Balder the Beautiful, Volume I. / A Study in Magic and Religion: the Golden Bough, Part VII., The / Fire-Festivals of Europe and the Doctrine of the External Soul

A comparative study surveys the fire-festivals of Europe and the widespread belief in an external soul, connecting rituals, myths, and symbols such as mistletoe-associated deities to show how sacrificial and purificatory practices functioned. It weighs competing interpretations of the fires, arguing that they primarily served a purificatory purpose against witches and other dangers rather than chiefly celebrating the sun. The author traces parallels between the mistletoe-linked sacrificial victim and local cult figures to illustrate patterns of ritual death and soul externalization, while cautioning about cultural diffusion and the limits of evidence. Methodological reflections accompany revisions of earlier views on sky-gods and oak symbolism and on the commonalities of early human thought.