the golden bough-第247章

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aid　to　be　shaped　like　suns；　into　the　air　at　the　festivals　may　well　be　a　piece　of　imitative　magic。　In　these；　as　in　so　many　cases；　the　magic　force　may　be　supposed　to　take　effect　through　mimicry　or　sympathy：　by　imitating　the　desired　result　you　actually　produce　it：　by　counterfeiting　the　sun's　progress　through　the　heavens　you　really　help　the　luminary　to　pursue　his　celestial　journey　with　punctuality　and　despatch。　The　name　fire　of　heaven；　by　which　the　midsummer　fire　is　sometimes　popularly　known；　clearly　implies　a　consciousness　of　a　connexion　between　the　earthly　and　the　heavenly　flame。

Again；　the　manner　in　which　the　fire　appears　to　have　been　originally　kindled　on　these　occasions　has　been　alleged　in　support　of　the　view　that　it　was　intended　to　be　a　mock…sun。　As　some　scholars　have　perceived；　it　is　highly　probable　that　at　the　periodic　festivals　in　former　times　fire　was　universally　obtained　by　the　friction　of　two　pieces　of　wood。　It　is　still　so　procured　in　some　places　both　at　the　Easter　and　the　Midsummer　festivals；　and　it　is　expressly　said　to　have　been　formerly　so　procured　at　the　Beltane　celebration　both　in　Scotland　and　Wales。　But　what　makes　it　nearly　certain　that　this　was　once　the　invariable　mode　of　kindling　the　fire　at　these　periodic　festivals　is　the　analogy　of　the　needfire；　which　has　almost　always　been　produced　by　the　friction　of　wood；　and　sometimes　by　the　revolution　of　a　wheel。　It　is　a　plausible　conjecture　that　the　wheel　employed　for　this　purpose　represents　the　sun；　and　if　the　fires　at　the　regularly　recurring　celebrations　were　formerly　produced　in　the　same　way；　it　might　be　regarded　as　a　confirmation　of　the　view　that　they　were　originally　sun…charms。　In　point　of　fact　there　is；　as　Kuhn　has　indicated；　some　evidence　to　show　that　the　midsummer　fire　was　originally　thus　produced。　We　have　seen　that　many　Hungarian　swine…herds　make　fire　on　Midsummer　Eve　by　rotating　a　wheel　round　a　wooden　axle　wrapt　in　hemp；　and　that　they　drive　their　pigs　through　the　fire　thus　made。　At　Obermedlingen；　in　Swabia；　the　fire　of　heaven；　as　it　was　called；　was　made　on　St。　Vitus's　Day　（the　fifteenth　of　June）　by　igniting　a　cart…wheel；　which；　smeared　with　pitch　and　plaited　with　straw；　was　fastened　on　a　pole　twelve　feet　high；　the　top　of　the　pole　being　inserted　in　the　nave　of　the　wheel。　This　fire　was　made　on　the　summit　of　a　mountain；　and　as　the　flame　ascended；　the　people　uttered　a　set　form　of　words；　with　eyes　and　arms　directed　heavenward。　Here　the　fixing　of　a　wheel　on　a　pole　and　igniting　it　suggests　that　originally　the　fire　was　produced；　as　in　the　case　of　the　need…fire；　by　the　revolution　of　a　wheel。　The　day　on　which　the　ceremony　takes　place　（the　fifteenth　of　June）　is　near　midsummer；　and　we　have　seen　that　in　Masuren　fire　is；　or　used　to　be；　actually　made　on　Midsummer　Day　by　turning　a　wheel　rapidly　about　an　oaken　pole；　though　it　is　not　said　that　the　new　fire　so　obtained　is　used　to　light　a　bonfire。　However；　we　must　bear　in　mind　that　in　all　such　cases　the　use　of　a　wheel　may　be　merely　a　mechanical　device　to　facilitate　the　operation　of　fire…making　by　increasing　the　friction；　it　need　not　have　any　symbolical　significance。

