the golden bough-第108节

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hool…girls　alone。　Two　of　the　older　girls　seize　the　figure　by　the　arms　and　walk　in　front：　all　the　rest　follow　two　and　two。　Boys　may　take　no　part　in　the　procession；　but　they　troop　after　it　gazing　with　open…mouthed　admiration　at　the　beautiful　Death。　So　the　procession　goes　through　all　the　streets　of　the　village；　the　girls　singing　the　old　hymn　that　begins

Gott　mein　Vater；　deine　Liebe　Reicht　so　weit　der　Himmel　ist；

to　a　tune　that　differs　from　the　ordinary　one。　When　the　procession　has　wound　its　way　through　every　street；　the　girls　go　to　another　house；　and　having　shut　the　door　against　the　eager　prying　crowd　of　boys　who　follow　at　their　heels；　they　strip　the　Death　and　pass　the　naked　truss　of　straw　out　of　the　window　to　the　boys；　who　pounce　on　it；　run　out　of　the　village　with　it　without　singing；　and　fling　the　dilapidated　effigy　into　the　neighbouring　brook。　This　done；　the　second　scene　of　the　little　drama　begins。　While　the　boys　were　carrying　away　the　Death　out　of　the　village；　the　girls　remained　in　the　house；　and　one　of　them　is　now　dressed　in　all　the　finery　which　had　been　worn　by　the　effigy。　Thus　arrayed　she　is　led　in　procession　through　all　the　streets　to　the　singing　of　the　same　hymn　as　before。　When　the　procession　is　over　they　all　betake　themselves　to　the　house　of　the　girl　who　played　the　leading　part。　Here　a　feast　awaits　them　from　which　also　the　boys　are　excluded。　It　is　a　popular　belief　that　the　children　may　safely　begin　to　eat　gooseberries　and　other　fruit　after　the　day　on　which　Death　has　thus　been　carried　out；　for　Death；　which　up　to　that　time　lurked　especially　in　gooseberries；　is　now　destroyed。　Further；　they　may　now　bathe　with　impunity　out　of　doors。　Very　similar　is　the　ceremony　which；　down　to　recent　years；　was　observed　in　some　of　the　German　villages　of　Moravia。　Boys　and　girls　met　on　the　afternoon　of　the　first　Sunday　after　Easter；　and　together　fashioned　a　puppet　of　straw　to　represent　Death。　Decked　with　bright…coloured　ribbons　and　cloths；　and　fastened　to　the　top　of　a　long　pole；　the　effigy　was　then　borne　with　singing　and　clamour　to　the　nearest　height；　where　it　was　stript　of　its　gay　attire　and　thrown　or　rolled　down　the　slope。　One　of　the　girls　was　next　dressed　in　the　gauds　taken　from　the　effigy　of　Death；　and　with　her　at　its　head　the　procession　moved　back　to　the　village。　In　some　villages　the　practice　is　to　bury　the　effigy　in　the　place　that　has　the　most　evil　reputation　of　all　the　country…side：　others　throw　it　into　running　water。

