The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion By: Sir James G. Frazer Study Course Lecture 01.07 - Book 01. Chapter 07 - The Sacred Marriage
This is the seventh chapter in book 01: Book 01. Chapter 07. The Sacred Marriage
This chapter, the seventh chapter, of Book 01, describes the interrelationship between the marriage of male and female, with its interrelationships with marriage to nature, with my own additional discussion with emphasis on state, religion, and Natural Law
The chapter is a discussion on the question of what marriage between humans means in relation to the abundance and fruitfulness of the crops and harvest. It also discusses the customs of marriage of man to nature and gods to humans, and the interrelationships between them.
The historical outline and theoretical framework of the Sacred Marriage will be discussed
Notes:
Book 01. Chapter 07: The Sacred Marriage
**portions in blue are not discussed in book but are my additional discussion
The Marriage of the King and Queen of May intended to promote the growth of vegetation by homoeopathic magic.
Forefathers or ancestors personified the vegatation, plants, and trees, through inspiration and imitation made into ritual and customs, which was said to bring the abundance of trees or crops each year. Frazer speculates that the adorning or decorating with plants or trees, was done not merely out of figurative or allegorical expression, but because they unreasonably thought that is what would bring the abundance of crops. Likewise, the marriage of the two sexes like that seen in the marriage of the King and Queen representing certain trees was done to ensure this. It was said that older races would incorporate intercourse between the sexes in order to ensure the crop abundance and make the plants and trees grow fruitfully.
My perspective: It is likely that the original act was done in allegory, but it may have taken on a supernatural and illogical bent through the ages, as wisdom and the knowledge is lost, and as this is lost, the magic becomes less and less effective. From the looks of it, Frazer seems to understand at least in part that idea of the subconscious association and training of the language of symbolism to be used to influence, and may be right that the people did eventually lose this understanding and the customs become merely a superstitious belief, and probably changed accordingly to become illogical and less effective.
Intercourse of the sexes practiced in order to make the crops grow
For the Pipiles of Central America, for 4 days before the planting of the seed in which they expected to grow and bring forth crops, they were kept apart from their wives and abstain from any sexual activity, and on the night before they plant their crop seeds, they would then on the final night encouraged to engage in passionate sexual indulgence with their wives to bring abundance to the season and harvest. Some said to perform the sexual act at the very moment the seeds are planted. Says that primitive peoples confused the functions between the two and that the act of human-to-human would bring the same to the plant-to-plant or seed-to-soil.
In Java, when the rice plants were about to bloom they were encouraged to act passionately and with sexual intercourse with their wives.
In the Leti, Sarmata, between New Guinea and Northern Australia, this population regards the Sun as the male principle by which earth or female principle is fertilised. They call him Upu-lera, or Mr. Sun, and they personify him as a lamp made of cocunt leaves, it is hung everywhere in their houses adn in the sacred fig-tree. Under the fig-tree is a large flat stone which acts as an alter or sacrificial table where they put the heads of sacrificial victims or foes. Once a year, starting in the beginning of the rainy season, Mr. Sun comes down into the holy fig-tree to fertilize the earth. In order to facilitate this idea, a latter was made with seven rungs which is put against the tree and thought to help Mr. Sun down to inhabit the tree, adorned with carved birds thought to herald the sun. Pigs and dogs sacrificed in profusion, the men and women indulge in a saturnalia and the mystic union is dramatically represented in public, amidst song and dance, and sexual intercourse under the tree in public. The idea was to procure rain, bring forth plentiful harvest.
My perspective: Sacrifices, celebrations, but also organized release of animalistic behavior and lust and orgies are done by the boys and girls and facilitated by the older members of the group through its tradition as essential to fertility of the earth and the welfare of man.
It is likely that through the Ages the original meaning was lost and fell into the realm of superstition and in the process, immorality and the immorality would have a degrading effect, a descent into the Underworld.
In Uganda parents of twins are supposed to fertilize the plantains.
Baganda of Africa believe so strongly in the intimate relation between sexual intercourse of man and woman and the fertility of the ground, that infertile women are sent away because she is thought to prevent the husband's garden from bearing fruit.
Also, those who are said to have incredible fertility through the birth of twins, are encouraged to be around and their presence is thought to bless the people with fruitful harvest of the plantain or other crops.
At some point a ceremony is performed with these parents and the mother lies down and a plantain flower is placed in between her legs and the male has sexual intercourse with her, with the flower being used to ensure the continued abundance to that crop which they want plentiful yield.
My perspective: It is likely that some truth mixed with superstition may be at the root of these practices, and immorality begins to creep into the practice when the knowledge is lost and blind superstition takes its place. The same is true for modern day religions the concept is certainly not restricted to indigenous or primitive societies.
Continence practiced in order to make the crops grow.
This sexual indulgance has been seen in other areas and for the same purpose. While others had a different rule.
The indigenous of Nicaragua, from the moment they plant maize crops until the time they reaped it, the husband and wife were kept apart and lived in chastity, ate no salt or drank any cocoa or chicha drink, which was the fermented maize drink, the season was a time of abstinence. The same was done for other groups in Central America, to promote the abundance and growth of crops.
The Kekchi sleep apart from their wives and eat no flesh for 5 days before before sowing the plant.
For the Lanquineros and Cajaboneros, the period of abstinence extends for 13 days.
Illicit love supposed to blight the fruits of the earth.
Sympathetic effect between the commerce of the sexes and the fertility of the earth extends to the belief that illicit love tends to directly or indirectly, to injure the fertility and blight the crops.
The Karens of Burma, that aldutery or fornication has a tendency to injure the crops and harvest. If they have a bad harvest, a drought, or unusual adversity to a season's harvest, they go looking for the ones who are committing the sin, and if or when any adultery is detected, the elders make the sinners buy a hog and kill it. The woman takes one foot of the hog, the man takes another, and they dig furrows with each foot and fill it with blood. Next they scratch the grounds with their hands and beg to god for forgiveness and their sin of injuring the fruitfulness of earth and the harvest.
The Battas of Sumatra think if a woman is pregnant and expecting a child, it is thought that they are to make sure she is married at once, even to a man of lower rank, otherwise the people will be infested by tigers and the crops will not be fruitful. Also, the crime of incest, would destroy the entire harvest if the wrong were not quickly punished. Epidemics and other calamities are often claimed to be the result of incest, incest being any marriage that conflicts with their customs.
In Africa, the breaching of sexual morality disturbs the course of nature, especially in the blighting of the crops and fruits. the people of Loango say that the intercourse by a man with an immature girl is punished by drought and famine, until the culprits atone for their sins by dancing naked before the king in an assembley before the people, who throw hot gravel and bits of glass at the pair.
