batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l4265-l4343
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l4265-l4343
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 4265-4343
start: '4265'
end: '4343'
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 discusses aversion to iron as a religious and magical taboo, then
presents cases where iron is used as a protective charm against spirits. He also
compares taboos on knives and other cutting instruments after death, explaining
the prohibition of weapons in a Burmese priestly king’s house as protection for
a sacred or divine spirit.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage says that iron may have been viewed with suspicion because it
was once a novelty, and it gives examples of novel things being blamed for misfortune.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Polish farmers are described as abandoning iron ploughshares after bad harvests
and returning to wooden ones.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The passage states that iron, because it is thought obnoxious to spirits,
can be used as a charm against ghosts and dangerous spirits.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: Scotch fishermen at sea grasped pieces of iron after one of the crew took
the name of God in vain.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: In Morocco, a knife or dagger is placed under a sick man’s pillow as protection
against demons.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: In India, a mourner carrying out a funeral-related ceremony carries a piece
of iron during a period of separation to keep off an evil spirit.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:7
text: In north-east Scotland after a death, iron objects were stuck into food and
drink in the house to prevent death from entering them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:8
text: The passage identifies the ghost of the deceased as the spirit against which
iron is directed in the Hindu and Scotch death customs.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: A priestly king north of Zengwih in Burma is described as the highest spiritual
and temporal authority of the Sotih, and no weapon or cutting instrument may be
brought into his house.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: The passage explains some post-death taboos on sharp instruments as precautions
against wounding the ghost or soul of the deceased.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: Roumanians of Transylvania are said not to leave a knife edge-up while the
corpse is in the house, because the soul would be forced to ride on the blade.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: Chinese mourners are said to abstain for seven days after death from knives,
needles, and chopsticks, eating with their fingers while the corpse remains in
the house.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:13
text: Among Innuit of Alaska, women do not sew for four days after a death and men
do not cut wood with an axe for five days.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:14
text: Old Prussians and Lithuanians prepared meals for the soul of the deceased
on specified days, invited the soul, ate silently without knives, left fallen
morsels for lonely souls, and then the priest swept the souls out.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:15
text: In South Celebes, only the backs of a knife and comb may be used when cutting
the nails and combing the hair of a dead prince.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:16
text: The passage concludes that the Burmese pontiff’s house excludes cutting instruments
so that his sacred spirit will not be cut or wounded when it leaves his body.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Dusuns of Borneo
description: A group said to attribute good or bad events to novel things arriving
in their country.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Polish farmers
description: Farmers who attributed bad harvests to iron ploughshares and returned
to wooden ones.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Scotch fishermen
description: Fishermen who grasped iron after a crew member’s irreverent speech
at sea.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Moroccan sick man
description: A sick man protected by a knife or dagger placed under his pillow.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Indian mourner or chief mourner
description: A mourner who carries iron while performing funeral rites and during
a period of uncleanness or separation.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: North-east Scottish household after death
description: A household in which iron is stuck into food and drink after a death.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Priestly king north of Zengwih in Burma
description: A ruler revered by the Sotih as the highest spiritual and temporal
authority, whose house excludes weapons and cutting instruments.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:12
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Roumanians of Transylvania
description: People who avoid leaving a knife edge-up while a corpse remains in
the house.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Chinese mourners
description: People who abstain from knives, needles, and chopsticks for seven days
after death while the corpse remains in the house.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Innuit of Alaska
description: People who suspend sewing and axe-cutting for several days after a
death.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Old Prussians and Lithuanians
description: People who prepare meals for the soul of the deceased and eat without
knives.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Priest at Prussian and Lithuanian soul meal
description: A priest who sweeps the souls out of the house after the meal.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: Dead prince in South Celebes
description: A dead prince whose nails and hair are tended only with the backs of
the knife and comb.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: fig:14
name_or_label: Ghosts, demons, souls, and spirits
description: Supernatural beings described as repelled by iron or vulnerable to
knives and cutting instruments.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:10
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: attributer of misfortune to novelty
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: These figures are described as connecting misfortune or unusual conditions
with newly introduced things.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: user or beneficiary of iron protection
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
basis: These figures use or receive iron objects as protection against demons, ghosts,
spirits, or death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: spirit repelled or endangered by material objects
assigned_to:
- fig:14
basis: The passage says spirits avoid iron and that souls or sacred spirits may
be wounded by cutting instruments.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:12
- id: role:4
label: sacred priestly king
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The figure is described as both spiritual and temporal authority and probably
regarded as divine.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:12
- id: role:5
label: observer of death-related instrument taboo or rite
assigned_to:
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
basis: These figures participate in rites or restrictions connected with death,
especially use or avoidance of iron, knives, needles, axes, or related objects.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: iron as protective charm
literal_form: iron, including pieces of iron, key, nail, knitting-wire, knife, dagger,
and other iron objects
associated_figures:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: cutting instrument as danger to soul or sacred spirit
literal_form: weapon, knife, needle, axe, blade, cutting instrument
associated_figures:
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:13
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
- id: sym:3
label: fire in funeral ceremony
literal_form: fire put into the dead person’s mouth
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:4
label: meal for deceased souls
literal_form: food, drink, and fallen morsels left for souls
associated_figures:
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:5
label: broom expelling souls
literal_form: broom used by the priest to sweep souls out of the house
associated_figures:
- fig:12
- fig:14
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Novel iron blamed for misfortune
summary: New things, including iron ploughshares, are described as objects of suspicion
and as causes to which misfortune is attributed.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Iron used to repel spirits
summary: Iron is used in several settings as a charm against spirits, demons, the
ghost of the deceased, or death entering food and drink.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: scene:3
label: Sharp instruments avoided after death
summary: Several peoples abstain from knives, needles, sewing, axe-cutting, or edge-up
blades while a corpse or soul is thought to be near.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:9
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:13
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: scene:4
label: Meal offered to souls and souls dismissed
summary: Old Prussians and Lithuanians invite the soul of the deceased to a silent
knife-free meal, leave morsels for lonely souls, and have a priest sweep the souls
out afterward.
