batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l10422-l10627
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l10422-l10627
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
passage_locator:
label: 'The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 2 of 2) / CONTENTS
/ NOTE. OFFERINGS OF FIRST-FRUITS. / INDEX.; lines 10422-10627'
start: '10422'
end: '10627'
translation: 'The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 2 of 2)'
notes: Generated from OpenAI Batch run motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority;
human review required.
canonical_text:
quote: ''
summary: Index entries list comparative examples of kingship taboos, harvest rites,
first-fruits offerings, puberty and menstruation seclusion, hair and nail disposal,
sacred animals, scapegoats, midsummer fire customs, May customs, sacrifices, incarnate
gods, and soul or shadow beliefs across many peoples and places.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The index states that the king of Loango could be deposed when the harvest
failed and that several food-related restrictions surrounded him.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The index lists cases in which girls or women were secluded at puberty or
during menstruation.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:3
text: The index lists examples of cut hair, nail parings, and bodily remains being
buried, burned, or otherwise subject to special treatment.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:4
text: The index lists harvest customs involving a last handful of corn called a
Maiden, a mother of the maize, a corn-spirit as a mare, first-fruits offerings,
and harvest sacrifices or laments.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:5
text: The index lists May Day customs including May bride, May king, May queen,
May poles, and May trees.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:6
text: The index lists midsummer customs including European fire festivals, burning
effigies in midsummer fires, omens, superstitions, and plants gathered on Midsummer
Eve.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:7
text: The index lists examples of sacred or specially treated animals, including
a goat, cow, crocodile, lamb, bison, tiger, and mice.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:8
text: The index lists examples of human or divine victims, including human sacrifices,
a human scapegoat, incarnate gods slain in Mexico, and kings killed or deposed.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:9
text: The index lists beliefs concerning souls, shadows, portraits, mirrors, and
an external soul.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:10
text: The index states that the Mikado was subject to restrictions involving food,
clothing, hair and nails, and touching the ground.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: King of Loango
description: A king associated in the index with failed harvest deposition, supernatural
endowment, eating taboos, palace confinement after coronation, and special handling
of food left by him.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Secluded girls and women
description: Girls at puberty and women during menstruation are listed as subjects
of seclusion or special treatment in several entries.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Harvest figures
description: Named or personified harvest figures include the Maiden as the last
handful of corn, the mother of the maize, and the corn-spirit as a mare.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: May figures
description: May bride, May king, May queen, and sleeping bridegroom of May appear
as indexed May-custom figures.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Mikado
description: A ruler whose life is indexed with ritual restrictions concerning food,
clothing, hair and nails, and contact with the ground.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Human scapegoat
description: An indexed human scapegoat at Marseilles.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Incarnate gods slain in Mexico
description: Figures described in the index as incarnate gods slain in Mexico.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
roles:
- id: role:1
label: ritually restricted ruler
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:5
basis: The index links these rulers with taboos, restrictions, or special handling
of royal body, food, or movement.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:10
- id: role:2
label: secluded female initiate or tabooed person
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The index lists girls secluded at puberty and women secluded or specially
treated during menstruation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: personified harvest presence
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The index names the Maiden, the mother of maize, and the corn-spirit as a
mare in harvest contexts.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:4
label: seasonal May personage
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The index lists May bride, May king, May queen, and sleeping bridegroom of
May among May customs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:5
label: scapegoat victim
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The index explicitly lists a human scapegoat at Marseilles.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: role:6
label: slain incarnate deity
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The index explicitly lists incarnate gods slain in Mexico.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: tree
literal_form: tree, May tree, life-bound tree
