batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l4104-l4157
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l4104-l4157
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
passage_locator:
label: CHAPTER I. THE KING OF THE WOOD. / MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF
THE SOUL. / HEINE.; lines 4104-4157
start: '4104'
end: '4157'
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 describes beliefs that the Mikado’s used dishes and clothing could
harm unauthorized users, then compares this to Maori and New Zealand chiefly tapu:
sacred food, fruit from a tabooed place, a chief’s tinder-box, and a chief’s garment
are all said to transmit dangerous sacred power and cause illness or death when
improperly used.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The Mikado’s food is described as being cooked daily in new pots and served
in new dishes, both made of common clay and usually broken or set aside after
one use.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The passage reports a belief that anyone else eating from the Mikado’s sacred
dishes would suffer swelling and inflammation of the mouth and throat.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The passage reports a belief that anyone wearing the Mikado’s clothes without
permission would suffer swellings and pains over the body.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: Frazer characterizes the divine king or god-man as both a source of blessing
and danger, requiring isolation for the safety of others as well as himself.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: 'Frazer uses fire as an image for divinity: beneficial under restraint but
destructive when rashly touched or allowed to break bounds.'
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: A New Zealand chief left the remains of his dinner by the wayside, and a slave
ate the food after the chief had gone.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: After being told that he had eaten the chief’s food, the slave suffered convulsions
and stomach cramps and died by sundown the same day.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:8
text: A Maori woman ate fruit and was later told it had been taken from a tabooed
place; she said the spirit of the chief whose sanctity had been profaned would
kill her, and she died by noon the next day.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: An observer of the Maori is quoted as saying that tapu is an awful weapon
and that victims die under it as though their strength ran out like water.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: A Maori chief’s lost tinder-box was found and used by men to light pipes;
they died of fright after learning whose tinder-box it was.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: The garments of a high New Zealand chief are said to kill anyone else who
wears them.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: A high New Zealand chief threw a blanket down a precipice to prevent another
person from wearing it, explaining that his tapu would kill the wearer.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Mikado
description: Sacred ruler whose dishes and clothing are said to be dangerous to
unauthorized users.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: divine king or god-man
description: Generalized sacred person described by Frazer as dangerous as well
as beneficial and requiring isolation.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: New Zealand chief of high rank and great sanctity
description: Chief whose leftover dinner is eaten by a slave and whose sanctity
is treated as communicated to the food.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: slave who ate the chief’s dinner
description: A hungry slave who ate the remains of the sacred chief’s dinner and
died after learning whose food it was.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Maori woman
description: Woman who ate fruit from a tabooed place and died after saying the
profaned chief’s spirit would kill her.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: spirit of the chief
description: Spirit invoked by the Maori woman as the agent that would kill her
after the chief’s sanctity was profaned.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: men who used the chief’s tinder-box
description: Men who found a Maori chief’s lost tinder-box, used it to light their
pipes, and died of fright after learning to whom it belonged.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: high New Zealand chief with blanket
description: Chief who threw away a blanket to prevent another person from wearing
it and being killed by his tapu.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: missionary
description: Observer who asked the chief why he did not leave the blanket on a
tree for a future traveller.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: bearer of dangerous sacred power
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:8
basis: These figures are described as possessing sacred or divine status whose power
may harm others through contact with their objects, food, or clothing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:7
- id: role:2
label: unauthorized user of tabooed or sacred object
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:7
basis: These figures consume or use food, fruit, or a tinder-box connected with
chiefly sanctity or taboo and then die.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: avenging or lethal sacred presence
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The Maori woman says the chief’s spirit would kill her after she ate fruit
from a tabooed place.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: questioning observer
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The missionary asks why the chief does not leave the blanket where another
traveller might use it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: sacred dishes and vessels
literal_form: new pots and dishes used for the Mikado’s food
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: sacred clothing
literal_form: the Mikado’s clothes and the garments or blanket of a high New Zealand
chief
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:7
- id: sym:3
label: chiefly food as carrier of tapu
literal_form: leftover dinner of a high-ranking New Zealand chief
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: tabooed fruit
literal_form: fruit taken from a tabooed place
associated_figures:
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: chief’s tinder-box
literal_form: lost tinder-box of a Maori chief, used to light pipes
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: divine fire
literal_form: fire used as an image for divinity and dangerous sacred force
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:7
label: tapu
literal_form: taboo or spiritual power communicated by contact
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Mikado’s single-use vessels and clothing taboo
summary: The Mikado’s food is prepared and served in new clay vessels that are broken
or set aside after use, because others are believed to be harmed by eating from
them; his clothing is also dangerous if worn without permission.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Divine person as dangerous fire
summary: Frazer explains the divine king or god-man as a sacred person whose force
can bless under restraint but can also harm others through contact, using fire
as the central image.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Slave eats a sacred chief’s leftovers
summary: A slave eats the remains of a high-ranking New Zealand chief’s dinner,
learns the food was the chief’s, suffers convulsions and cramps, and dies the
same day.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Woman dies after eating fruit from a tabooed place
summary: A Maori woman eats fruit later identified as from a tabooed place, says
the profaned chief’s spirit will kill her, and dies the next day.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Tinder-box and blanket as dangerous chiefly objects
summary: Objects associated with chiefs—a tinder-box and a blanket or garments—are
described as dangerous to later users because of the chief’s tapu communicated
through contact.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:5
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: dangerous sacred contact through personal objects
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage repeatedly presents dishes, clothing, food, fruit, a tinder-box,
and a blanket as objects that transmit sacred or taboo power and harm unauthorized
users.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is a comparative scholarly account, not a primary ritual text;
the motif label is descriptive rather than a supplied taxonomy category.
