batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l1926-l2006
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l1926-l2006
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;
lines 1926-2006'
start: '1926'
end: '2006'
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: Frazer discusses first-fruits and new corn rites as sacramental eating
and sacrifice, then describes Aztec ceremonies in which dough images of Huitzilopochtli/Vitzilipuztli
are made, adorned, consecrated as the god's flesh and bones, broken or killed,
and distributed for worshippers to eat.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage states that solemn preparations for eating new corn indicate that
it was eaten as a sacrament.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The passage says that in Boeroe and Creek customs the new-corn sacrament is
combined with a sacrifice.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The passage distinguishes sacrament from sacrifice by saying that first-fruits
may come to be regarded as a gift from gods rather than as themselves filled with
divine life.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:4
text: In the May Aztec ceremony, virgins make a dough idol of Huitzilopochtli/Vitzilipuztli
from beet seed, roasted maize, and honey, with glass eyes and maize teeth.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: Noblemen dress the dough idol in rich garments and place it in a chair and
litter.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:6
text: Maidens dressed in white are called the Sisters of Vitzilipuztli and wear
garlands and chains of roasted maize.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Young men carry the idol to the foot of a great pyramid-shaped temple and
draw it up the steps while instruments are played.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Pieces of paste made from the same substance as the idol are shaped like large
bones and placed at the idol’s feet.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The paste pieces are called the flesh and bones of Vitzilipuztli and are consecrated
by priests with ceremonies, singing, and dancing.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: After ceremonies, dancing, and sacrifice, priests divide the dough idol and
consecrated pieces and distribute them to men, women, and children to eat as a
communion.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: The passage reports that worshippers say they eat the flesh and bones of God,
and that portions may be taken reverently to sick people.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:12
text: For the December winter-solstice festival, an image of Huitzilopochtli is
made from various seeds kneaded with the blood of children.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: In the December ceremony, the god’s bones are represented by pieces of acacia
wood.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:14
text: A king offers incense to the image on the chief altar of the temple.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:15
text: A priest pierces the breast of the dough image with a flint-tipped dart, an
act described as killing the god so that his body may be eaten.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:16
text: A priest cuts out the heart of the image and gives it to the king to eat;
the rest is divided among males down to male infants, while women may not eat
it.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:17
text: The December ceremony is called teoqualo, translated in the passage as “god
is eaten.”
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Huitzilopochtli / Vitzilipuztli
description: The great Mexican god represented by dough images that are dressed,
carried, consecrated, divided, and eaten.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Virgins or maidens
description: Secluded temple women who make the May dough idol and later appear
in white as the Sisters of Vitzilipuztli.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:5
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Noblemen
description: They bring rich garments and dress the May dough idol.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Young men
description: They carry the idol and receive and place paste pieces at its feet.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Priests
description: They consecrate the paste pieces, divide and distribute the idol and
paste, and in December pierce and cut the image.
role_refs:
- role:6
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Worshippers / people
description: Men, women, and children in the May ceremony receive and eat portions
of the consecrated dough with fear and reverence.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: King
description: In the December ceremony he offers incense and receives the heart of
the dough image to eat.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: Male participants
description: In the December ceremony every male from great to small, including
male infants, receives a piece to eat.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: Women in December ceremony
description: Women are expressly excluded from tasting the divided image in the
December ceremony.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: Gods or ancestral spirits
description: Recipients of first-fruits in the sacrificial interpretation described
at the beginning of the passage.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
roles:
- id: role:1
label: represented deity
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The god is represented by dough images and paste pieces identified with his
body, flesh, bones, and heart.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: role:2
label: edible divine body
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The image and associated paste pieces are broken, pierced, divided, and eaten
as the god's flesh and bones.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: role:3
label: ritual makers and attendants
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: They make the dough idol and appear ritually dressed as the Sisters of the
god.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: ritual dressers
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: They clothe the idol with an exquisite and rich garment.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: ritual carriers
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: They carry the idol and convey paste pieces to the idol's feet.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:6
label: consecrators
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: They perform ceremonies with singing and dancing that bless and consecrate
the paste pieces.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: role:7
label: ritual dividers and distributors
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: They strip, divide, distribute, pierce, and cut the dough image in the described
ceremonies.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: role:8
label: communicants
assigned_to:
- fig:6
- fig:8
basis: They receive portions of the consecrated dough image or paste to eat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: role:9
label: royal recipient and offerer
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The king offers incense and receives the heart of the image to eat.
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:10
- id: role:10
label: excluded participants
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: Women may not taste a morsel in the December ceremony.
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: role:11
label: first-fruits recipients
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Gods or ancestral spirits receive a share of first-fruits in the sacrificial
interpretation.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: new corn / first-fruits
literal_form: New corn and fruits of the earth offered or eaten after solemn preparation.
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:2
label: dough idol
literal_form: Image of Huitzilopochtli/Vitzilipuztli made of dough from seeds, roasted
maize, honey, and in December seeds mixed with children's blood.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
- id: sym:3
label: maize ornaments
literal_form: Garlands and chains of roasted and parched maize worn by maidens.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: flesh and bones of Vitzilipuztli
literal_form: Bone-shaped pieces of paste made from the same material as the idol
and consecrated as the god's flesh and bones.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:5
label: pyramid-shaped temple
literal_form: Great pyramid-shaped temple with steep and narrow steps up which the
idol is drawn.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:6
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: acacia wood bones
literal_form: Pieces of acacia wood representing the bones of the god in the December
image.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:7
label: flint-tipped dart
literal_form: Dart hurled by a priest into the breast of the dough image.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: sym:8
label: heart of the image
literal_form: Heart cut from the pierced dough image and given to the king to eat.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:9
label: incense offering
literal_form: Incense offered by the king to the image on the chief altar.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: First-fruits sacrament and sacrifice
summary: The passage explains that new corn may be eaten as a sacrament and that,
in Boeroe and Creek customs, this sacrament is combined with sacrifice to gods
or ancestral spirits.
