batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l5716-l5770
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l5716-l5770
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 5716-5770'
start: '5716'
end: '5770'
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 describes Easter Eve and Easter bonfire customs in several European
regions: village lads collect wood, construct and burn a straw-wrapped human-like
effigy called the Easter-man or Judas, use fire from the church, exclude women
from close attendance in one case, collect ashes for water or fields, place consecrated
branches and charred sticks in fields to avert hail, and perform dances, processions,
fire-leaping, torch-running, rolling or shooting burning objects, brand-snatching,
and burning animals or bones in the fire.'
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: In one described Easter Eve practice, village lads collected firewood and
carried it to a corn-field or hilltop, where they built a pile around a straw-wrapped
pole with a cross-piece shaped like a man with outstretched arms.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The human-shaped straw figure was called the Easter-man or the Judas.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: The lads lit lanterns at the new holy fire in the church, ran to the pile,
and the first to arrive ignited the pile and effigy.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: In that custom, women and girls were not allowed to be present at the fire,
though they could watch from a distance.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: After the effigy burned, ashes were collected and either thrown at sunrise
into running water or scattered over fields on Easter Monday.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: Consecrated palm branches and charred sticks were also placed in fields, with
the stated aim of preserving the fields from hail.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: In Münsterland, Easter fires are kindled on definite hills called Easter or
Pascal Mountains, and the community assembles around the fire.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: In Münsterland, fathers of families form an inner circle, while young men
and maidens form an outer circle and march sunwise around the fire singing Easter
hymns until the blaze dies down.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:9
text: In Münsterland, girls jump over the fire in a line, each supported by two
young men; afterward the assembly processes to the church, circles it three times,
and disperses.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:10
text: In Münsterland twilight, boys run over the fields with blazing bundles of
straw to make the fields fruitful.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:11
text: In Holland, Easter fires were lit on high places; people danced around them
and leaped through the flames.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:12
text: In Schaumburg, Easter bonfires blaze on mountains and are made with a tar
barrel fastened to a straw-wrapped pine tree; people dance and sing around them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:13
text: In the Harz and related regions, Easter bonfires are generally lit on particular
heights or mountains called Easter Mountains, often by piling brushwood around
a tree.
category: setting
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:14
text: In the Harz, blazing tar barrels are often rolled down into the valley.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:15
text: In Osterode, people try to take a brand from the bonfire and run about with
it; a better-burning brand is described as luckier.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:16
text: In Grund, torch races are held.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:17
text: In the Altmark, Easter bonfires are built of tar barrels, beehives, and other
materials around a pole; young people dance around them.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:18
text: In the Altmark, old people collect ashes after the fire and preserve them
as a remedy for bee ailments.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:19
text: In the Altmark, the bonfire's visible range is believed to correspond with
good corn growth and protection from conflagration.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:20
text: In parts of Bavaria, Easter bonfires were lit on steep mountains, and burning
arrows or wooden discs were shot upward; sometimes a straw-wrapped wagon wheel
was set on fire and rolled down the mountain.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:21
text: In the Bavarian example, lads who hurled discs received painted Easter eggs
from girls.
category: relationship
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:22
text: In parts of Swabia, Easter fires could be kindled only by friction of wood,
not by iron, flint, or steel.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: obs:23
text: At Braunröde in the Harz Mountains, squirrels were burned in the Easter bonfire.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
- id: obs:24
text: In the Altmark, bones were burned in the Easter bonfire.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: village lads
description: Male youths who collect wood, carry it to a field or hill, obtain fire
from the church, race to the pile, and ignite the bonfire and effigy.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Easter-man or Judas effigy
description: A straw-wrapped pole with a cross-piece, made to look like a man with
outstretched arms and burned in the Easter fire.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: women and girls
description: Female observers who, in one custom, may not be present at the fire
but may watch from a distance; girls elsewhere jump over fires or give painted
eggs to disc-throwing lads.
role_refs:
- role:4
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:5
- ev:10
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: whole community
description: The assembled community at the Münsterland Easter fire.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: fathers of families
description: Men who form the inner circle around the Münsterland Easter fire.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: young men and maidens
description: Youths who form an outer circle and march sunwise around the Münsterland
fire singing Easter hymns.
