the golden bough-第40部分

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a　raincharm。

In　some　parts　of　Sweden　on　the　eve　of　May　Day　lads　go　about　carrying　each　a　bunch　of　fresh　birch　twigs　wholly　or　partly　in　leaf。　With　the　village　fiddler　at　their　head；　they　make　the　round　of　the　houses　singing　May　songs；　the　burden　of　their　songs　is　a　prayer　for　fine　weather；　a　plentiful　harvest；　and　worldly　and　spiritual　blessings。　One　of　them　carries　a　basket　in　which　he　collects　gifts　of　eggs　and　the　like。　If　they　are　well　received；　they　stick　a　leafy　twig　in　the　roof　over　the　cottage　door。　But　in　Sweden　midsummer　is　the　season　when　these　ceremonies　are　chiefly　observed。　On　the　Eve　of　St。　John　（the　twenty…third　of　June）　the　houses　are　thoroughly　cleansed　and　garnished　with　green　boughs　and　flowers。　Young　fir…trees　are　raised　at　the　doorway　and　elsewhere　about　the　homestead；　and　very　often　small　umbrageous　arbours　are　constructed　in　the　garden。　In　Stockholm　on　this　day　a　leaf…market　is　held　at　which　thousands　of　May…poles　（Maj　Stanger）；　from　six　inches　to　twelve　feet　high；　decorated　with　leaves；　flowers；　slips　of　coloured　paper；　gilt　egg…shells　strung　on　reeds；　and　so　on；　are　exposed　for　sale。　Bonfires　are　lit　on　the　hills；　and　the　people　dance　round　them　and　jump　over　them。　But　the　chief　event　of　the　day　is　setting　up　the　May…pole。　This　consists　of　a　straight　and　tall　sprucepine　tree；　stripped　of　its　branches。　At　times　hoops　and　at　others　pieces　of　wood；　placed　crosswise；　are　attached　to　it　at　intervals；　whilst　at　others　it　is　provided　with　bows；　representing；　so　to　say；　a　man　with　his　arms　akimbo。　From　top　to　bottom　not　only　the　'Maj　Stang'　（May…pole）　itself；　but　the　hoops；　bows；　etc。；　are　ornamented　with　leaves；　flowers；　slips　of　various　cloth；　gilt　egg…shells；　etc。；　and　on　the　top　of　it　is　a　large　vane；　or　it　may　be　a　flag。　The　raising　of　the　May…pole；　the　decoration　of　which　is　done　by　the　village　maidens；　is　an　affair　of　much　ceremony；　the　people　flock　to　it　from　all　quarters；　and　dance　round　it　in　a　great　ring。　Midsummer　customs　of　the　same　sort　used　to　be　observed　in　some　parts　of　Germany。　Thus　in　the　towns　of　the　Upper　Harz　Mountains　tall　fir…trees；　with　the　bark　peeled　off　their　lower　trunks；　were　set　up　in　open　places　and　decked　with　flowers　and　eggs；　which　were　painted　yellow　and　red。　Round　these　trees　the　young　folk　danced　by　day　and　the　old　folk　in　the　evening。　In　some　parts　of　Bohemia　also　a　May…pole　or　midsummer…tree　is　erected　on　St。　John's　Eve。　The　lads　fetch　a　tall　fir　or　pine　from　the　wood　and　set　it　up　on　a　height；　where　the　girls　deck　it　with　nosegays；　garlands；　and　red　ribbons。　It　is　afterwards　burned。

