batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l442-l515
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l442-l515
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 442-515
start: '442'
end: '515'
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: Kings were revered... not merely as priests... but as themselves gods
summary: 'Frazer argues that ancient kings were often treated not only as priests
but as divine figures able to provide rain, sunshine, crops, and other blessings.
He then explains two routes to the idea of a man-god: belief in personal supernatural
agents and belief in sympathetic magic. He gives examples of imitative magic,
contagious magic involving body parts, and conduct rules for relatives of absent
hunters or warriors.'
language: English
quote_policy: quoted
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Ancient kings are described as commonly being priests and, in many cases,
as being revered as gods.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: Kings are said to be expected to provide rain, sunshine, crop growth, and
similar benefits.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The passage describes a worldview in which supernatural agents are personal
beings who may be affected by appeals to pity, fear, and hope.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The passage says that a person who believes a god is incarnate in his own
person need not appeal to a higher power for supernatural aid.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:5
text: One stated principle of sympathetic magic is that an effect may be produced
by imitating it.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:6
text: The passage gives an example in which an image of a person is made and destroyed
in order to kill the person represented.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:7
text: A Moroccan example describes a fowl or pigeon with a red bundle containing
a charm tied to its foot, keeping the charm in motion.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:8
text: A Nias example describes rubbing a captured wild pig's back with nine fallen
leaves so that nine more pigs will fall into the pit.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:9
text: A Cambodian hunter is described as deliberately letting himself be caught
in his own net after an unsuccessful attempt to catch game.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:10
text: A flax sower in Thüringen carries seed in a long swaying bag and walks with
long strides.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:11
text: Women in interior Sumatra sow rice with their hair hanging loose down their
backs.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:12
text: The passage states that a magical sympathy is believed to exist between a
person and severed hair or nails.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:13
text: The passage states that rules regulate the conduct of people left at home
while friends are fishing, hunting, or on the war-path.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:14
text: In the Dyak example, a wife or sister wears a sword day and night and observes
sleep restrictions while a man is head-hunting.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:15
text: In the Laos example, an elephant hunter warns his wife not to cut her hair
or oil her body while he is away.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: ancient kings
description: Rulers described as commonly priests and often revered as gods able
to bestow blessings.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: subjects and worshippers
description: People who seek or receive blessings from kings regarded as divine.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: supernatural agents or gods
description: Personal beings believed to influence nature and respond to prayers,
promises, or threats.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: person represented by an image
description: A person believed to suffer when an image of him is injured or destroyed.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Moroccan fowl or pigeon
description: A bird with a red bundle containing a charm tied to its foot.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: wild pig in Nias example
description: A wild pig taken out of a pit and rubbed with nine fallen leaves.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Cambodian hunter
description: A hunter who strips, approaches his net as if unaware of it, and allows
himself to be caught.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: flax sower in Thüringen
description: A man who sows flax while carrying seed in a long swaying bag.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: rice-sowing women in interior Sumatra
description: Women who sow rice with loose hair hanging down their backs.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Dyak wife or sister
description: A woman who follows rules while her husband or brother is head-hunting.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: fig:11
name_or_label: Dyak head-hunter
description: An absent man whose safety is thought to be affected by the conduct
of his wife or sister at home.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: fig:12
name_or_label: Laos elephant hunter
description: A hunter who warns his wife not to cut her hair or oil her body during
his absence.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
- id: fig:13
name_or_label: wife of Laos elephant hunter
description: A woman told to avoid cutting her hair or oiling her body while her
husband hunts elephants.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
roles:
- id: role:1
label: priestly ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage states that ancient kings were commonly priests.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: divine benefactor
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Kings are described as revered as gods and expected to bestow rain, sunshine,
and crops.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: recipients of divine or royal blessings
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Subjects and worshippers are named as recipients of blessings bestowed by
divine kings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: personal powers governing nature
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The passage describes gods or supernatural agents as personal beings influencing
weather and crops.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:5
label: magically vulnerable original
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The person is believed to suffer injuries done to the image and to perish
when it is destroyed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:6
label: carrier of moving charm
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The bird keeps a charm in motion by carrying it tied to its foot.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: model for further captures
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The first pig and the nine leaves are used to produce additional pig captures
by resemblance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: imitative catcher of game
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The hunter imitates being caught in the net so that game will later be caught.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: role:9
label: agricultural imitator
assigned_to:
- fig:8
- fig:9
basis: Their bodily actions or appearance are described as producing a corresponding
crop effect.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: role:10
label: homebound ritual observer
assigned_to:
- fig:10
- fig:13
basis: These women are described as following restrictions while a male relative
is absent hunting or fighting.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- ev:13
- id: role:11
label: absent warrior affected by household conduct
assigned_to:
- fig:11
basis: His wife's or sister's conduct is thought to affect his thoughts, wakefulness,
and safety.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: role:12
label: departing hunter who imposes restrictions
assigned_to:
- fig:12
basis: He warns his wife not to cut her hair or oil her body while he is away.
