io 4 PRIMITIVE PATERNITY 



the use of three different plants, of which more are 

 recorded in Mannhardt's pages. We have already 

 seen that rosemary is prescribed for barrenness. The 

 fir is a symbol of fertility. In North Germany brides 

 and bridegrooms often carry fir-branches with lighted 

 tapers. At Weimar and in Courland firs are planted 

 before the house where the wedding takes place. 1 

 The ceremonies concerning the fir practised at a 

 wedding by the Little Russians at Volhynia are 

 specially instructive. When the wedding procession 

 returning from the church draws nigh to the bride- 

 groom's house, a loaf of bread and a branch of fir or 

 pine are adorned with mountain-elder, white blossoms 

 and ears of corn and oats, and carried thence by the 

 boyarin or master of the ceremonies into the bride's 

 house. At the appearance of the fir the bride must 

 modestly lay her face upon the table and carefully hide 

 it. The bridegroom goes thrice round the table, 

 takes a cloth, lifts up the bride's head, kisses her and 

 places himself again at her side. The fir and the loaf 

 are set on the middle of the table opposite the bridal 

 pair. The bride's mother showers nuts and oats over 

 her new son-in-law, and sprinkles him with holy water. 

 Ears of corn are then fastened by the bridesmaids on 

 all present, beginning with the bridegroom. 2 Save for 

 the use of holy water, which is an intrusive element, 

 the whole object here is directly to produce fertility. 

 In particular, that this is the purpose of the introduc- 

 tion of the fir is strikingly shown by the ritual modesty 

 of the bride. The same interpretation is to be put 

 upon the use of the birch-twigs in the custom, practised 



1 De Gubernatis, Myth. Plant, ii. 333. 



2 Mannhardt, BK. 222. 