figure_refs:
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: Making and adorning the May dough idol
summary: Virgins make a dough image of Huitzilopochtli/Vitzilipuztli, and noblemen
dress and seat it for ritual carrying.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Procession to the pyramid-shaped temple
summary: Maidens appear in maize ornaments, and young men carry the idol up the
temple steps while music is played and the people stand in reverence.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
- id: scene:4
label: Consecration and communion of the May paste image
summary: Paste pieces called the flesh and bones of Vitzilipuztli are placed before
the idol, consecrated by priests, and distributed with pieces of the idol for
people to eat.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: scene:5
label: December killing and eating of the god
summary: At the winter-solstice festival, a seed-and-blood image of Huitzilopochtli
with acacia-wood bones is honored, pierced with a flint dart, cut apart, and eaten
by the king and male participants; women are excluded.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:5
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Sacramental eating of a deity's body
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The dough image and paste pieces are identified as the god's flesh, bones,
body, and heart, consecrated, divided, and eaten by ritual participants.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The available taxonomy lacks a precise sacramental-communion category;
'sacrifice' is used because the passage explicitly links the ceremonies with sacrifice
and killing.
- id: motif:2
label: First-fruits offering before eating the harvest
taxonomy_refs:
- sacred_exchange
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The opening discussion describes first-fruits offered to gods or ancestral
spirits before people eat the new corn or fruits of the earth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage treats this as comparative interpretation rather than as a
single narrated myth.
- id: motif:3
label: Ritual killing of a god-image for communal consumption
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: In the December ceremony, a priest pierces the dough image, and the act is
described as killing the god so that his body may be eaten.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The passage describes a ritual image, not a mythic episode of a deity
dying and returning.
- id: motif:4
label: Seasonal festival centered on divine food
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The ceremonies occur twice yearly, including a December festival at the winter
solstice, and involve the making and eating of the god-image.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:8
confidence: medium
cautions: Only the December festival is explicitly tied to the winter solstice in
this passage.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage presents Boeroe and Creek new-corn customs and Aztec dough-image
rites as related examples in a discussion of sacramental eating combined with
or overshadowed by sacrifice.
claim_level: same_function
target: Boeroe and Creek new-corn customs compared with Aztec sacramental eating
rites
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:10
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage does not claim historical contact or common origin; it
is a functional comparison within Frazer's comparative framework.
- id: claim:2
claim: The Aztec May and December rites are presented as two ceremonies in which
Huitzilopochtli is represented by an edible image that is ritually divided and
eaten.
claim_level: same_motif
target: May and December Aztec ceremonies for Huitzilopochtli/Vitzilipuztli
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The rites differ in materials, participants, and exclusions; the shared
motif is limited to edible representation and ritual consumption of the god.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 1926-1939
quote_or_summary: The passage states that new corn was eaten as a sacrament; in
Boeroe and Creek customs this sacrament is combined with sacrifice, and first-fruits
may be offered to gods or ancestral spirits before humans eat the rest.
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 1941-1957
quote_or_summary: 'The Aztec May rite is introduced: an image of Huitzilopochtli/Vitzilipuztli
is made of dough from beet seed, roasted maize, and honey, fitted with glass eyes
and maize teeth, clothed by noblemen, and placed in a chair and litter.'
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 1957-1964
quote_or_summary: At dawn, maidens in white are called Sisters of Vitzilipuztli
and wear roasted-maize garlands and chains, with vermillion cheeks and red parrot
feathers on their arms.
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 1964-1972
quote_or_summary: Young men crowned with maize carry the idol to a great pyramid-shaped
temple and draw it up the steep steps while music plays and the people stand in
reverence and fear.
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 1972-1980
quote_or_summary: Virgins bring pieces of the same paste as the idol, shaped like
great bones; young men place them at the idol's feet, and these pieces are called
the flesh and bones of Vitzilipuztli.
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 1980-1985
quote_or_summary: Priests in official robes arrange themselves around the paste
pieces and use ceremonies with singing and dancing so that the pieces are blessed
and consecrated as the idol's flesh and bones.
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 1985-1995
quote_or_summary: After ceremonies, dancing, and sacrifice, priests strip and divide
the paste idol and consecrated pieces and distribute them as a communion to men,
women, and children, who receive them reverently and say they eat the flesh and
bones of God; some carry portions to sick people.
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 1996-2002
quote_or_summary: Before the December winter-solstice festival, an image of Huitzilopochtli
is made from various seeds kneaded with children's blood, with acacia wood representing
the god's bones; the image is placed on the chief altar, and the king offers incense
to it.
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: quote
locator: lines 2002-2005
quote_or_summary: A priest pierces the dough image with a flint-tipped dart; the
act is called “killing the god Huitzilopochtli so that his body might be eaten.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for exact ritual wording.
- id: ev:10
type: quote
locator: lines 2005-2006
quote_or_summary: The image's heart is given to the king to eat, the rest is divided
among males including infants, women may not taste it, and the ceremony is called
teoqualo, “god is eaten.”
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; short quotation used for translated ceremony
name.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Extraction is based directly on the supplied passage. Motif mapping is partly
constrained by the available taxonomy, which lacks an exact category for sacramental
communion or edible god-image.
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: |-
Frazer's terminology and interpretation are preserved as source claims, not treated as independent ethnographic verification.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg__l1926-l2006
passage_sha256=a5a64ebbcc609d4cf8a2a3b99e376efb1365c106da520bba2e116f891685c075