the golden bough-第137部分

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n　who　represented　him。

Chapter　48。　The　Corn…Spirit　as　an　Animal。

1。　Animal　Embodiments　of　the　Corn…spirit。

IN　SOME　of　the　examples　which　I　have　cited　to　establish　the　meaning　of　the　term　neck　as　applied　to　the　last　sheaf；　the　corn…spirit　appears　in　animal　form　as　a　gander；　a　goat；　a　hare；　a　cat；　and　a　fox。　This　introduces　us　to　a　new　aspect　of　the　corn…spirit；　which　we　must　now　examine。　By　doing　so　we　shall　not　only　have　fresh　examples　of　killing　the　god；　but　may　hope　also　to　clear　up　some　points　which　remain　obscure　in　the　myths　and　worship　of　Adonis；　Attis；　Osiris；　Dionysus；　Demeter；　and　Virbius。

Amongst　the　many　animals　whose　forms　the　corn…spirit　is　supposed　to　take　are　the　wolf；　dog；　hare；　fox；　cock；　goose；　quail；　cat；　goat；　cow　（ox；　bull）；　pig；　and　horse。　In　one　or　other　of　these　shapes　the　corn…spirit　is　often　believed　to　be　present　in　the　corn；　and　to　be　caught　or　killed　in　the　last　sheaf。　As　the　corn　is　being　cut　the　animal　flees　before　the　reapers；　and　if　a　reaper　is　taken　ill　on　the　field；　he　is　supposed　to　have　stumbled　unwittingly　on　the　corn…spirit；　who　has　thus　punished　the　profane　intruder。　It　is　said　the　Rye…wolf　has　got　hold　of　him；　the　Harvest…goat　has　given　him　a　push。　The　person　who　cuts　the　last　corn　or　binds　the　last　sheaf　gets　the　name　of　the　animal；　as　the　Rye…wolf；　the　Rye…sow；　the　Oats…goat；　and　so　forth；　and　retains　the　name　sometimes　for　a　year。　Also　the　animal　is　frequently　represented　by　a　puppet　made　out　of　the　last　sheaf　or　of　wood；　flowers；　and　so　on；　which　is　carried　home　amid　rejoicings　on　the　last　harvest…waggon。　Even　where　the　last　sheaf　is　not　made　up　in　animal　shape；　it　is　often　called　the　Rye…wolf；　the　Hare；　Goat；　and　so　forth。　Generally　each　kind　of　crop　is　supposed　to　have　its　special　animal；　which　is　caught　in　the　last　sheaf；　and　called　the　Rye…wolf；　the　Barley…wolf；　the　Oats…wolf；　the　Pea…wolf；　or　the　Potato…wolf；　according　to　the　crop；　but　sometimes　the　figure　of　the　animal　is　only　made　up　once　for　all　at　getting　in　the　last　crop　of　the　whole　harvest。　Sometimes　the　creature　is　believed　to　be　killed　by　the　last　stroke　of　the　sickle　or　scythe。　But　oftener　it　is　thought　to　live　so　long　as　there　is　corn　still　unthreshed；　and　to　be　caught　in　the　last　sheaf　threshed。　Hence　the　man　who　gives　the　last　stroke　with　the　flail　is　told　that　he　has　got　the　Corn…sow；　the　Threshing…dog；　or　the　like。　When　the　threshing　is　finished；　a　puppet　is　made　in　the　form　of　the　animal；　and　this　is　carried　by　the　thresher　of　the　last　sheaf　to　a　neighbouring　farm；　where　the　threshing　is　still　going　on。　This　again　shows　that　the　corn…spirit　is　believed　to　live　wherever　the　corn　is　still　being　threshed。　Sometimes　the　thresher　of　the　last　sheaf　himself　represents　the　animal；　and　if　the　people　of　the　next　farm；　who　are　still　threshing；　catch　him；　they　treat　him　like　the　animal　he　represents；　by　shutting　him　up　in　the　pig…sty；　calling　him　with　the　cries　commonly　addressed　to　pigs；　and　so　forth。　These　general　statements　will　now　be　illustrated　by　examples。

