the golden bough-第220节

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on；　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　and　become　the　mother　of　many　children；　in　Flanders　women　leap　over　the　midsummer　fires　to　ensure　an　easy　delivery；　in　various　parts　of　France　they　think　that　if　a　girl　dances　round　nine　fires　she　will　be　sure　to　marry　within　the　year；　and　in　Bohemia　they　fancy　that　she　will　do　so　if　she　merely　sees　nine　of　the　bonfires。　On　the　other　hand；　in　Lechrain　people　say　that　if　a　young　man　and　woman；　leaping　over　the　midsummer　fire　together；　escape　unsmirched；　the　young　woman　will　not　become　a　mother　within　twelve　months；　the　flames　have　not　touched　and　fertilised　her。　In　parts　of　Switzerland　and　France　the　lighting　of　the　Yule　log　is　accompanied　by　a　prayer　that　the　women　may　bear　children；　the　she…goats　bring　forth　kids；　and　the　ewes　drop　lambs。　The　rule　observed　in　some　places　that　the　bonfires　should　be　kindled　by　the　person　who　was　last　married　seems　to　belong　to　the　same　class　of　ideas；　whether　it　be　that　such　a　person　is　supposed　to　receive　from；　or　to　impart　to；　the　fire　a　generative　and　fertilising　influence。　The　common　practice　of　lovers　leaping　over　the　fires　hand　in　hand　may　very　well　have　originated　in　a　notion　that　thereby　their　marriage　would　be　blessed　with　offspring；　and　the　like　motive　would　explain　the　custom　which　obliges　couples　married　within　the　year　to　dance　to　the　light　of　torches。　And　the　scenes　of　profligacy　which　appear　to　have　marked　the　midsummer　celebration　among　the　Esthonians；　as　they　once　marked　the　celebration　of　May　Day　among　ourselves；　may　have　sprung；　not　from　the　mere　licence　of　holiday…makers；　but　from　a　crude　notion　that　such　orgies　were　justified；　if　not　required；　by　some　mysterious　bond　which　linked　the　life　of　man　to　the　courses　of　the　heavens　at　this　turning…point　of　the　year。

At　the　festivals　which　we　are　considering　the　custom　of　kindling　bonfires　is　commonly　associated　with　a　custom　of　carrying　lighted　torches　about　the　fields；　the　orchards；　the　pastures；　the　flocks　and　the　herds；　and　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　the　two　customs　are　only　two　different　ways　of　attaining　the　same　object；　namely；　the　benefits　which　are　believed　to　flow　from　the　fire；　whether　it　be　stationary　or　portable。　Accordingly　if　we　accept　the　solar　theory　of　the　bonfires；　we　seem　bound　to　apply　it　also　to　the　torches；　we　must　suppose　that　the　practice　of　marching　or　running　with　blazing　torches　about　the　country　is　simply　a　means　of　diffusing　far　and　wide　the　genial　influence　of　the　sunshine　of　which　these　flickering　flames　are　a　feeble　imitation。　In　favour　of　this　view　it　may　be　said　that　sometimes　the　torches　are　carried　about　the　fields　for　the　express　purpose　of　fertilising　them；　and　with　the　same　intention　live　coals　from　the　bonfires　are　sometimes　placed　in　the　fields　to　prevent　blight。　On　the　eve　of　Twelfth　Day　in　Normandy　men；　women；　and　children　run　wildly　through　the　fields　and　orchards　with　lighted　torches；　which　they　wave　about　the　branches　and　dash　against　the　trunks　of　the　fruit…trees　for　the　sake　of　burning　the　moss　and　driving　away　the　moles　and　field…mice。　They　believe　that　the　ceremony　fulfills　the　double　object　of　exorcising　the　vermin　whose　multiplication　would　be　a　real　calamity；　and　of　imparting　fecundity　to　the　trees；　the　fields；　and　even　the　cattle；　and　they　imagine　that　the　more　the　ceremony　is　prolonged；　the　greater　will　be　the　crop　of　fruit　next　autumn。　In　Bohemia　they　say　that　the　corn　will　grow　as　high　as　they　fling　the　blazing　besoms　into　the　air。　Nor　are　such　notions　confined　to　Europe。　In　Corea；　a　few　days　before　the　New　Year　festival；　the　eunuchs　of　the　palace　swing　burning　torches；　chanting　invocations　the　while；　and　this　is　supposed　to　ensure　bountiful　crops　for　the　next　season。　The　custom　of　trundling　a　burning　wheel　over　the　fields；　which　used　to　be　observed　in　Poitou　for　the　express　purpose　of　fertilising　them；　may　be　thought　to　embody　the　same　idea　in　a　still　more　graphic　form；　since　in　this　way　the　mock…sun　itself；　not　merely　its　light　and　heat　represented　by　torches；　is　made　actually　to　pass　over　the　ground　which　is　to　receive　its　quickening　and　kindly　influence。　Once　mor