Corn dolly

Last updated

Cambridgeshire handbells in wheat straw StrawHandbells.jpg
Cambridgeshire handbells in wheat straw

Corn dollies or corn mothers are a form of straw work made as part of harvest customs of Europe before mechanisation.

Contents

Scholars of the 18th and 19th centuries theorized that before Christianisation, in traditional pagan European culture it was believed that the spirit of the corn (in American English, "corn" would be "grain") lived amongst the crop, and that the harvest made it effectively homeless. James Frazer devotes chapters in The Golden Bough to "Corn-Mother and Corn-Maiden in Northern Europe" (chs. 45–48) and adduces European folkloric examples collected in great abundance by the folklorist Wilhelm Mannhardt. Among the customs attached to the last sheaf of the harvest were hollow shapes fashioned from the last sheaf of wheat or other cereal crops. The corn spirit would then spend the winter in this home until the "corn dolly" was ploughed into the first furrow of the new season.

Background

James George Frazer discusses the Corn-mother and the Corn-maiden in Northern Europe, and the harvest rituals that were being practised at the beginning of the 20th century:

In the neighbourhood of Danzig the person who cuts the last ears of corn makes them into a doll, which is called the Corn-mother or the Old Woman and is brought home on the last waggon. In some parts of Holstein the last sheaf is dressed in women's clothes and called the Corn-mother. It is carried home on the last waggon, and then thoroughly drenched with water. The drenching with water is doubtless a rain-charm. In the district of Bruck in Styria the last sheaf, called the Corn-mother, is made up into the shape of a woman by the oldest married woman in the village, of an age from 50 to 55 years. The finest ears are plucked out of it and made into a wreath, which, twined with flowers, is carried on her head by the prettiest girl of the village to the farmer or squire, while the Corn-mother is laid down in the barn to keep off the mice. In other villages of the same district the Corn-mother, at the close of harvest, is carried by two lads at the top of a pole. They march behind the girl who wears the wreath to the squire's house, and while he receives the wreath and hangs it up in the hall, the Corn-mother is placed on the top of a pile of wood, where she is the centre of the harvest supper and dance. [1]

Claidheach harvest corn dolly Claidheach.jpg
Claidheach harvest corn dolly

Many more customs are instanced by Frazer. For example, the term "Old Woman" (Latin vetula ) was in use for such "corn dolls" among the Germanic pagans of Flanders in the 7th century, where Saint Eligius discouraged them from their old practices: "[Do not] make vetulas, (little figures of the Old Woman), little deer or iotticos or set tables [for the house-elf, compare Puck] at night or exchange New Year gifts or supply superfluous drinks [a Yule custom]." [2] Frazer writes: "In East Prussia, at the rye or wheat harvest, the reapers call out to the woman who binds the last sheaf, “You are getting the Old Grandmother....In Scotland, when the last corn was cut after Hallowmas, the female figure made out of it was sometimes called the Carlin or Carline, that is, the Old Woman." [3]

The mechanisation of harvesting cereal crops probably brought an end to traditional straw dolly and figure making at the beginning of the 20th century. [4] In the UK corn dolly making was revived in the 1950s and 1960s. Farm workers created new creations including replicas of farm implements and models such as windmills and large figures. [5] New shapes and designs with different techniques were being created. In the 1960/70s several books were published on the subject. (see Lettice Sandford) The simple origins of the craft had been lost and new folk lore stories were added to the original ideas. [6]

The Pitt Rivers Museum [7] in Oxford and the Museum of English Rural Life in Reading both have collections of corn dollies from around the world. [8]

Materials used

With the advent of the combine harvester, the old-fashioned, long-stemmed and hollow-stemmed wheat varieties were replaced with knee-high, pithy varieties. However, a number of English and Scottish farmers are still growing the traditional varieties of wheat, such as Maris Wigeon, Squarehead Master, Elite Le Peuple. [9] mainly because they are in great demand in thatching, a craft which is enjoying a renaissance, with customers facing long waiting lists for having their roofs thatched or repaired.

Types

Corn dollies and other similar harvest straw work can be divided into these groups:

Traditional corn dollies named after counties or place names of England, Scotland and Wales

Countryman's favours and other harvest designs

A countryman's favour was usually a plait of three straws and tied into a loose knot to represent a heart. It is reputed to have been made by a young man with straws picked up after the harvest and given to his loved one. If she was wearing it next to her heart when he saw her again then he would know that his love was reciprocated. Three straws can be plaited using the hair plait or a cat's foot plait. Favours can be made with two, three, four or more straws.

