His point is that gradually, magic would be seen as useless and humans would experience a great humbling, “a confession of human ignorance and weakness” (55). This sense of helplessness at established institutions being destroyed led to the development of new institutions over time, notably religion. However, in a characteristically Victorian manner, Frazer points out that most people are not great thinkers and he acknowledges that religion retains a great deal of elements carried over from magic by lesser minds. In this way, religion evolved from magic initially as a blend of the two to the point where now magic is all but gone.

With respect to the rest of the class, this sense of helplessness following the loss of entrenched institutions parallels the experience of so many people after World War One. In my opinion, Eliot and so many others are coming to terms with the fact that ways of thinking, for example hierarchy, colonialism, and alliances from the past century cannot protect from horrible destruction. Therefore, the order has been upset and they now face a world in which colonial empires are on the decline and the search for a new order has begun. In other words, Eliot writes “The Waste Land” searching for that new order and lamenting the current lack of it.

In The Waste Land, water is a major theme throughout the entire poem.  It gives life to the land in the spring after its death in the fall and winter.  But the water in The Waste Land can also take life, represented by the drowned Phoenician sailor in The Burial of the Dead and Death by Water.  This is in contrast to water giving the king youth, vigor, and fertility in From Ritual to Romance.  Water is represented one final way in The Waste Land in the last section What the Thunder Said.  Thunder is usually heard with rain in a storm which can cleanse the land of its impurities.  The thunder brings wisdom along with the storm.

The second connection between death and life that Weston shows in From Ritual to Romance  is the connection between the youth of these gods and the success of the land. The gods must be killed in their own prime because it they would be at the peak of life, and therefore the life taken from these gods will be at its maximum when it is transferred to the maximum life of the next harvest. The extent of this connection is also shown when the youthfulness and health of the king is tied to the land. Weston sais “Certainly the sudden death of a king cannot be precluded, but the killing of the king before his likely passing guarantees as nearly as possible the continuous health of the god and vegetation.” (XXVII) Weston also sais that the kings fertility will be that same as the land that he owns, and that if the king were to lose “virility” the reproductive processes of nature would also be suspended.

As discussed in class, humans are extremely power hungry.  We have the need to be the best, and have authority over everyone else.  This often leads to fights and sometimes war because of difference of opinion and the need for control.  From Ritual to Romance, Weston states that humans go on quests in result of passion.  Passion is the reason that we live, and it encourages us to find answers to our questions.  The Waste Land was created because of war, and humans had too much passion.  War is unavoidable anywhere one goes because people are always judging what they see around them whether they mean to or not.  Without even noticing, humans put people and things into two categories- something I like, and something I don’t like.  This eventually leads up to a difference in opinion, and sometimes can result in war.  Overall, humans need for power results in disunity and urge to be the best.

The title of Eliot’s “The Waste Land” must refer to the Waste Land in the journey of the Holy Grail.  This is the ultimate parallel between societies with ancient myths to modern America.  Eliot saw modern corruption in the exact same way that Weston noted the desolate land.

“At the festivals of Adonis, which were held in Western Asia and in Greek lands, the death of the god was annually mourned…images of him, dressed to resemble corpses, were carried out as to burial and then thrown into the sea or into springs…” (Frazer, 331)

From Ritual to Romance and The Golden Bough both stress the prominence of rituals when talking about the vegetation god. These rituals take place in order to ensure a good harvest for the upcoming year. One recurring theme in these rituals is the presence of an effigy as a representation of the vegetation god. The people of the culture believe that the god has recently died, and they mourn for the dead god in elaborate ceremonies. The effigy is usually thrown into the water of a river or a sea. The people who practiced these rituals, such as the Greeks and Indians, did them so that the vegetation god would be revived, thus ensuring a profitable harvest the upcoming year. These rituals varied markedly over different cultures and time periods, although all of them would almost always include an effigy representing the vegetation god.

SW

This conflict is an interesting one when coupled with the time period in which it was written and considering the popular religious policies of the time. When considering The Golden Bough and the progression from simple myths and magic to formed religions and complex beliefs based around God figures, this argument  between Christians and scholars seems almost inevitable. This particular tale, the legend of the grail, came at a time and in a society that had not quite formed into a full Christian society and still had many practices of magic and Pagan ceremonies. One of the strongest examples of this is the concept of Merlin and the role he plays as a all-knowing figure. He represents a society in which magic was still a strong influence and caused fear and awe in those who could not understand his powers. On the other hand there is a crusade type journey that occurs in search of the grail, which is a holy artifact in Christian theology. This clash of ideals symbolizes the struggle of the times and how civilizations were currently evolving through their belief systems to what their current state in modern society.

TY

Water is necessary for life.  A Waste Land plagues an area without water. In the various versions of the Grail, drought and unfertile land is present due to the decaying condition of the king or the failure of the quester.  Adonis and Attis cults practice intricate rituals in order to assure fertility and escape the fate present in Grail romances.  Today, the Shilluk, a tribe in Africa, practice a ritual strikingly similar to that of the Cult of Adonis.  The ritual is held for Nyakang, the rain-giver, who allows life to flourish by assuring rainfall.  It seems to me that water rituals from different times and cultures have parallels simply because all of the inhabitants wanted the same result: fertility.  People’s lives depended on water, which is why they were willing to try to appease the gods, or heal a king to get it.

“The Waste Land” contains a water motif throughout, but the most obvious example is in the last section, “What the Thunder Said”.  Here Eliot describes the Waste Land Adonis Cults feared and people in the Grail romances suffered from.  He brings up the “murmur of maternal lamentations,” which was a pivotal part in Adonis rituals.  I think Eliot is further explaining the connection between cultures with water rituals by stating that people still need water and possibly that society has or will fail, like the Grail quester, which will bring about a Waste Land.

Throughout chapter II, Weston explains the importance of Heroes and myths to the population during King Arthur’s time.  Without these, the common folk would not be able to logically explain certain phenomena; which today we explain through religion and science. Magic and religion could explain certain things, like how a sword gets stuck in a rock; but takes a hero to one- handedly pull the sacred sword out of the rock.  So how did this really happen? Maybe a strong knight or simply the water in the cracks froze and expanded, loosening the sword. To the common folk, a hero has to be an underdog who rises up to become something great and well respected by the hierarchy through his actions. today, heroes are still looked upon with admiration by commoners for his or her actions. Following a tradition of myths, one could only assume a supernatural force touched the sword, waiting for a hero to come along and succeed. Weston says that since Arthur’s time, that tradition has undergone a gradual, but radical, modification in the process of literary evolution.

LG

Weston focuses on the concept of restoration of vegetation and fertility after a quest is taken. In the third chapter of From Ritual to Romance, however, she refers to the story of Rishyaçriñga, a young Brahmin whose chastity causes drought to endure within his father’s kingdom. Weston refers this story in order to suggest that perhaps a quest that concludes in marriage is the key to restoring fertility.  She even connects this story to that of the Grail stating that “In Gerbert’s continuation we are told that the marriage of the hero is an indispensable condition of achieving the Quest…” (Weston 32) With the cycle of life, rebirth and fertility at the core of our class discussions, it makes sense to consider the importance of marriage in the quest towards restoring these things.

Perhaps the connection between marriage and fertility can be related to Albert and Lil’s relationship in part II of Eliot’s The Waste Land.  After having 5 children and nearly dying during childbirth, it is implied that Lil has an abortion.  Though the implication of an abortion does present conflict while making parallels, the fact that Lil has had 5 children can be tied into marriage=fertility and rebirth concept.