batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l8124-l8182
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg-l8124-l8182
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
passage_locator:
label: MACAULAY. / CHAPTER II. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL. / HEINE. / CHAPTER III. KILLING
THE GOD.; lines 8124-8182
start: '8124'
end: '8182'
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 European harvest customs in which the last sheaf or the person
associated with it is called the Old Man, Harvest-man, or Oats-man and is wrapped
in corn, straw, or stalks, decorated, carried, danced with, rolled, drenched,
or led through the village. He then states that these rites express the idea of
the corn spirit being driven from the last cut or threshed grain, wintering in
the barn, and returning to the fields at sowing. He compares this with a Central
Provinces Indian custom in which the last standing patch of corn is torn up, made
into a sheaf, tied to bamboo, carried home, and fastened up to avert the evil-eye.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: In villages near Stettin, the woman who places the last sheaf on the wagon
is called the Old Man, swathed in corn-stalks, decorated with flowers and a straw
helmet, and carries a harvest-crown to the squire.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: At Blankenfelde, the woman who binds the last sheaf is tied into the sheaf
with only her head free, wears a rye-stalk cap with ribbons and flowers, is called
the Harvest-man, dances before the last wagon, receives a present, and is released.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: Several cited European customs wrap the person associated with the last ears,
last sheaf, or threshing stroke in corn, oats, straw, or pease-straw and carry,
dance around, roll, or lead that person through the field, farmyard, threshing-floor,
or village.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: obs:4
text: In Transylvania and at Dingelstedt, a person encased in corn-stalks or the
last sheaf is drenched or soused with water after being brought home or into the
village.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: In Thüringen, a sausage is placed in the last sheaf at threshing, thrown with
the sheaf onto the threshing-floor, eaten by the threshers, and followed by a
man being encased in pease-straw and led through the village.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: Frazer states that in these cases the corn spirit, called the Old Man of vegetation,
is thought to be driven out of the last cut or threshed corn, to live in the barn
during winter, and to return to the fields at sowing-time.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: In the Central Provinces of India, a small remaining patch of corn is left
standing near the end of reaping; the reapers then rush at it, tear it up, cast
it into the air, and shout victory to named figures.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The Indian last-corn sheaf is tied to bamboo, put in the last harvest cart,
carried home in triumph, and fastened to a threshing-floor tree or cattle-shed
to avert the evil-eye.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Person wrapped in last sheaf or crop-stalks
description: A woman, man, reaper, farmer, or other person associated with the last
sheaf, last ears, or last threshing stroke and enclosed in corn, rye, oats, straw,
pease-straw, or stalks.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Old Man / Harvest-man / Oats-man
description: Ritual names applied to the person associated with the last sheaf,
last ears, or last threshing stroke in the described customs.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Corn spirit / Old Man of vegetation
description: 'Frazer’s stated interpretive figure: the spirit of the corn, identified
with the Old Man of vegetation, driven from the last cut or threshed corn and
later returning to the fields.'
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Central Provinces reapers
description: Reapers who tear up the last standing patch of corn, cast it into the
air, and carry the sheaf home in triumph.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Omkár Maháráj, Jhámájí, Rámjí Dás, etc.
description: Names shouted in victory by the reapers in the Central Provinces harvest
custom, according to their respective possessions.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
roles:
- id: role:1
label: last-sheaf ritual representative
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The person associated with the last sheaf, last ears, or last threshing stroke
is named, wrapped in grain or straw, carried, danced with, rolled, drenched, or
led through the community.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:2
label: corn or vegetation animating force
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The passage states that the spirit of the corn is driven from the last cut
or threshed corn, winters in the barn, and resumes activity among sprouting corn.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: harvest actors
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: 'The reapers perform the last-corn actions: tearing up the remaining patch,
shouting, making a sheaf, and carrying it home.'