Other examples include:

Fringes

Large straw figures

A Swedish Christmas goat or Yule goat. Swedish straw goat.jpg
A Swedish Christmas goat or Yule goat.
A "Kern Baby" pictured in the village of Whalton, Northumberland, in 1902. Kern-baby-1902-23041518.jpg.webp
A "Kern Baby" pictured in the village of Whalton, Northumberland, in 1902.

These are representations of animals or humanoid beings made from an entire sheaf. They are known by a variety of names, depending on location and also the time of harvesting:

Tied straw work

Here the straw is not plaited, but tied with yarn, wool, raffia or similar. This type of straw work is particularly popular in Scandinavia and German-speaking countries. Examples of these are the Oro (Swedish Straw Crown); the Tomte or Nisse; and smaller versions of the Yule Goat.

Ridge finials

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straw</span> Agricultural byproduct of cereal crops

Straw is an agricultural byproduct consisting of the dry stalks of cereal plants after the grain and chaff have been removed. It makes up about half of the yield by weight of cereal crops such as barley, oats, rice, rye and wheat. It has a number of different uses, including fuel, livestock bedding and fodder, thatching and basket making.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Lughnasadh</span> Irish holiday and Gaelic harvest festival

Lughnasadh, Lughnasa or Lúnasa is a Gaelic festival marking the beginning of the harvest season. Historically, it was widely observed throughout Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. Traditionally, it is held on 1 August, or about halfway between the summer solstice and autumn equinox. In recent centuries, some celebrations have shifted to Sundays near this date. Lughnasadh is one of the four Gaelic seasonal festivals, along with Samhain, Imbolc and Beltane. It corresponds to the Welsh Gŵyl Awst and the English Lammas.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cailleach</span> Gaelic female hag deity

In Gaelic myth, the Cailleach is a divine hag and ancestor, associated with the creation of the landscape and with the weather, especially storms and winter. The word literally means 'old woman, hag', and is found with this meaning in modern Irish and Scottish Gaelic, and has been applied to numerous mythological and folkloric figures in Ireland, Scotland, and the Isle of Man. In modern Irish folklore studies, she is sometimes known as The Hag of Beara, while in Scotland she is known as Beira, Queen of Winter.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straw marquetry</span> Craft imitating wood marquetry with straw

Straw marquetry is a craft very similar to that of wood marquetry, except that straw replaces the wood veneer. It is thought to have first been practised in the East; examples were brought to England in the 17th century.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Thatching</span> Type of roof

Thatching is the craft of building a roof with dry vegetation such as straw, water reed, sedge, rushes, heather, or palm branches, layering the vegetation so as to shed water away from the inner roof. Since the bulk of the vegetation stays dry and is densely packed—trapping air—thatching also functions as insulation. It is a very old roofing method and has been used in both tropical and temperate climates. Thatch is still employed by builders in developing countries, usually with low-cost local vegetation. By contrast, in some developed countries it is the choice of some affluent people who desire a rustic look for their home, would like a more ecologically friendly roof, or who have purchased an originally thatched abode.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Combine harvester</span> Machine that harvests grain crops

The modern combine harvester, also called a combine, is a machine designed to harvest a variety of cultivated seeds. Combine harvesters are one of the most economically important labour-saving inventions, significantly reducing the fraction of the population engaged in agriculture. Among the crops harvested with a combine are wheat, rice, oats, rye, barley, corn (maize), sorghum, millet, soybeans, flax (linseed), sunflowers and rapeseed. The separated straw is then either chopped onto the field and ploughed back in, or laid out in rows, ready to be baled and used for bedding and cattle feed.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Wreath</span> Ring-shaped ornament used for decoration and commemoration

A wreath is an assortment of flowers, leaves, fruits, twigs, or various materials that is constructed to form a ring shape.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Brigid's cross</span> Cross woven from rushes, arms offset

Brigid's cross or Brigit's cross is a small variant of the cross often woven from straw or rushes. It appears in many different shapes; the earliest designs were simple Christian Latin or Greek crosses, but the most popular modern iteration features a woven diamond or lozenge in the centre. The cross is named for the Christian saint Brigid of Kildare.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Threshing</span> Separating edible grain from straw

Threshing or thrashing is the process of loosening the edible part of grain from the straw to which it is attached. It is the step in grain preparation after reaping. Threshing does not remove the bran from the grain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Harvest festival</span> Annual celebration of the harvest season

A harvest festival is an annual celebration that occurs around the time of the main harvest of a given region. Given the differences in climate and crops around the world, harvest festivals can be found at various times at different places. Harvest festivals typically feature feasting, both family and public, with foods that are drawn from crops.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straw plaiting</span>