It　would　be　needless　to　illustrate　at　length　the　custom；　which　has　prevailed　in　various　parts　of　Europe；　such　as　England；　France；　and　Germany；　of　setting　up　a　village　May…tree　or　May…pole　on　May　Day。　A　few　examples　will　suffice。　The　puritanical　writer　Phillip　Stubbes　in　his　Anatomie　of　Abuses；　first　published　at　London　in　1583；　has　described　with　manifest　disgust　how　they　used　to　bring　in　the　May…pole　in　the　days　of　good　Queen　Bess。　His　description　affords　us　a　vivid　glimpse　of　merry　England　in　the　olden　time。　Against　May；　Whitsonday；　or　other　time；　all　the　yung　men　and　maides；　olde　men　and　wives；　run　gadding　over　night　to　the　woods；　groves；　hils；　and　mountains；　where　they　spend　all　the　night　in　plesant　pastimes；　and　in　the　morning　they　return；　bringing　with　them　birch　and　branches　of　trees；　to　deck　their　assemblies　withall。　And　no　mervaile；　for　there　is　a　great　Lord　present　amongst　them；　as　superintendent　and　Lord　over　their　pastimes　and　sportes；　namely；　Sathan；　prince　of　hel。　But　the　chiefest　jewel　they　bring　from　thence　is　their　May…pole；　which　they　bring　home　with　great　veneration；　as　thus。　They　have　twentie　or　fortie　yoke　of　oxen；　every　oxe　having　a　sweet　nose…gay　of　flouers　placed　on　the　tip　of　his　hornes；　and　these　oxen　drawe　home　this　May…pole　（this　stinkyng　ydol；　rather）；　which　is　covered　all　over　with　floures　and　hearbs；　bound　round　about　with　strings；　from　the　top　to　the　bottome；　and　sometime　painted　with　variable　colours；　with　two　or　three　hundred　men；　women　and　children　following　it　with　great　devotion。　And　thus　beeing　reared　up；　with　handkercheefs　and　flags　hovering　on　the　top；　they　straw　the　ground　rounde　about；　binde　green　boughes　about　it；　set　up　sommer　haules；　bowers；　and　arbors　hard　by　it。　And　then　fall　they　to　daunce　about　it；　like　as　the　heathen　people　did　at　the　dedication　of　the　Idols；　whereof　this　is　a　perfect　pattern；　or　rather　the　thing　itself。　I　have　heard　it　credibly　reported　（and　that　viva　voce）　by　men　of　great　gravitie　and　reputation；　that　of　fortie；　threescore；　or　a　hundred　maides　going　to　the　wood　over　night；　there　have　scaresly　the　third　part　of　them　returned　home　againe　undefiled。

In　Swabia　on　the　first　of　May　a　tall　fir…tree　used　to　be　fetched　into　the　village；　where　it　was　decked　with　ribbons　and　set　up；　then　the　people　danced　round　it　merrily　to　music。　The　tree　stood　on　the　village　green　the　whole　year　through；　until　a　fresh　tree　was　brought　in　next　May　Day。　In　Saxony　people　were　not　content　with　bringing　the　summer　symbolically　（as　king　or　queen）　into　the　village；　they　brought　the　fresh　green　itself　from　the　woods　even　into　the　houses：　that　is　the　May　or　Whitsuntide　trees；　which　are　mentioned　in　documents　from　the　thirteenth　century　onwards。　The　fetching　in　of　the　May…tree　was　also　a　festival。　The　people　went　out　into　the　woods　to　seek　the　May　（majum　quaerere）；　brought　young　trees；　especially　firs　and　birches；　to　the　village　and　set　them　up　before　the　doors　of　the　houses　or　of　the　cattle…stalls　or　in　the　rooms。　Young　fellows　erected　such　May…trees；　as　we　have　already　said；　before　the　chambers　of　their　sweethearts。　Besides　these　household　Mays；　a　great　May…tree　or　May…pole；　which　had　also　been　brought　in　solemn　procession　to　the　village；　was　set　up　in　the　middle　of　the　village　or　in　the　market…place　of　the　town。　It　had　been　chosen　by　the　whole　community；　who　watched　over　it　most　carefully。　Generally　the　tree　was　stripped　of　its　branches　and　leaves；　nothing　but　the　crown　being　left；　on　which　were　displayed；　in　addition　to　many…coloured　ribbons　and　cloths；　a　variety　of　victuals　such　as　sausages；

cakes；　and　eggs。　The　young　folk　exerted　themselves　to　obtain　these　prizes。　In　the　greasy　poles　which　are　still　to　be　seen　at　our　fairs　we　have　a　relic　of　these　old　May…poles。　Not　uncommonly　there　was　a　race　on　foot　or　on　horseback　to　the　May…treea　Whitsunday　pastime　which　in　course　of　time　has　been　divested　of　its　goal　and　survives　as　a　popular　custom　to　this　day　in　many　parts　of　Germany。　At　Bordeaux　on　the　first　of　May　the　boys　of　each　street　used　to　erect　in　it　a　May…pole；　which　they　adorned　with　garlands　and　a　great　crown；　and　every　evening　during　the　whole　of　the　month　the　young　people　of　both　sexes　danced　singing　about　the　pole。　Down　to　the　present　day　May…trees　decked　with　flowers　and　ribbons　are　set　up　on　May　Day　in　every　village　and　hamlet　of　gay　Provence。　Under　them　the　young　folk　make　merry　and　the　old　folk　rest。

