The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion

Frazer theorizes that the personification of the corn as a female goddess resulted from the prominent role played by women in early agriculture. He provides a series of examples of tribal communities in which the task of sowing seeds is performed primarily by women. He further indicates that, among tribes who had not yet learned to till the ground, the task of gathering wild seeds and roots probably also fell to women, and for this reason, women were probably responsible for discovering agriculture.

The first part of Demeter’s name derives from the Cretan word deai, meaning “barley.” This suggests that the goddess’s name means “barley mother” or “corn mother.” In the first section of the chapter, Frazer finds multiple analogies to this figure from across Europe and describes the various fertility rituals centering around her. Noting the similarity between these rituals and the spring rites described in the preceding chapters, he defines the features of a “primitive” ritual. Firstly, there are no priests. The rituals can be performed by any member of the community. Then, there are no temples or designated sacred spaced. Moreover, the rituals are concerned with spirits, not gods. For Frazer, the power of spirits is restricted to a specific department of nature.