My perspective: Immorality has a blunting effect on humans for sure, and the effects could cause more chaos in society. Who knows, there have been studies on the energy given to plants in a house where a plant flourishes when it is spoken to kindly and given compliments and love, whereas other plants would droop, whither, and die. What kind, if any, effects could also manifest in an indigenous tribe that also works closely with plants, that could be the partial knowledge that was lost and took on supernatural beliefs rather than understanding the mechanisms.
Breaches of sexual morality supposed to prevent rain, and so to blight the fruits of the earth in Africa
Among the Bavilli of Loango, it is believed that if a man breaks the marriage law by marrying a woman of his mother's clan, God will punish by withholding rains.
The Nandi of British East Africa, a girl who has been impregnated by a warrior may never look inside of a granary for fear of spoiling the corn.
Among the Basutos, they say that 'while the corn is exposed to view, all defiled persons are carefully kept from it. If the aid of a man in this state is necessary for carrying home the harvest, he remains at some distance while the sacks are filled, and only approaches to place them upon the draught oxen. he withdraws as soon the load is deposited at the dwelling, and under no pretext can he assist in pouring the corn into the baskets in which it is preserved.'
My perspective: Again, to what extent does the symbolism or interaction with plants play a role in their growth, being that they are a living organism, and also Earth itself could be considered one large microorganism with a consciousness, however different from our own. These are questions that deserve more consideration, and it is healthy to ponder such mysteries.
Incest of animals employed as a rain charm in Africa.
The Toradjas of Central Calebes employ the incest of animals as a rain charm, because they believe the anger of the gods at incest or bestiality manifests itself in the form of violent storms, heavy rain, or long drought. But they think it is within their power to have such acts commited to bring the desired weather. They abstain from it themselves, however, because it would bring criminal punishment by their people in the form of death, and they think the storms that would result from it would be so violent as to do more harm than good, and therefore they seek ways to have it done amongst the animals.
A missionary attending a ceremony for this was described as taking a cock (male chicken) and a little sow (female chicken), killing them by a river, then arrange them as though they were intimately embraced, and pray to the gods for rain, and say that if rain cannot be given, here is an abomination we will bury that you can be angry at, and storms are thought to follow.
Blightening effect attributed to the incest by the ancient Greeks and Irish.
The Greeks and Romans were thought to envision a similar blighting effect by incest. According to Sophocles, the land of Thebes suffered from blight, pestilence, and strelity of women and cattle under the reign of Oedipus, who unwittingly slain his father and wedded his mother, and the Delphic oracle declared that the only way to restore the prosperity of the land was to banish the sinner.
In ancient Italy, under Emperor Claudius, a Roman noble was accused of incest with his sister. He committed suicide, his sister was banished, and the Emperor ordered that certain ceremonies from the laws of King Servius Tullius be performed, and this was done by pontiffs at the sacred groves of Diana, likely that at Nemi. Diana being goddess of fertility and abundance shows that the Romans thought sexual immorality to blight the fruits and harvests of the earth.
My perspective: Likely it was not merely created out of illogical superstition, given that the idea became universally accepted. But to what degree was truth lost to superstition. Here, however, we see that the government of Rome was using the groves at Lake Nemi for political purposes, blended with religion, which coalesced at that point. Lake Nemi served to keep order by influence of the subconscious mind through the psychodrama of ritual.
Belief in the blightening effect of incest may have helped to institute the forbidden degrees.
This line of thought may have long preceded the rise of agriculture. Frazer thinks the the origins may have been magical rather than religious, that is to say, it is thought that the result was caused by the act itself, rather than a punishment by a god or deity. Subversion of the natural processes of reproduction, preventing the earth from yielding its fruits and hindering humans and animals.
"At a later time the anger of spiritual beings would naturally be invoked in order to give a religious sanction to the old taboo."
My perspective: Frazer wonders what effect the horrors of incest have been made worse by these ancient superstitions, that is, the tendency to shy away from incest inherent in man, whether it was influenced by superstitious beliefs. He seems to have summed it up accurately here, but I would add that the "magic" that was done in the act had some older truth mixed with superstition, being that the magic would be the influence of the subconscious mind, and likely this devolved and also hijacked by the governing body.
Explanation of the seeming contradiction in the foregoing customs.
Frazer asks why it is that similar beliefs in the abundance of crops being associated with fertility of the earth should lead to two very different approaches, such as the strict chastity or open debauchery. he thinks on the one hand, some may think that giving into these passions will lend plentifully to the desired result through this energy, whereas on the other hand others may think that by withholding their appetites for these passions will form a storehouse of energy that is redirected to the crops.
My perspective: Also more likely if the true meaning is lost and takes on the devolving effect of superstition or hijacking by the governing body for purposes of control. The immoral ritualistic activities could oftentimes be helpful to governing bodies in that doing immoral things for a custom helps to trap the individuals within the grips of governing bodies.
Indirect benefit of some of these superstitious customs. The ascetic view of chastity not understood by the savage.
Frazer acknowledges the noble virtue of discipline of the mind, that Milton says the discipline of the animalistic nature of man allows man to be raised above that of the herd and animal kingdom, but he says that the primitive did not understand this and thus it was out of superstition. That it was always out of some superstitious reason that if doing x, y can happen, but more times than not out of a hope of some other passion of the lower natures.
My perspective: This may hold to some degree, in that the original ideas surrounding this or that likely become lost to the ages as stated previously.
Dramatic marriages of gods and goddesses as a charm to promote vegetation
Frazer suggests that since this idea or association between the human sexes and of fertility of earth, like the mock traditions we saw in the may tree ceremonies and the marriage of the May King and May Queen during Whitsuntide, could the same element have served as a religious tradition which the Romans kept going at the Lake of Nemi, being that the King played by the King of the Wood was, like the Whistuntide tradition, a mock King played by a real human, who then as his counterpart has for his Queen, Nature herself, the fertility of the Earth, personified as the tree he protects, representing the Goddess Diana, the Goddess of the fertility of the earth and of trees and wildlife, so a blending of the two concepts, the May Queen and May King, crossed with the same approach that sexual intercourse and marriage between male and female humans was also thought to affect the wildlife.
My perspective: Sacrifice of the active masculine principle to be handed over to the governing body is apparent in the May King, also sacrifice of the divine feminine principle where the Whitsuntide Flower and pretty girls are forced to beg and receive money, the item of no inhrent value to be associated with and replace the value of inhrent nature and ultimately, Care. This symbolic act is an additional supplement to the fear and terror instilled through bloodshed seen in the King of the Wood ritual.
Diana a goddess of the woodlands.
Diana was the goddess of the wildlife and nature, as Ceres was a goddes of corn, Bacchus a god of wine. Her sanctuaries were commonly in groves, every grove was sacred to her, and is often associated with the Forest god Silvanus in dedications, but not merely a goddess of trees.
My perspective: Since the forest and nature acts as a good symbol for man's inhrent nature, it would make sense that there would be variations of both god and goddess for the woods and wildlife. Abundance being associated with offspring and birth would make the leaning to feminine understandable.