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
- sacred_tree_axis
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:2
label: fire
literal_form: midsummer fires and fire festivals
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:3
label: harvest grain
literal_form: corn, maize, first sheaf, first-fruits
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:4
label: cut hair and nails
literal_form: cut hair, hair cuttings, nail parings
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:10
- id: sym:5
label: blood
literal_form: blood of nobles, blood of women, menstruous blood, blood drinking
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: sym:6
label: soul or shadow
literal_form: soul, external soul, shadow, portraits, mirrors
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:7
label: effigy
literal_form: effigies burned in midsummer fires
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:8
label: sacred or sacramental animal
literal_form: goat, cow, crocodile, lamb, bison, tiger
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:9
label: first-fruits
literal_form: offerings of first-fruits
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
- seasonal_cycle
evidence_refs:
- ev:13
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Ruler restricted or removed in relation to sacred power
summary: Entries describe rulers subject to food, palace, bodily, clothing, and
ground-contact restrictions, and a king deposed when the harvest fails.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:10
- id: scene:2
label: Seclusion at puberty or menstruation
summary: Entries list girls secluded at puberty and women secluded or feared during
menstruation.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:12
- id: scene:3
label: Harvest personification and offering
summary: Entries group harvest customs around the last corn handful, maize mother,
corn-spirit as mare, first sheaf lament, and offerings of first-fruits.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:13
- id: scene:4
label: May seasonal customs
summary: Entries list May bride, May king, May queen, May poles, May trees, and
related May Day customs.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: Midsummer fire practices
summary: Entries list midsummer pageants, fire ceremonies, European fire festivals,
burning effigies in midsummer fires, omens, superstitions, and magic plants gathered
on Midsummer Eve.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Victims and sacrifices
summary: Entries list human sacrifices, a human scapegoat, sacrifice of newborn
babes, harvest festival sacrifice, sacramental killing of a lamb, and incarnate
gods slain.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:14
- id: scene:7
label: Soul and image precautions
summary: Entries mention beliefs or precautions involving souls, shadows, portraits,
mirrors, and an external soul.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: ritually restricted or tabooed ruler
taxonomy_refs:
- royal_legitimacy
basis: The passage indexes kings and the Mikado with special restrictions on eating,
food remains, confinement, bodily cuttings, clothing, and ground contact, as well
as deposition when harvest fails.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The index gives only cross-references and compressed descriptions, not
full narrative contexts.
- id: motif:2
label: seasonal harvest spirit or first-fruits rite
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
- sacred_exchange
basis: The passage lists the last handful of corn as Maiden, the mother of maize,
the corn-spirit as a mare, first-sheaf lament, and first-fruits offerings.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:13
confidence: high
cautions: Specific ritual sequences are not provided in this index excerpt.
- id: motif:3
label: May vegetation and seasonal personages
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
- sacred_tree_axis
basis: May bride, May king, May queen, May poles, and May trees are listed among
May Day customs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not explain the symbolic function of the May figures
or poles.
- id: motif:4
label: midsummer fire festival with effigy burning
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
- fire
basis: The passage lists European midsummer fire festivals and the burning of effigies
in midsummer fires, with related Midsummer Eve superstitions and plant gathering.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The index does not describe any single ceremony in detail.
- id: motif:5
label: puberty or menstruation seclusion
taxonomy_refs:
- initiation
basis: The passage lists girls secluded at puberty in Loango and Macusi treatment
of girls at puberty, along with seclusion of women during menstruation and dread
of menstruous blood.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: The excerpt provides no full rite of passage sequence.
- id: motif:6
label: sacrificial victim or scapegoat removal
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The passage lists human sacrifices, a human scapegoat, harvest festival human
sacrifice, sacramental lamb killing, and incarnate gods slain.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:14
confidence: high
cautions: The indexed examples are from different societies and cannot be assumed
identical in function without the referenced chapters.
- id: motif:7
label: external soul or life bound to another object
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage lists a Malay poem about the external soul and a child whose
life is supposed to be bound up with that of a tree.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The index entry is too brief to determine the full narrative pattern.