In　the　Lusatian　ceremony　described　above；　the　tree　which　is　brought　home　after　the　destruction　of　the　figure　of　Death　is　plainly　equivalent　to　the　trees　or　branches　which；　in　the　preceding　customs；　were　brought　back　as　representatives　of　Summer　or　Life；　after　Death　had　been　thrown　away　or　destroyed。　But　the　transference　of　the　shirt　worn　by　the　effigy　of　Death　to　the　tree　clearly　indicates　that　the　tree　is　a　kind　of　revivification；　in　a　new　form；　of　the　destroyed　effigy。　This　comes　out　also　in　the　Transylvanian　and　Moravian　customs：　the　dressing　of　a　girl　in　the　clothes　worn　by　the　Death；　and　the　leading　her　about　the　village　to　the　same　song　which　had　been　sung　when　the　Death　was　being　carried　about；　show　that　she　is　intended　to　be　a　kind　of　resuscitation　of　the　being　whose　effigy　has　just　been　destroyed。　These　examples　therefore　suggest　that　the　Death　whose　demolition　is　represented　in　these　ceremonies　cannot　be　regarded　as　the　purely　destructive　agent　which　we　understand　by　Death。　If　the　tree　which　is　brought　back　as　an　embodiment　of　the　reviving　vegetation　of　spring　is　clothed　in　the　shirt　worn　by　the　Death　which　has　just　been　destroyed；　the　object　certainly　cannot　be　to　check　and　counteract　the　revival　of　vegetation：　it　can　only　be　to　foster　and　promote　it。　Therefore　the　being　which　has　just　been　destroyedthe　so…called　Deathmust　be　supposed　to　be　endowed　with　a　vivifying　and　quickening　influence；　which　it　can　communicate　to　the　vegetable　and　even　the　animal　world。　This　ascription　of　a　life…giving　virtue　to　the　figure　of　Death　is　put　beyond　a　doubt　by　the　custom；　observed　in　some　places；　of　taking　pieces　of　the　straw　effigy　of　Death　and　placing　them　in　the　fields　to　make　the　crops　grow；　or　in　the　manger　to　make　the　cattle　thrive。　Thus　in　Spachendorf；　a　village　of　Austrian　Silesia；　the　figure　of　Death；　made　of　straw；　brushwood；　and　rags；　is　carried　with　wild　songs　to　an　open　place　outside　the　village　and　there　burned；　and　while　it　is　burning　a　general　struggle　takes　place　for　the　pieces；　which　are　pulled　out　of　the　flames　with　bare　hands。　Each　one　who　secures　a　fragment　of　the　effigy　ties　it　to　a　branch　of　the　largest　tree　in　his　garden；　or　buries　it　in　his　field；　in　the　belief　that　this　causes　the　crops　to　grow　better。　In　the　Troppau　district　of　Austrian　Silesia　the　straw　figure　which　the　boys　make　on　the　fourth　Sunday　in　Lent　is　dressed　by　the　girls　in　woman's　clothes　and　hung　with　ribbons；　necklace；　and　garlands。　Attached　to　a　long　pole　it　is　carried　out　of　the　village；　followed　by　a　troop　of　young　people　of　both　sexes；　who　alternately　frolic；　lament；　and　sing　songs。　Arrived　at　its　destinationa　field　outside　the　villagethe　figure　is　stripped　of　its　clothes　and　ornaments；　then　the　crowd　rushes　at　it　and　tears　it　to　bits；　scuffling　for　the　fragments。　Every　one　tries　to　get　a　wisp　of　the　straw　of　which　the　effigy　was　made；　because　such　a　wisp；　placed　in　the　manger；　is　believed　to　make　the　cattle　thrive。　Or　the　straw　is　put　in　the　hens'　nest；　it　being　supposed　that　this　prevents　the　hens　from　carrying　away　their　eggs；　and　makes　them　brood　much　better。　The　same　attribution　of　a　fertilising　power　to　the　figure　of　Death　appears　in　the　belief　that　if　the　bearers　of　the　figure；　after　throwing　it　away；　beat　cattle　with　their　sticks；　this　will　render　the　beasts　fat　or　prolific。　Perhaps　the　sticks　had　been　previously　used　to　beat　the　Death；　and　so　had　acquired　the　fertilising　power　ascribed　to　the　effigy。　We　have　seen；　too；　that　at　Leipsic　a　straw　effigy　of　Death　was　shown　to　young　wives　to　make　them　fruitful。