Diana not a mere goddess of trees, but like Artemis, a personification of the teeming life of nature, both animal and vegetable.
As mistress of the greenery she was thought to also rule the beasts, whether wild or tame, patron of both hunters and herdsmen, just as Silvanus was thought to be god of not just the woods but of cattle.
A deity of the woods naturally the patron of the beasts in the woods, both game and cattle.
In Finland the wild beasts of the forest were regarded as the herds of the forest god, Tapio and his beautiful wife. It was that no man was to slay one of these beasts without the divine permission of one of them. hence the hunter prayed to the Sylvan deities, cattle also enjoyed the protection of these deities, whether in the stalls or in the forest.
Russian peasants held a similar approach and belief, for the spirit Leschiy, who rules both the wood and all creatures in it. The bear is to Leschiy what the dog is to humans, and all activities within the forest and forest animals act according to his wishes. Success in hunting depends on his favor.
In White Russia every herdsman has to present a cow to Leschiy in summer. , the herds were seen as his herds.
My perspective: It might follow that the Romans continued using the King of the Wood ritual as a way to pray to Diana in similar manner, but likely the Roman Empire used it for political purposes with a need to feed their side of mystery and appeasing Diana with bloodshed, not only gave them a sense of power and control in their government positions, but also disempower the people as a whole to sacrifice that active masculine principle and break their immoral code, to be controlled and sacrifice their inherent nature to the Roman Empire.
Conceived as the moon, Diana was also a goddess of crops and childbirth
Diana not merely a patroness of wild beasts, but also of the moon, abundance, and helped women in childbirth. At Nemi she was especially worshipped as goddess of childbirth, bestowing offspring to men and women.
My perspective: The sacrifice to bring children forth is also a symbolic association with the idea that those brought into the world under the dominion of Rome would be children of the Roman Empire, to be the future of strong government which the Roman Empire was actively pursuing.
As a goddess of fertility Diana had herself to be fertile and for that purpose needed a male counterpart.
On the principle that the goddess of fertility must herself be fertile, she needed a male companion, who took the form of Virbius as the King of the Wood at Nemi, each Rex Nemorensis would be the embodiment of Virbius, as the tree he was married to was the embodiment of Diana. Aim of their union would be to promote the fruitfulness of earth, of animals, and mankind (state/religious order).
It would be more surely ensured if every year the sacred nuptials were celebrated each year, by images or living persons. No conclusive evidence show that the custom was celebrated each year, but it is thought probably. Some evidence has shown circumstantial evidence this was so, and during the rule of Caligula, they say the ritual devolved into a gladiator-like spectator sport.
My perspective: Virbuis can also be likened to Hippolytus being stomped to death by government officials, Poiseidon being the symbol of this governing body, who sends a wave and the horses that are supposed to be obeying Hippoyltus (his horses being a symbol of the lower egoic nature, but also when they begin to trample him, the corrupted man being overtaken by the governing body and sacrificing himself, while also being a symbol of government trampling people like that of George Floyd. So, Virbius could be likened to the government official who had stomped the inner active sacred masculine out of himself to be reborn under the custom or indoctrination of religion/state, where Diana is being perverted into a symbol or custom orf state to be reborn under the Kingdom not of nature but of the Roman Empire.
Marriages of the gods in Babylonia and Assyria
At Babylon the imposing sanctuaries of Bel rose above the city, in 8 towers or stories planted one on top of each other. On the last story, stood a temple and in the temple a great bed. In this temple no image was seen, and no human passed there by night besides a single woman, whom, according to the Chaldean priests, the god Bel chose from all the women in Babylon. Here it was that this woman could have no intercourse with mortal men, but was reserved for the god Bel and she was his consort.
My perspective: A similar course of action and ritual for this custom, but likely in reverse, where the sacrifice of the divine feminine is more pronounced.
Marriage of the god Ammon to the Queen of Egypt
At Thebes, a woman slept in the Temple of Ammon as the consort of the god, also said to have no commerce with mortal men. She is called the Divine consort, no less a personage than the Queen herself. Egyptians said that the monarch was actually created by Ammon himself, who assumed for a time the role of reigning king, and in that disguise had intercourse with the queen.
My perspective: Here we likely have the hijacking of religious, magical, or spiritual belief, to ensure power over the general population via superstition and fear, being at the mercy of powerful controllers who think cannot dare be questioned or challenged, similar to how the idea is put forward that those in seats of power are aliens and work with forces far beyond our ability or realm to affect.
Marriage of Dionysus to the Queen at Athens.
At Athens, the god of the vine, Dionysus, was annually married to the Queen, the divine union was enacted at the ceremony. Not clear if the part of god was played by a human or not.
Aristotle says the ceremony did take place, in the old official residence of the king, known as the Cattlestall near the town hall at Acropolis. Its object suggested by Frazer could not have been anything other than the fertility of the vines and other fruit trees, of which Dionysus was god. Thus it would equate to the form and meaning of the ceremony that was seen with the King and Queen of May.
My perspective: Also, another interpretation suggests that the rituals served to empower governing body via faith and belief in it through ritual setting, exerting an influence over people continuously, similarly to how the governing body today is reinforcing the safety of vaccines by bombarding us with non-stop messages of reinforcement and psychological driving tactics. Most people being asleep and unaware of how such an influence works are more easily influenced and suggestible as opposed to those who do understand it and are actively aware it is being used against them.
Marriage of Zeus with Demeter at Eleusis
If at Athens the vine-god was married to a queen that the vines might be loaded with grapes, there is reason to think another kind of marriage was also practiced to make the fields yellow with corn, the beyond the hills of Athens. These great mysteries solemnised at Eleusis in the month of September with the union of the sky-god Zeuss and corn-goddess Demeter, represented by the union of the heirophant with the priesess of Demeter, who acted the parts of god and goddess. Intercourse was dramatical or symbolic, and the hierophant is temporarily deprived of his virility by an application of hemlock. The torches having been extinguished, the pair descend into a murky place, and the worshippers anxiously await the result of the mystic congress. After a time the heirophant reappears and in a blaze of light silently exhibits to the assmebly a reaped ear of corn, the fruit ofthe divine marriage. Then in a loud voice he proclaims, "Queen Brimo has brought forth a sacred boy Brimos, by which he is said to mean, 'The Mighty One has brought forth the Mighty." The Corn Mother had in fact given birth to a harvest child, the corn, as a drama. This revelation of the reaped corn appears to have been the crowning act of the mysteries. The goddess of corn unified with the Sky god Zeuss said to bring the plentiful harvest, who fertilized the bare earth with genial showers.
My perspective: There was obviously a subtle association of the Mysteries to the rulership of the governing bodies, the act of making the process of self, spiritual initiation a custom of the state and religion already somewhat transfers that process, though not fully, merely an influence. The ear of corn is interesting in that the little pieces of corn in an ear of corn look similar to the bricks in a wall, and walls were usually put up around kingdoms, and each person being like a brick in the wall, contributing to the power of any empire by the faith and devotion they put to it.
