An expert in myth and religion, the author spent over a quarter-century assembling this study of the cults, rites, and myths of antiquity. Frazer's definitions of "magic," "religion," and "science" were useful to his successors in social anthropology, and his explications of ancient legends influenced generations of writers and poets.

Table of Contents

I. THE KING OF THE WOOD 1. Diana and Virbius 2. Artemis and Hippolytus 3. Recapitulation II. PRIESTLY KINGS III. SYMPATHETIC MAGIC 1. The Principles of Magic 2. Homoeopathic or Imitative Magic 3. Contagious Magic 4. The Magician's Progress IV. MAGIC AND RELIGION V. THE MAGICAL CONTROL OF THE WEATHER 1. The Public Magician 2. The Magical Control of Rain 3. The Magical Control of the Sun 4. The Magical Control of the Wind VI. MAGICIANS AS KINGS VII. INCARNATE HUMAN GODS VIII. DEPARTMENTAL KINGS OF NATURE IX. THE WORSHIP OF TREES 1. Tree-spirits 2. Beneficent Powers of Tree-spirits X. RELICS OF TREE-WORSHIP IN MODERN EUROPE XI. THE INFLUENCE OF THE SEXES ON VEGETATION XII. THE SACRED MARRIAGE 1. Diana as a Goddess of Fertility 2. The Marriage of the Gods XIII. THE KINGS OF ROME AND ALBA 1. Numa and Egeria 2. The King as Jupiter XIV. THE SUCCESSION TO THE KINGDOM IN ANCIENT LATIUM XV. THE WORSHIP OF THE OAK XVI DIANUS AND DIANA XVII. THE BURDEN OF ROYALTY 1. Royal and Priestly Taboos 2. Divorce of the Spiritual from the Temporal Power XVIII. THE PERILS OF THE SOUL 1. The Soul as a Mannikin 2. Absence and Recall of the Soul 3. The Soul as a Shadow and a Reflection XIX. TABOOED ACTS 1. Taboos on Intercourse with Strangers 2. Taboos on Eating and Drinking 3. Taboos on showing the Face 4. Taboos on quitting the House 5. Taboos on leaving Food over XX. TABOOED PERSONS 1. Chiefs and Kings tabooed 2. Mourners tabooed 3. Women tabooed at Menstruation and Childbirth 4. Warriors tabooed 5. Manslayers tabooed 6. Hunters and Fishers tabooed XXI. TABOOED THINGS 1. The Meaning of Taboo 2. Iron tabooed 3. Sharp Weapons tabooed 4. Blood tabooed 5. The Head tabooed 6. Hair tabooed 7. Ceremonies at Hair-cutting 8. Disposal of Cut Hair and Nails 9. Spittle tabooed 10. Foods tabooed 11. Knots and Rings tabooed XXII. TABOOED WORDS 1. Personal Names tabooed 2. Names of Relations tabooed 3. Names of the Dead tabooed 4. Names of Kings and other Sacred Persons tabooed 5. Names of Gods tabooed XXIII. OUR DEBT TO THE SAVAGE XXIV. THE KILLING OF THE DIVINE KING 1. The Mortality of the Gods 2. Kings killed when their Strength fails 3. Kings killed at the End of a Fixed Term XXV. TEMPORARY KINGS XXVI. SACRIFICE OF THE KING'S SON XXVII. SUCCESSION TO THE SOUL XXVIII. THE KILLING OF THE TREE-SPIRIT 1. The Whitsuntide Mummers 2. Burying the Carnival 3. Carrying out Death 4. Bringing in Summer 5. Battle of Summer and Winter 6. Death and Resurretion of Kostrubonko 7. Death and Revival of Vegetation 8. Analogous Rites in India 9. The Magic Spring XXIX. THE MYTH OF ADONIS XXX. ADONIS IN SYRIA XXXI. ADONIS IN CYPRUS XXXII. THE RITUAL OF ADONIS XXXIII. THE GARDENS OF ADONIS XXXIV. THE MYTH AND RITUAL OF ATTIS XXXV. ATTIS AS A GOD OF VEGETATION XXXVI. HUMAN REPRESENTATIVES OF ATTIS XXXVII. ORIENTAL RELIGIONS IN THE WEST XXXVIII. THE MYTH OF OSIRIS XXXIX. THE RITUAL OF OSIRIS 1. The Popular Rites 2. The Official Rites XL. THE NATURE OF OSIRIS 1. Osiris a Corn-god 