the golden bough-第143部分

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　sacred　creature；　the　slaughter　of　which　was　sacrilege　or　murder。　This　is　borne　out　by　a　statement　of　Varro　that　to　kill　an　OX　was　formerly　a　capital　crime　in　Attica。　The　mode　of　selecting　the　victim　suggests　that　the　OX　which　tasted　the　corn　was　viewed　as　the　corn…deity　taking　possession　of　his　own。　This　interpretation　is　supported　by　the　following　custom。　In　Beauce；　in　the　district　of　Orleans；　on　the　twenty…fourth　or　twenty…fifth　of　April　they　make　a　straw　man　called　the　great　mondard。　For　they　say　that　the　old　mondard　is　now　dead　and　it　is　necessary　to　make　a　new　one。　The　straw　man　is　carried　in　solemn　procession　up　and　down　the　village　and　at　last　is　placed　upon　the　oldest　apple…tree。　There　he　remains　till　the　apples　are　gathered；　when　he　is　taken　down　and　thrown　into　the　water；　or　he　is　burned　and　his　ashes　cast　into　water。　But　the　person　who　plucks　the　first　fruit　from　the　tree　succeeds　to　the　title　of　the　great　mondard。　Here　the　straw　figure；　called　the　great　mondard　and　placed　on　the　oldest　apple…tree　in　spring；　represents　the　spirit　of　the　tree；　who；　dead　in　winter；　revives　when　the　apple…blossoms　appear　on　the　boughs。　Thus　the　person　who　plucks　the　first　fruit　from　the　tree　and　thereby　receives　the　name　of　the　great　mondard　must　be　regarded　as　a　representative　of　the　tree…spirit。　Primitive　peoples　are　usually　reluctant　to　taste　the　annual　first…fruits　of　any　crop；　until　some　ceremony　has　been　performed　which　makes　it　safe　and　pious　for　them　to　do　so。　The　reason　of　this　reluctance　appears　to　be　a　belief　that　the　first…fruits　either　belong　to　or　actually　contain　a　divinity。　Therefore　when　a　man　or　animal　is　seen　boldly　to　appropriate　the　sacred　first…fruits；　he　or　it　is　naturally　regarded　as　the　divinity　himself　in　human　or　animal　form　taking　possession　of　his　own。　The　time　of　the　Athenian　sacrifice；　which　fell　about　the　close　of　the　threshing；　suggests　that　the　wheat　and　barley　laid　upon　the　altar　were　a　harvest　offering；　and　the　sacramental　character　of　the　subsequent　repastall　partaking　of　the　flesh　of　the　divine　animalwould　make　it　parallel　to　the　harvest…suppers　of　modern　Europe；　in　which；　as　we　have　seen；　the　flesh　of　the　animal　which　stands　for　the　corn…spirit　is　eaten　by　the　harvesters。　Again；　the　tradition　that　the　sacrifice　was　instituted　in　order　to　put　an　end　to　drought　and　famine　is　in　favour　of　taking　it　as　a　harvest　festival。　The　resurrection　of　the　corn…spirit；　enacted　by　setting　up　the　stuffed　OX　and　yoking　it　to　the　plough；　may　be　compared　with　the　resurrection　of　the　tree…spirit　in　the　person　of　his　representative；　the　Wild　Man。

