Northern mythology

142 NORTH GERMAN CUSTOMS AND SUPERSTITIONS.
harvest, and, in some places, at the carrying in of every
kind of grain, to make a puppet out of the last sheaf, and
either to carry it home rejoicing with the last load, or let
it be borne to the village by the girl who is the last ready
with her binding. In accordance with the one or the
other of these usages, the custom is called bringing the old
man (den ollen brengen), or it is said of the girl, she has
the old man (dei het den ollen). Customs nearly akin to
the above-mentioned prevail in several other places ^
At Grochwitz, near Torgau, it is a saying at Bartholomew
tide: "Now Herke is abroad, now we must get in
our v/inter corn, else it will be spoiled.^^
At Heteborn, when the flax was not housed at Bar<
tholomew tide, it was formerly the saying :
" Frau Harke
will come.'^
About Halberstadt they say that in the dog-days the
crows do not drink.
When the rye is housed the storks depart, and all
assemble on the Blocksberg, where they bite one of their
number to death. Brill near Aiirich.
ST.
MICHAEL'S DAY.
On St. Michael's day no work is done in the field.
Nor is there any spinning. Altmark.
Rauen.
ST. MARTIN'S DAY.
In many places a roasted goose is the orthodox fare on
St. Martin's day.
ST. ANDREW'S EVE 2.
On St. Andrew's eve the girls can cause their future
sweethearts or husbands to appear to them in a dream.
1
For old harvest customs in England, see Brockett's Gloss, of N. Country
Words, voce Melldoll, and HallhveU's Archaic Diet, voce Mare.
2 This title is from Harrys, ii. p. 25. The matter is from the Upper
Harz, and oral.