Frazer. Golden Bough (VII). Balder the Beautiful.

Today's free book is The Golden Bough: A Study in Magic and Religion. Part VII: Balder the Beautiful. The Fire-Festivals of Europe and the Doctrine of the External Soul (Third Edition, Volumes 10-11 of 12) by James George Frazer.

For the table of contents, check at the bottom of this post below the image. The most convenient online edition is at Project Gutenberg: Volume 10 and Volume 11 (Volume 12 is an index to Volumes 1-11).


Chapter I. Between Heaven And Earth.
§ 1. Not to touch the Earth.
§ 2. Not to see the Sun.

Chapter II. The Seclusion of Girls at Puberty.
§ 1. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty in Africa.
§ 2. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty in New Ireland, New Guinea, and Indonesia.
§ 3. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty in the Torres Straits Islands and Northern Australia.
§ 4. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty among the Indians of North America.
§ 5. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty among the Indians of South America.
§ 6. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty in India and Cambodia.
§ 7. Seclusion of Girls at Puberty in Folk-tales.
§ 8. Reasons for the Seclusion of Girls at Puberty.

Chapter III. The Myth of Balder.

Chapter IV. The Fire-Festivals of Europe.
§ 1. The Lenten Fires.
§ 2. The Easter Fires.
§ 3. The Beltane Fires.
§ 4. The Midsummer Fires.
§ 5. The Autumn Fires.
§ 6. The Hallowe'en Fires.
§ 7. The Midwinter Fires.
§ 8. The Need-fire.
§ 9. The Sacrifice of an Animal to stay a Cattle-Plague.

Chapter V. 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.

Volume 11 begins here:

Chapter VI. Fire-Festivals in Other Lands.
§ 1. The Fire-walk.
§ 2. The Meaning of the Fire-walk.

Chapter VII. 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.

Chapter VIII. The Magic Flowers of Midsummer Eve.

Chapter IX. Balder and the Mistletoe.

Chapter X. The Eternal Soul in Folk-Tales.

Chapter XI. 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. A Suggested Theory of Totemism.
§ 5. The Ritual of Death and Resurrection.

Chapter XII. The Golden Bough.

Chapter XIII. Farewell to Nemi.

Notes.

I. Snake Stones.

II. The Transformation of Witches Into Cats.

III. African Balders.

IV. The Mistletoe and the Golden Bough.