Marriage of Zeus and Hera at Plataea
Other places show Zeuss is not always the sky god, nor does he always marry the corn goddess.
the people of Plataea had a festival called the Little Daedala. On day of festival they went out into an ancient oak forest, the trees of gigantic girth. They set some boiled meat on the ground and watched birds gather around it. When a raven was observed to carry off a piece of the meat and perched on an oak, they followed it and cut down the oak it perched on. With the wood of this oak, they carved an image, dressed it as a bride, and placed in on a cart with a bridesmaid beside it. It was then drawn to the banks of the Asopus river and then back to the town, attended to by a dancing and singing crowd. After the festival the image was put away and kept there till the celebration of what is called the Great Daedala, which fell only once in 60 years, and was held by all the people of Boetia. on this occasion, all the images from the Little Daedala, which amounted to 14 in number. were dragged in pocession back to the Asopus river, and then to the top of Mount Cithaeron. There an alter had been constructed of square blocks of wood fitted together, with brushwood heaped over it. Animals were sacrificed by being burned on the altar, and the altar itself together with the images placed there would be consumed with the flames. The blaze to great height and was seen for many miles. To explain the origin of the story ran that once upon a time hera had quarrelled with Zeus and left him in high resentment. To lure her back Zeus gave out that he was about to marry the nymph Plataea, daughter of the river Asopus. He had a fine oak cut down, shaped and dressed as a bride, conveyed on a cart. Transported with jealousy and rage hera flew to the cart tearing off the veil of the so-called bride, discovering the deceit that had been put on her. Her rage now turned to laughter and finally reconciled with Zeuss.
My perspective: The association or marriage of gods to images were likely helpful when the same image could be used to associate elements of the governing bodies, like the King or high priest or people of positions of power and influence, and so the subtle transference occurs with those unaware of the psychological mechanics.
The custom of marrying gods to images or to living persons is also found among uncivilized peoples. Customs of the Wotyaks.
Said that the civilised Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greeks inhereted the idea of marrying Gods to images or human beings go back far before the days of antiquity, said to be inherited from the more barbaric forebears.
Once upon a time the Wotyaks of the Malmyz district in Russia were distressed by a series of bad harvests. They were dumbfounded, and they thought their powerful but mischevious god kerement must be angry at being unmarried. A deputy of elders visited the Wotyaks of Cura and came to an understanding with them on the subject, and returned home, laid in a large stock of brandy, and having setup a heftily decked wagon and horses, they drove in procession with ringing bells like they do when fetching a bride to the sacred grove at Cura. There was some kind of mock marriage done, with the people of Malmyz and the grove.
There they ate and drank merrily all night, and next morning they cut a square piece of turf from the grove and took it home with them. There it fared well with the people of Malmyz, it fared ill with the people of Cura, because after this the people of Malmyz had a good harvest and bread, but the people of Cura did not. The men of Cura who consented to the marriage festivities were blamed by the other villagers of Cura and handled accordingly. It is thought that they meant to marry Keremet to the kindly and fruitful Mukylćin, who was comparable to Diana, as the earth wife, in order that she might influence him for good.
This custom of marrying turf, like it was a bride, is comparable to the custom seen at the Little Daedala. Thought that the ceremony was intended as a charm to ensure fertility of the crops.
In Bengal, when wells are dug, an image of a god is made and married to the goddess of water to endure its blessings.
Custom of the Peruvian Indians.
In other customs, the bride destined for the god is not merely a log or wooden idol, but an actual woman of flesh and blood. The indigenous of Peru were known to marry a beautiful girl of about 14 to a stone shaped like a human being, which they regaurded as a god (huaca). All the villagers took part in the ceremony, it lasted three days, attended merrily. The girl then remained a virgin and sacrificed to the idol for the people. They treated her as divine and with utmost respect.
My perspective: Similar custom to King of the Wood but reverse with female offering, with or without human sacrifice.
Marriage of a woman to the Sun among the Blackfoot Indians.
These natives used to worship the Sun as their chief god, holding a festival every year in his honor. Four days before the new moon of August the tribe halted its activities and march, all hunting suspended. Bodies of mounted men were working day and night to carry out the orders of the high priest of the Sun. He made them fast and take vapour baths [likely sweat lodges?] during these four days. With the help of his council, he chose the Vestal who was to represent the Moon and be married to the Sun at the festival. She might be a virgin or a woman who had but one husband. Any girl or woman who was found to breach these sacred duties was put to death.
On the third day of preparation, after the last purification bath was done, they built a round temple of the Sun. Posts were driven into the ground in a circle connected with cross-pieces, and the whole was covered with leaves. In the middle stood a sacred pole, wrapped in a splendid buffalo coat which crowned the summit of the temple. Eantrance on the East, and within this sanctuary stood an altar on which rested the head of a buffalo. Beside the altar was the place reserved for the Vestal, with a bed prepared for her, where she slept 'the sleep of war.' She fumigated or smoked sacred herbs with a sacred fire, presented a lighted pipe to her husband the Sun, and slept this 'sleep of war' after which she told the high priest the dreams she had during the sleep and the priest proclaimed what she told him to the beat of a drum.
My perspective: Obviously they took the position that the divine ruler of the hunt was to be sacrificed to and the sleep of war was the divine feminine expression or vehicle to strategize the war or hunt approaches.
Marriage of girls to fishing nets among the Hurons and Algonquins.
Every year in the middle of March, when fishing season began with the drag-net, the Algonquins and the Hurons married their nets to two young girls aged 6 or 7. At a wedding feast the net was placed between the two young girls and was encouraged to take courage and catch many fish. The reason for such young girls was to make sure they were virgins.
My perspective: Virgins being of purity and the prosepects of future wives, so the similar association was probably thought to attract the abundance of fresh food. The association of many fish in the sea for single people may have origins in these kinds of customs.
Sacred Marriage of Sun-god and Earth-goddess among the Oraons.
The Oraons of bengal worship the earth as a goddess and annually celebrate the marriage with the Sun-god Dharmē at the time when the sāl tree is in blossom. All bathe, the men gather at the sacred grove, the women assemble at the house of the village priest. After sacrificing birds to the Sun-god and the demon of the grove, the men eat and drink. The priest is carried back to the village on the shoulders of a strong man. Near the village the women meet the men and wash their feet. Then they begin beating on drums and singing, dancing, celebrating, and go back to the priests house, which has been decorated with leaves and flowers. The usual form of marriage is then performed between the priest and his wife, symbolizing the supposed marriage between the Sun and the Earth. After the ceremony they all eat and drink and celebrate and indulge in the most vile orgies, the purpose being to make the earth fruitful.
