The 1994 Oxford edition, revised and republished with a modern sensibility from the 1922 abridged version.

The Golden Bough is a classic among classics in the fields of anthropology, religious studies, and mythology.
However, since there are several editions of this book, it is necessary to clarify which one is specifically referred to when referring to the “Golden Bough.”
In fact, 『The Golden Bough』 has been expanded and revised several times, and even an abridged version exists.

The Golden Bough was first published in two volumes in 1890, and through continued research and supplementation of materials, it was republished in three volumes in 1900.
The third edition, published between 1906 and 1915, was a massive twelve volumes.
(A supplementary edition was added in 1936, towards the end of Fraser's life, making a total of 13 volumes.) This made it inevitable that an abridged version for the general public would be needed.
So Fraser and his wife produced an abridged version in April 1922.
But this was a time when Fraser's fame was spreading, and he did not want controversy.
So the abridged version was created very carefully.
A large number of controversial passages were deleted, including dangerous passages on the crucifixion of Christ, reflections on matriarchy, and sweetly profane passages on sacred prostitution.

This book presented here is a reprint, restoring many of the parts that were omitted from the abridged version of the 1922 edition, and adjusting parts that were too tedious or brief to suit modern sensibilities and needs.
The editorial system has also been restored. The abridged version of the 1922 edition was divided into 69 short chapters, ignoring the original chapters and sections. This version has been restructured by referring to the editorial system and order of the original 13 volumes.

We are now ready to examine the ancient practice of human scapegoating.
Every year on March 14th, a man wearing a leather jacket was led through the streets of Rome in a procession, beaten with a long white stick, and driven out of the city.
He was called Marcus Veturius, or 'Old Mars'.
Since the ceremony took place on the eve of the first full moon of the old Roman calendar, the man in the skin must symbolize the previous year's Mars (god of March) being banished as the new year began.
However, Mars was originally not the god of war, but the god of plants.
Roman farmers prayed to Mars for the prosperity of their crops, vines, fruit trees, and shrubs.
The priesthood of the Arbal Brotherhood, whose business it was to offer sacrifices for the growth of crops, prayed almost exclusively to Mars.
And as we have already seen, it was Mars to whom horses were sacrificed in October to ensure a bountiful harvest.
Moreover, the peasants offered sacrifices to Mars, whom they called 'Mars of the Forest', for the prosperity of their herds.
The fact that March, the month of spring, was dedicated to Mars also seems to indicate that he was the god of sprouting plants.
Therefore, the Roman custom of banishing old Mars in the spring, which begins the new year, is identical with the Slavic custom of 'banishing death'.

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