2。　The　Corn…spirit　as　a　Wolf　or　a　Dog。

WE　begin　with　the　corn…spirit　conceived　as　a　wolf　or　a　dog。　This　conception　is　common　in　France；　Germany；　and　Slavonic　countries。　Thus；　when　the　wind　sets　the　corn　in　wave…like　motion　the　peasants　often　say；　The　Wolf　is　going　over；　or　through；　the　corn；　the　Rye…wolf　is　rushing　over　the　field；　the　Wolf　is　in　the　corn；　the　mad　Dog　is　in　the　corn；　the　big　Dog　is　there。　When　children　wish　to　go　into　the　corn…fields　to　pluck　ears　or　gather　the　blue　corn…flowers；　they　are　warned　not　to　do　so；　for　the　big　Dog　sits　in　the　corn；　or　the　Wolf　sits　in　the　corn；　and　will　tear　you　in　pieces；　the　Wolf　will　eat　you。　The　wolf　against　whom　the　children　are　warned　is　not　a　common　wolf；　for　he　is　often　spoken　of　as　the　Corn…wolf；　Rye…wolf；　or　the　like；　thus　they　say；　The　Rye…wolf　will　come　and　eat　you　up；　children；　the　Rye…wolf　will　carry　you　off；　and　so　forth。　Still　he　has　all　the　outward　appearance　of　a　wolf。　For　in　the　neighbourhood　of　Feilenhof　（East　Prussia）；　when　a　wolf　was　seen　running　through　a　field；　the　peasants　used　to　watch　whether　he　carried　his　tail　in　the　air　or　dragged　it　on　the　ground。　If　he　dragged　it　on　the　ground；　they　went　after　him；　and　thanked　him　for　bringing　them　a　blessing；　and　even　set　tit…bits　before　him。　But　if　he　carried　his　tail　high；　they　cursed　him　and　tried　to　kill　him。　Here　the　wolf　is　the　corn…spirit　whose　fertilising　power　is　in　his　tail。

Both　dog　and　wolf　appear　as　embodiments　of　the　corn…spirit　in　harvest…customs。　Thus　in　some　parts　of　Silesia　the　person　who　cuts　or　binds　the　last　sheaf　is　called　the　Wheat…dog　or　the　Peas…pug。　But　it　is　in　the　harvest…customs　of　the　north…east　of　France　that　the　idea　of　the　Corn…dog　comes　out　most　clearly。　Thus　when　a　harvester；　through　sickness；　weariness；　or　laziness；　cannot　or　will　not　keep　up　with　the　reaper　in　front　of　him；　they　say；　The　White　Dog　passed　near　him；　he　has　the　White　Bitch；　or　the　White　Bitch　has　bitten　him。　In　the　Vosges　the　Harvest…May　is　called　the　Dog　of　the　harvest；　and　the　person　who　cuts　the　last　handful　of　hay　or　wheat　is　said　to　kill　the　Dog。　About　Lons…le…Saulnier；　in　the　Jura；　the　last　sheaf　is　called　the　Bitch。　In　the　neighbourhood　of　Verdun　the　regular　expression　for　finishing　the　reaping　is；　They　are　going　to　kill　the　Dog；　and　at　Epinal　they　say；　according　to　the　crop；　We　will　kill　the　Wheat…dog；　or　the　Rye…dog；　or　the　Potato…dog。　In　Lorraine　it　is　said　of　the　man　who　cuts　the　last　corn；　He　is　killing　the　Dog　of　the　harvest。　At　Dux；　in　the　Tyrol；　the　man　who　gives　the　last　stroke　at　threshing　is　said　to　strike　down　the　Dog；　and　at　Ahnebergen；　near　Stade；　he　is　called；　according　to　the　crop；　Corn…pug；　Rye…pug；　Wheat…pug。

