Victorian comparative religion
Comprehensive examination of scapegoat rituals, public expulsion of evils, and purification ceremonies across cultures. Frazer analyzes how societies transfer evil, sin, disease, and misfortune to human or animal victims who are then expelled or killed. The work covers Hebrew scapegoat rituals, Babylonian substitutes, Greek pharmakos, Roman ceremonies, and worldwide practices of evil transference. Topics include human scapegoats, animal scapegoats, material objects as evil-carriers, and the logic of transferring collective guilt or pollution to expendable victims.
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