[On the whole the theory of the purificatory or destructive intention of the fire-festivals seems the more probable.]
On the whole, then, the theory of the purificatory virtue of the ceremonial fires appears more probable and more in accordance with the evidence than the opposing theory of their connexion with the sun. But Europe is not the only part of the world where ceremonies of this sort have been performed; elsewhere the passage through the flames or smoke or over the glowing embers of a bonfire, which is the central feature of most of the rites, has been employed as a cure or a preventive of various ills. We have seen that the midsummer ritual of fire in Morocco is practically identical with that of our European peasantry; and customs more or less similar have been observed by many races in various parts of the world. A consideration of some of them may help us to decide between the conflicting claims of the two rival theories, which explain the ceremonies as sun-charms or purifications respectively.
Notes:
Footnote 796: [(return)]
Above, pp. [116] sq., [119], [143], [165], [166], [168] sq., [172].
Footnote 797: [(return)]
Above, pp. [116], [117] sq., [119], [141], [143], [161], [162] sq., [163] sq., [173], [191], [201].
Footnote 798: [(return)]
W. Mannhardt, Der Baumkultus der Germanen und ihrer Nachbarstämme (Berlin, 1875), pp. 521 sqq.
Footnote 799: [(return)]
E. Westermarck, "Midsummer Customs in Morocco," Folk-lore, xvi. (1905) pp. 44 sqq.; id., The Origin and Development of the Moral Ideas (London, 1906-1908), i. 56; id., Ceremonies and Beliefs connected with Agriculture, certain Dates of the Solar Year, and the Weather in Morocco (Helsingfors, 1913), pp. 93-102.
Footnote 800: [(return)]
E. Mogk, "Sitten und Gebräuche im Kreislauf des Jahres," in R. Wuttke's Sächsische Volkskunde,2 (Dresden, 1901), pp. 310 sq.
Footnote 801: [(return)]
The Golden Bough, Second Edition (London, 1900), iii. 312: "The custom of leaping over the fire and driving cattle through it may be intended, on the one hand, to secure for man and beast a share of the vital energy of the sun, and, on the other hand, to purge them of all evil influences; for to the primitive mind fire is the most powerful of all purificatory agents"; and again, id. iii. 314: "It is quite possible that in these customs the idea of the quickening power of fire may be combined with the conception of it as a purgative agent for the expulsion or destruction of evil beings, such as witches and the vermin that destroy the fruits of the earth. Certainly the fires are often interpreted in the latter way by the persons who light them; and this purgative use of the element comes out very prominently, as we have seen, in the general expulsion of demons from towns and villages. But in the present class of cases this aspect of fire may be secondary, if indeed it is more than a later misinterpretation of the custom."
Footnote 802: [(return)]
The Magic Art and the Evolution of Kings, i. 311 sqq.