role_refs:
- role:8
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: girls jumping over fire
description: Girls who jump over the Münsterland fire in a line, supported by two
young men each.
role_refs:
- role:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:8
name_or_label: boys with blazing straw
description: Boys who run over the fields with blazing bundles of straw to make
them fruitful.
role_refs:
- role:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:9
name_or_label: old folk in the Altmark
description: Older people who collect and preserve the ashes of the Easter bonfire
as a remedy for bee ailments.
role_refs:
- role:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: fig:10
name_or_label: squirrels
description: Animals burned in the Easter bonfire at Braunröde.
role_refs:
- role:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
roles:
- id: role:1
label: bonfire preparers
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They collect firewood, carry it to the site, and pile it for the Easter fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: fire carriers and igniters
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: They light lanterns from the church fire, race to the pile, and the first
arrival sets it alight.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:3
label: burned effigy
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Easter-man or Judas figure is set on fire along with the pile.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: role:4
label: excluded close spectators
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Women and girls are barred from presence at the fire in one described custom
but may watch from a distance.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: role:5
label: female participants in associated rites
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: Girls jump over the Münsterland fire and, in Bavaria, give painted Easter
eggs to lads who hurl discs.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:10
- id: role:6
label: assembled ritual community
assigned_to:
- fig:4
basis: The whole community assembles about the Münsterland fire and later processes
to the church.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: inner circle participants
assigned_to:
- fig:5
basis: Fathers of families form the inner circle around the fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:8
label: outer circle sunwise marchers
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: Young men and maidens form an outer circle, sing Easter hymns, and march
around the fire in the direction of the sun.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: role:9
label: fire leapers
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The girls jump over the fire, supported by young men.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:10
label: field runners with fire
assigned_to:
- fig:8
basis: They run with blazing straw bundles over fields to make them fruitful.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:11
label: ash collectors and preservers
assigned_to:
- fig:9
basis: They collect the ashes after the fire and preserve them as a remedy for bee
ailments.
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: role:12
label: animals burned in bonfire
assigned_to:
- fig:10
basis: Squirrels are said to be burned in the Easter bonfire at Braunröde.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Easter bonfire
literal_form: large ritual fire or bonfire kindled at Easter, often on a hill or
mountain
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
- fig:8
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- id: sym:2
label: Easter-man or Judas effigy
literal_form: straw-wrapped pole with cross-piece shaped like a man with outstretched
arms
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: ashes of the bonfire
literal_form: ashes collected after the Easter fire or effigy has burned
associated_figures:
- fig:9
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:9
- id: sym:4
label: running water
literal_form: running water into which ashes are thrown at sunrise
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- water
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:5
label: fields and corn-fields
literal_form: agricultural fields receiving ashes, branches, sticks, or fire-running
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:9
- id: sym:6
label: hill or Easter Mountain
literal_form: hill, height, or mountain where Easter fires are kindled
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- mountain
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:10
- id: sym:7
label: palm branches and charred sticks
literal_form: Palm Sunday consecrated branches and Good Friday consecrated charred
sticks placed in fields
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:8
label: pine tree or tree in bonfire
literal_form: pine tree or tree wrapped in straw or surrounded with brushwood and
set on fire
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- id: sym:9
label: tar barrel
literal_form: tar barrel fastened to a tree, piled in a bonfire, or rolled blazing
down into a valley
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- id: sym:10
label: blazing straw bundles and torches
literal_form: burning bundles of straw carried over fields, and torch races
associated_figures:
- fig:8
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:8
- id: sym:11
label: burning wheel, discs, and arrows
literal_form: burning arrows, wooden discs, and a straw-wrapped wagon wheel set
on fire and rolled down a mountain
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:12
label: painted Easter eggs
literal_form: painted Easter eggs given by girls to lads who hurled discs
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: sym:13
label: friction-kindled fire
literal_form: fire made only by rubbing wood, not by iron, flint, or steel
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- id: sym:14
label: squirrels and bones burned in fire
literal_form: squirrels and bones burned in Easter bonfires
associated_figures:
- fig:10
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Construction and ignition of the Easter-man bonfire
summary: Village lads collect wood, build a pile in a field or on a hill, place
a straw-wrapped human-shaped effigy in it, carry fire from the church, race to
the pile, and ignite it.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- id: scene:2
label: Post-burning disposal and field protection
summary: The ashes of the burned effigy are collected and put into running water
or spread over fields, while consecrated branches and charred sticks are set in
fields to avert hail.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:3
label: Münsterland communal fire, dance, leap, and procession
summary: The community gathers around an Easter fire on a known hill; fathers, young
men, and maidens form circles and march sunwise with hymns; girls leap the fire;
the assembly processes to the church and circles it three times.
