226 



NA TURE 



[January 4, 1 yot> 



heralding the dominion of the gods and spirits of 

 darkness; that the old ideas surrounding Horus and 

 Set in Egypt were not forgotten ; is evidenced by the 

 fact that when the fire was extinct the whole company 

 round it would suddenly take to their heels, shouting 

 at the top of their voices: — 



Vr hwch ju gwta 

 A gipio 'r ola' ! 



The cropped black sow 

 Seize the hindmost ! 



A piecing together of the folklore and traditions of 

 different districts suggests that sacrifices wen' made 

 in connection with the fire festivals, in fact that the 

 fire at one of the critical times of the May year was a 

 sacrificial one. 



I will quote two cases given l>\ Gomme ' for Ma\ 

 Day and All Souls' Day respectivel) : 



"At the village of Holne, situated on one of the 

 spurs of Dartmoor, is a field of about two acres, the 

 property of the parish, and called the Plov Field. 

 In the centre of this field stands a granite pillar 

 (Menhir) six or seven feet high. On May-morning, 

 before daybreak, the young men of the village used 

 in assemble there, and then proceed to the moor, where 

 they selected a ram Iamb, and after running it down, 

 brought it in triumph to the Ploy Field, fastened il 

 to the pillar, eu( its throat and then roasted it wholi . 

 skin, wool, &c. At midday a struggle took place, M 

 the risk of cut hands, for a slice, it being supposed 

 to confer kick for the ensuing year on the fortunate 

 devourer. As an act of gallantry the young men 

 sometimes fought their waj through the crowd to 

 get a sli,e fur the chosen amongst the young women, 

 dl "I whom, in their best dresses, attended tin- Ram 

 Feast, as it was called. Dancing, wrestling, and 

 other games, assisted by copious libations of cider 

 during the afternoon, prolonged the festivity lill 

 midnight." 



In the parish of King's Teignton, Devonshire, " a 

 lamb is drawn about the parish on Whitsun Monday 

 in a cart covered with garlands of lilac, laburnum, 

 and other flowers, when persons are requested to give 

 something towards the animal and attendant ex- 

 penses; on Tuesday it is then killed and roasted whole 

 in the middle of the village. The lamb is then sold 

 in sli, es li. the poor at a cheap rate." 



The popular legend concerning the origin of this 

 custom introduces two important elements- a refer- 

 ence In "heathen days" and the title of "sacrifice " 

 ascribed to the killing of the lamb (p. 31). 



"At St. Peter's, Athlone, every family of a village 

 "ii St. Martin's Day kills an animal of some kind 

 or other; those who are rich kill a cow or sheep, 

 others a goose or turkey, while those who are pooi 

 kill a hen or cock; with the blood of the animal they 

 sprinkle the threshold and also the four corners of 

 the house, and ' this performance is done to exclude 

 every kind of evil spirit from the dwelling where the 

 sacrifice is made till the return of the same day the 

 following year ' " (p. 163). 



Other traditions indicate thai human sacrifices were 

 in question and that lots wvxv drawn, or some other 

 method of the choice of a victim was adopted. I 

 quote from Hazlitt (i., 44) the following report oi 

 thi Minister oi Callender in 1794: — 



"The people of this district have two customs, 

 which an fasl wearing out, not only here, but all 

 over the Highlands, and therefore ought to be taken 

 notice oi, while they remain. Upon the first day i>f 

 Mn> , which is railed Beltan, or Bal-tein-day, all the 

 boys in a township or hamlet meet in the minus. 

 Hie} 1 hi .1 table in the green sod, of a round figure, 

 by casting a trench in the ground of such a circum- 

 ference as I,, hold the whole company. They kindle 



1 " hthnoiogy in Folklore," pp. 32 and 163. 



NO. l88S, VOL 73] 



a tire, and dress a repast of eggs and milk in the 

 consistence of a custard. They knead a cake of oat- 

 meal, which is toasted at the embers against a stone. 

 After the custard is eaten up, they divide the cake 

 into so many portions, as similar as possible to one 

 another in size and shape, as there are persons in 

 the company. They daub one of these portions all 

 over with charcoal, until it be perfectly black. Thev 

 put all the bits of the cake into a bonnet. Every- 

 one, blindfold, draws out a portion. He who holds 

 the bonnet is entitled to the last bit. Whoever draws 

 the black bit is the devoted person, who is to be 

 sacrificed to Baal, whose favour they mean to implore, 

 in rendering the year productive of the sustenance of 

 man and beast. There is little doubt of these in- 

 human sacrifices having been once offered in this 

 country as well as in the East, although thev now- 

 pass From the act of sacrificing, and only compel the 

 devoted person to leap three times through the flames; 

 with which the ceremonies of the festival are closed." 



I may conclude this article by referring to similar 

 practices in Brittany, where Baring-Gould has so 

 -in . . ssfullj studied them. 1 



The present remnants of the old cult in the different 

 parishes are now railed "Pardons"; thev are still 

 numerous. I give those for the May and August 

 festivals (p. 83) : — 



May. 



Ascension Day Bodilis, Penhars, Spezet (at the 



Well of S. Gouzenou), Land- 

 evennec, Plougonnec. 

 Sunday after Ascension Day Tregoat, St. Divy. 



Whit Sunday Kernilis. Plouider ; Edern ; 



Coray ; Spezet (Chapel of 

 Cran). 



,, Monday Ouimperle (Pardon des Oiseaux) ; 



Pont l'Abbe (Pardon des 

 Enfants) ; Ergue-Armel, La 

 Foret, Landudal, Ploneis, 

 Landeleau, Carantec. 

 ,, Thuisday Gouezec (Les Fontaines). 



August. 

 First Sunday in August Pleyben (horse races); Pleban- 



nalec ; Pouldreuzic ; Plougo- 

 melin ; Huelgoet ; S. Nicodeme 

 in Plumeliau (M.), Cattle 

 blessed ; second day horse fair, 

 and girls sell their tresses to 

 hair merchants. 



Judging In the "pardons," the solstitial celebra- 

 tions are not so numerous as those connected with 

 the May year. The bonfire is built up by the head 

 of a family in which the right is hereditary. The fire 

 has to be lighted only by a pure virgin, and the sick 

 and feeble are carried to the spot, as the bonfire flames 

 are held to be gifted with miraculous healing powers. 

 When the flames are abated, stones are placed for the 

 souls of the dead to sit there through the remainder 

 of the night and enjoy the heat. " Every member of 

 the community carries away a handful of ashes as a 

 sovereign cure fm' sundry maladies. The whole pro- 

 ceeding is instinct with paganism " (p. 75). 



With regard to the accompanying sacrifices, we 

 read : — " In ancient times sacrifices were made of 

 cocks and oxen at certain shrines nm\ the} are -lill 

 presented, but it is to the chapels of saints. S. Herbot 

 receives cows' tails, and these may be seen heaped 

 upon his altar in Loqefifret. At Coadret as many as 

 seven hundred are offered on the day of the ' pardon.' 

 At S. Nicolas-des-Eaux, it is S. Nicodemus who in 

 his chapel receives gifts of whole oxen, .and much the 

 same takes place at Carnac." 



Norman Lockyer. 



' "A Book of Brittany." 



