a
comprehensive work on comparative
religion and mythology by
Sir James
George Frazer (1854–1941), Scottish scholar and
anthropologist. Its opening passages describe an ancient Italian folk custom regarding the
King of the Wood: Near Lake Nemi (a lake near
Rome) in
Italy was a
sacred grove of the goddess
Diana. In it was a
special golden tree. To become a priest of
Diana and
King of the Wood one had to succeed in pulling down a bough of this tree and thus earn the
right to duel to the
death with the current
King of the Wood. If he won he would then
assume the
position until another, stronger
aspirant came along and
succeeded in killing him, becoming in his
turn the
King of the Wood. Frazer's initial intent was to
trace the
source of this
legend. Drawing from
similar traditions and rituals of other peoples, his
work expanded and tied together (sometimes incorrectly) many myths and legends from around the
world.
—PDC Volume 6 Approved Glossary