batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l774-l848
---
record_id: batch.motif.comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg-l774-l848
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 774-848'
start: '774'
end: '848'
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: The passage surveys Northern European folk customs in which a corn-spirit
is represented by a pig or boar at sowing, harvest, Yule, and spring ploughing.
Pig parts, boar-shaped loaves, and Yule straw are placed in fields, mixed with
seed, eaten by workers or animals, or used as fertility charms. Frazer interprets
these customs as animal embodiments of the corn-spirit and as sacramental eating
of a divine animal or its bread substitute.
language: English
quote_policy: summarized
literal_observations:
- id: obs:1
text: At Neuautz, when barley is first sown, the farmer’s wife boils a pig chine
and tail and brings it to the sower in the field; the sower eats some and sticks
the tail in the field.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:2
text: The stated belief at Neuautz is that the corn ears will grow as long as the
pig tail placed in the field.
category: speech
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: obs:3
text: In the Salza district and in Hessen and Meiningen customs, pig bones or ribs
are kept and later placed with ashes, seed-corn, flax seed, a sown field, or a
seed-bag.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:4
text: The German pig-bone and rib customs are said to protect against earth-fleas,
moles, or hail and to promote tall growth of flax or preservation of corn.
category: attribute
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: obs:5
text: In Sweden and Denmark at Yule, a loaf in the form of a boar-pig is baked and
called the Yule Boar.
category: object
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:6
text: The Yule Boar loaf is often made from corn of the last sheaf and may be kept
until spring sowing, when part is mixed with seed-corn and part fed to ploughmen
and plough animals.
category: sequence
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: obs:7
text: Yule straw is strewn on floors, scattered on ground, thrown toward rafters
to forecast rye sheaves, and used to bind fruit trees as a fertility charm.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: obs:8
text: The passage reports an older sacrifice of a real boar at Christmas and a Swedish
Christmas custom in which a man dressed with skin and straw is the target of a
pretended sacrifice.
category: action
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: obs:9
text: The closing interpretation states that the corn-spirit is conceived as embodied
in animals that are slain and eaten by harvesters or ploughmen, with bread or
dumplings sometimes substituted for real flesh.
category: other
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
figures:
- id: fig:1
name_or_label: Corn-spirit
description: A spirit of the corn that Frazer says is embodied in pig or other animal
forms and in the last sheaf.
role_refs:
- role:1
- role:2
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:2
name_or_label: Pig or boar form
description: The animal form in which the corn-spirit is said to appear at sowing,
harvest, Yule, and spring ploughing.
role_refs:
- role:2
- role:3
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: fig:3
name_or_label: Farmer’s wife at Neuautz
description: She boils the pig chine and tail and brings it to the sower in the
field.
role_refs:
- role:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:4
name_or_label: Sower at Neuautz
description: He eats part of the boiled pig and sticks the tail in the field.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: fig:5
name_or_label: Ploughmen and plough animals
description: They receive and eat part of the Yule Boar loaf in spring.
role_refs:
- role:5
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: fig:6
name_or_label: Man representing the Yule Boar
description: In the Swedish custom, a man wrapped in a skin carries straw in his
mouth like boar bristles and is pretended to be sacrificed.
role_refs:
- role:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: fig:7
name_or_label: Old woman with blackened face
description: She pretends to sacrifice the man who is dressed as the Yule Boar.
role_refs:
- role:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
roles:
- id: role:1
label: Vegetation or crop spirit
assigned_to:
- fig:1
basis: The passage explicitly identifies a corn-spirit connected with sowing, harvest,
and the last sheaf.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:2
label: Animal embodiment
assigned_to:
- fig:1
- fig:2
basis: The corn-spirit is described as taking pig or boar form and as embodied in
animals.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:3
label: Fertility-bearing animal form
assigned_to:
- fig:2
basis: Pig tail, bones, ribs, and the Yule Boar are used to promote crop growth
or protect fields.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- id: role:4
label: Ritual preparer
assigned_to:
- fig:3
basis: The farmer’s wife prepares and delivers the pig parts for the sowing-time
act.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: role:5
label: Ritual recipient or eater
assigned_to:
- fig:4
- fig:5
basis: The sower, ploughmen, and plough animals consume pig flesh or Yule Boar bread
connected with the crop rite.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: role:6
label: Human substitute for Yule Boar
assigned_to:
- fig:6
basis: The man is dressed to resemble a boar and becomes the object of a pretended
sacrifice.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: role:7
label: Pretended sacrificer
assigned_to:
- fig:7
basis: The old woman brings a knife and pretends to sacrifice the man.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
symbols:
- id: sym:1
label: Pig or boar
literal_form: Pig, boar, pig tail, pig bones, pig ribs, and boar-shaped loaf.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: sym:2
label: Pig tail placed in the field
literal_form: Tail cut from boiled pig and stuck in a barley field.