My perspective: The continuation of fruitfulness, abundance, and good fortune, as the moments of marriage are often joyous, they attract the similar energies by re-enacting each year.
This chapter, the seventh chapter, of Book 01, describes the interrelationship between the marriage of male and female, with its interrelationships with marriage to nature, with my own additional discussion with emphasis on state, religion, and Natural Law
The chapter is a discussion on the question of what marriage between humans means in relation to the abundance and fruitfulness of the crops and harvest. It also discusses the customs of marriage of man to nature and gods to humans, and the interrelationships between them.
The historical outline and theoretical framework of the Sacred Marriage will be discussed
Notes:
Book 01. Chapter 07: The Sacred Marriage
**portions in blue are not discussed in book but are my additional discussion
The Marriage of the King and Queen of May intended to promote the growth of vegetation by homoeopathic magic.
Forefathers or ancestors personified the vegatation, plants, and trees, through inspiration and imitation made into ritual and customs, which was said to bring the abundance of trees or crops each year. Frazer speculates that the adorning or decorating with plants or trees, was done not merely out of figurative or allegorical expression, but because they unreasonably thought that is what would bring the abundance of crops. Likewise, the marriage of the two sexes like that seen in the marriage of the King and Queen representing certain trees was done to ensure this. It was said that older races would incorporate intercourse between the sexes in order to ensure the crop abundance and make the plants and trees grow fruitfully.
My perspective: It is likely that the original act was done in allegory, but it may have taken on a supernatural and illogical bent through the ages, as wisdom and the knowledge is lost, and as this is lost, the magic becomes less and less effective. From the looks of it, Frazer seems to understand at least in part that idea of the subconscious association and training of the language of symbolism to be used to influence, and may be right that the people did eventually lose this understanding and the customs become merely a superstitious belief, and probably changed accordingly to become illogical and less effective.
Intercourse of the sexes practiced in order to make the crops grow
For the Pipiles of Central America, for 4 days before the planting of the seed in which they expected to grow and bring forth crops, they were kept apart from their wives and abstain from any sexual activity, and on the night before they plant their crop seeds, they would then on the final night encouraged to engage in passionate sexual indulgence with their wives to bring abundance to the season and harvest. Some said to perform the sexual act at the very moment the seeds are planted. Says that primitive peoples confused the functions between the two and that the act of human-to-human would bring the same to the plant-to-plant or seed-to-soil.
In Java, when the rice plants were about to bloom they were encouraged to act passionately and with sexual intercourse with their wives.
In the Leti, Sarmata, between New Guinea and Northern Australia, this population regards the Sun as the male principle by which earth or female principle is fertilised. They call him Upu-lera, or Mr. Sun, and they personify him as a lamp made of cocunt leaves, it is hung everywhere in their houses adn in the sacred fig-tree. Under the fig-tree is a large flat stone which acts as an alter or sacrificial table where they put the heads of sacrificial victims or foes. Once a year, starting in the beginning of the rainy season, Mr. Sun comes down into the holy fig-tree to fertilize the earth. In order to facilitate this idea, a latter was made with seven rungs which is put against the tree and thought to help Mr. Sun down to inhabit the tree, adorned with carved birds thought to herald the sun. Pigs and dogs sacrificed in profusion, the men and women indulge in a saturnalia and the mystic union is dramatically represented in public, amidst song and dance, and sexual intercourse under the tree in public. The idea was to procure rain, bring forth plentiful harvest.
My perspective: Sacrifices, celebrations, but also organized release of animalistic behavior and lust and orgies are done by the boys and girls and facilitated by the older members of the group through its tradition as essential to fertility of the earth and the welfare of man.
It is likely that through the Ages the original meaning was lost and fell into the realm of superstition and in the process, immorality and the immorality would have a degrading effect, a descent into the Underworld.
In Uganda parents of twins are supposed to fertilize the plantains.
Baganda of Africa believe so strongly in the intimate relation between sexual intercourse of man and woman and the fertility of the ground, that infertile women are sent away because she is thought to prevent the husband's garden from bearing fruit.
Also, those who are said to have incredible fertility through the birth of twins, are encouraged to be around and their presence is thought to bless the people with fruitful harvest of the plantain or other crops.
At some point a ceremony is performed with these parents and the mother lies down and a plantain flower is placed in between her legs and the male has sexual intercourse with her, with the flower being used to ensure the continued abundance to that crop which they want plentiful yield.
My perspective: It is likely that some truth mixed with superstition may be at the root of these practices, and immorality begins to creep into the practice when the knowledge is lost and blind superstition takes its place. The same is true for modern day religions the concept is certainly not restricted to indigenous or primitive societies.
Continence practiced in order to make the crops grow.
This sexual indulgance has been seen in other areas and for the same purpose. While others had a different rule.
The indigenous of Nicaragua, from the moment they plant maize crops until the time they reaped it, the husband and wife were kept apart and lived in chastity, ate no salt or drank any cocoa or chicha drink, which was the fermented maize drink, the season was a time of abstinence. The same was done for other groups in Central America, to promote the abundance and growth of crops.
The Kekchi sleep apart from their wives and eat no flesh for 5 days before before sowing the plant.
For the Lanquineros and Cajaboneros, the period of abstinence extends for 13 days.
Illicit love supposed to blight the fruits of the earth.
Sympathetic effect between the commerce of the sexes and the fertility of the earth extends to the belief that illicit love tends to directly or indirectly, to injure the fertility and blight the crops.
The Karens of Burma, that aldutery or fornication has a tendency to injure the crops and harvest. If they have a bad harvest, a drought, or unusual adversity to a season's harvest, they go looking for the ones who are committing the sin, and if or when any adultery is detected, the elders make the sinners buy a hog and kill it. The woman takes one foot of the hog, the man takes another, and they dig furrows with each foot and fill it with blood. Next they scratch the grounds with their hands and beg to god for forgiveness and their sin of injuring the fruitfulness of earth and the harvest.
The Battas of Sumatra think if a woman is pregnant and expecting a child, it is thought that they are to make sure she is married at once, even to a man of lower rank, otherwise the people will be infested by tigers and the crops will not be fruitful. Also, the crime of incest, would destroy the entire harvest if the wrong were not quickly punished. Epidemics and other calamities are often claimed to be the result of incest, incest being any marriage that conflicts with their customs.
In Africa, the breaching of sexual morality disturbs the course of nature, especially in the blighting of the crops and fruits. the people of Loango say that the intercourse by a man with an immature girl is punished by drought and famine, until the culprits atone for their sins by dancing naked before the king in an assembley before the people, who throw hot gravel and bits of glass at the pair.
My perspective: Immorality has a blunting effect on humans for sure, and the effects could cause more chaos in society. Who knows, there have been studies on the energy given to plants in a house where a plant flourishes when it is spoken to kindly and given compliments and love, whereas other plants would droop, whither, and die. What kind, if any, effects could also manifest in an indigenous tribe that also works closely with plants, that could be the partial knowledge that was lost and took on supernatural beliefs rather than understanding the mechanisms.
