In some parts of the Highlands of Scotland the last handful of corn that is cut by the reapers on any particular farm is called the Maiden， or in Gaelic Maidhdeanbuain， literally， the shorn Maiden. Superstitions attach to the winning of the Maiden. If it is got by a young person， they think it an omen that he or she will be married before another harvest. For that or other reasons there is a strife between the reapers as to who shall get the Maiden， and they resort to various stratagems for the purpose of securing it. One of them， for example， will often leave a handful of corn uncut and cover it up with earth to hide it from the other reapers， till all the rest of the corn on the field is cut down. Several may try to play the same trick， and the one who is coolest and holds out longest obtains the coveted distinction. When it has been cut， the Maiden is dressed with ribbons into a sort of doll and affixed to a wall of the farmhouse. In the north of Scotland the Maiden is carefully preserved till Yule morning， when it is divided among the cattle to make them thrive all the year round. In the neighbourhood of Balquhidder， Perthshire， the last handful of corn is cut by the youngest girl on the field， and is made into the rude form of a female doll， clad in a paper dress， and decked with ribbons. It is called the Maiden， and is kept in the farmhouse， generally above the chimney， for a good while， sometimes till the Maiden of the next year is brought in. The writer of this book witnessed the ceremony of cutting the Maiden at Balquhidder in September 1888. A lady friend informed me that as a young girl she cut the Maiden several times at the request of the reapers in the neighbourhood of Perth. The name of the Maiden was given to the last handful of standing corn； a reaper held the top of the bunch while she cut it.
Afterwards the bunch was plaited， decked with ribbons， and hung up in a conspicuous place on the wall of the kitchen till the next Maiden was brought in. The harvest-supper in this neighbourhood was also called the Maiden； the reapers danced at it.
On some farms on the Gareloch， in Dumbartonshire， about the year 1830， the last handful of standing corn was called the Maiden. It was divided in two， plaited， and then cut with the sickle by a girl， who， it was thought， would be lucky and would soon be married. When it was cut the reapers gathered together and threw their sickles in the air. The Maiden was dressed with ribbons and hung in the kitchen near the roof， where it was kept for several years with the date attached. Sometimes five or six Maidens might be seen hanging at once on hooks. The harvest-supper was called the Kirn. In other farms on the Gareloch the last handful of corn was called the Maidenhead or the Head； it was neatly plaited， sometimes decked with ribbons， and hung in the kitchen for a year， when the grain was given to the poultry.
In Aberdeenshire the last sheaf cut， or 'Maiden，' is carried home in merry procession by the harvesters. It is then presented to the mistress of the house， who dresses it up to be preserved till the first mare foals. The Maiden is then taken down and presented to the mare as its first food. The neglect of this would have untoward effects upon the foal， and disastrous consequences upon farm operations generally for the season. In the north-east of Aberdeenshire the last sheaf is commonly called the clyack sheaf. It used to be cut by the youngest girl present and was dressed as a woman. Being brought home in triumph， it was kept till Christmas morning， and then given to a mare in foal， if there was one on the farm， or， if there was not， to the oldest cow in calf. Elsewhere the sheaf was divided between all the cows and their calves or between all the horses and the cattle of the farm. In Fifeshire the last handful of corn， known as the Maiden， is cut by a young girl and made into the rude figure of a doll， tied with ribbons， by which it is hung on the wall of the farm-kitchen till the next spring. The custom of cutting the Maiden at harvest was also observed in Inverness-shire and Sutherlandshire.
A somewhat maturer but still youthful age is assigned to the corn-spirit by the appellations of Bride， Oats-bride， and Wheat-bride， which in Germany are sometimes bestowed both on the last sheaf and on the woman who binds it.
At wheat-harvest near Müglitz， in Moravia， a small portion of the wheat is left standing after all the rest has been reaped. This remnant is then cut， amid the rejoicing of the reapers， by a young girl who wears a wreath of wheaten ears on her head and goes by the name of the Wheat-bride. It is supposed that she will be a real bride that same year. Near Roslin and Stonehaven， in Scotland， the last handful of corn cut got the name of 'the bride，' and she was placed over the bress or chimney-piece； she had a ribbon tied below her numerous ears， and another round her waist.
Sometimes the idea implied by the name of Bride is worked out more fully by representing the productive powers of vegetation as bride and bridegroom.