associated_figures:
- fig:2
- fig:4
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: sym:3
label: Last sheaf
literal_form: Corn of the last sheaf used to make the Yule Boar loaf.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: sym:4
label: Yule Boar loaf
literal_form: Loaf baked in the form of a boar-pig at Yule.
associated_figures:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- ev:6
- id: sym:5
label: Yule straw
literal_form: Long rye-straw set apart for Christmas and used in fertility or harvest-forecasting
acts.
associated_figures: []
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: sym:6
label: Knife in pretended sacrifice
literal_form: Knife brought during the Swedish Christmas custom of mock sacrifice.
associated_figures:
- fig:6
- fig:7
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: sym:7
label: Seed-corn and sown field
literal_form: Seed-corn, flax seed, sown field, and fields receiving pig parts,
Yule Boar pieces, or straw.
associated_figures:
- fig:4
- fig:5
taxonomy_refs: []
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
- ev:4
scenes:
- id: scene:1
label: Neuautz sowing-time pig-tail rite
summary: At the first barley sowing, a boiled pig chine and tail are brought to
the sower, who eats part and places the tail in the field so that the corn may
grow long.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:3
- fig:4
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:2
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- id: scene:2
label: German and White Russian use of pig bones for fields
summary: Pig bones and ribs are kept, exchanged, mixed with seed, placed in fields
or seed-bags, or thrown backward on fields to protect and improve crops.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:2
- id: scene:3
label: Scandinavian Yule Boar loaf and spring sowing
summary: A boar-shaped loaf is baked at Yule, often from the last sheaf, displayed
through Yule, then partly mixed with seed-corn and partly fed to ploughmen and
plough animals in spring.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:3
- sym:4
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
- id: scene:4
label: Yule straw fertility uses
summary: Yule straw is used on floors, fields, rafters, and fruit trees, with associated
expectations of field productivity, harvest quantity, and fertility.
figure_refs: []
symbol_refs:
- sym:5
- sym:7
evidence_refs:
- ev:4
- id: scene:5
label: Yule Boar sacrifice and mock sacrifice
summary: The passage reports a former Christmas sacrifice of a real boar and a Swedish
custom in which a straw-bristled man is pretended to be sacrificed by an old woman
with a knife.
figure_refs:
- fig:2
- fig:6
- fig:7
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:5
- sym:6
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
- id: scene:6
label: Sacramental summary of animal corn-spirit rites
summary: Frazer summarizes the customs as rites in which an animal embodiment of
the corn-spirit is slain and eaten, or imitative bread and dumplings are eaten
in place of flesh.
figure_refs:
- fig:1
- fig:2
- fig:5
symbol_refs:
- sym:1
- sym:4
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
candidate_motifs:
- id: motif:1
label: Animal embodiment of the crop spirit
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The passage repeatedly identifies the corn-spirit with pig or boar forms
appearing at sowing, harvest, Yule, and spring ploughing.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:3
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: The specific animal is pig or boar here; the wider animal list appears
only in the concluding comparative summary.
- id: motif:2
label: Fertility transfer through animal parts placed with seed or in fields
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Pig tail, bones, ribs, and Yule Boar pieces are placed in fields or mixed
with seed to promote growth or protection of crops.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage reports attributed beliefs and Frazer’s interpretation rather
than direct ritual performance observed by the extractor.
- id: motif:3
label: Last sheaf transformed into ritual animal food
taxonomy_refs:
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The Yule Boar loaf is often made from corn of the last sheaf, kept until
spring, and then used with seed-corn and fed to ploughmen and plough animals.
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
confidence: high
cautions: The passage says the last sheaf is often, not always, used.
- id: motif:4
label: Sacramental eating of divine animal or its bread substitute
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
basis: The closing paragraph explicitly states that the embodied corn-spirit is
slain and eaten, while bread or dumplings in its image may substitute for real
flesh.
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
confidence: high
cautions: This is Frazer’s interpretive synthesis of multiple customs, not a single
local informant statement.