In　all　these　cases；　apparently；　the　custom　is　or　was　to　bring　in　a　new　May…tree　each　year。　However；　in　England　the　village　May…pole　seems　as　a　rule；　at　least　in　later　times；　to　have　been　permanent；　not　renewed　annually。　Villages　of　Upper　Bavaria　renew　their　May…pole　once　every　three；　four；　or　five　years。　It　is　a　fir…tree　fetched　from　the　forest；　and　amid　all　the　wreaths；　flags；　and　inscriptions　with　which　it　is　bedecked；　an　essential　part　is　the　bunch　of　dark　green　foliage　left　at　the　top　as　a　memento　that　in　it　we　have　to　do；　not　with　a　dead　pole；　but　with　a　living　tree　from　the　greenwood。　We　can　hardly　doubt　that　originally　the　practice　everywhere　was　to　set　up　a　new　May…tree　every　year。　As　the　object　of　the　custom　was　to　bring　in　the　fructifying　spirit　of　vegetation；　newly　awakened　in　spring；　the　end　would　have　been　defeated　if；　instead　of　a　living　tree；　green　and　sappy；　an　old　withered　one　had　been　erected　year　after　year　or　allowed　to　stand　permanently。　When；　however；　the　meaning　of　the　custom　had　been　forgotten；　and　the　May…tree　was　regarded　simply　as　a　centre　for　holiday　merry…making；　people　saw　no　reason　for　felling　a　fresh　tree　every　year；　and　preferred　to　let　the　same　tree　stand　permanently；　only　decking　it　with　fresh　flowers　on　May　Day。　But　even　when　the　May…pole　had　thus　become　a　fixture；　the　need　of　giving　it　the　appearance　of　being　a　green　tree；　not　a　dead　pole；　was　sometimes　felt。　Thus　at　Weverham　in　Cheshire　are　two　May…poles；　which　are　decorated　on　this　day　（May　Day）　with　all　due　attention　to　the　ancient　solemnity；　the　sides　are　hung　with　garlands；　and　the　top　terminated　by　a　birch　or　other　tall　slender　tree　with　its　leaves　on；　the　bark　being　peeled；　and　the　stem　spliced　to　the　pole；　so　as　to　give　the　appearance　of　one　tree　from　the　summit。　Thus　the　renewal　of　the　May…tree　is　like　the　renewal　of　the　Harvest…May；　each　is　intended　to　secure　a　fresh　portion　of　the　fertilising　spirit　of　vegetation；　and　to　preserve　it　throughout　the　year。　But　whereas　the　efficacy　of　the　Harvest…May　is　restricted　to　promoting　the　growth　of　the　crops；　that　of　the　May…tree　or　May…branch　extends　also；　as　we　have　seen；　to　women　and　cattle。　Lastly；　it　is　worth　noting　that　the　old　May…tree　is　sometimes　burned　at　the　end　of　the　year。　Thus　in　the　district　of　Prague　young　people　break　pieces　of　the　public　May…tree　and　place　them　behind　the　holy　pictures　in　their　rooms；　where　they　remain　till　next　May　Day；　and　are　then　burned　on　the　hearth。　In　Würtemberg　the　bushes　which　are　set　up　on　the　houses　on　Palm　Sunday　are　sometimes　left　there　for　a　year　and　then　burnt。

So　much　for　the　tree…spirit　conceived　as　incorporate　or　immanent　in　the　tree。　We　have　now　to　show　that　the　tree…spirit　is　often　conceived　and　represented　as　detached　from　the　tree　and　clothed　in　human　form；　and　even　as　embodied　in　living　men　or　women。　The　evidence　for　this　anthropomorphic　representation　of　the　tree…spirit　is　largely　to　be　found　in　the　popular　customs　of　European　peasantry。

There　is　an　instructive　class　of　cases　in　which　the　tree…spirit　is　represented　simultaneously　in　vegetable　form　and　in　human　form；　which　are　set　side　by　side　as　if　for　the　express　purpose　of　explaining　each　other。　In　these　cases　the　human　representative　of　the　tree…spirit　is　sometimes　a　doll　or　puppet；　sometimes　a