Crying the Mare and other harvest traditions

The word harvest comes from the Anglo-Saxon word for autumn, ‘haerfest.’ For our ancestors it represented the culmination of the year’s work, ensuring they would survive the harsh winter. Much folklore is connected to the grain harvest because grain provided the staple diet of most people in the form of bread, porridge, oatcakes, and beer. The labour was carried out by itinerant workers who generally elected one of their number to be the Harvest Lord. He was appointed to negotiate pay and conditions with potential employers. The cutting of the last sheaf was subject to considerable ceremony in most parts of the country. It was known as ‘the mare’ or ‘the neck’ or ‘nack’ and was treated with great reverence. The last sheaf was where the harvest spirit was said to retreat and take refuge. The act of cutting it was known as ‘crying the mare’ or ‘cutting the neck’ and it effectively meant slaying the harvest spirit, so it was taken very seriously. The last strands of the last sheaf were woven into a ‘corn doll,’ which gave the Harvest Spirit somewhere to live over the winter. This was carried in procession and given pride of place at the Harvest Supper. In the majority of places cutting the last sheaf was seen as an honour but some people were fearful of being held responsible for making the Corn Spirit homeless. In these instances, to prevent being cursed with bad luck groups of reapers would take turns in throwing their sickles at the sheaf. In this way the blame was shared, and the bad luck diluted.

By Tom Hancock