So　with　the　wolf。　In　Silesia；　when　the　reapers　gather　round　the　last　patch　of　standing　corn　to　reap　it　they　are　said　to　be　about　to　catch　the　Wolf。　In　various　parts　of　Mecklenburg；　where　the　belief　in　the　Corn…wolf　is　particularly　prevalent；　every　one　fears　to　cut　the　last　corn；　because　they　say　that　the　Wolf　is　sitting　in　it；　hence　every　reaper　exerts　himself　to　the　utmost　in　order　not　to　be　the　last；　and　every　woman　similarly　fears　to　bind　the　last　sheaf　because　the　Wolf　is　in　it。　So　both　among　the　reapers　and　the　binders　there　is　a　competition　not　to　be　the　last　to　finish。　And　in　Germany　generally　it　appears　to　be　a　common　saying　that　the　Wolf　sits　in　the　last　sheaf。　In　some　places　they　call　out　to　the　reaper；　Beware　of　the　Wolf；　or　they　say；　He　is　chasing　the　Wolf　out　of　the　corn。　In　Mecklenburg　the　last　bunch　of　standing　corn　is　itself　commonly　called　the　Wolf；　and　the　man　who　reaps　it　has　the　Wolf；　the　animal　being　described　as　the　Rye…wolf；　the　Wheat…wolf；　the　Barley…wolf；　and　so　on　according　to　the　particular　crop。　The　reaper　of　the　last　corn　is　himself　called　Wolf　or　the　Rye…wolf；　if　the　crop　is　rye；　and　in　many　parts　of　Mecklenburg　he　has　to　support　the　character　by　pretending　to　bite　the　other　harvesters　or　by　howling　like　a　wolf。　The　last　sheaf　of　corn　is　also　called　the　Wolf　or　the　Rye…wolf　or　the　Oats…wolf　according　to　the　crop；　and　of　the　woman　who　binds　it　they　say；　The　Wolf　is　biting　her；　She　has　the　Wolf；　She　must　fetch　the　Wolf　（out　of　the　corn）。　Moreover；　she　herself　is　called　Wolf；　they　cry　out　to　her；　Thou　art　the　Wolf；　and　she　has　to　bear　the　name　for　a　whole　year；　sometimes；　according　to　the　crop；　she　is　called　the　Rye…wolf　or　the　Potato…wolf。　In　the　island　of　Rügen　not　only　is　the　woman　who　binds　the　last　sheaf　called　Wolf；　but　when　she　comes　home　she　bites　the　lady　of　the　house　and　the　stewardess；　for　which　she　receives　a　large　piece　of　meat。　Yet　nobody　likes　to　be　the　Wolf。　The　same　woman　may　be　Rye…wolf；　Wheat…wolf；　and　Oats…wolf；　if　she　happens　to　bind　the　last　sheaf　of　rye；　wheat；　and　oats。　At　Buir；　in　the　district　of　Cologne；　it　was　formerly　the　custom　to　give　to　the　last　sheaf　the　shape　of　a　wolf。　It　was　kept　in　the　barn　till　all　the　corn　was　threshed。　Then　it　was　brought　to　the　farmer　and　he　had　to　sprinkle　it　with　beer　or　brandy。　At　Brunshaupten　in　Mecklenburg　the　young　woman　who　bound　the　last　sheaf　of　wheat　used　to　take　a　handful　of　stalks　out　of　it　and　make　the　Wheat…wolf　with　them；　it　was　the　figure　of　a　wolf　about　two　feet　long　and　half　a　foot　high；　the　legs　of　the　animal　being　represented　by　stiff　stalks　and　its　tail　and　mane　by　wheat…ears。　This　Wheat…wolf　she　carried　back　at　the　head　of　the　harvesters　to　the　village；　where　it　was　set　up　on　a　high　place　in　the　parlour　of　the　farm　and　remained　there　for　a　long　time。　In　many　places　the　sheaf　called　the　Wolf　is　made　up　in　human　form　and　dressed　in　clothes。　This　indicates　a　confusion　of　ideas　between　the　corn…spirit　conceived　in　human　and　in　animal　form。　Generally　the　Wolf　is　brought　home　on　the　last　waggon　with　joyful　cries。　Hence　the　last　waggon…load　itself　receives　the　name　of　the　Wolf。

Again；　the　Wolf　is　supposed　to　hide　himself　amongst　the　cut　corn　in　the　granary；　until　he　is　driven　out　of　the　last　bundle　by　the　strokes　of　the　flail。　Hence　at　Wanzleben；　near　Magdeburg；　after　the　threshing　the　peasants　go　in　procession；　leading　by　a　chain　a　man　who　is　enveloped　in　the　threshed…out　straw　and　is　called　the　Wolf。　He　represents　the　corn…spirit　who　has　been　caught　escaping　from　the　threshed　corn。　In　the　district　of　Treves　it　is　believed　that　the　Corn…wolf　is　killed　at　threshing。　The　men　thresh　the　last　sheaf　till　it　is　reduced　to　chopped　straw。　In　this　way　they　think　that　the　Corn…wolf；　who　was　lurking　in　the　last　sheaf；　has　been　certainly　killed。

In　France　also　the　Corn…wolf　appears　at　harvest。　Thus　they　call　out　to　the　reaper　of　the　last　corn；　You　will　catch　the　Wolf。　Near　Chambéry　they　form　a　ring　round　the　last　standing　corn；　and　cry；　The　Wolf　is　in　there。　In　Finisterre；　when　the　reaping　draws　near　an　end；　the　harvesters　cry；　There　is　the　Wolf；　we　will　catch　him。　Each　takes　a　swath　to　reap；　and　he　who　finishes　first　calls　out；　I've　caught　the　Wolf。　In　Guyenne；　when　the　last　corn　has　been　reaped；　they　lead　a　wether　all　round　the　field。　It　is　called　the　Wolf　of　the　field。　Its　horns　are　decked　with　a　wreath　of　flowers　and　corn…ears；　and　its　neck　and　body　are　also　encircled　with　garlands　and　ribbons。　All　the　reapers　march；　singing；　behind　it。　Then　it　is　killed　on　the　field。　In　this　part　of　France　the　last　sheaf　is　called　the　c