batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l6326-l6381
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l6326-l6381
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 6326-6381'
start: '6326'
end: '6381'
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 argues that Pliny’s report of Druids cutting mistletoe in the sixth
month likely refers to June and therefore to Midsummer Eve or Midsummer Day. He
supports this by listing European customs in which plants gathered at Midsummer
are believed to possess magical, protective, healing, divinatory, or luck-bringing
powers, and by noting later folk rules about cutting mistletoe on Midsummer Eve.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: The passage identifies Pliny’s sixth month with June in the Roman calendar.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The author infers that a June mistletoe-cutting ceremony would likely occur
on Midsummer Eve.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: Fern is said to bloom on Midsummer Eve with a fire-like or gold-like bloom
that quickly fades and falls.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: A person who catches the fern bloom or seed is said to gain invisibility and
understanding of animal language, but must catch it in a white cloth rather than
touch it by hand.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: St. John’s wort is gathered on Midsummer Eve and is worn as an amulet or hung
over doors and windows.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: St. John’s wort is described as believed to heal wounds and drive away witches
and demons.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Mugwort gathered on St. John’s Eve is woven into girdles or garlands and used
for protection, health, or in connection with the midsummer bonfire.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: Orpine and red sage in England are gathered on Midsummer Eve to ascertain
the fate of lovers.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: Bohemian poachers are said to seek invulnerability through fir-cones gathered
before sunrise on St. John’s Day.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: obs:10
text: Wild thyme gathered in Bohemia on Midsummer Day is later used to fumigate
trees on Christmas Eve so that they may grow well.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: obs:11
text: St. John’s Flower or St. John’s Blood is gathered on Midsummer Eve in Germany
and Bohemia and should be rooted up with a gold coin.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:12
text: St. John’s Flower or St. John’s Blood is described as bringing luck and helping
sick cattle.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: obs:13
text: The passage states that folk-lore still gives a rule that mistletoe should
be cut on Midsummer Eve.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- id: obs:14
text: Peasants of Piedmont and Lombardy search oak-leaves on Midsummer morning for
the “oil of St. John,” believed to heal wounds made with cutting instruments.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: obs:15
text: The author identifies the “oil of St. John” as likely originally mistletoe
or a decoction of mistletoe, and notes mistletoe’s reputation as a wound-healing
panacea and “all-healer.”
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:11
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Pliny
description: Ancient source reported as saying that Druids cut mistletoe in the
sixth month.
role_refs:
- role:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Druids
description: Religious specialists said to cut mistletoe in the sixth month and
to have addressed the oak or mistletoe by a healing name.
role_refs:
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:11
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Midsummer plant gatherers
description: People in various European regions who gather plants on Midsummer Eve,
St. John’s Eve, St. John’s Day, or Midsummer Day for magical, healing, protective,
or divinatory purposes.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Peasants of Piedmont and Lombardy
description: People who search oak-leaves on Midsummer morning for the “oil of St.
John.”
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Bohemian poachers
description: Poachers who believe fir-cones gathered before sunrise on St. John’s
Day can make them invulnerable.
role_refs:
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
roles:
- id: role:1
label: reported source
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: Pliny is cited as the source for the Druids cutting mistletoe in the sixth
month.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:2
label: ritual mistletoe cutters
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: The Druids are described as cutting mistletoe in the sixth month.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:3
label: seasonal plant collectors
assigned_to:
- fig:3
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: These figures gather or search for plants or plant-derived substances at
Midsummer or St. John’s time for special effects.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:10
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: mistletoe
literal_form: mistletoe, especially oak-mistletoe
associated_figures:
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
- ev:11
- id: sym:2
label: fern bloom or seed
literal_form: wondrous fern bloom like fire or burnished gold, caught in a white
cloth
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: sym:3
label: St. John’s wort
literal_form: Hypericum perforatum gathered on Midsummer Eve
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: mugwort girdle or garland
literal_form: Artemisia vulgaris woven as girdle or garland
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:5
label: midsummer bonfire
literal_form: bonfire viewed through mugwort garlands or receiving thrown mugwort
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- fire
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: orpine and red sage
literal_form: plants gathered on Midsummer Eve to ascertain lovers’ fate
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:7
label: fir-cones
literal_form: fir-cones gathered before sunrise on St. John’s Day
associated_figures:
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
- id: sym:8
label: wild thyme
literal_form: wild thyme gathered on Midsummer Day and used to fumigate trees
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:7
- id: sym:9
label: St. John’s Flower or St. John’s Blood
literal_form: Hieracium pilosella rooted up with a gold coin
associated_figures:
- fig:3
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:8
- id: sym:10
label: oil of St. John
literal_form: substance sought on oak-leaves on Midsummer morning
associated_figures:
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
- id: sym:11
label: oak
literal_form: oak-leaves and oak-mistletoe
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs:
- tree
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Argument from Pliny’s sixth month to Midsummer
summary: The author interprets Pliny’s sixth month as June and proposes that the
Druidic mistletoe-cutting likely took place at Midsummer.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: European Midsummer plant gathering customs
summary: The passage lists fern, St. John’s wort, mugwort, orpine, red sage, fir-cones,
wild thyme, and St. John’s Flower/Blood as plants gathered at Midsummer or St.
