Chapter 40 The corn-spirit changes into an animal: The corn-spirit changes into a goat

The corn-spirit also often appears as a goat.In some parts of Prussia, when the wind blows the corn low, it is said that "the goats are chasing each other", "the wind drives the sheep across the cornfield", "the goats are eating the corn", and a good harvest is expected.They also say that "the oat-goat hides in the oat-field," and "the rye-goat hides in the rye-field."The children were warned not to pick the blue cornflowers in the corn-field, or the pods in the bean-field, where the rye-goat, corn-goat, oat-goat, or bean-goat were lying there and would take the child or kill.When a reaper was sick or fell behind at work, his companions shouted: "The harvest goat has driven him away." "He has been driven away by the corn goat." When tying oats each reaper scrambles to be the first to finish, "lest the corn-goats drive themselves away".In Oyföden, Norway, each reaper had his own piece of corn allotted to him, and if during the harvest all others had finished his own piece, and one had not finished it, he was said to have "stayed on the island." ".If the laggard is a man, everyone will imitate the call of a male goat from him, and if it is a woman, they will imitate the cry of a female goat to her.At Straubing in Lower Bavaria the he who cuts the last handful of corn at harvest says "he got the corn-goat," "wheat-goat," or "oat-goat," according to what kind of corn he cut.In addition, two horns were inserted on the last pile of grain, and this pile of grain was called "goat with horns".In Kreuzberg in East Prussia, the woman who binds the last sheaf is called out: "The goat is hidden in your sheaf." When the land was harvested, the reapers made a goat out of wood, stuffed ears of oats into the nostrils and mouths of the wood goat, decorated the wood goat with garlands of flowers, and placed it in the ground, called the oat goat.When the harvest was about to end, all the reapers tried to finish their share early, and whoever finished the reap last would get the oat goat.That last sheaf of oats is also called the goat.In the Vicente valley of Bavaria, the last sheaf of grain bound in the field is called a goat, and there is a proverb there: "There must be a goat in the field." The last handful of corn that was cut was called the goat, and the one who reaped it was much mocked.Both Durenbusiger and Mosbach of Baden also called the last sheaf cut in the field a goat, and sometimes shaped the sheaf in the shape of a goat, saying, "Here is the goat." The one who cuts or binds this last sheaf is called the goat.In some parts of Mecklenburg people shouted to the woman binding the last sheaf: "You are the Harvest Goat." In Hanover, near Uelzen, the Harvest Festival began with "Bring the Harvest Goat": the last sheaf The women who bundled the grain wrapped it in straw, wore harvest garlands on their heads, and pushed it back to the village on a wheelbarrow, where people surrounded and danced.Near Loneberg, the woman who binds the last sheaf of corn also wears a corolla made of ears of corn, and she is called the Corn-goat.In the village of Monzesheim in the Baden region, the person who cuts the last handful of corn or oats is called the corn goat or oat goat.In the Swiss canton of St. Gallen, the person who cuts the last handful of corn in the field or drives the last grain cart into the barn is called a corn goat or an oats goat, or simply a goat.In the state of Thurgau, such a person is called a corn goat, and like a goat, a bell is hung around the neck, and the whole body is soaked in water, and the people are carried around joyfully.In some parts of Styria the man who reaps the last corn is also called the Corn-goat, the Oat-goat, or something of the like.As a rule, the person who has received this title cannot change it for a year, that is, until the next harvest.

There is also a belief that corn-spirits captured as goats or otherwise live in farm houses or barns for the winter.Therefore, each farm has its own avatar form of the corn-spirit.Another idea is that the corn-spirit is a fairy or god, not the god of any farm, but the god of all grains.So, when the corn on one farm is cut, it flees to the unharvested corn on another farm.This perception is expressed in the harvesting customs of the people of Skye [an island off the west coast of Scotland] in the past.The farmer there, whoever harvested the crops in his field first, sent a man or woman to send a sheaf of grain to the neighboring farmer who had not yet finished harvesting; To neighboring farmers who are still in harvest; the sheaf is thus sent in turn from farm to farm until all are harvested.This sheaf of millet is called Goabbir Bhacagh (goabbir bhacagh), the lame goat.The custom seems to have survived to this day, having been reported from the Isle of Keyes not so many years ago.The corn-spirit was considered lame because he was cut while harvesting the corn.Therefore, sometimes the old woman who carries the sheaf home also has to walk with a limp on one foot, to represent the corn-spirit's injury.