figure_refs:
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: scene:5
label: Weapons excluded from sacred ruler’s house
summary: A Burmese priestly king’s house excludes weapons and cutting instruments,
and the passage explains this as avoiding injury to his sacred spirit when it
leaves his body.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
- fig:14
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Novel metal or technology treated as dangerous or unlucky
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage links aversion to iron with suspicion of novelty and gives the
Polish example of iron ploughshares blamed for bad harvests.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: This is Frazer’s explanatory framing, not a single narrated mythic episode.
- id: motif:2
label: Iron as apotropaic protection against spirits
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Iron is described as obnoxious to spirits and used in Scotland, Morocco,
India, and north-east Scotland to repel demons, ghosts, evil spirits, or death.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: No available taxonomy reference directly names iron or apotropaic metal.
- id: motif:3
label: Avoidance of sharp instruments near the dead or the soul
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage lists multiple customs avoiding knives, needles, axes, edge-up
blades, or cutting edges while the dead or their souls are near.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The examples are comparative reports rather than a continuous traditional
narrative.
- id: motif:4
label: Feeding and dismissing the souls of the dead
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Old Prussians and Lithuanians invite the soul of the deceased to a meal,
leave food for lonely souls, and have the priest sweep the souls out afterward.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: This is a mortuary rite; no available taxonomy reference precisely covers
feeding the dead.
- id: motif:5
label: Sacred ruler protected from weapons or cutting instruments
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: The Burmese priestly king is described as spiritual and temporal authority,
probably divine, and protected by excluding weapons and cutting instruments from
his house.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:12
confidence: medium
cautions: 'The taxonomy reference is approximate: the passage concerns sacred protection
of the ruler’s spirit more than legitimating kingship.'
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage treats several customs as functionally similar uses of iron to
repel dangerous spirits or the ghost of the deceased.
claim_level: same_function
target: Iron-protection customs in Scotland, Morocco, India, and north-east Scotland
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage provides functional comparison but does not establish historical
contact or common inheritance among the customs.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage treats several post-death restrictions on knives and cutting
tools as functionally similar precautions against injuring a nearby soul or spirit.
claim_level: same_function
target: Sharp-instrument taboos in Transylvania, China, Alaska, Prussian-Lithuanian
rites, South Celebes, and the Burmese priestly king’s house
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
- ev:12
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The explanation is Frazer’s comparative interpretation; the passage
itself does not prove that every cited community shared the same underlying belief.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 4265-4281
quote_or_summary: Iron is explained as possibly feared because it was new; Dusuns
blame events on novelty, and Polish farmers blamed bad harvests on iron ploughshares.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 4281-4289
quote_or_summary: Because iron is thought obnoxious to spirits, it can be used as
a charm for banning ghosts and dangerous spirits.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 4289-4294
quote_or_summary: Scotch fishermen at sea grasped iron after irreverent speech,
calling out “Cauld airn.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short phrase from public domain text.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 4294-4296
quote_or_summary: In Morocco iron is considered protection against demons, so a
knife or dagger is placed under a sick man’s pillow.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 4296-4307
quote_or_summary: In India, a mourner who performs a ceremony involving fire in
the dead person’s mouth carries iron, such as a key or knife, to keep off an evil
spirit; Bengali clerks wore a small key after acting as chief mourners.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 4307-4316
quote_or_summary: In north-east Scotland after a death, iron objects were stuck
into food and drink to prevent death from entering them; the passage says the
ghost of the deceased is the spirit opposed by iron in these Hindu and Scotch
customs.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 4317-4321
quote_or_summary: A priestly king north of Zengwih in Burma is revered by the Sotih
as highest spiritual and temporal authority, and no weapon or cutting instrument
may enter his house.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 4321-4328
quote_or_summary: The passage connects the Burmese rule with customs after death
that avoid sharp instruments near the ghost; Roumanians avoid an edge-up knife
while the corpse is in the house lest the soul ride on the blade.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 4328-4334
quote_or_summary: Chinese mourners avoid knives, needles, and chopsticks for seven
days; Innuit of Alaska suspend sewing and axe-cutting for several days after death.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 4334-4341
quote_or_summary: Old Prussians and Lithuanians invited the deceased soul to meals,
ate silently without knives, left fallen morsels for lonely souls, and a priest
swept the souls out.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 4341-4343
quote_or_summary: In South Celebes, only the backs of the knife and comb may be
used in tending a dead prince’s nails and hair; Germans also say a knife should
not be left edge upward because of God or spirits.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 4343-4343
quote_or_summary: The passage explains the Burmese pontiff’s weapon taboo as protecting
his sacred spirit from being cut or wounded when it leaves the body.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary supplied.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: high
notes: The passage is a secondary comparative discussion with explicit cross-cultural
examples. Motif labels are descriptive; taxonomy alignment is limited because
the available list lacks direct entries for iron apotropaia or sharp-instrument
taboos.
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: |-
All claims are restricted to the supplied passage and metadata. No historical contact or common inheritance is inferred.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg__l4265-l4343
passage_sha256=1e6da76069b1547960dd86676e72ee2a77046abd493f976c7ae28e15bb0564ab