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: divine king
literal_form: king revered as god
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: rain and sunshine
literal_form: seasonal weather benefits expected from kings
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: crops
literal_form: crop growth expected from divine kings or magical imitation
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: sym:4
label: image double
literal_form: image made of a person and destroyed
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: red charm bundle
literal_form: little red bundle tied to a bird's foot
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: nine fallen leaves
literal_form: nine leaves fallen from a tree
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:7
label: hunting net
literal_form: net into which the hunter lets himself be caught
associated_figures:
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:8
label: long seed bag
literal_form: long bag of flax seed swaying on the sower's back
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:9
label: loose hair
literal_form: hair hanging loose down the back
associated_figures:
- fig:9
- fig:13
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:13
- id: sym:10
label: severed hair and nails
literal_form: cut hair or nails separated from a person
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:11
label: sword worn at home
literal_form: sword worn day and night by wife or sister
associated_figures:
- fig:10
- fig:11
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: sym:12
label: body oil
literal_form: oil applied to the body, forbidden during the hunter's absence
associated_figures:
- fig:12
- fig:13
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: divine kingship and fertility benefits
summary: The passage describes ancient kings as priests and sometimes gods who are
expected to give rain, sunshine, and crop growth to their people.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: incarnate man-god explanation
summary: 'Frazer explains one route to a man-god idea: a person may believe that
a god is incarnate in him and that he therefore possesses supernatural power himself.'
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: imitative magic examples
summary: 'The passage lists actions meant to produce effects by resemblance: destroying
an image, moving a charm, rubbing a pig with fallen leaves, being caught in a
net, swinging a seed bag, and letting hair hang loose while sowing rice.'
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- id: scene:4
label: contagious sympathy through body parts
summary: The passage states that a person's severed hair or nails may allow another
person to affect him at a distance.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: scene:5
label: home conduct affecting absent hunters or warriors
summary: The passage describes rules for people at home whose behavior is thought
to affect absent friends or relatives, including Dyak and Laos examples.
figure_refs:
- fig:10
- fig:11
- fig:12
- fig:13
symbol_refs:
- sym:9
- sym:11
- sym:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: sacred kingship as divine source of fertility and weather
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Kings are described as priests and gods expected to bring rain, sunshine,
and crop growth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage is Frazer's comparative interpretation, not a primary mythic
narrative.
- id: motif:2
label: man-god through divine incarnation
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage states that a person may believe a god has become incarnate in
his own person, giving him supernatural power.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The account is theoretical and generalized rather than attached to a named
myth or ritual in this excerpt.
- id: motif:3
label: imitative sympathetic magic
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage explicitly states that an effect may be produced by imitating
it and supplies several examples.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy reference directly names sympathetic magic.