figure_refs:
- fig:4
- fig:5
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- id: scene:4
label: Fire carried across fields for fruitfulness
summary: At twilight, boys run with blazing straw bundles across fields in order
to make them fruitful.
figure_refs:
- fig:8
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:5
label: High-place bonfires with dancing and leaping
summary: In Holland and Schaumburg, Easter fires are lit on high places or mountains;
people dance or sing around them and, in Holland, leap through the flames.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:6
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: scene:6
label: Harz and neighboring mountain fire customs
summary: Easter fires on named heights are made around trees; tar barrels may be
rolled down into valleys; people snatch burning brands or hold torch races.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:6
- sym:8
- sym:9
- sym:10
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:7
label: Altmark bonfire, ashes, and agricultural belief
summary: Altmark Easter fires are built around poles with tar barrels, beehives,
and other materials; young people dance, old people keep ashes for bees, and the
fire's visible range is linked to corn growth and protection from conflagration.
figure_refs:
- fig:9
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:5
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: scene:8
label: Bavarian mountain fire projectiles and wheel
summary: On steep Bavarian mountains, burning arrows and discs are shot upward,
and sometimes a straw-wrapped wagon wheel is ignited and rolled downhill; disc-throwing
lads receive painted eggs from girls.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:6
- sym:11
- sym:12
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: scene:9
label: Special ignition and burnings in Swabia, Braunröde, and the Altmark
summary: Some Swabian fires are required to be kindled by wood friction; squirrels
are burned at Braunröde, and bones are burned in the Altmark.
figure_refs:
- fig:10
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:13
- sym:14
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
- ev:12
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: seasonal Easter fire rite on hills or fields
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The passage repeatedly describes Easter fires kindled on fields, hills, heights,
or mountains in multiple regions.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:4
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: The seasonal label is based on the passage's explicit Easter setting;
no broader mythic narrative is supplied.
- id: motif:2
label: burning of a human-shaped effigy
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: A straw-wrapped pole with a cross-piece is made to resemble a man, named
Easter-man or Judas, and burned in the Easter fire.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not explain the meaning of the effigy beyond its name
and burning.
- id: motif:3
label: fire and ashes used for agricultural protection or fertility
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Ashes are scattered on fields, consecrated branches and charred sticks are
placed in fields to prevent hail, boys run burning straw across fields to make
them fruitful, and the visible range of a bonfire is linked to good corn growth.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage reports stated aims and beliefs but does not provide participant
interpretation beyond those statements.
- id: motif:4
label: communal circumambulation and fire-leaping
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Participants march or dance around Easter fires, sometimes in the direction
of the sun, and girls or people leap over or through flames.
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:9
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not state a single uniform meaning for all dancing and
leaping practices.
- id: motif:5
label: moving fire through landscape
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The passage describes blazing tar barrels rolled into valleys, boys carrying
burning straw through fields, people running with brands, torch races, and burning
wheels rolled down mountains.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:10
confidence: medium
cautions: These practices are similar in literal motion of fire, but the passage
gives different or no explicit functions for each.
- id: motif:6
label: special production of ritual fire by wood friction
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: In parts of Swabia, Easter fires may be kindled only by friction of wood
and not with iron, flint, or steel.
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not explain the reason for this restriction.
- id: motif:7
label: burning animals or bones in the Easter fire
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: The passage states that squirrels were burned at Braunröde and bones in the
Altmark.
evidence_refs:
- ev:12
confidence: high
cautions: The passage does not state whether these burnings are sacrifices, purifications,
offerings, or another category.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage itself groups several regional Easter practices as related examples
of Easter bonfire customs involving high places, communal dancing or leaping,
and agricultural or protective uses of fire or ashes.
claim_level: same_motif
target: regional European Easter bonfire customs described in Münsterland, Holland,
Schaumburg, Harz, Altmark, Bavaria, and Swabia
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The passage lists regional examples but does not prove a common origin
or direct historical transmission.
