batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l13729-l13864
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l13729-l13864
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
passage_locator:
label: CONTENTS / NOTE. OFFERINGS OF FIRST-FRUITS. / INDEX. / FOOTNOTES; lines 13729-13864
start: '13729'
end: '13864'
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: 'A set of footnotes cites and briefly describes comparative ritual examples:
a Chukma funeral tug-of-war over a priest''s body, a similar Burmese funeral contest,
bamboo tugging to draw a rainy west wind, a Cingalese tugging game in honor of
Patiné, disease-laden boats sent away, and a Jewish eve-of-atonement cock substitution
rite.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: Among the Chukmas, the body of a priest is conveyed to cremation on a car
with ropes attached.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The people divide into two equal groups and pull the ropes in opposite directions.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: One side represents good spirits and the other represents powers of evil;
the contest is arranged so the good-spirit side wins.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: A similar contest is reported at the funeral of a holy man in Burma, though
the passage says the original meaning appears to be forgotten there.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: In some East Indian islands, when a rainy west wind is desired, villagers
divide into two parties and pull on opposite ends of a long bamboo.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: In the rain-wind rite, the party at the eastern end must pull harder to draw
the desired wind from the west.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: The Cingalese are said to perform a ceremony like 'French and English' in
honor of the goddess Patiné.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The footnote refers to examples of sending away disease-laden boats in East
Indian islands.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Modern Jews are described as sacrificing a white cock on the eve of the Festival
of Expiation.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: The father of the family knocks the cock three times against his head while
declaring that the cock is his substitute and should take death in his place.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:11
text: After the declaration, the father cuts the cock's throat, dashes it on the
ground, and the intestines are thrown on the roof.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Chukma priest's body
description: The body of a priest conveyed to cremation on a car.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Chukma funeral participants
description: People divided into two equal groups pulling ropes in opposite directions.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Good spirits
description: Spirits represented by one side in the Chukma funeral contest.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Powers of evil or demons
description: Powers represented by the opposing side in the Chukma funeral contest;
young men representing demons may pull too vigorously.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Burmese holy man
description: A holy man whose funeral includes a similar contest.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: East Indian village population
description: Men, women, and children divided into two parties for a bamboo-pulling
ceremony to obtain a rainy west wind.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Goddess Patiné
description: Goddess in whose honor the Cingalese ceremony is performed.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Father of the family
description: Person who performs the cock substitution rite by striking the cock
against his head, speaking the substitution formula, and killing the cock.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: White cock
description: Bird used as a substitute victim in the described expiation rite.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: deceased ritual figure
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:5
basis: The passage describes a priest's body conveyed to cremation and a holy man's
funeral.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:2
label: ritual pullers
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The people pull ropes attached to the car in opposing groups.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: represented benevolent side
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: One side is explicitly said to represent the good spirits and is arranged
to be victorious.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:4
label: represented evil side
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The other side represents the powers of evil or demons.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: weather-rite participants
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The village population pulls a bamboo to obtain a rainy wind from the west.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: role:6
label: honored deity
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The Cingalese ceremony is performed in honor of the goddess Patiné.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:7
label: household ritual performer
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: The father of the family performs the actions and speaks the substitution
formula.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:8
label: substitute sacrificial victim
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: The cock is called a substitute, assigned the speaker's death, and then killed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: funeral car with ropes
literal_form: Car bearing a priest's body, with ropes attached for opposing groups
to pull.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: opposed ritual sides
literal_form: Two equal groups pulling in opposite directions, representing good
spirits and evil powers.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: long bamboo
literal_form: Long bamboo pulled by two parties in a rain-wind ceremony.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: disease-laden boats
literal_form: Boats described as carrying disease away.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:5
label: white cock
literal_form: White cock used in an expiation-eve substitution rite.
