of corn forming a crown.
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: lines 2219-2225
quote_or_summary: In Carinthia on St. George’s Day, a decorated felled tree is carried
in procession with music; the chief figure is Green George, a young man clad in
green birch branches.
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: lines 2225-2232
quote_or_summary: At the close, an effigy of Green George is thrown into water,
or the actor himself is ducked in a river or pond to ensure rain for green fields
and meadows.
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: quote
locator: lines 2232-2238
quote_or_summary: "“Green George we bring, / Green George we accompany, / May he
feed our herds well, / If not, to the water with him.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; brief quotation.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 2242-2246
quote_or_summary: The Oraons have a spring festival while sál trees are blossoming,
because they think the marriage of earth is then celebrated and sál flowers are
needed.
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: summary
locator: lines 2246-2251
quote_or_summary: The villagers and priest go to the Sarna sacred grove, a remnant
of old sál forest where Sarna Burhi, woman or goddess of the grove, is supposed
to dwell and influence rain.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 2251-2255
quote_or_summary: At the grove, the priest sacrifices five fowls to Sarna Burhi,
gives a morsel to each person present, gathers sál flowers with the villagers,
and returns to the village.
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 2255-2261
quote_or_summary: The priest visits every house with sál flowers; women wash his
feet, kneel, bow, dance with him, and he places flowers over doors and in women’s
hair.
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 2261-2264
quote_or_summary: The women empty water-jugs over the priest, drenching him; afterward
there is a feast and young people wearing sál flowers dance all night on the village
green.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 2239-2242, 2264-2268
quote_or_summary: Frazer says powers of rain-making and fostering cattle are attributed
to a tree-spirit represented by a living man, and compares the Oraon priest’s
drenching to Green George’s ducking as a rain-charm that dispenses rain and fruitfulness.
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 explicit about many ritual details and Frazer’s own functional
comparisons. Motif taxonomy mapping is somewhat cautious because the available
taxonomy is broad and the source is comparative scholarship rather than a primary
mythic narrative.
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: |-
Only the supplied passage and metadata were used. Comparison claims are limited to comparisons explicitly made or strongly framed by the passage itself.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg__l2198-l2268
passage_sha256=e220eecfd24d29e9ee90fd7582edd18e02a69f9cb4d470d0446068857d72eec9