360 THE SAXONS IN ENGLAND. [book ɪ.
sermonen inferret, fiebat deterior, et conviciis eos
impetebat.”
It appears that this priest retained his benefice
until his death, which happened in a brawl about
a year later than the events described above ; and
it is very remarkable that the scandal seems to
have been less at the rites themselves than at their
being administered by a person of so high a cleri-
cal dignity. Grimm had identified Freyr or Frowo
with Liber : it will be observed that his train of
reasoning is confirmed by the name Liber Pater,
given in the chronicler’s recital. The union of the
Needfire with these Priapic rites renders it proper to
devote a few words to this particular superstition.
The needfire, nydfyr, New-german nothfeuer, was
called from the mode of its production, Confrictione
de Iignis, and though probably common to the Kelts1
as well as Teutons, was long and well known to all
the Germanic races at a certain period. All the
fires in the village were to be relighted from the
virgin flame produced by the rubbing together of
wood, and in the highlands of Scotland and Ireland
it was usual to drive the cattle through it, by way
of lustration, and as a preservative against disease 2.
ɪ See Jamieson’s Scottish Dictionary, voc. Beltane, and Boucher’s
Glossary by Stevenson.
2 In the Mirror of June 24th, 1826, there is the account of this ha-
ving been done in Perthshire, on occasion of a cattle epidemic. “ A
wealthy old farmer, having lost several of his cattle by some disease
very prevalent at present, and being able to account for it in no way
so rationally as by witchcraft, had recourse to the following remedy,
recommended to him by a weird sister in his neighbourhood, as an
effectual protection from the attacks of the foul fiend. A few stones
were piled together in the barnyard, and woodcoals having been laid
CH. x∏∙]
HEATHENDOM. NEEDFHiE.
3θl
But there was another curious ceremony connected
with the lighting of fires on St. John’s eve,—pro-
bably from the context, on the 23rd of June. A
general reference for this may be made to Grimm’s
Mythologie, pp. 670-592, under the general heads
of Nothfeuer, Bealtine and Johannisfeuer ; but the
following passage, which I have not seen cited be-
fore, throws light on Grimm’s examples, and adds
some peculiarities of explanation. It is found in an
ancient MS. written in England and now in the
Harleian collection, No. 2345, fol. 50.
“ Eius venerandam nativitatem cum gaudio cele-
brabitis ; dico eius nativitatem cum gaudio ; non
illo cum gaudio, quo stulti, vani et prophani, ama-
tores mundi huius, accensis ignibus, per plateas,
turpibus et Hlicitis Iudibus, Commessationibus, et
ebrietatibus, cubilibus et impudicitiis intendentes
illam celebrare soient.....Dicamus de tripudiis
quae in vigilia sancti Johannis fieri soient, quorum
tria genera. In vigilia enim beati Johannis colli-
gunt pueri in quibusdam regionibus ossa, et quae-
dam alia immunda, et insimul cremant, et exinde
producitur fumus in aere. Faciunt etiam brandas
et circuunt arva cum brandis. Tercium de rota
thereon, the fuel was ignited by wiU-Jire, that is fire obtained by fric-
tion ; the neighbours having been called in to witness the solemnity,
the cattle were made to pass through the flames, in the order of their
dignity and age, commencing with the horses and ending with the
swine. The ceremony having been duly and decorously gone through,
a neighbouring farmer observed to the enlightened owner of the herd,
that he, along with his family, ought to have followed the example of
the cattle, and the sacrifice to Baal would have been complete.” The
vnll-fire has been used in Devonshire for the same purpose, within the
memory of man