The principle of contagious magic implies that once things have been in contact, they stay connected and can continue to influence each other even when separated. This means that warriors and hunters can use body parts, fluids, or personal belongings to control over their enemies or prey. The text contrasts this with homeopathic magic, which works through the idea that like produces like. The text considers magic a flawed system that evolves into science over time.

The golden bough is the text’s central image, connecting all its lines of inquiry into the cultural and religious practices of different cultures over time. Based on the episode from The Aeneid, the golden bough is the branch Aeneas picked from the sacred grove at Nemi to protect him on his journey to the Underworld. The priests of Diana at Nemi also used the golden bough as a symbol of their desire to challenge the King of the Wood for his title. The context ended when one participant died in combat, and if the challenger succeeded, he became the next King of the Wood. The text notes that Aeneas’s story parallels the Greek myth of Orpheus, who had to carry a willow bough with him into the Underworld when he sought his wife, Eurydice.