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:6
label: cock's intestines on roof
literal_form: The intestines of the sacrificed cock are thrown on the roof of the
house.
associated_figures:
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Chukma funeral contest
summary: A priest's body is taken to cremation on a car, while two groups pull attached
ropes in opposite directions as representatives of good spirits and evil powers;
the good side is arranged to win.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Burmese funeral contest
summary: A similar contest is said to take place at the funeral of a holy man in
Burma, though the meaning is said to be forgotten.
figure_refs:
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Bamboo pulling for rainy west wind
summary: A village population divides into two groups and pulls at a long bamboo;
the eastern party must pull harder to draw the rainy wind from the west.
figure_refs:
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Cingalese ceremony for Patiné
summary: A tugging-game-like ceremony is performed by the Cingalese in honor of
the goddess Patiné.
figure_refs:
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Sending away disease-laden boats
summary: The footnote cites examples in which disease-laden boats are sent away,
and notes Siamese individual cures said to use the same principle.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: White cock substitution sacrifice
summary: On the eve of the Festival of Expiation, a father strikes a white cock
against his head, declares it his substitute, kills it, dashes it to the ground,
and has its intestines thrown on the roof.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: ritual contest between good and evil forces
taxonomy_refs:
- duality
basis: The Chukma funeral contest explicitly divides participants into sides representing
good spirits and powers of evil, with victory arranged for the good side.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: high
cautions: The passage reports a ritual representation; it does not describe a narrative
battle involving actual supernatural agents.
- id: motif:2
label: funeral tug-of-war over a sacred or ritual body
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The priest's body is carried to cremation on a car pulled by opposed groups;
a similar Burmese contest occurs at a holy man's funeral.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: The Burmese example is only briefly summarized, and its meaning is said
to be forgotten.
- id: motif:3
label: ritual pulling to compel or draw weather
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Villagers pull on a bamboo so that the eastern side draws a rainy wind from
the west.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives a functional ritual description but little mythic framing.
- id: motif:4
label: sending away disease by vessel
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The footnote explicitly refers to examples of sending away disease-laden
boats and to similar applications for curing individuals.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage supplies only a citation note, not a full description of the
ritual sequence.
- id: motif:5
label: substitutionary animal sacrifice for expiation
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
- sacred_exchange
basis: The white cock is verbally made a substitute for the father, death is assigned
to the cock, and the cock is killed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The passage describes a later Jewish ritual custom in Frazer's comparative
note; no broader doctrinal interpretation should be inferred from this excerpt
alone.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The Chukma funeral contest is compared in the passage to a contest between
angels and devils depicted in the Campo Santo frescoes at Pisa.
claim_level: visual_similarity
target: Angels-and-devils contest in Campo Santo frescoes at Pisa
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage presents an analogy of representation, not evidence of
historical contact or shared origin.
- id: claim:2
claim: The Burmese funeral contest is presented as similar to the Chukma funeral
contest at a holy man's funeral.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Chukma funeral tug-of-war contest
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The Burmese ceremony is not described in detail, and the passage notes
that its original meaning appears to be forgotten.
- id: claim:3
claim: The East Indian disease-laden boat practices and the Siamese individual cures
are linked by the passage as applications of the same principle.
claim_level: same_function
target: Disease expulsion or cure by transferring affliction away
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage gives citations rather than a detailed description of each
practice.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 13729-13745, footnote 514
quote_or_summary: Among the Chukmas, a priest's body is conveyed to cremation on
a car; ropes are attached, two equal groups pull in opposite directions, one side
represents good spirits and the other evil powers, and the good side is arranged
to win.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 13745-13750, footnote 514
quote_or_summary: The footnote states that in Burma a similar contest occurs at
the funeral of a holy man, though the original meaning appears forgotten.
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 13750-13758, footnote 514
quote_or_summary: In some East Indian islands, to obtain a rainy wind from the west,
the village population divides into two parties and pulls at a long bamboo; the
eastern end must pull harder to draw the wind from the west.
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 13758-13760, footnote 514
quote_or_summary: The Cingalese perform a ceremony like 'French and English' in
honor of the goddess Patiné.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short phrase retained from passage.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 13780-13788, footnotes 522 and 524
quote_or_summary: The notes cite examples of sending away disease-laden boats in
East Indian islands and mention Siamese applications of the same principle to
curing individuals.
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 13835-13845, footnote 546
quote_or_summary: Modern Jews are described as sacrificing a white cock on the eve
of the Festival of Expiation; the father declares it a substitute for himself,
assigns death to the cock and life to himself and Israel, then kills and dashes
the bird down, with intestines thrown on the roof.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: The passage is a footnote cluster with several brief ethnographic descriptions
and many citations. Motif extraction is strongest where the passage gives ritual
actions directly, and weaker where only comparative citations are listed.
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 external taxonomy IDs beyond the provided motif family names were added.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg__l13729-l13864
passage_sha256=2cc1a7960692607ffe6c9def8e1875e54dde3e9425813fad022d0820b8b5c996