Breaches of sexual morality supposed to prevent rain, and so to blight the fruits of the earth in Africa
Among the Bavilli of Loango, it is believed that if a man breaks the marriage law by marrying a woman of his mother's clan, God will punish by withholding rains.
The Nandi of British East Africa, a girl who has been impregnated by a warrior may never look inside of a granary for fear of spoiling the corn.
Among the Basutos, they say that 'while the corn is exposed to view, all defiled persons are carefully kept from it. If the aid of a man in this state is necessary for carrying home the harvest, he remains at some distance while the sacks are filled, and only approaches to place them upon the draught oxen. he withdraws as soon the load is deposited at the dwelling, and under no pretext can he assist in pouring the corn into the baskets in which it is preserved.'
My perspective: Again, to what extent does the symbolism or interaction with plants play a role in their growth, being that they are a living organism, and also Earth itself could be considered one large microorganism with a consciousness, however different from our own. These are questions that deserve more consideration, and it is healthy to ponder such mysteries.
Incest of animals employed as a rain charm in Africa.
The Toradjas of Central Calebes employ the incest of animals as a rain charm, because they believe the anger of the gods at incest or bestiality manifests itself in the form of violent storms, heavy rain, or long drought. But they think it is within their power to have such acts commited to bring the desired weather. They abstain from it themselves, however, because it would bring criminal punishment by their people in the form of death, and they think the storms that would result from it would be so violent as to do more harm than good, and therefore they seek ways to have it done amongst the animals.
A missionary attending a ceremony for this was described as taking a cock (male chicken) and a little sow (female chicken), killing them by a river, then arrange them as though they were intimately embraced, and pray to the gods for rain, and say that if rain cannot be given, here is an abomination we will bury that you can be angry at, and storms are thought to follow.
Blightening effect attributed to the incest by the ancient Greeks and Irish.
The Greeks and Romans were thought to envision a similar blighting effect by incest. According to Sophocles, the land of Thebes suffered from blight, pestilence, and strelity of women and cattle under the reign of Oedipus, who unwittingly slain his father and wedded his mother, and the Delphic oracle declared that the only way to restore the prosperity of the land was to banish the sinner.
In ancient Italy, under Emperor Claudius, a Roman noble was accused of incest with his sister. He committed suicide, his sister was banished, and the Emperor ordered that certain ceremonies from the laws of King Servius Tullius be performed, and this was done by pontiffs at the sacred groves of Diana, likely that at Nemi. Diana being goddess of fertility and abundance shows that the Romans thought sexual immorality to blight the fruits and harvests of the earth.
My perspective: Likely it was not merely created out of illogical superstition, given that the idea became universally accepted. But to what degree was truth lost to superstition. Here, however, we see that the government of Rome was using the groves at Lake Nemi for political purposes, blended with religion, which coalesced at that point. Lake Nemi served to keep order by influence of the subconscious mind through the psychodrama of ritual.
Belief in the blightening effect of incest may have helped to institute the forbidden degrees.
This line of thought may have long preceded the rise of agriculture. Frazer thinks the the origins may have been magical rather than religious, that is to say, it is thought that the result was caused by the act itself, rather than a punishment by a god or deity. Subversion of the natural processes of reproduction, preventing the earth from yielding its fruits and hindering humans and animals.
"At a later time the anger of spiritual beings would naturally be invoked in order to give a religious sanction to the old taboo."
My perspective: Frazer wonders what effect the horrors of incest have been made worse by these ancient superstitions, that is, the tendency to shy away from incest inherent in man, whether it was influenced by superstitious beliefs. He seems to have summed it up accurately here, but I would add that the "magic" that was done in the act had some older truth mixed with superstition, being that the magic would be the influence of the subconscious mind, and likely this devolved and also hijacked by the governing body.
Explanation of the seeming contradiction in the foregoing customs.
Frazer asks why it is that similar beliefs in the abundance of crops being associated with fertility of the earth should lead to two very different approaches, such as the strict chastity or open debauchery. he thinks on the one hand, some may think that giving into these passions will lend plentifully to the desired result through this energy, whereas on the other hand others may think that by withholding their appetites for these passions will form a storehouse of energy that is redirected to the crops.
My perspective: Also more likely if the true meaning is lost and takes on the devolving effect of superstition or hijacking by the governing body for purposes of control. The immoral ritualistic activities could oftentimes be helpful to governing bodies in that doing immoral things for a custom helps to trap the individuals within the grips of governing bodies.
Indirect benefit of some of these superstitious customs. The ascetic view of chastity not understood by the savage.
Frazer acknowledges the noble virtue of discipline of the mind, that Milton says the discipline of the animalistic nature of man allows man to be raised above that of the herd and animal kingdom, but he says that the primitive did not understand this and thus it was out of superstition. That it was always out of some superstitious reason that if doing x, y can happen, but more times than not out of a hope of some other passion of the lower natures.
My perspective: This may hold to some degree, in that the original ideas surrounding this or that likely become lost to the ages as stated previously.
Dramatic marriages of gods and goddesses as a charm to promote vegetation
Frazer suggests that since this idea or association between the human sexes and of fertility of earth, like the mock traditions we saw in the may tree ceremonies and the marriage of the May King and May Queen during Whitsuntide, could the same element have served as a religious tradition which the Romans kept going at the Lake of Nemi, being that the King played by the King of the Wood was, like the Whistuntide tradition, a mock King played by a real human, who then as his counterpart has for his Queen, Nature herself, the fertility of the Earth, personified as the tree he protects, representing the Goddess Diana, the Goddess of the fertility of the earth and of trees and wildlife, so a blending of the two concepts, the May Queen and May King, crossed with the same approach that sexual intercourse and marriage between male and female humans was also thought to affect the wildlife.
My perspective: Sacrifice of the active masculine principle to be handed over to the governing body is apparent in the May King, also sacrifice of the divine feminine principle where the Whitsuntide Flower and pretty girls are forced to beg and receive money, the item of no inhrent value to be associated with and replace the value of inhrent nature and ultimately, Care. This symbolic act is an additional supplement to the fear and terror instilled through bloodshed seen in the King of the Wood ritual.
Diana a goddess of the woodlands.
Diana was the goddess of the wildlife and nature, as Ceres was a goddes of corn, Bacchus a god of wine. Her sanctuaries were commonly in groves, every grove was sacred to her, and is often associated with the Forest god Silvanus in dedications, but not merely a goddess of trees.
My perspective: Since the forest and nature acts as a good symbol for man's inhrent nature, it would make sense that there would be variations of both god and goddess for the woods and wildlife. Abundance being associated with offspring and birth would make the leaning to feminine understandable.
Diana not a mere goddess of trees, but like Artemis, a personification of the teeming life of nature, both animal and vegetable.