It　seems　hardly　possible　to　separate　from　the　May…trees　the　trees　or　branches　which　are　brought　into　the　village　after　the　destruction　of　the　Death。　The　bearers　who　bring　them　in　profess　to　be　bringing　in　the　Summer；　therefore　the　trees　obviously　represent　the　Summer；　indeed　in　Silesia　they　are　commonly　called　the　Summer　or　the　May；　and　the　doll　which　is　sometimes　attached　to　the　Summer…tree　is　a　duplicate　representative　of　the　Summer；　just　as　the　May　is　sometimes　represented　at　the　same　time　by　a　May…tree　and　a　May　Lady。　Further；　the　Summer…trees　are　adorned　like　May…trees　with　ribbons　and　so　on；　like　May…trees；　when　large；　they　are　planted　in　the　ground　and　climbed　up；　and　like　May…trees；　when　small；　they　are　carried　from　door　to　door　by　boys　or　girls　singing　songs　and　collecting　money。　And　as　if　to　demonstrate　the　identity　of　the　two　sets　of　customs　the　bearers　of　the　Summer…tree　sometimes　announce　that　they　are　bringing　in　the　Summer　and　the　May。　The　customs；　therefore；　of　bringing　in　the　May　and　bringing　in　the　Summer　are　essentially　the　same；　and　the　Summer…tree　is　merely　another　form　of　the　May…tree；　the　only　distinction　（besides　that　of　name）　being　in　the　time　at　which　they　are　respectively　brought　in；　for　while　the　May…tree　is　usually　fetched　in　on　the　first　of　May　or　at　Whitsuntide；　the　Summer…tree　is　fetched　in　on　the　fourth　Sunday　in　Lent。　Therefore；　if　the　May…tree　is　an　embodiment　of　the　tree…spirit　or　spirit　of　vegetation；　the　Summer…tree　must　likewise　be　an　embodiment　of　the　tree…spirit　or　spirit　of　vegetation。　But　we　have　seen　that　the　Summer…tree　is　in　some　cases　a　revivification　of　the　effigy　of　Death。　It　follows；　therefore；　that　in　these　cases　the　effigy　called　Death　must　be　an　embodiment　of　the　tree…spirit　or　spirit　of　vegetation。　This　inference　is　confirmed；　first；　by　the　vivifying　and　fertilising　influence　which　the　fragments　of　the　effigy　of　Death　are　believed　to　exercise　both　on　vegetable　and　on　animal　life；　for　this　influence；　as　we　saw　in　an　earlier　part　of　this　work；　is　supposed　to　be　a　special　attribute　of　the　tree…spirit。　It　is　confirmed；　secondly；　by　observing　that　the　effigy　of　Death　is　sometimes　decked　with　leaves　or　made　of　twigs；　branches；　hemp；　or　a　threshed…out　sheaf　of　corn；　and　that　sometimes　it　is　hung　on　a　little　tree　and　so　carried　about　by　girls　collecting　money；　just　as　is　done　with　the　May…tree　and　the　May　Lady；　and　with　the　Summer…tree　and　the　doll　attached　to　it。　In　short　we　are　driven　to　regard　the　expulsion　of　Death　and　the　bringing　in　of　Summer　as；　in　some　cases　at　least；　merely　another　form　of　that　death　and　revival　of　the　spirit　of　vegetation　in　spring　which　we　saw　enacted　in　the　killing　and　resurrection　of　the　Wild　Man。　The　burial　and　resurrection　of　the　Carnival　is　probably　another　way　of　expressing　the　same　idea。　The　interment　of　the　representative　of　the　Carnival　under　a　dung…heap　is　natural；　if　he　is　supposed　to　possess　a　quickening　and　fertilising　influence　like　that　ascribed　to　the　effigy　of　Death。　The　Esthonians；　indeed；　who　carry　the　straw　figure　out　of　the　village　in　the　usual　way　on　Shrove　Tuesday；　do　not　call　it　the　Carnival；　but　the　Wood…spirit　（Metsik）；　and　they　clearly　indicate　the　identity　of　the　effigy　with　the　wood…spirit　by　fixing　it　to　the　top　of　a　tree