The　OX　appears　as　a　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　in　other　parts　of　the　world。　At　Great　Bassam；　in　Guinea；　two　oxen　are　slain　annually　to　procure　a　good　harvest。　If　the　sacrifice　is　to　be　effectual；　it　is　necessary　that　the　oxen　should　weep。　So　all　the　women　of　the　village　sit　in　front　of　the　beasts；　chanting；　The　OX　will　weep；　yes；　he　will　weep！　From　time　to　time　one　of　the　women　walks　round　the　beasts；　throwing　manioc　meal　or　palm　wine　upon　them；　especially　into　their　eyes。　When　tears　roll　down　from　the　eyes　of　the　oxen；　the　people　dance；　singing；　The　OX　weeps！　the　OX　weeps！　Then　two　men　seize　the　tails　of　the　beasts　and　cut　them　off　at　one　blow。　It　is　believed　that　a　great　misfortune　will　happen　in　the　course　of　the　year　if　the　tails　are　not　severed　at　one　blow。　The　oxen　are　afterwards　killed；　and　their　flesh　is　eaten　by　the　chiefs。　Here　the　tears　of　the　oxen；　like　those　of　the　human　victims　amongst　the　Khonds　and　the　Aztecs；　are　probably　a　rain…charm。　We　have　already　seen　that　the　virtue　of　the　corn…spirit；　embodied　in　animal　form；　is　sometimes　supposed　to　reside　in　the　tail；　and　that　the　last　handful　of　corn　is　sometimes　conceived　as　the　tail　of　the　corn…spirit。　In　the　Mithraic　religion　this　conception　is　graphically　set　forth　in　some　of　the　numerous　sculptures　which　represent　Mithras　kneeling　on　the　back　of　a　bull　and　plunging　a　knife　into　its　flank；　for　on　certain　of　these　monuments　the　tail　of　the　bull　ends　in　three　stalks　of　corn；　and　in　one　of　them　corn…stalks　instead　of　blood　are　seen　issuing　from　the　wound　inflicted　by　the　knife。　Such　representations　certainly　suggest　that　the　bull；　whose　sacrifice　appears　to　have　formed　a　leading　feature　in　the　Mithraic　ritual；　was　conceived；　in　one　at　least　of　its　aspects；　as　an　incarnation　of　the　corn…spirit。

Still　more　clearly　does　the　ox　appear　as　a　personification　of　the　corn…spirit　in　a　ceremony　which　is　observed　in　all　the　provinces　and　districts　of　China　to　welcome　the　approach　of　spring。　On　the　first　day　of　spring；　usually　on　the　third　or　fourth　of　February；　which　is　also　the　beginning　of　the　Chinese　New　Year；　the　governor　or　prefect　of　the　city　goes　in　procession　to　the　east　gate　of　the　city；　and　sacrifices　to　the　Divine　Husbandman；　who　is　represented　with　a　bull's　head　on　the　body　of　a　man。　A　large　effigy　of　an　ox；　cow；　or　buffalo　has　been　prepared　for　the　occasion；　and　stands　outside　of　the　east　gate；　with　agricultural　implements　beside　it。　The　figure　is　made　of　differently…coloured　pieces　of　paper　pasted　on　a　framework　either　by　a　blind　man　or　according　to　the　directions　of　a　necromancer。　The　colours　of　the　paper　prognosticate　the　character　of　the　coming　year；　if　red　prevails；　there　will　be　many　fires；　if　white；　there　will　be　floods　and　rain；　and　so　with　the　other　colours。　The　mandarins　walk　slowly　round　the　ox；　beating　it　severely　at　each　step　with　rods　of　various　hues。　It　is　filled　with　five　kinds　of　grain；　which　pour　forth　when　the　effigy　is　broken　by　the　blows　of　the　rods。　The　paper　fragments　are　then　set　on　fire；　and　a　scramble　takes　place　for　the　burning　fragments；　because　the　people　believe　that　whoever　gets　one　of　them　is　sure　to　be　fortunate　throughout　the　year。　A　live　buffalo　is　next　killed；　and　its　flesh　is　divided　among　the　mandarins。　According　to　one　account；　the　effigy　of　the　ox　is　made　of　clay；　and；　after　being　beaten　by　the　governor；　is　stoned　by　the　people　till　they　break　it　in　pieces；　from　which　they　expect　an　abundant　year。　Here　the　corn…spirit　appears　to　be　plainly　represented　by　the　corn…filled　ox；　whose　fragments　may　therefore　be　supposed　to　bring　fertility　with　them。

On　the　whole　we　may　perhaps　conclude　that　both　as　a　goat　and　as　a　bull　Dionysus　was　essentially　a　god　of　vegetation。　The　Chinese　and　European　customs　which　I　have　cited　may　perhaps　shed　light　on　the　custom　of　rending　a　live　bull　or　goat　at　the　rites　of　Dionysus。　The　animal　was　torn　in　fragments；　as　the　Khond　victim　was　cut　in　pieces；　in　order　that　the　worshippers　might　each　secure　a　portion　of　the　life…giving　and　fertilising　influence　of　the　god。　The　flesh　was　eaten　raw　as　a　sacrament；　and　we　may　conjecture　that　some　of　it　was　taken　home　to　be　buried　in　the　fields；　or　otherwise　employed　so　as　to　convey　to　the　fruits　of　the　earth　the　quickening　influence　of　the　god　of　vegetation。　The　resurrection　of　Dionysus；　related　in　his　myth；　may　have　been　enacted　in　his　rites　by　stuffing　and　setting　up　the　slain　ox；　as　was　done　at　the　Athenian　bouphonia。

