The last sheaf of the harvest, dressed in a woman’s dress or woven into an intricate shape and decked with ribbons, is regarded as the embodiment of the spirit of the crop, the spirit of the growing grain itself. The safe-keeping of this corn dolly over the winter insures fertility for the following harvest, provided that some portion of it is given to cattle and horses to eat, and some portion of it strewn in the field or mixed with the seeds for the next crop.
This practice of saving the spirit of the harvest is extensive throughout Europe. In Northumberland, the corn dolly is attached to a long pole and carried home to be set up in the barn. In some communities it goes home on the last load. Sometimes it is fairly small. In parts of Germany, the heavier it is, the better.
On the Isle of Lewis in Scotland, the corn dolly’s apron is filled with bread, cheese and a sickle. In other parts of Scotland, the reapers hold races. The man who finishes reaping first designates his last sheaf the corn maiden; the one who finishes last makes his last sheaf into a hag.
In some localities, the corn dolly is made by the first farmer who finishes his harvest and then passed from farm to farm as each farmer finishes his harvest, ending up with the farmer who finishes last. In this case, no one wants the dolly as it is a sign of procrastination.
In Wales, others try to snatch the dolly from the reaper who carries it from the field. If he gets home safe, he gets to keep it on his farm for the rest of the year.
French, Slavonic, and some Germanic regions use the last sheaf to create a Kornwolf, believed to hold a wolf-like spirit that resides in the last sheaf and provides the same life force for the next season. This is a fiercer version of the corn dolly and is sometimes used to scare children.
Today, corn dollies are seen as emblems of abundance.
Why corn?
Historically the word corn was applied to the small hard grain or fruit of a plant. It was used generically to refer to the leading crop of the district. In England, corn was wheat; in Scotland, oats; in the U.S., maize.
How to make a Corn Dolly
The best part of the stem is the top length from the ear (the seed head) down to where the last leaf leaves the stem. Leaving the ear intact, strip off the dead leaves and sort the stems according to size: thick, medium, and fine. Dry straw must be soaked flat in cold water for about 15 minutes and then stood upright to drain before plaiting. The Five-Straw Plait is the easiest to work with for a beginner:
- Tie 5 straws together close to the ears.
2-5. Each time the straw being folded passes over two corners, it is then left and the one at the last corner is picked up and used in its place until the round is completed.
The attractive spiral pattern grows as round succeeds round.
- When completed, the ends are tied to the starting point below the ears, making a decorative circle.
To feed in new straws, cut the old straw off after it has passed the second straw. The thin end of the new straw is inserted in the hole, making sure of a firm fit which is hidden under the fold of the straw of the next round.
Simple corn dollies can also be made with the standard three-straw plait.
More complex corn dollies involve multiple straws, intricate braids, and sometimes the creation of a straw core shape around which the outer straw is plaited.
A Corn Dolly by any other name England: Harvest Queen Kern Baby Corn Doll Scotland: Hag Old Wife Old woman (Cailleac) Wales: Hag (Wrach) Brittany: Mother Sheaf. Germany: Kornmutter (Corn Mother) Harvest Mother Old Woman. Prussia: Grandmother Denmark : Rye Woman Barley Woman Poland: Baba (grandmother) capturing the spirit Corn Dollies are made from plaited or braided straw. Hollow wheat straw is the easiest to work with. cornucopia Cornucopia: the horn of abundance of classic mythology, always filled with fruit and self-replenishing according to the wishes of its possessor. The horn is reputed to be broken from the goat Amalthes which nourished the infant Zeus or torn from Achelous by Hercules.
Witch's Well 