are a form of straw work associated with harvest Primitive
communities believed that the corn spirit lived amongst the
crop, and the harvest made it effectively homeless. Therefore,
they fashioned hollow shapes from the last sheaf of wheat or
other cereal crop. The corn spirit would then spend the winter
in their homes until the "corn dolly" was ploughed into the
first furrow of the new season. "Dolly" is a corruption of idol
In Britain, the materials used are mainly wheat, oats, rye and
barley. In Ireland, rush was used, and in the south of France,
palm leaves. In Burma, the rice plant is used. With the advent
of the Combine harvester[?], the old-fashioned, long-stemmed and
hollow-stemmed wheat varieties were replaced with knee-high,
pithy varieties. However, a number of English farmers are still
growing the traditional varieties, mainly because they are in
demand with thatchers. Some traditional varieties: Maris
Widgeon, Squarehead Master, Elite Le Peuple. Corn Dollies and
other similar straw work can be di