- id: motif:4
label: contagious magic through severed body parts
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Hair and nails are described as retaining a magical sympathy with the person
from whom they were cut.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The passage presents this as a superstition and does not identify a specific
tradition beyond calling it world-wide.
- id: motif:5
label: distant sympathy between relatives during danger
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: Conduct by wives, sisters, or persons at home is said to affect absent hunters,
fishers, or warriors.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: The examples are ritual rules as described by Frazer, not a narrative
episode.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: 'The passage groups multiple practices from different places as instances
of the same functional pattern: producing an effect by imitating it.'
claim_level: same_function
target: imitative sympathetic magic in the Moroccan, Nias, Cambodian, Thüringen,
and Sumatran examples
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The comparison follows Frazer's framing and should be reviewed against
the ethnographic sources he cites.
- id: claim:2
claim: The Dyak and Laos examples share a functional pattern in which a homebound
woman's bodily conduct is thought to affect an absent male hunter or warrior.
claim_level: same_function
target: sympathetic bond between relatives during hunting or warfare
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
- ev:13
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage provides only brief examples and does not supply the broader
ritual contexts.
- id: claim:3
claim: The passage treats divine kingship as a recurring pattern in which rulers
mediate or embody superhuman power for public welfare.
claim_level: same_function
target: sacred kingship and royal fertility function
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: Specific cultures and named kings are not identified in this excerpt.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 442-453
quote_or_summary: Ancient kings are described as commonly priests and often gods,
able to bestow blessings such as rain, sunshine, and crop growth on subjects and
worshippers.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 453-463
quote_or_summary: The passage describes an early worldview in which nature is worked
by personal supernatural agents who may be influenced by prayers, promises, or
threats.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 463-468
quote_or_summary: If a god is believed to become incarnate in a person's own body,
that person is described as possessing supernatural powers for his own and others'
well-being.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 470-482
quote_or_summary: 'Frazer defines a principle of sympathetic magic: an effect may
be produced by imitating it; one example is making and destroying an image of
a person to harm or kill that person.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 482-487
quote_or_summary: In Morocco a fowl or pigeon may carry a red bundle containing
a charm, whose constant motion is believed to keep a target person's mind restless.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 487-491
quote_or_summary: In Nias, a wild pig taken from a pit has its back rubbed with
nine fallen leaves so that nine more pigs will fall into the pit as the leaves
fell from the tree.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 491-496
quote_or_summary: A Cambodian hunter who has caught nothing lets himself be caught
in his own net and speaks as if surprised; afterward the net is expected to catch
game.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 496-501
quote_or_summary: In Thüringen a man sowing flax carries seed in a long bag and
walks with long strides so the bag sways, which is believed to make the flax crop
wave in the wind.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 501-504
quote_or_summary: In interior Sumatra, women sow rice with loose hair down their
backs so the rice will grow luxuriantly with long stalks.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 504-509
quote_or_summary: The passage states that magical sympathy is believed to exist
between a person and severed parts such as hair or nails, enabling action upon
that person at a distance.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 509-513
quote_or_summary: The passage says rules often govern people left at home while
friends are fishing, hunting, or on the war-path, because breaches are thought
to injure the absent friends correspondingly.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 513-520
quote_or_summary: When a Dyak is head-hunting, his wife or sister must wear a sword
day and night and avoid daytime sleep or early bedtime so he will think of his
weapons and not be surprised asleep.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
- id: ev:13
type: summary
locator: lines 520-525
quote_or_summary: In Laos an elephant hunter tells his wife not to cut her hair
or oil her body while he is gone, lest the elephant burst or slip through the
toils.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summary only.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is explicit about its comparative categories, especially sympathetic
magic. Motif mapping to the provided taxonomy is limited because several observed
patterns have no direct supplied taxonomy reference.
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: |-
This is a passage-level extraction from a comparative scholarly text, not from a single primary myth tradition.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg__l442-l515
passage_sha256=0483107c7d19efd57b328435bc57844ae210e2f2813b97c1a1ecdd74d494d295