Motif
Communal contest for a sacrificial head
communal_contest_for_a_sacrificial_head
A motif of the Sacrifice and Offering family. Every row below is a tagged passage; each rests on a quote in its source text.
1 occurrences
1 traditions
comparative
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The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 2 of 2) The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion (Vol. 2 of 2) / CONTENTS; lines 1621-1704 confidence: medium
The October horse rite is placed on the Field of Mars on the king’s corn-fields at harvest end; the horse’s tail and blood are kept at the king’s house, while Subura contests the head. The passage compares this with harvest-cock, Maiden sheaf, May-pole, and last-sheaf customs.
The Suburans compete for the horse’s head and nail it to the Mamilian tower if they win.
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