As mistress of the greenery she was thought to also rule the beasts, whether wild or tame, patron of both hunters and herdsmen, just as Silvanus was thought to be god of not just the woods but of cattle.
A deity of the woods naturally the patron of the beasts in the woods, both game and cattle.
In Finland the wild beasts of the forest were regarded as the herds of the forest god, Tapio and his beautiful wife. It was that no man was to slay one of these beasts without the divine permission of one of them. hence the hunter prayed to the Sylvan deities, cattle also enjoyed the protection of these deities, whether in the stalls or in the forest.
Russian peasants held a similar approach and belief, for the spirit Leschiy, who rules both the wood and all creatures in it. The bear is to Leschiy what the dog is to humans, and all activities within the forest and forest animals act according to his wishes. Success in hunting depends on his favor.
In White Russia every herdsman has to present a cow to Leschiy in summer. , the herds were seen as his herds.
My perspective: It might follow that the Romans continued using the King of the Wood ritual as a way to pray to Diana in similar manner, but likely the Roman Empire used it for political purposes with a need to feed their side of mystery and appeasing Diana with bloodshed, not only gave them a sense of power and control in their government positions, but also disempower the people as a whole to sacrifice that active masculine principle and break their immoral code, to be controlled and sacrifice their inherent nature to the Roman Empire.
Conceived as the moon, Diana was also a goddess of crops and childbirth
Diana not merely a patroness of wild beasts, but also of the moon, abundance, and helped women in childbirth. At Nemi she was especially worshipped as goddess of childbirth, bestowing offspring to men and women.
My perspective: The sacrifice to bring children forth is also a symbolic association with the idea that those brought into the world under the dominion of Rome would be children of the Roman Empire, to be the future of strong government which the Roman Empire was actively pursuing.
As a goddess of fertility Diana had herself to be fertile and for that purpose needed a male counterpart.
On the principle that the goddess of fertility must herself be fertile, she needed a male companion, who took the form of Virbius as the King of the Wood at Nemi, each Rex Nemorensis would be the embodiment of Virbius, as the tree he was married to was the embodiment of Diana. Aim of their union would be to promote the fruitfulness of earth, of animals, and mankind (state/religious order).
It would be more surely ensured if every year the sacred nuptials were celebrated each year, by images or living persons. No conclusive evidence show that the custom was celebrated each year, but it is thought probably. Some evidence has shown circumstantial evidence this was so, and during the rule of Caligula, they say the ritual devolved into a gladiator-like spectator sport.
My perspective: Virbuis can also be likened to Hippolytus being stomped to death by government officials, Poiseidon being the symbol of this governing body, who sends a wave and the horses that are supposed to be obeying Hippoyltus (his horses being a symbol of the lower egoic nature, but also when they begin to trample him, the corrupted man being overtaken by the governing body and sacrificing himself, while also being a symbol of government trampling people like that of George Floyd. So, Virbius could be likened to the government official who had stomped the inner active sacred masculine out of himself to be reborn under the custom or indoctrination of religion/state, where Diana is being perverted into a symbol or custom orf state to be reborn under the Kingdom not of nature but of the Roman Empire.
Marriages of the gods in Babylonia and Assyria
At Babylon the imposing sanctuaries of Bel rose above the city, in 8 towers or stories planted one on top of each other. On the last story, stood a temple and in the temple a great bed. In this temple no image was seen, and no human passed there by night besides a single woman, whom, according to the Chaldean priests, the god Bel chose from all the women in Babylon. Here it was that this woman could have no intercourse with mortal men, but was reserved for the god Bel and she was his consort.
My perspective: A similar course of action and ritual for this custom, but likely in reverse, where the sacrifice of the divine feminine is more pronounced.
Marriage of the god Ammon to the Queen of Egypt
At Thebes, a woman slept in the Temple of Ammon as the consort of the god, also said to have no commerce with mortal men. She is called the Divine consort, no less a personage than the Queen herself. Egyptians said that the monarch was actually created by Ammon himself, who assumed for a time the role of reigning king, and in that disguise had intercourse with the queen.
My perspective: Here we likely have the hijacking of religious, magical, or spiritual belief, to ensure power over the general population via superstition and fear, being at the mercy of powerful controllers who think cannot dare be questioned or challenged, similar to how the idea is put forward that those in seats of power are aliens and work with forces far beyond our ability or realm to affect.
Marriage of Dionysus to the Queen at Athens.
At Athens, the god of the vine, Dionysus, was annually married to the Queen, the divine union was enacted at the ceremony. Not clear if the part of god was played by a human or not.
Aristotle says the ceremony did take place, in the old official residence of the king, known as the Cattlestall near the town hall at Acropolis. Its object suggested by Frazer could not have been anything other than the fertility of the vines and other fruit trees, of which Dionysus was god. Thus it would equate to the form and meaning of the ceremony that was seen with the King and Queen of May.
My perspective: Also, another interpretation suggests that the rituals served to empower governing body via faith and belief in it through ritual setting, exerting an influence over people continuously, similarly to how the governing body today is reinforcing the safety of vaccines by bombarding us with non-stop messages of reinforcement and psychological driving tactics. Most people being asleep and unaware of how such an influence works are more easily influenced and suggestible as opposed to those who do understand it and are actively aware it is being used against them.
Marriage of Zeus with Demeter at Eleusis
If at Athens the vine-god was married to a queen that the vines might be loaded with grapes, there is reason to think another kind of marriage was also practiced to make the fields yellow with corn, the beyond the hills of Athens. These great mysteries solemnised at Eleusis in the month of September with the union of the sky-god Zeuss and corn-goddess Demeter, represented by the union of the heirophant with the priesess of Demeter, who acted the parts of god and goddess. Intercourse was dramatical or symbolic, and the hierophant is temporarily deprived of his virility by an application of hemlock. The torches having been extinguished, the pair descend into a murky place, and the worshippers anxiously await the result of the mystic congress. After a time the heirophant reappears and in a blaze of light silently exhibits to the assmebly a reaped ear of corn, the fruit ofthe divine marriage. Then in a loud voice he proclaims, "Queen Brimo has brought forth a sacred boy Brimos, by which he is said to mean, 'The Mighty One has brought forth the Mighty." The Corn Mother had in fact given birth to a harvest child, the corn, as a drama. This revelation of the reaped corn appears to have been the crowning act of the mysteries. The goddess of corn unified with the Sky god Zeuss said to bring the plentiful harvest, who fertilized the bare earth with genial showers.
My perspective: There was obviously a subtle association of the Mysteries to the rulership of the governing bodies, the act of making the process of self, spiritual initiation a custom of the state and religion already somewhat transfers that process, though not fully, merely an influence. The ear of corn is interesting in that the little pieces of corn in an ear of corn look similar to the bricks in a wall, and walls were usually put up around kingdoms, and each person being like a brick in the wall, contributing to the power of any empire by the faith and devotion they put to it.