Straw plaiting is a method of manufacturing textiles by braiding straw and the industry that surrounds the craft of producing these straw manufactures. Straw is plaited to produce products including straw hats and ornaments, and the process is undertaken in a number of locations worldwide.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gorla Minore</span> Comune in Lombardy, Italy

Gorla Minore is a comune (municipality) in the Province of Varese in the Italian region Lombardy, located about 30 kilometres (19 mi) northwest of Milan and about 15 kilometres (9 mi) southeast of Varese. As of 31 December 2018, it had a population of 8,364 and an area of 7.7 square kilometres (3.0 sq mi).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Badnjak (Croatian)</span>

Badnjak, refers to a log brought into the house and placed on the fire on the evening of Christmas Eve, a central tradition in Croatian Christmas celebration, much like a yule log in other European traditions. In Croatian, the name for Christmas Eve is derived from the term badnjak. The log is cut with great ceremony on Christmas Eve morning, which for Roman Catholic Croats is December 24. The cutting, preparation, bringing in, and laying on the fire are surrounded by elaborate religious rituals, with many regional variations. The log is kept burning throughout Christmas Day.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Straw bear</span>

A straw bear is a traditional character that appears in carnival processions or as a separate seasonal custom in parts of Germany, mainly at Shrovetide but sometimes at Candlemas or Christmas Eve.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vegetation deity</span> Nature deity who embodies the growth cycle of plants

A vegetation deity is a nature deity whose disappearance and reappearance, or life, death and rebirth, embodies the growth cycle of plants. In nature worship, the deity can be a god or goddess with the ability to regenerate itself. A vegetation deity is often a fertility deity. The deity typically undergoes dismemberment, scattering, and reintegration, as narrated in a myth or reenacted by a religious ritual. The cyclical pattern is given theological significance on themes such as immortality, resurrection, and reincarnation. Vegetation myths have structural resemblances to certain creation myths in which parts of a primordial being's body generate aspects of the cosmos, such as the Norse myth of Ymir.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dożynki</span> Slavic harvest festival

Dożynki is a Slavic harvest festival. In pre-Christian times the feast usually fell on the autumn equinox, in modern times it is usually celebrated on one of the Sundays following the end of the harvest season, which fall on different days in different regions of Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Czech folklore</span>

Czech folklore is the folk tradition which has developed among the Czech people over a number of centuries. Czech folklore was influenced by a mix of Christian and pagan customs. Nowadays it is preserved and kept alive by various folklore ensembles uniting members of all ages, from children to seniors, showing their talent during competitions, folklore festivals or other performances.

Feldgeister or Korndämonen are corn spirits in German folklore. Feldgeister are often also wind spirits, causing lightning and rain.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Horkey</span>

The name horkey was applied to end of harvest customs and celebrations, especially in the Eastern Counties of England, although the word occurred elsewhere in England and also Ireland. Since it is found in dialect, there is no standard spelling and other versions include hawkie and hockey. Mentioned from the 16th century onward, the custom became less common during the course of the 19th century and was more or less extinct in the 20th. It is chiefly remembered now because of the poem dedicated to it by Robert Bloomfield in 1802.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Symbols of Ukrainian people</span>

National symbols are the sacred attributes for Ukrainian people. In Ukrainian graphics there exist a number of symbols and images from national songs, legends. Such symbols and imagery are used in national customs and rituals. They are reproduced in embroidery on national costumes, ritual cloth—rushnyks, painted on crockery, in forged products, in carving, in bas-relief house decoration, in hearth painting, pottery, engraving and also in Ukrainian traditional Easter eggs—pysanky.

References

  1. The Golden Bough, chapter 45
  2. Saint Ouen of Rouen; trans. Jo Ann McNamara. The Life of Saint Eligius (Vita Sancti Eligii). Archived from the original on 2013-05-08.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  3. Frazer, ch. 45.
  4. Adkins, Roy and Lesley. "Corn Dollies". Adkins History. Adkins History. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  5. Mizen, Brian. "Fred Mizen". Fred Mizen. Brian Mizen Thatching. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  6. Carpenter, Daniel. "Corn Dolly Making". Corn Dolly Making. Heritage Crafts Association. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  7. "Harvest Trophies". England: The Other Within. Pitt Rivers Museum. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  8. "Coker, Alec (corn dollies)". Coker, Alec (corn dollies). Museum of English Rural Life. Retrieved 6 December 2019.
  9. "Guild of Straw Craftsmen - Frequently asked questions". Strawcraftsmen.co.uk. 2008-08-16. Retrieved 2014-06-25.

Further reading