2。　Demeter；　the　Pig　and　the　Horse。

PASSING　next　to　the　corn…goddess　Demeter；　and　remembering　that　in　European　folk…lore　the　pig　is　a　common　embodiment　of　the　corn…spirit；　we　may　now　ask　whether　the　pig；　which　was　so　closely　associated　with　Demeter；　may　not　have　been　originally　the　goddess　herself　in　animal　form。　The　pig　was　sacred　to　her；　in　art　she　was　portrayed　carrying　or　accompanied　by　a　pig；　and　the　pig　was　regularly　sacrificed　in　her　mysteries；　the　reason　assigned　being　that　the　pig　injures　the　corn　and　is　therefore　an　enemy　of　the　goddess。　But　after　an　animal　has　been　conceived　as　a　god；　or　a　god　as　an　animal；　it　sometimes　happens；　as　we　have　seen；　that　the　god　sloughs　off　his　animal　form　and　becomes　purely　anthropomorphic；　and　that　then　the　animal；　which　at　first　had　been　slain　in　the　character　of　the　god；　comes　to　be　viewed　as　a　victim　offered　to　the　god　on　the　ground　of　its　hostility　to　the　deity；　in　short；　the　god　is　sacrificed　to　himself　on　the　ground　that　he　is　his　own　enemy。　This　happened　to　Dionysus；　and　it　may　have　happened　to　Demeter　also。　And　in　fact　the　rites　of　one　of　her　festivals；　the　Thesmophoria；　bear　out　the　view　that　originally　the　pig　was　an　embodiment　of　the　corn…goddess　herself；　either　Demeter　or　her　daughter　and　double　Persephone。　The　Attic　Thesmophoria　was　an　autumn　festival；　celebrated　by　women　alone　in　October；　and　appears　to　have　represented　with　mourning　rites　the　descent　of　Persephone　（or　Demeter）　into　the　lower　world；　and　with　joy　her　return　from　the　dead。　Hence　the　name　Descent　or　Ascent　variously　applied　to　the　first；　and　the　name　Kalligeneia　（fair…born）　applied　to　the　third　day　of　the　festival。　Now　it　was　customary　at　the　Thesmophoria　to　throw　pigs；　cakes　of　dough；　and　branches　of　pine…trees　into　the　chasms　of　Demeter　and　Persephone；　which　appear　to　have　been　sacred　caverns　or　vaults。　In　these　caverns　or　vaults　there　were　said　to　be　serpents；　which　guarded　the　caverns　and　consumed　most　of　the　flesh　of　the　pigs　and　dough…cakes　which　were　thrown　in。

Afterwardsapparently　at　the　next　annual　festivalthe　decayed　remains　of　the　pigs；　the　cakes；　and　the　pine…branches　were　fetched　by　women　called　drawers；　who；　after　observing　rules　of　ceremonial　purity　for　three　days；　descended　into　the　caverns；　and；　frightening　away　the　serpents　by　clapping　their　hands；　brought　up　the　remains　and　placed　them　on　the　altar。　Whoever　got　a　piece　of　the　decayed　flesh　and　cakes；　and　sowed　it　with　the　seed…corn　in　his　field；　was　believed　to　be　sure　of　a　good　crop。

To　explain　the　rude　and　ancient　ritual　of　the　Thesmophoria　the　following　legend　was　told。　At　the　moment　when　Pluto　carried　off　Persephone；　a　swineherd　called　Eubuleus　chanced　to　be　herding　his　swine　on　the　spot；　and　his　herd　was　engulfed　in　the　chasm　down　which　Pluto　vanished　with　Persephone。　Accordingly　at　the　Thesmophoria　pigs　were　annually　thrown　into　caverns　to　commemorate　the　disappearance　of　the　swine　of　Eubuleus。　It　follows　from　this　that　the　casting　of　the　pigs　into　the　vaults　at　the　Thesmophoria　formed　part　of　the　dramatic　representation　of　Persephone's　descent　into　the　lower　world；　and　as　no　image　of　Persephone　appears　to　have　been　thrown　in；　we　may　infer　that　the　descent　of　the　pigs　was　not　so　much　an　accom