Marriage of Zeus and Hera at Plataea
Other places show Zeuss is not always the sky god, nor does he always marry the corn goddess.
the people of Plataea had a festival called the Little Daedala. On day of festival they went out into an ancient oak forest, the trees of gigantic girth. They set some boiled meat on the ground and watched birds gather around it. When a raven was observed to carry off a piece of the meat and perched on an oak, they followed it and cut down the oak it perched on. With the wood of this oak, they carved an image, dressed it as a bride, and placed in on a cart with a bridesmaid beside it. It was then drawn to the banks of the Asopus river and then back to the town, attended to by a dancing and singing crowd. After the festival the image was put away and kept there till the celebration of what is called the Great Daedala, which fell only once in 60 years, and was held by all the people of Boetia. on this occasion, all the images from the Little Daedala, which amounted to 14 in number. were dragged in pocession back to the Asopus river, and then to the top of Mount Cithaeron. There an alter had been constructed of square blocks of wood fitted together, with brushwood heaped over it. Animals were sacrificed by being burned on the altar, and the altar itself together with the images placed there would be consumed with the flames. The blaze to great height and was seen for many miles. To explain the origin of the story ran that once upon a time hera had quarrelled with Zeus and left him in high resentment. To lure her back Zeus gave out that he was about to marry the nymph Plataea, daughter of the river Asopus. He had a fine oak cut down, shaped and dressed as a bride, conveyed on a cart. Transported with jealousy and rage hera flew to the cart tearing off the veil of the so-called bride, discovering the deceit that had been put on her. Her rage now turned to laughter and finally reconciled with Zeuss.
My perspective: The association or marriage of gods to images were likely helpful when the same image could be used to associate elements of the governing bodies, like the King or high priest or people of positions of power and influence, and so the subtle transference occurs with those unaware of the psychological mechanics.
The custom of marrying gods to images or to living persons is also found among uncivilized peoples. Customs of the Wotyaks.
Said that the civilised Babylonian, Egyptian, and Greeks inhereted the idea of marrying Gods to images or human beings go back far before the days of antiquity, said to be inherited from the more barbaric forebears.
Once upon a time the Wotyaks of the Malmyz district in Russia were distressed by a series of bad harvests. They were dumbfounded, and they thought their powerful but mischevious god kerement must be angry at being unmarried. A deputy of elders visited the Wotyaks of Cura and came to an understanding with them on the subject, and returned home, laid in a large stock of brandy, and having setup a heftily decked wagon and horses, they drove in procession with ringing bells like they do when fetching a bride to the sacred grove at Cura. There was some kind of mock marriage done, with the people of Malmyz and the grove.
There they ate and drank merrily all night, and next morning they cut a square piece of turf from the grove and took it home with them. There it fared well with the people of Malmyz, it fared ill with the people of Cura, because after this the people of Malmyz had a good harvest and bread, but the people of Cura did not. The men of Cura who consented to the marriage festivities were blamed by the other villagers of Cura and handled accordingly. It is thought that they meant to marry Keremet to the kindly and fruitful Mukylćin, who was comparable to Diana, as the earth wife, in order that she might influence him for good.
This custom of marrying turf, like it was a bride, is comparable to the custom seen at the Little Daedala. Thought that the ceremony was intended as a charm to ensure fertility of the crops.
In Bengal, when wells are dug, an image of a god is made and married to the goddess of water to endure its blessings.
Custom of the Peruvian Indians.
In other customs, the bride destined for the god is not merely a log or wooden idol, but an actual woman of flesh and blood. The indigenous of Peru were known to marry a beautiful girl of about 14 to a stone shaped like a human being, which they regaurded as a god (huaca). All the villagers took part in the ceremony, it lasted three days, attended merrily. The girl then remained a virgin and sacrificed to the idol for the people. They treated her as divine and with utmost respect.
My perspective: Similar custom to King of the Wood but reverse with female offering, with or without human sacrifice.
Marriage of a woman to the Sun among the Blackfoot Indians.
These natives used to worship the Sun as their chief god, holding a festival every year in his honor. Four days before the new moon of August the tribe halted its activities and march, all hunting suspended. Bodies of mounted men were working day and night to carry out the orders of the high priest of the Sun. He made them fast and take vapour baths [likely sweat lodges?] during these four days. With the help of his council, he chose the Vestal who was to represent the Moon and be married to the Sun at the festival. She might be a virgin or a woman who had but one husband. Any girl or woman who was found to breach these sacred duties was put to death.
On the third day of preparation, after the last purification bath was done, they built a round temple of the Sun. Posts were driven into the ground in a circle connected with cross-pieces, and the whole was covered with leaves. In the middle stood a sacred pole, wrapped in a splendid buffalo coat which crowned the summit of the temple. Eantrance on the East, and within this sanctuary stood an altar on which rested the head of a buffalo. Beside the altar was the place reserved for the Vestal, with a bed prepared for her, where she slept 'the sleep of war.' She fumigated or smoked sacred herbs with a sacred fire, presented a lighted pipe to her husband the Sun, and slept this 'sleep of war' after which she told the high priest the dreams she had during the sleep and the priest proclaimed what she told him to the beat of a drum.
My perspective: Obviously they took the position that the divine ruler of the hunt was to be sacrificed to and the sleep of war was the divine feminine expression or vehicle to strategize the war or hunt approaches.
Marriage of girls to fishing nets among the Hurons and Algonquins.
Every year in the middle of March, when fishing season began with the drag-net, the Algonquins and the Hurons married their nets to two young girls aged 6 or 7. At a wedding feast the net was placed between the two young girls and was encouraged to take courage and catch many fish. The reason for such young girls was to make sure they were virgins.
My perspective: Virgins being of purity and the prosepects of future wives, so the similar association was probably thought to attract the abundance of fresh food. The association of many fish in the sea for single people may have origins in these kinds of customs.
Sacred Marriage of Sun-god and Earth-goddess among the Oraons.
The Oraons of bengal worship the earth as a goddess and annually celebrate the marriage with the Sun-god Dharmē at the time when the sāl tree is in blossom. All bathe, the men gather at the sacred grove, the women assemble at the house of the village priest. After sacrificing birds to the Sun-god and the demon of the grove, the men eat and drink. The priest is carried back to the village on the shoulders of a strong man. Near the village the women meet the men and wash their feet. Then they begin beating on drums and singing, dancing, celebrating, and go back to the priests house, which has been decorated with leaves and flowers. The usual form of marriage is then performed between the priest and his wife, symbolizing the supposed marriage between the Sun and the Earth. After the ceremony they all eat and drink and celebrate and indulge in the most vile orgies, the purpose being to make the earth fruitful.
My perspective: The continuation of fruitfulness, abundance, and good fortune, as the moments of marriage are often joyous, they attract the similar energies by re-enacting each year.