Sacred-texts  Neopaganism 

The Golden Bough

by Sir James George Frazer

[1922]

Image: (J.M.W. Turner) Aeneas and the Sybil have just presented the Golden Bough, which allows entry to the Elysian Fields, to the gatekeeper.

Chapter 1. The King of the Wood. Section 1. Diana and Virbius.
Chapter 1. The King of the Wood. Section 2. Artemis and Hippolytus.
Chapter 1. The King of the Wood. Section 3. Recapitulation.
Chapter 2. Priestly Kings.
Chapter 3. Sympathetic Magic. Section 1. The Principles of Magic.
Chapter 3. Sympathetic Magic. Section 2. Homoeopathic or Imitative Magic.
Chapter 3. Sympathetic Magic. Section 3. Contagious Magic.
Chapter 3. Sympathetic Magic. Section 4. The Magician's Progress.
Chapter 4. Magic and Religion.
Chapter 5. The Magical Control of the Weather. Section 1. The Public Magician.
Chapter 5. The Magical Control of the Weather. Section 2. The Magical Control of Rain.
Chapter 5. The Magical Control of the Weather. Section 3. The Magical Control of the Sun.
Chapter 5. The Magical Control of the Weather. Section 4. The Magical Control of the Wind.
Chapter 6. Magicians as Kings.
Chapter 7. Incarnate Human Gods.
Chapter 8. Departmental Kings of Nature.
Chapter 9. The Worship of Trees. Section 1. Tree-spirits.
Chapter 9. The Worship of Trees. Section 2. Beneficent Powers of Tree-Spirits.
Chapter 10. Relics of Tree Worship in Modern Europe.
Chapter 11. The Influence of the Sexes on Vegetation.
Chapter 12. The Sacred Marriage. Section 1. Diana as a Goddess of Fertility.
Chapter 12. The Sacred Marriage. Section 2. The Marriage of the Gods.
Chapter 13. The Kings of Rome and Alba. Section 1. Numa and Egeria.
Chapter 13. The Kings of Rome and Alba. Section 2. The King as Jupiter.
Chapter 14. The Succession to the Kingdom in Ancient Latium.
Chapter 15. The Worship of the Oak.
Chapter 16. Dianus and Diana.
Chapter 17. The Burden of Royalty. Section 1. Royal and Priestly Taboos.
Chapter 17. The Burden of Royalty. Section 2. Divorce of the Spiritual from the Temporal Power.
Chapter 18. The Perils of the Soul. Section 1. The Soul as a Mannikin.
Chapter 18. The Perils of the Soul. Section 2. Absence and Recall of the Soul.
Chapter 18. The Perils of the Soul. Section 3. The Soul as a Shadow and a Reflection.
Chapter 19. Tabooed Acts. Section 1. Taboos on Intercourse with Strangers.
Chapter 19. Tabooed Acts. Section 2. Taboos on Eating and Drinking.
Chapter 19. Tabooed Acts. Section 3. Taboos on Showing the Face.
Chapter 19. Tabooed Acts. Section 4. Taboos on Quitting the House.
Chapter 19. Tabooed Acts. Section 5. Taboos on Leaving Food over.
Chapter 20. Tabooed Persons. Section 1. Chiefs and Kings tabooed.
Chapter 20. Tabooed Persons. Section 2. Mourners tabooed.
Chapter 20. Tabooed Persons. Section 3. Women tabooed at Menstruation and Childbirth.
Chapter 20. Tabooed Persons. Section 4. Warriors tabooed.
Chapter 20. Tabooed Persons. Section 5. Manslayers tabooed.
Chapter 20. Tabooed Persons. Section 6. Hunters and Fishers tabooed.
Chapter 21. Tabooed Things. Section 1. The Meaning of Taboo.
Chapter 21. Tabooed Things. Section 2. Iron tabooed.
Chapter 21. Tabooed Things. Section 3. Sharp Weapons tabooed.
Chapter 21. Tabooed Things. Section 4. Blood tabooed.
Chapter 21. Tabooed Things. Section 5. The Head tabooed.
Chapter 21. Tabooed Things. Section 6. Hair tabooed.
Chapter 21. Tabooed Things. Section 7. Ceremonies at Hair-cutting.
Chapter 21. Tabooed Things. Section 8. Disposal of Cut Hair and Nails.
Chapter 21. Tabooed Things. Section 9. Spittle tabooed.
Chapter 21. Tabooed Things. Section 10. Foods tabooed.
Chapter 21. Tabooed Things. Section 11. Knots and Rings tabooed.
Chapter 22. Tabooed Words. Section 1. Personal Names tabooed.
Chapter 22. Tabooed Words. Section 2. Names of Relations tabooed.
Chapter 22. Tabooed Words. Section 3. Names of the Dead tabooed.
Chapter 22. Tabooed Words. Section 4. Names of Kings and other Sacred Persons tabooed.
Chapter 22. Tabooed Words. Section 5. Names of Gods tabooed.
Chapter 23. Our Debt to the Savage.