John’s time for special powers or benefits.
figure_refs:
- fig:3
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:2
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:5
- sym:6
- sym:7
- sym:8
- sym:9
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- id: scene:3
label: Midsummer mistletoe and the oil of St. John
summary: The author says folk-lore still prescribes cutting mistletoe on Midsummer
Eve and links the Piedmont and Lombardy search for the oil of St. John with mistletoe’s
healing reputation.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:10
- sym:11
evidence_refs:
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Midsummer gathering of magically potent plants
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Multiple plants are described as needing to be gathered at Midsummer Eve,
St. John’s Eve, St. John’s Day, or Midsummer Day to obtain healing, protective,
divinatory, luck-bringing, or empowering qualities.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
- ev:10
confidence: high
cautions: This is a comparative folklore pattern rather than a single narrative
episode.
- id: motif:2
label: Mistletoe cut at Midsummer as an all-healing plant
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The passage links Druidic mistletoe-cutting in June with a later rule that
mistletoe should be cut on Midsummer Eve and with beliefs that mistletoe or the
oil of St. John heals wounds.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:9
- ev:10
- ev:11
confidence: medium
cautions: The Druidic date is inferred by the author rather than directly reported
in the cited Pliny summary.
- id: motif:3
label: Ephemeral fern bloom grants extraordinary powers
taxonomy_refs:
- wisdom
basis: The fern bloom or seed appears only briefly on Midsummer Eve and is said
to grant invisibility and understanding of animal language if caught properly.
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
confidence: medium
cautions: Only one example is supplied in this passage; the wisdom taxonomy applies
mainly to animal-language understanding, not to invisibility.
- id: motif:4
label: Plant amulet protects against harmful beings and misfortune
taxonomy_refs: []
basis: St. John’s wort is worn or hung to drive away witches and demons, and mugwort
girdles are believed to protect against ghosts, magic, misfortune, and disease.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:4
confidence: high
cautions: No more specific available taxonomy reference is supported.
- id: motif:5
label: Seasonal plants used for divining lovers’ fate
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Orpine and red sage are gathered in England on Midsummer Eve to ascertain
the fate of lovers.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage gives only a brief notice and does not describe the divinatory
procedure.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The passage presents Druidic mistletoe cutting and later European Midsummer
plant-gathering customs as belonging to the same seasonal pattern of obtaining
special plant power at Midsummer.
claim_level: same_function
target: European Midsummer Eve and St. John’s plant-gathering customs
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
- ev:5
- ev:6
- ev:7
- ev:8
- ev:9
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The Druidic Midsummer date is argued inferentially, and the examples
come from varied later regional customs.
- id: claim:2
claim: The passage cautiously links the Piedmont and Lombardy “oil of St. John”
with mistletoe or a mistletoe decoction because both are associated with oak-leaves,
Midsummer timing, and healing wounds from cutting instruments.
claim_level: same_function
target: Mistletoe as wound-healing panacea and the “oil of St. John”
evidence_refs:
- ev:10
- ev:11
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The identification is the author’s conjecture, stated as probable,
not a directly reported folk explanation.
- id: claim:3
claim: The passage treats fern-seed, St. John’s wort, and mugwort as widely diffused
European examples of Midsummer-associated magical plants.
claim_level: same_motif
target: Widely diffused European Midsummer magical-plant complex
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage does not provide detailed distribution data beyond the
author’s summary statement.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 6326-6332
quote_or_summary: Pliny is said to have referred to the Roman sixth month, June;
the author infers that the Druidic mistletoe-cutting ceremony was probably 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:2
type: summary
locator: lines 6332-6341
quote_or_summary: On Midsummer Eve fern is believed to produce a brief fire-like
or gold-like bloom; whoever catches it in a white cloth gains powers such as invisibility
and understanding animal language.
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 6341-6346
quote_or_summary: St. John’s wort is gathered on Midsummer Eve, believed to heal
wounds and drive away witches and demons, and is worn or hung as an amulet.
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 6346-6355
quote_or_summary: Mugwort gathered on St. John’s Eve is woven into girdles or garlands
for protection and health; it may be used with or thrown into the midsummer bonfire.
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 6355-6360
quote_or_summary: In England orpine and red sage are gathered on Midsummer Eve to
ascertain the fate of lovers.
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 6360-6362
quote_or_summary: In Bohemia poachers believe fir-cones gathered before sunrise
on St. John’s Day can make them invulnerable.
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 6362-6365
quote_or_summary: In Bohemia wild thyme gathered on Midsummer Day is used on Christmas
Eve to fumigate trees so that they grow well.
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 6365-6369
quote_or_summary: In Germany and Bohemia St. John’s Flower or St. John’s Blood is
gathered on Midsummer Eve, rooted up with a gold coin, and believed to bring luck
and help sick cattle.
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 6370-6374
quote_or_summary: The author says the presumption about the Druidic date becomes
practically certain because folk-lore still rules that mistletoe should be cut
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:10
type: summary
locator: lines 6374-6377
quote_or_summary: Peasants of Piedmont and Lombardy search oak-leaves on Midsummer
morning for the “oil of St. John,” thought to heal wounds made with cutting instruments.
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 6377-6381
quote_or_summary: The author suggests the “oil of St. John” was originally mistletoe
or a decoction of it; Holstein oak-mistletoe is regarded as a wound panacea, and
“all-healer” is reported as a Celtic epithet of mistletoe.
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: Literal extraction is based directly on the passage. Motif labels and comparison
claims reflect Frazer’s own comparative framing but remain in draft form because
several historical identifications are inferential.
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 used; all entries are based on the supplied passage and metadata.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg__l6326-l6381
passage_sha256=c2ad967eda2f0ef5d1e6de7e465457f9408725a194b2e31250c3af75e264c6e5