Page:The Journal of English and Germanic Philology Volume 18.djvu/424

 420 Rndwin winter counterpart of the summer fires, is also common in Germany. 143 We also meet with Christmas bon-fires 144 and Lenten fires 145 in Germany and elsewhere in Europe. The expulsion of witches is a common custom in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. 146 The Banning or Burning of Witches took place generally on Walpurgis Night, 147 May day, 148 at Midsummer, 149 but also on the first Sunday in Lent, 150 which would prove that the custom originally formed a part of the Carnival observances. We have already seen 151 that the effigy of Death or Winter was sometimes called Old Woman or Witch. The effigies of witches were burned, as a rule, in bon-fires. 152 The ceremony of bon-fires is, therefore, sometimes called "burning the witches." 153 The Beltane fires in Austria and Saxony were lighted for the purpose of burning the witches. 154 A Christian version of this ceremony is the banning or burning of Judas Iscariot, which naturally takes place at Easter. 155 In a certain part of Silesia it is observed on Wednes- day before Good Friday. 156 Judas is burned in Easter-fires in Bavaria, Upper Franken and Bohemia. 167 In Engfand the Jack-o'-Lent effigy is taken to represent Judas. 158 The Easter- fire ceremony is, therefore, sometimes called "burning Judas." This is also the origin of a bon-fire ceremony called "burning the Easter Man," at Abensberg in Bavaria. 159 The custom is known 143 Ibid.,x. 247-9. 144 Ibid., x. 265*?. 146 Ibid., x. 1065??. Ibid., ix. 157-66. 147 Ibid., ix. 162, x. 1595?., 1705?. Ibid., ii. 54. Ibid., x. 1705?. Ibid., x. 116. Supra, p. 417. 152 Cf. Frazer, op. cit., x. 107, 1165?., 342, xi. 43. 163 Ibid. t x. 159. M Ibid., x. 158. 155 Ibid., x. 1275?., 131, 1775?. A Jewish parallel is the burning of Haman at Purim. This custom is traced as far back as the fifth century; cf. H. Maker, "Purim", Jewish EncycL, x. (1905) 278a. 156 Cf. Frazer, op. cit., x. 146n3. 7 /Wtf.,x. 1215?. 143, 148. Ibid., iv. 230. 169 Ibid., x. 144.