- id: claim:2
claim: Several customs share the function of applying or moving fire-derived substances
through agricultural space for protection or fruitfulness.
claim_level: same_function
target: field-protection and fertility uses of Easter fire, ashes, branches, brands,
and blazing straw
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:5
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: Only some examples in the passage have an explicit agricultural function;
others are described without a stated purpose.
- id: claim:3
claim: The Bavarian shooting of burning discs is explicitly compared in the passage
to a Swabian custom already described outside this excerpt.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Swabian custom of burning discs mentioned by Frazer as previously described
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: low
limitations: The compared Swabian custom is not included in the supplied passage,
so details cannot be verified here.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: 5716-5724
quote_or_summary: Village lads collect firewood and carry it to a corn-field or
hilltop, pile it, and fasten in it a straw-wrapped pole with a cross-piece resembling
a man with outstretched arms, called the Easter-man or Judas.
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: 5724-5730
quote_or_summary: Lads light lanterns from the new holy fire in the church and race
to the pile; the first arrival sets the pile and effigy on fire. Women and girls
may not be present but may watch from a distance.
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: 5730-5738
quote_or_summary: Ashes from the fire are collected and thrown at sunrise into running
water or scattered on fields; consecrated palm branches and charred Good Friday
sticks are set in fields to preserve them from hail.
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: 5738-5745
quote_or_summary: In Münsterland, Easter fires are kindled on definite hills called
Easter or Pascal Mountains; the community gathers, fathers form an inner circle,
and young men and maidens form an outer circle, singing Easter hymns while marching
sunwise around the fire.
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: 5745-5752
quote_or_summary: Münsterland girls jump over the fire supported by young men; the
assembly processes to church and circles it three times; boys run over fields
with blazing straw bundles to make them fruitful.
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: 5752-5759
quote_or_summary: In Holland, Easter fires are lit on high places, with dancing
and leaping through flames; in Schaumburg, mountain bonfires use a tar barrel
fastened to a straw-wrapped pine tree while people dance and sing around them.
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: 5759-5765
quote_or_summary: Easter bonfires are common in the Harz, Brunswick, Hanover, and
Westphalia, generally on named heights or Easter Mountains; in the Harz, brushwood
is piled around a tree and tar barrels are rolled blazing into the valley.
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: 5765-5767
quote_or_summary: In Osterode, people try to snatch a brand from the bonfire and
run with it, with better burning considered luckier; in Grund there are torch
races.
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: 5767-5774
quote_or_summary: In the Altmark, Easter bonfires are built of tar barrels, beehives,
and other materials around a pole; young people dance, old people collect ashes
as a remedy for bee ailments, and the fire's visible range is believed to mark
where corn will grow well and conflagration will not break out.
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: 5774-5781
quote_or_summary: In parts of Bavaria, Easter bonfires are lit on steep mountains;
burning arrows or wooden discs are shot into the air, an old straw-wrapped wagon
wheel may be fired and rolled down the mountain, and lads who hurl discs receive
painted Easter eggs from girls.
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: 5781-5784
quote_or_summary: In parts of Swabia, Easter fires may be kindled only by the friction
of wood, not with iron, flint, or steel.
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: 5784-5787
quote_or_summary: At Braunröde in the Harz Mountains, squirrels are burned in the
Easter bonfire; in the Altmark, bones are burned in it.
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 supplied locator says lines 5716-5770, but the passage text continues
beyond that range; evidence locators approximate the sequence within the provided
passage. Motifs are extracted from Frazer's descriptive comparison and should
be reviewed against the source lines.
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: |-
Only the provided passage and metadata were used. Interpretive labels are limited to directly described Easter bonfire practices and stated functions such as hail protection, fertility, luck, and remedies.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg__l5716-l5770
passage_sha256=210061a62691f7ccf5e36810971bdb4b71365fba28c26e9457f3c8588799bfa3