Further；　the　influence　which　these　fires；　whether　periodic　or　occasional；　are　supposed　to　exert　on　the　weather　and　vegetation　may　be　cited　in　support　of　the　view　that　they　are　sun…charms；　since　the　effects　ascribed　to　them　resemble　those　of　sunshine。　Thus；　the　French　belief　that　in　a　rainy　June　the　lighting　of　the　midsummer　bonfires　will　cause　the　rain　to　cease　appears　to　assume　that　they　can　disperse　the　dark　clouds　and　make　the　sun　to　break　out　in　radiant　glory；　drying　the　wet　earth　and　dripping　trees。　Similarly　the　use　of　the　need…fire　by　Swiss　children　on　foggy　days　for　the　purpose　of　clearing　away　the　mist　may　very　naturally　be　interpreted　as　a　sun…charm。　In　the　Vosges　Mountains　the　people　believe　that　the　midsummer　fires　help　to　preserve　the　fruits　of　the　earth　and　ensure　good　crops。　In　Sweden　the　warmth　or　cold　of　the　coming　season　is　inferred　from　the　direction　in　which　the　flames　of　the　May　Day　bonfire　are　blown；　if　they　blow　to　the　south；　it　will　be　warm；　if　to　the　north；　cold。　No　doubt　at　present　the　direction　of　the　flames　is　regarded　merely　as　an　augury　of　the　weather；　not　as　a　mode　of　influencing　it。　But　we　may　be　pretty　sure　that　this　is　one　of　the　cases　in　which　magic　has　dwindled　into　divination。　So　in　the　Eifel　Mountains；　when　the　smoke　blows　towards　the　corn…fields；　this　is　an　omen　that　the　harvest　will　be　abundant。　But　the　older　view　may　have　been　not　merely　that　the　smoke　and　flames　prognosticated；　but　that　they　actually　produced　an　abundant　harvest；　the　heat　of　the　flames　acting　like　sunshine　on　the　corn。　Perhaps　it　was　with　this　view　that　people　in　the　Isle　of　Man　lit　fires　to　windward　of　their　fields　in　order　that　the　smoke　might　blow　over　them。　So　in　South　Africa；　about　the　month　of　April；　the　Matabeles　light　huge　fires　to　the　windward　of　their　gardens；　their　idea　being　that　the　smoke；　by　passing　over　the　crops；　will　assist　the　ripening　of　them。　Among　the　Zulus　also　medicine　is　burned　on　a　fire　placed　to　windward　of　the　garden；　the　fumigation　which　the　plants　in　consequence　receive　being　held　to　improve　the　crop。　Again；　the　idea　of　our　European　peasants　that　the　corn　will　grow　well　as　far　as　the　blaze　of　the　bonfire　is　visible；　may　be　interpreted　as　a　remnant　of　the　belief　in　the　quickening　and　fertilising　power　of　the　bonfires。　The　same　belief；　it　may　be　argued；　reappears　in　the　notion　that　embers　taken　from　the　bonfires　and　inserted　in　the　fields　will　promote　the　growth　of　the　crops；　and　it　may　be　thought　to　underlie　the　customs　of　sowing　flax…seed　in　the　direction　in　which　the　flames　blow；　of　mixing　the　ashes　of　the　bonfire　with　the　seed…corn　at　sowing；　of　scattering　the　ashes　by　themselves　over　the　field　to　fertilise　it；　and　of　incorporating　a　piece　of　the　Yule　log　in　the　plough　to　make　the　seeds　thrive。　The　opinion　that　the　flax　or　hemp　will　grow　as　high　as　the　flames　rise　or　the　people　leap　over　them　belongs　clearly　to　the　same　class　of　ideas。　Again；　at　Konz；　on　the　banks　of　the　Moselle；　if　the　blazing　wheel　which　was　trundled　down　the　hillside　reached　the　river　without　being　extinguished；　this　was　hailed　as　a　proof　that　the　vintage　would　be　abundant。　So　firmly　was　this　belief　held　that　the　successful　performance　of　the　ceremony　entitled　the　villagers　to　levy　a　tax　upon　the　owners　of　the　neighbouring　vineyards。　Here　the　unextinguished　wheel　might　be　taken　to　represent　an　unclouded　sun；　which　in　turn　would　portend　an　abundant　vintage。　So　the　waggon…load　of　white　wine　which　the　villagers　received　from　the　vineyards　round　about　might　pass　for　a　payment　for　the　sunshine　which　they　had　procured　for　the　grapes。　Similarly　in　the　Vale　of　Glamorgan　a　blazing　wheel　used　to　be　trundled　down　hill　on　Midsummer　Day；　and　if　the　fire　were　extinguished　before　the　wheel　reached　the　foot　of　the　hill；　the　people　expected　a　bad　harvest；　whereas　if　the　wheel　kept　alight　all　the　way　down　and　continued　to　blaze　for　a　long　time；　the　farmers　looked　forward　to　heavy　crops　that　summer。　Here；　again；　it　is　natural　to　suppose　that　the　rustic　mind　traced　a　direct　connexion　between　the　fire　of　the　wheel　and　the　fire　of　the　sun；　on　which　the　crops　are　dependent。

But　in　popular　belief　the　quickening　and　fertilising　influence　of　the　bonfires　is　not　limited　to　the　vegetable　world；　it　extends　also　to　animals。　This　plainly　appears　from　the　Irish　custom　of　driving　barren　cattle　through　the　midsummer　fires；　from　the　French　belief　that　the　Yule　log　steeped　in　water　helps　cows　to　calve；　from　the　French　and　Serbian　notion　that　there　will　be　as　many　chickens；　calves；　lambs；　and　kids　as　there　are　sparks　struck　out　of　the　Yule　log；　from　the　French　custom　of　putting　the　ashes　of　the　bonfires　in　the　fowls'　nests　to　make　the　hens　lay　eggs；　and　from　the　German　practice　of　mixing　the　ashes　of　the　bonfires　with　the　drink　of　cattle　in　order　to　make　the　animals　thrive。　Further；　there　are　clear　indications　that　even　human　fecundity　is　supposed　to　be　promoted　by　the　genial　heat　of　the　fires。　In　Morocco　the　people　think　that　childless　couples　can　obtain　offspring　by　leaping　over　the　midsummer　bonfire。　It　is　an　Irish　belief　that　a　girl　who　jumps　thrice　over　the　midsummer　bonfire　will　soon　marry