2. Osiris a Tree-spirit 3. Osiris a God of Fertility 4. Osiris a God of the Dead XLI. ISIS XLII. OSIRIS AND THE SUN XLIII. DIONYSUS XLIV. DEMETER AND PERSEPHONE XLV. THE CORN-MOTHER AND THE CORN-MAIDEN IN NORTHERN EUROPE XLVI. THE CORN-MOTHER IN MANY LANDS 1. The Corn-mother in America 2. The Rice-mother in the East Indies 3. The Spirit of the Corn embodied in Human Beings 4. The Double Personification of the Corn as Mother and Daughter XLVII. LITYERSES 1. Songs of the Corn-reapers 2. Killing the Corn-spirit 3. Human Sacrifices for the Crops 4. The Corn-spirit slain in his Human Representatives XLVIII. THE CORN-SPIRIT AS AN ANIMAL 1. Animal Embodiments of the Corn-spirit 2. The Corn-spirit as a Wolf or a Dog 3. The Corn-spirit as a Cock 4. The Corn-spirit as a Hare 5. The Corn-spirit as a Cat 6. The Corn-spirit as a Goat 7. "The Corn-spirit as a Bull, Cow, or Ox" 8. The Corn-spirit as a Horse or Mare 9. The Corn-spirit as a Pig (Boar or Sow) 10. On the Animal Embodiments of the Corn-spirit XLIX. ANCIENT DEITIES OF VEGETATIONAS ANIMALS 1. "Dionysus, the Goat and the Bull" 2. "Demeter, the Pig and the Horse" 3. "Attis, Adonis, and the Pig" 4. "Osiris, the Pig and the Bull" 5. Virbius and the Horse L. EATING THE GOD 1. The Sacrament of First-fruits 2. Eating the God among the Aztecs 3. Many Manii at Aricia LI. HOMOEOPATHIC MAGIC OF A FLESH DIET LII. KILLING THE DIVINE ANIMAL 1. Killing the Sacred Buzzard 2. Killing the Sacred Ram 3. Killing the Sacred Serpent 4. Killing the Sacred Turtles 5. Killing the Sacred Bear LIII. THE PROPITIATION OF WILD ANIMALS BY HUNTERS LIV. TYPES OF ANIMAL SACRAMENT 1. The Egyptian and the Aino Types of Sacrament 2. Processions with Sacred Animals LV. THE TRANSFERENCE OF EVIL 1. The Transference to Inanimate Objects 2. The Transference to Animals 3. The Transference to Men 4. The Transference to Evil in Europe LVI. THE PUBLIC EXPULSION OF EVILS 1. The Omnipresence of Demons 2. The Occasional Expulsion of Evils 3. The Periodic Expulsion of Evils LVII. PUBLIC SCAPEGOATS 1. The Expulsion of Embodied Evils 2. The Occasional Expulsion of Evils in a Material Vehicle 3. The Periodic Expulsion of Evils in a Material Vehicle 4. On Scapegoats in General LVIII. HUMAN SCAPEGOATS IN CLASSICAL ANTIQUITY 1. The Human Scapegoat in Ancient Rome 2. The Human Scapegoat in Ancient Greece 3. The Roman Saturnalia LIX. KILLING THE GOD IN MEXICO LX. BETWEEN HEAVEN AND EARTH 1. Not to touch the Earth 2. Not to see the Sun 3. The Seclusion of Girls at Puberty 4. Reasons for the Seclusion of Girls at Puberty LXI. THE MYTH OF BALDER LXII. THE FIRE-FESTIVALS OF EUROPE 1. The Fire-festivals in general 2. The Lenten Fires 3. The Easter Fires 4. The Beltane Fires 5. The Midsummer Fires 6. The Hollowe'en Fires 7. The Midwinter Fires 8. The Need-fire LXIII. THE INTERPRETATION OF THE FIRE-FESTIVALS 1. On the Fire-festivals in general 2. The Solar Theory of the Fire-festivals 3. The Purificatory Theory of the Fire-festivals LXIV. THE BURNING OF HUMAN BEINGS IN THE FIRES 1. The Burning of Effigies in the Fires 2. The Burning of Men and Animals in the Fires LXV. BALDER AND THE MISTLETOE LXVI. THE EXTERNAL SOUL IN FOLK-TALES LXVII. THE EXTERNAL SOUL IN FOLK-CUSTOM 1. The External Soul in Inanimate Things 2. The External Soul in Plants 3. The External Soul in Animals 4. The Ritual of Death a