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An Offering to Nature
An interesting practice once observed on the island
of Rousay, hints at an
earlier tradition of leaving an offering to nature.
It is recorded that in some areas up until the
early years of the 20th century, a little corner of the last field
to be cut was left for "the birds of the air".
The exact purpose of this practice seems clear
enough but I have wondered whether this was another way of avoiding
responsibility for the "last cut"
and therefore the death of the crop spirit.
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