Relation of Sword Dance, Morris Dance, and Mumming Play.  Their Ceremonial origin now admitted by scholars.  Connected with seasonal Festivals and Fertility Ritual.  Earliest Sword Dancers, the Maruts.  Von Schroeder, Mysterium und Mimus.  Discussion of their nature and functions.  The Kouretes.  Character of their dance.  Miss J. E. Harrison, Themis.  The Korybantes.  Dance probably sacrificial in origin.  The Salii.  Dramatic element in their dance.  Mars, as Fertility god.  Mamurius Veturius.  Anna Perenna.  Character of dance seasonal.  Modern British survivals.  The Sword Dance.  Mostly preserved in North.  Variants.  Mr E. K. Chambers, The Medieval Stage.  The Mumming Plays.  Description.  Characters.  Recognized as representing Death and Revival of Vegetation Deity.  Dr Jevons, Masks and the Origin of the Greek Drama.  Morris Dances.  No dramatic element.  Costume of character significant.  Possible survival of theriomorphic origin.  Elaborate character of figures in each group.  Symbols employed.  The Pentangle.  The Chalice.  Present form shows dislocation.  Probability that three groups were once a combined whole and Symbols united.  Evidence strengthens view advanced in last Chapter.  Symbols originally a group connected with lost form of Fertility Ritual.  Possible origin of Grail Knights to be found in Sword Dancers.

CHAPTER VIII

The Medicine Man

The rôle of the Medicine Man, or Doctor in Fertility Ritual.  Its importance and antiquity.  The Rig-Veda poem.  Classical evidence, Mr F. Cornford.  Traces of Medicine Man in the Grail romances.  Gawain as Healer.  Persistent tradition.  Possible survival from pre-literary form.  Evidence of the Triads.  Peredur as Healer.  Evolution of theme.  Le Dist de l’Erberie.

CHAPTER IX

The Fisher King

Summary of evidence presented.  Need of a ‘test’ element.  To be found in central figure.  Mystery of his title.  Analysis of variants.  Gawain version.  Perceval version.  Borron alone attempts explanation of title.  Parzival.  Perlesvaus.  Queste.  Grand Saint Graal.  Comparison with surviving ritual variants.  Original form King dead, and restored to life.  Old Age and Wounding themes.  Legitimate variants.  Doubling of character a literary device.  Title.  Why Fisher King?  Examination of Fish Symbolism.  Fish a Life symbol.  Examples.  Indian—­Manu, Vishnu, Buddha.  Fish in Buddhism.  Evidence from China.  Orpheus.  Babylonian evidence.  Tammuz Lord of the Net.  Jewish Symbolism.  The Messianic Fish-meal.  Adopted by Christianity.  Evidence of the catacombs.  Source of Borron’s Fish-meals.  Mystery tradition not Celtic Folk-tale.  Comparison of version with Finn story.  With Messianic tradition.  Epitaph of Bishop Aberkios.  Voyage of Saint Brandan.  Connection of Fish with goddess Astarte.  Cumont.  Connection of Fish and Dove.  Fish as Fertility Symbol.  Its use in Marriage ceremonies.  Summing up of evidence.  Fisher King inexplicable from Christian point of view.  Folk-lore solution unsatisfactory.  As a Ritual survival completely in place.  Centre of action, and proof of soundness of theory.