- id: motif:2
label: divine ruler isolated for others’ safety
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Frazer states that the divine king or god-man must be guarded against as
well as guarded, because his sacred organism may discharge dangerous spiritual
force on what contacts it.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage discusses danger and isolation, not royal succession or legitimacy.
- id: motif:3
label: fatal breach of taboo
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Several episodes describe death following violation of taboo by eating sacred
food or fruit, using a chief’s tinder-box, or potentially wearing a chief’s garment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
confidence: high
cautions: Deaths are reported through Frazer’s cited examples; causal interpretation
is presented as belief or observer report within the passage.
- id: motif:4
label: sacred power imagined as fire
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Frazer explicitly compares divinity to fire that blesses when restrained
but burns and destroys when touched rashly or allowed to break bounds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: This is an explanatory image used by Frazer in the passage rather than
a narrated mythic episode.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The Mikado examples and the Maori/New Zealand chief examples are presented
as comparable cases in which sacred status is believed to be transmitted through
contact with vessels, food, clothing, or other personal objects and to endanger
unauthorized users.
claim_level: same_function
target: Mikado sacred-dish and clothing taboo compared with Maori/New Zealand chiefly
tapu transmitted through food, fruit, tinder-box, and garments
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The comparison is Frazer’s scholarly construction within the passage;
the excerpt does not provide independent local explanations beyond the reported
beliefs.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 4104-4112
quote_or_summary: The Mikado’s food is cooked in new clay pots and served in new
dishes, usually broken after one use; others eating from these dishes or wearing
his clothes without leave are believed to suffer swelling, inflammation, and bodily
pains.
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: 4112-4127
quote_or_summary: Frazer says the divine king or god-man is both blessing and danger,
must be isolated for others’ safety, and compares divinity to fire that blesses
under restraint but burns and destroys when touched rashly.
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: 4127-4141
quote_or_summary: A high-ranking New Zealand chief leaves food by the roadside;
a slave eats it, learns it was the chief’s, suffers convulsions and stomach cramps,
and dies by sundown; the account says the chief’s tapu had been communicated to
the food by contact.
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: 4142-4147
quote_or_summary: A Maori woman eats fruit later said to come from a tabooed place,
says the spirit of the profaned chief will kill her, and is dead by noon the following
day.
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: 4147-4150
quote_or_summary: "“Tapu [taboo] is an awful weapon”; victims die “as though their
strength ran out as water.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: 4150-4153
quote_or_summary: A Maori chief’s tinder-box, after being lost and used by men to
light pipes, is said to have caused several deaths by fright once the men learned
whose it was.
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: 4153-4157
quote_or_summary: The garments of a high New Zealand chief are said to kill anyone
else who wears them; one chief throws a blanket down a precipice rather than leave
it for a traveller, explaining that his tapu would kill the wearer.
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: high
notes: Literal events and objects are clearly stated in the passage. Motif labels
are descriptive because the supplied taxonomy lacks a direct taboo-contagion motif
family.
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: |-
No external sources or unsupported taxonomy IDs were used.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg__l4104-l4157
passage_sha256=03941c1f8dfbbf9ea4ea90f8410afdb0bd329092d82e591df423a298b170b2af