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: role:4
label: invoked harvest names
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: The reapers shout victory to these named figures during the last-corn act.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: last sheaf or last corn
literal_form: last sheaf, last ears, last standing patch of corn, or last threshing
sheaf
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: sym:2
label: grain-stalk covering
literal_form: corn-stalks, rye-stalks, ears of oats, straw, pease-straw, or crop
envelope around a person
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: sym:3
label: harvest crown and floral adornment
literal_form: harvest-crown, flowers, ribbons, straw helmet, rye-stalk cap, crown
made from last ears
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: water drenching
literal_form: sousing or drenching with water
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: sausage in last sheaf
literal_form: Barrenwurst or Banzenwurst stuck in the last sheaf and eaten by the
threshers
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:6
label: bamboo support and storage place
literal_form: last-corn sheaf tied to bamboo and fastened to a tree or cattle-shed
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: evil-eye protection
literal_form: last-corn sheaf whose services are said to avert the evil-eye
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: European last-sheaf embodiment rites
summary: Across the listed European harvest and threshing customs, the last-sheaf
person is given names such as Old Man, Harvest-man, or Oats-man, wrapped in grain
or straw, decorated, carried, danced around, rolled, drenched, or led through
the village.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:2
label: Frazer’s corn-spirit explanation
summary: Frazer interprets the rites as expressing the movement of the corn spirit
out of the last cut or threshed grain into the barn for winter, then back to the
fields at sowing-time.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:3
label: Central Provinces last-corn rite
summary: Indian reapers leave a final patch standing, tear it up with victory cries,
make it into a sheaf tied to bamboo, carry it home, and fasten it to a tree or
cattle-shed for protection against the evil-eye.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:6
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: last sheaf embodied as harvest figure
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The passage repeatedly describes a person linked to the last sheaf, last
ears, or last threshing stroke being named as an Old Man or similar harvest figure
and wrapped in grain or straw.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
confidence: high
cautions: The taxonomy reference is broad; the passage reports harvest customs rather
than a single myth narrative.
- id: motif:2
label: corn spirit winters in barn and returns at sowing
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Frazer explicitly states that the corn spirit is driven from the last cut
or threshed corn, lives in the barn during winter, and returns to the fields at
sowing-time.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: medium
cautions: This is Frazer’s comparative interpretation of the customs, not a verbatim
statement from the ritual participants.
- id: motif:3
label: last-corn sheaf as protective object
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: In the Central Provinces example, the last-corn sheaf is tied to bamboo,
carried home, and fastened at the threshing-floor, tree, or cattle-shed because
its services are essential in averting the evil-eye.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
confidence: high
cautions: No supplied taxonomy family directly matches apotropaic protection or
evil-eye averting.
- id: motif:4
label: water dousing of encased harvest figure
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The passage reports that encased harvest figures in Transylvania and Dingelstedt
are soused or drenched with water after being brought home or to the farmyard.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explain the meaning of the water action in these
examples.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself presents the Central Provinces Indian last-corn rite as
sharing similar ideas with the European last-sheaf customs, especially the ceremonial
treatment of the final corn and its continued efficacy after harvest.
claim_level: same_function
target: European last-sheaf and last-threshing customs compared with Central Provinces
Indian last-corn rite
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage states resemblance of ideas but does not demonstrate historical
contact, common inheritance, or identical ritual details.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 8124-8136
quote_or_summary: In villages around Stettin, the woman who places the last sheaf
on the wagon is called the Old Man, wrapped in corn-stalks, decorated with flowers
and straw headgear, and carries the harvest-crown to the squire.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: 8136-8144
quote_or_summary: At Blankenfelde, the woman who binds the last rye sheaf is tied
into it with only her head free, crowned with rye-stalks, called the Harvest-man,
dances before the last wagon, receives a present, and is released.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: 8144-8152
quote_or_summary: At Gommern, Neuhausen, and Brie, the person or farmer associated
with the last ears, last sheaf, or first sheaf is wrapped in corn or oats, carried,
and danced around or otherwise ceremonially handled.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: 8152-8162
quote_or_summary: At Udvarhely, Dingelstedt, Nördlingen, and parts of Oberpfalz,
a person linked to harvest or threshing is encased in corn-stalks or straw, crowned,
brought home or carried, rolled, drenched, or transferred to a neighbor.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: 8162-8166
quote_or_summary: In Thüringen, a sausage is stuck in the last sheaf, thrown with
it on the threshing-floor, eaten by the threshers, and then a man encased in pease-straw
is led through the village.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:6
type: quote
locator: 8167-8172
quote_or_summary: "“the spirit of the corn—the Old Man of vegetation—is driven out
of the corn last cut or last threshed, and lives in the barn during the winter”;
at sowing-time it returns to the fields."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: 8173-8179
quote_or_summary: 'Frazer says similar ideas attach to the last corn in India: in
the Central Provinces a final patch is left, then reapers rush at it, tear it
up, cast it into the air, and shout victory to Omkár Maháráj, Jhámájí, Rámjí Dás,
and others.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: 8179-8182
quote_or_summary: The Indian last-corn sheaf is tied to bamboo, placed in the last
harvest cart, carried home in triumph, and fastened at the threshing-floor to
a tree or cattle-shed to avert the evil-eye.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-1-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source text.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The actions and objects are clearly reported. Motif labels are cautious because
the passage is comparative scholarship and includes Frazer’s interpretation alongside
reported customs.
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 supplied passage and metadata. No claim of historical contact is made.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-1-frazer-gutenberg__l8124-l8182
passage_sha256=707ff36ab9fe7071c98a7c522edfeb938c96e3431b16f2c26c704c91e825770f