Chapter 24. The Killing of the Divine King. Section 1. The Mortality of the Gods.
Chapter 24. The Killing of the Divine King. Section 2. Kings killed when their Strength fails.
Chapter 24. The Killing of the Divine King. Section 3. Kings killed at the End of a Fixed Term.
Chapter 25. Temporary Kings.
Chapter 26. Sacrifice of the King's Son.
Chapter 27. Succession to the Soul.
Chapter 28. The Killing of the Tree-Spirit. Section 1. The Whitsuntide Mummers.
Chapter 28. The Killing of the Tree-Spirit. Section 2. Burying the Carnival.
Chapter 28. The Killing of the Tree-Spirit. Section 3. Carrying out Death.
Chapter 28. The Killing of the Tree-Spirit. Section 4. Bringing in Summer.
Chapter 28. The Killing of the Tree-Spirit. Section 5. Battle of Summer and Winter.
Chapter 28. The Killing of the Tree-Spirit. Section 6. Death and Resurrection of Kostrubonko.
Chapter 28. The Killing of the Tree-Spirit. Section 7. Death and Revival of Vegetation.
Chapter 28. The Killing of the Tree-Spirit. Section 8. Analogous Rites in India.
Chapter 28. The Killing of the Tree-Spirit. Section 9. The Magic Spring.
Chapter 29. The Myth of Adonis.
Chapter 30. Adonis in Syria.
Chapter 31. Adonis in Cyprus.
Chapter 32. The Ritual of Adonis.
Chapter 33. The Gardens of Adonis.
Chapter 34. The Myth and Ritual of Attis.
Chapter 35. Attis as a God of Vegetation.
Chapter 36. Human Representatives of Attis.
Chapter 37. Oriental Religions in the West.
Chapter 38. The Myth of Osiris.
Chapter 39. The Ritual of Osiris. Section 1. The Popular Rites.
Chapter 39. The Ritual of Osiris. Section 2. The Official Rites.
Chapter 40. The Nature of Osiris. Section 1. Osiris a Corn-god.
Chapter 40. The Nature of Osiris. Section 2. Osiris a Tree-spirit.
Chapter 40. The Nature of Osiris. Section 3. Osiris a God of Fertility.
Chapter 40. The Nature of Osiris. Section 4. Osiris a God of the Dead.
Chapter 41. Isis.
Chapter 42. Osiris and the Sun.
Chapter 43. Dionysus.
Chapter 44. Demeter and Persephone.
Chapter 45. The Corn-Mother and the Corn-Maiden in Northern Europe.
Chapter 46. The Corn-Mother in Many Lands. Section 1. The Corn-mother in America.
Chapter 46. The Corn-Mother in Many Lands. Section 2. The Rice-mother in the East Indies.
Chapter 46. The Corn-Mother in Many Lands. Section 3. The Spirit of the Corn embodied in Human Beings.
Chapter 46. The Corn-Mother in Many Lands. Section 4. The Double Personification of the Corn as Mother and Daughter.
Chapter 47. Lityerses. Section 1. Songs of the Corn Reapers.
Chapter 47. Lityerses. Section 2. Killing the Corn-spirit.
Chapter 47. Lityerses. Section 3. Human Sacrifices for the Crops.
Chapter 47. Lityerses. Section 4. The Corn-spirit slain in his Human Representatives.
Chapter 48. The Corn-Spirit as an Animal. Section 1. Animal Embodiments of the Corn-spirit.
Chapter 48. The Corn-Spirit as an Animal. Section 2. The Corn-spirit as a Wolf or a Dog.
Chapter 48. The Corn-Spirit as an Animal. Section 3. The Corn-spirit as a Cock.
Chapter 48. The Corn-Spirit as an Animal. Section 4. The Corn-spirit as a Hare.
Chapter 48. The Corn-Spirit as an Animal. Section 5. The Corn-spirit as a Cat.
Chapter 48. The Corn-Spirit as an Animal. Section 6. The Corn-spirit as a Goat.
Chapter 48. The Corn-Spirit as an Animal. Section 7. The Corn-spirit as a Bull, Cow, or Ox.
Chapter 48. The Corn-Spirit as an Animal. Section 8. The Corn-spirit as a Horse or Mare.
Chapter 48. The Corn-Spirit as an Animal. Section 9. The Corn-spirit as a Pig (Boar or Sow).
Chapter 48. The Corn-Spirit as an Animal. Section 10. On the Animal Embodiments of the Corn-spirit.
Chapter 49. Ancient Deities of Vegetation as Animals. Section 1. Dionysus, the Goat and the Bull.
Chapter 49. Ancient Deities of Vegetation as Animals. Section 2. Demeter, the Pig and the Horse.
Chapter 49. Ancient Deities of Vegetation as Animals. Section 3. Attis, Adonis, and the Pig.
Chapter 49. Ancient Deities of Vegetation as Animals. Section 4. Osiris, the Pig and the Bull.
Chapter 49. Ancient Deities of Vegetation as Animals. Section 5. Virbius and the Horse.
Chapter 50. Eating the God. Section 1. The Sacrament of First-Fruits.