- id: motif:5
label: Christmas or midwinter boar sacrifice and mock human substitute
taxonomy_refs:
- sacrifice
- seasonal_cycle
basis: The passage reports a former real boar sacrifice at Christmas and a Swedish
custom in which a man dressed like a boar is pretended to be sacrificed.
evidence_refs:
- ev:5
confidence: medium
cautions: The passage itself phrases the human-sacrifice inference cautiously with
'apparently' and 'may perhaps be inferred.'
- id: motif:6
label: Cyclical return of the crop spirit from sowing to harvest
taxonomy_refs:
- death_rebirth
- seasonal_cycle
basis: Frazer states that as a pig the corn-spirit is put into the ground at sowing-time
and as a pig reappears among ripe corn at harvest.
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
confidence: medium
cautions: The wording supports cyclical reappearance, but the passage does not narrate
a full death-and-rebirth myth.
comparison_claims:
- id: claim:1
claim: The Neuautz pig-tail rite, German pig-bone and rib customs, White Russian
bone throwing, and Scandinavian Yule Boar are presented as related crop-fertility
customs using pig or boar forms or remains.
claim_level: same_function
target: Northern European pig or boar crop-fertility rites
evidence_refs:
- ev:1
- ev:2
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: The passage compares functions and symbolic forms, but it does not
demonstrate a single historical origin for all examples.
- id: claim:2
claim: Frazer compares the Yule Boar with the Corn-wolf as midwinter appearances
of a crop spirit when the year turns toward spring.
claim_level: same_function
target: Corn-wolf midwinter crop-spirit pattern
evidence_refs:
- ev:3
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: medium
limitations: The Corn-wolf is only mentioned briefly in this passage; details are
referred to from earlier context not included here.
- id: claim:3
claim: The passage groups eating of animal corn-spirit embodiments and eating of
animal-shaped bread or dumplings as sacramental substitutions within harvest and
sowing customs.
claim_level: same_function
target: Sacramental consumption of divine animal or imitative food substitute
evidence_refs:
- ev:6
counter_evidence_refs: []
confidence: high
limitations: This is an interpretive comparative synthesis by Frazer and should
be reviewed against the specific source notes behind each custom.
evidence:
- id: ev:1
type: summary
locator: lines 774-786
quote_or_summary: At Neuautz, pig chine and tail are boiled for first barley sowing;
the sower eats part and plants the tail in the field so ears may grow long. Frazer
identifies the pig as the corn-spirit.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:2
type: summary
locator: lines 787-803
quote_or_summary: German and White Russian customs use pig bones, ribs, or bones
thrown on fields, mixed with ashes, seed-corn, or flax seed, to protect crops
or promote growth.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:3
type: summary
locator: lines 804-820
quote_or_summary: In Sweden and Denmark a boar-shaped Yule loaf is often made from
the last sheaf, displayed through Yule, then mixed with seed-corn and fed to ploughmen
and animals for a good harvest.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:4
type: summary
locator: lines 821-837
quote_or_summary: 'Yule straw is credited with fertility virtues: it may make barren
fields productive, forecast rye sheaves when thrown to rafters, and bind fruit
trees as a charm.'
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:5
type: summary
locator: lines 838-843
quote_or_summary: Frazer reports a former Christmas boar sacrifice and a Swedish
custom where a skin-wrapped man with straw like boar bristles is pretended to
be sacrificed by an old woman with a knife.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
- id: ev:6
type: summary
locator: lines 844-848
quote_or_summary: Frazer concludes that animal embodiments of the corn-spirit are
slain and eaten sacramentally, and that bread or dumplings made in the animal’s
image may substitute for flesh.
source_text_path: texts/public-domain/comparative/project-gutenberg/golden-bough-volume-2-frazer.md
rights_note: Public domain source; summarized for extraction.
confidence:
extraction: high
motif_candidates: medium
comparison_claims: medium
notes: Literal details are clear in the passage. Motif labels and comparison claims
partly follow Frazer’s own comparative interpretation and should be checked by
a human reviewer.
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 supplied passage and metadata were used. Available symbol taxonomy contained no exact pig, boar, straw, grain, or loaf entry, so symbol taxonomy references were left empty.
batch_run_id=motif-extraction-2026-04-28-high-priority
custom_id=motif_extract:comparative-golden-bough-volume-2-frazer-gutenberg__l774-l848
passage_sha256=2c7e706089d5eef4c59452461afe7fa4d1d202ab4f8fb750fa4cf93b5134aa91