- id: motif:8
label: special disposal of bodily remnants
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage lists burial or burning of cut hair and nail parings and special
treatment of the Mikado's hair and nails.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage does not state the rationale for all disposal practices.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself groups multiple European locations under midsummer fire
customs, supporting a cautious same-motif comparison among these indexed fire
rites.
claim_level: same_motif
target: European midsummer fire festivals in London, Luchon, Masuren, Metz, and
the general midsummer-fire entries
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The excerpt is an index and does not give detailed ritual descriptions,
so functional identity beyond the indexed category is uncertain.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage juxtaposes several harvest and first-fruits entries, supporting
a cautious comparison of seasonal harvest-personification and offering patterns.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Maiden as last corn handful, mother of maize, corn-spirit as mare, Maneros
first-sheaf lament, and Maori first-fruits offerings
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:13
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The indexed items come from different traditions and may differ in
ritual purpose and narrative context.
- id: claim:3
claim: The passage supports a cautious comparison between external-soul belief and
life bound to a tree because both are indexed as beliefs tying life or soul to
something outside the ordinary body.
claim_level: same_function
target: Malay external soul and M'Bengas child life bound to a tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:11
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: The index does not provide the underlying stories or ritual details;
the comparison is based only on compressed index phrasing.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: quote
locator: lines 10422-10428
quote_or_summary: "“Loango, king of, deposed when the harvest fails”; also entries
on supernaturally endowed kings, seeing the king eat as a capital offence, palace
confinement after coronation, food left by the king buried, and food restrictions."
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for evidence.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries mention girls secluded at puberty in Loango, Macusi treatment
of girls at puberty, and seclusion of women during menstruation.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries mention use of cut hair in magic; burying nail parings;
burning or burying cut hair; buried cuttings from hair and nails; and Maori hair-cutting
ceremony.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries mention Maiden as name for the last handful of corn, mother
of the maize, Maneros as lament at cutting the first sheaf, corn-spirit as a mare,
harvest custom entries, and human sacrifice at a harvest festival in Mexico.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries list May bride, May Day carols and customs, May king,
May poles, May queen, sleeping bridegroom of May, and May trees.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries list London midsummer pageants, Luchon midsummer fire
ceremony, Masuren midsummer fire festival, Metz midsummer fires, European fire
festivals at midsummer, burning effigies in midsummer fires, Midsummer Eve superstitions,
and magic plants gathered on Midsummer Eve.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:7
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries mention the goat sacred to Madenassana bushmen, reverence
for the cow in Malabar, crocodile not killed in Madagascar, sacramental lamb killed
by the Madi, resurrection of the bison among Minnetaree Indians, tiger flesh eaten
by the Miris, and a charm concerning mice.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:8
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries mention human sacrifices by the Marimos, a human scapegoat
in Marseilles, sacrifice of newborn babes in Mexico, human sacrifice at a harvest
festival in Mexico, incarnate gods slain in Mexico, and Ethiopian kings of Meroe
killed.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:9
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries mention Malagasy beliefs about souls of the dead, Malays
and the soul, a Malay poem on the external soul, stories or beliefs about shadows,
Mandan Indians and portraits, and covering mirrors.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:10
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries for the Mikado mention his life, cooking his food, effects
of wearing his clothes without leave, cutting his hair and nails, and not being
allowed to touch the ground.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:11
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries mention M'Bengas belief that the life of a child is bound
up with a tree, Miris tree superstition, May trees, and May poles.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:12
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries mention blood of nobles not being shed in Madagascar,
Maori fear of the blood of women, blood drinking at Minahassa festivals, seclusion
of women during menstruation, and dread of menstruous blood.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:13
type: quote
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: "“Maori ... offerings of first-fruits”; the broader passage heading
also includes “OFFERINGS OF FIRST-FRUITS.”"
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for evidence.
- id: ev:14
type: summary
locator: lines 10422-10627
quote_or_summary: Entries mention the Madi lamb killed sacramentally, men eaten
to obtain their qualities, Mexican paste images of the god eaten, and Mexican
sacraments.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: medium
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is an index rather than a continuous myth or ritual description.
Extraction is limited to explicitly indexed topics and compressed cross-reference
wording.
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 were used. Taxonomy references were assigned only where the available taxonomy contained a directly relevant motif family or symbol.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg__l10422-l10627
passage_sha256=3b5ef5649d54ba842804dacf08512853bc4241fcf3cf8df4ce5f674854687d9c