Chapter 50. Eating the God. Section 2. Eating the God among the Aztecs.
Chapter 50. Eating the God. Section 3. Many Manii at Aricia.
Chapter 51. Homeopathic Magic of a Flesh Diet.
Chapter 52. Killing the Divine Animal. Section 1. Killing the Sacred Buzzard.
Chapter 52. Killing the Divine Animal. Section 2. Killing the Sacred Ram.
Chapter 52. Killing the Divine Animal. Section 3. Killing the Sacred Serpent.
Chapter 52. Killing the Divine Animal. Section 4. Killing the Sacred Turtles.
Chapter 52. Killing the Divine Animal. Section 5. Killing the Sacred Bear.
Chapter 53. The Propitiation of Wild Animals By Hunters.
Chapter 54. Types of Animal Sacrament. Section 1. The Egyptian and the Aino Types of Sacrament.
Chapter 54. Types of Animal Sacrament. Section 2. Processions with Sacred Animals.
Chapter 55. The Transference of Evil. Section 1. The Transference to Inanimate Objects.
Chapter 55. The Transference of Evil. Section 2. The Transference to Animals.
Chapter 55. The Transference of Evil. Section 3. The Transference to Men.
Chapter 55. The Transference of Evil. Section 4. The Transference of Evil in Europe.
Chapter 56. The Public Expulsion of Evils. Section 1. The Omnipresence of Demons.
Chapter 56. The Public Expulsion of Evils. Section 2. The Occasional Expulsion of Evils.
Chapter 56. The Public Expulsion of Evils. Section 3. The Periodic Expulsion of Evils.
Chapter 57. Public Scapegoats. Section 1. The Expulsion of Embodied Evils.
Chapter 57. Public Scapegoats. Section 2. The Occasional Expulsion of Evils in a Material Vehicle.
Chapter 57. Public Scapegoats. Section 3. The Periodic Expulsion of Evils in a Material Vehicle.
Chapter 57. Public Scapegoats. Section 4. On Scapegoats in General.
Chapter 58. Human Scapegoats in Classical Antiquity. Section 1. The Human Scapegoat in Ancient Rome.
Chapter 58. Human Scapegoats in Classical Antiquity. Section 2. The Human Scapegoat in Ancient Greece.
Chapter 58. Human Scapegoats in Classical Antiquity. Section 3. The Roman Saturnalia.
Chapter 59. Killing the God in Mexico.
Chapter 60. Between Heaven and Earth. Section 1. Not to touch the Earth.
Chapter 60. Between Heaven and Earth. Section 2. Not to see the Sun.
Chapter 60. Between Heaven and Earth. Section 3. The Seclusion of Girls at Puberty.
Chapter 60. Between Heaven and Earth. Section 4. Reasons for the Seclusion of Girls at Puberty.
Chapter 61. The Myth of Balder.
Chapter 62. The Fire-Festivals of Europe. Section 1. The Fire-festivals in general.
Chapter 62. The Fire-Festivals of Europe. Section 2. The Lenten Fires.
Chapter 62. The Fire-Festivals of Europe. Section 3. The Easter Fires.
Chapter 62. The Fire-Festivals of Europe. Section 4. The Beltane Fires.
Chapter 62. The Fire-Festivals of Europe. Section 5. The Midsummer Fires.
Chapter 62. The Fire-Festivals of Europe. Section 6. The Hallowe'en Fires.
Chapter 62. The Fire-Festivals of Europe. Section 7. The Midwinter Fires.
Chapter 62. The Fire-Festivals of Europe. Section 8. The Need-fire.
Chapter 63. The Interpretation of the Fire-Festivals. Section 1. On the Fire-festivals in general.
Chapter 63. The Interpretation of the Fire-Festivals. Section 2. The Solar Theory of the Fire-festivals.
Chapter 63. The Interpretation of the Fire-Festivals. Section 3. The Purificatory Theory of the Fire-festivals.
Chapter 64. The Burning of Human Beings in the Fires. Section 1. The Burning of Effigies in the Fires.
Chapter 64. The Burning of Human Beings in the Fires. Section 2. The Burning of Men and Animals in the Fires.
Chapter 65. Balder and the Mistletoe.
Chapter 66. The External Soul in Folk-Tales.
Chapter 67. The External Soul in Folk-Custom. Section 1. The External Soul in Inanimate Things.
Chapter 67. The External Soul in Folk-Custom. Section 2. The External Soul in Plants.
Chapter 67. The External Soul in Folk-Custom. Section 3. The External Soul in Animals.
Chapter 67. The External Soul in Folk-Custom. Section 4. The Ritual of Death and Resurrection.
Chapter 68. The Golden Bough.
Chapter 69. Farewell to Nemi.