It is sometimes believed that this goat-shaped corn-spirit was hacked to death with a scythe or scythe in the harvest field.In the Moselle [located in northeastern France and western Germany, the river flows into the Rhine. In the area adjacent to Berncastle on the banks of the ], the reapers arranged for each person to be at the location when harvesting, and who were the partners before and after.The first in line is called the "leading reaper" and the last is called the "tail catcher".Whoever reaps quickly and catches up with and overtakes the person in front of him will pass by the person in front and leave a field of grain for that person to reap.The piece of millet left behind is called a goat, and the person who "cuts this goat" will be ridiculed by his friends within one day.When the "tail catcher" cuts the last ear of corn, they say he "cuts the neck of the goat."In the neighborhood of Grenoble, a live goat, dressed in ribbons and flowers, was released into the field before the harvest was complete.The reapers run after the sheep, and when they catch it, they give it to the farmer's wife, who binds it tightly, and the farmer cuts off the head, and uses the meat for the harvest dinner.In addition, a piece of mutton is marinated until the next year when the other end is harvested and killed.All the reapers are to eat this mutton.On the same day, the sheepskin is also made into a coat, and the farmer works with the guys during the harvest period, and wears the sheepskin coat when it is cloudy and rainy.If a reaper's back hurts, the farmer puts this sheepskin coat on him.The reason for this seems to be that since back pain is caused by the corn-spirit, a sheepskin coat would cure it.Similarly, we have elsewhere seen the reaper wounded at the harvest, and left to be licked by the corn-spirit's old cat.On the Estonian island of Munn, the reapers thought that the person who harvested the first ears of grain at harvest time would have a backache, probably because they believed that the corn-spirit had a special resentment against the person who first wounded him.To avoid back pain, the Saxons of Transylvania gird themselves around the waist with the first handful of corn they cut at harvest.Here it can be seen that the corn-spirit was used again for healing or protection, but in its original vegetable form, not in the form of a goat or a cat.

Moreover, it is sometimes believed that the corn-spirit took the form of a goat and lurked among the cut ears of corn in the barn, and was driven out by the threshing flails.At Baden the last sheaf of corn to be threshed is called the valley goat, the spelt goat, or the oats goat, etc., according to the different names of the grain.Around Marktel in Upper Bavaria the sheaves of grain in the field are called straw goats or goats for short.After the grain and hay are bundled, they are piled up in the open field to form long and tall haystacks, and the men stand facing each other in two rows to thresh the grain.As they thrashed the corn with their flails, they sang a song about how they saw a straw-goat in the straw.The last goat, the last sheaf, is adorned with a garland of violets and other flowers, and a string of wheat loaves, placed in the center of the stack.Some threshers ran up to tear the best flowers and cakes off it, and others beat the corn with their flails so violently that they sometimes broke heads.At Oberintel in Tyrol the last threshers are called goats.In Hasselberg in West Bohemia, the one who gives the last stroke when threshing oats is called the oat-goat.In Trang, Württemberg, the man who gives the last stroke to the last sheaf of corn to be threshed is called a he-goat, and says he "has driven the he-goat away."After the sheaf has been threshed, someone threshed it one last time, and that person was called the she-goat.Implicit in this custom is that there is a pair of corn-spirits in the corn, a male and a female.

The corn-spirit of the goat caught during threshing is given to neighbors who have not yet finished threshing.In the Français restaurant in the eastern part of France, as soon as the corn is harvested, the young man ties a straw goat and places it on the neighboring farm where the grain is being threshed.The owner of the neighbor must give wine, food or tips as a reward.In the Ellwangen area of ​​Württemberg, when people threshed, they used the last sheaf of grain to tie a goat with two sticks for the horns and four sticks for the legs of the goat.The man who had last threshed the corn with the flail had to take the grass goat to the barn of the neighboring farm where it was still threshing, and throw it on the floor; on the back.There is also this custom in Indersdorf in Upper Bavaria: the person who throws the straw goat into the neighboring barn bleats imitating the goat, and if he is caught, his face is blackened, and the straw goat is thrown into the barn. strapped to his back.At Savien in Alsace, if the owner of a farm lags behind his neighbors in threshing by a week or more, a real flayed goat or fox is placed at the door of his house.

It is sometimes believed that this goat-like corn-spirit was killed while threshing.In the Traunstein region of Upper Bavaria, it is thought that the oat goat hides in the last sheaf of oats.They set up an old rake, and on top of the rake they put an old jug or pot for the head, to represent the Oat-Goat, and told the children to kill it.