the golden bough-第134章

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　of　the　Pietà　of　Christian　art；　the　Virgin　with　the　dead　body　of　her　divine　Son　in　her　lap；　of　which　the　most　celebrated　example　is　the　one　by　Michael　Angelo　in　St。　Peters。　That　noble　group；　in　which　the　living　sorrow　of　the　mother　contrasts　so　wonderfully　with　the　languor　of　death　in　the　son；　is　one　of　the　finest　compositions　in　marble。　Ancient　Greek　art　has　bequeathed　to　us　few　works　so　beautiful；　and　none　so　pathetic。

In　this　connexion　a　well…known　statement　of　Jerome　may　not　be　without　significance。　He　tells　us　that　Bethlehem；　the　traditionary　birthplace　of　the　Lord；　was　shaded　by　a　grove　of　that　still　older　Syrian　Lord；　Adonis；　and　that　where　the　infant　Jesus　had　wept；　the　lover　of　Venus　was　bewailed。　Though　he　does　not　expressly　say　so；　Jerome　seems　to　have　thought　that　the　grove　of　Adonis　had　been　planted　by　the　heathen　after　the　birth　of　Christ　for　the　purpose　of　defiling　the　sacred　spot。　In　this　he　may　have　been　mistaken。　If　Adonis　was　indeed；　as　I　have　argued；　the　spirit　of　the　corn；　a　more　suitable　name　for　his　dwelling…place　could　hardly　be　found　than　Bethlehem；　the　House　of　Bread；　and　he　may　well　have　been　worshipped　there　at　his　House　of　Bread　long　ages　before　the　birth　of　Him　who　said；　I　am　the　bread　of　life。　Even　on　the　hypothesis　that　Adonis　followed　rather　than　preceded　Christ　at　Bethlehem；　the　choice　of　his　sad　figure　to　divert　the　allegiance　of　Christians　from　their　Lord　cannot　but　strike　us　as　eminently　appropriate　when　we　remember　the　similarity　of　the　rites　which　commemorated　the　death　and　resurrection　of　the　two。　One　of　the　earliest　seats　of　the　worship　of　the　new　god　was　Antioch；　and　at　Antioch；　as　we　have　seen；　the　death　of　the　old　god　was　annually　celebrated　with　great　solemnity。　A　circumstance　which　attended　the　entrance　of　Julian　into　the　city　at　the　time　of　the　Adonis　festival　may　perhaps　throw　some　light　on　the　date　of　its　celebration。　When　the　emperor　drew　near　to　the　city　he　was　received　with　public　prayers　as　if　he　had　been　a　god；　and　he　marvelled　at　the　voices　of　a　great　multitude　who　cried　that　the　Star　of　Salvation　had　dawned　upon　them　in　the　East。　This　may　doubtless　have　been　no　more　than　a　fulsome　compliment　paid　by　an　obsequious　Oriental　crowd　to　the　Roman　emperor。　But　it　is　also　possible　that　the　rising　of　a　bright　star　regularly　gave　the　signal　for　the　festival；　and　that　as　chance　would　have　it　the　star　emerged　above　the　rim　of　the　eastern　horizon　at　the　very　moment　of　the　emperor's　approach。　The　coincidence；　if　it　happened；　could　hardly　fail　to　strike　the　imagination　of　a　superstitious　and　excited　multitude；　who　might　thereupon　hail　the　great　man　as　the　deity　whose　coming　was　announced　by　the　sign　in　the　heavens。　Or　the　emperor　may　have　mistaken　for　a　greeting　to　himself　the　shouts　which　were　addressed　to　the　star。　Now　Astarte；　the　divine　mistress　of　Adonis；　was　identified　with　the　planet　Venus；　and　her　changes　from　a　morning　to　an　evening　star　were　carefully　noted　by　the　Babylonian　astronomers；　who　drew　omens　from　her　alternate　appearance　and　disappearance。　Hence　we　may　conjecture　that　the　festival　of　Adonis　was　regularly　timed　to　coincide　with　the　appearance　of　Venus　as　the　Morning　or　Evening　Star。　But　the　star　which　the　people　of　Antioch　saluted　at　the　festival　was　seen　in　the　East；　therefore；　if　it　was　indeed　Venus；　it　can　only　have　been　the　Morning　Star。　At　Aphaca　in　Syria；　where　there　was　a　famous　temple　of　Astarte；　the　signal　for　the　celebration　of　the　rites　was　apparently　given　by　the　flashing　of　a　meteor；　which　on　a　certain　day　fell　like　a　star　from　the　top　of　Mount　Lebanon　into　the　river　Adonis。　The　meteor　was　thought　to　be　Astarte　herself；　and　its　flight　through　the　air　might　naturally　be　interpreted　as　the　descent　of　the　amorous　goddess　to　the　arms　of　her　lover。　At　Antioch　and　elsewhere　the　appearance　of　the　Morning　Star　on　the　day　of　the　festival　may　in　like　manner　have　been　hailed　as　the　coming　of　the　goddess　of　love　to　wake　her　dead　leman　from　his　earthy　bed。　If　that　were　so；　we　may　surmise　that　it　was　the　Morning　Star　which　guided　the　wise　men　of　the　East　to　Bethlehem；　the　hallowed　spot　which　heard；　in　the　language　of　Jerome；　the　weeping　of　the　infant　Christ　and　the　lament　for　Adonis。

Chapter　34。　The　Myth　and　Ritual　of　Attis。

ANOTHER　of　those　gods　whose　supposed　death　and　resurrection　struck　such　deep　roots　into　the　faith　and　ritual　of　Western　Asia　is　Attis。　He　was　to　Phrygia　what　Adonis　was　to　Syria。　Like　Adonis；　he　appears　to　have　been　a　god　of　vegetation；　and　his　death　and　resurrection　were　annually　mourned　and　rejoiced　over　at　a　festival　in　spring。　The　legends　and　rites　of　the　two　gods　were　so　much　alike　that　the　ancients　themselves　sometimes　identified　them。　Attis　was　said　to　have　been　a　fair　young　shepherd　or　herdsman　beloved　by　Cybele；　the　Mother　of　the　Gods；　a　great　Asiatic　goddess　of　fertility；　who　had　her　chief　home　in　Phrygia。　Some　held　that　Attis　was　her　son。　His　birth；　like　that　of　many　other　heroes；　is　said　to　have　been　miraculous。　His　mother；　Nana；　was　a　virgin；　who　conceived　by　putting　a　ripe　almond　or　a　pomegranate　in　her　bosom。　Indeed　in　the　Phrygian　cosmogony　an　almond　figured　as　the　father　of　all　things；　perhaps　because　its　delicate　lilac　blossom　is　one　of　the　first　heralds　of　the　spring；　appearing　on　the　bare　boughs　before　the　leaves　have　opened。　Such　tales　of　virgin　mothers　are　relics　of　an　age　of　childish　ignorance　when　men　had　not　yet　recognized　the　intercourse　of　the　sexes　as　the　true　cause　of　offspring。　Two　different　accounts　of　the　death　of　Attis　were　current。　According　to　the　one　he　was　killed　by　a　boar；　like　Adonis。　According　to　the　other　he　unmanned　himself　under　a　pine…tree；　and　bled　to　death　on　the　spot。　The　latter　is　said　to　have　been　the　local　story　told　by　the　people　of　Pessinus；　a　great　seat　of　the　worship　of　Cybele；　and　the　whole　legend　of　which　the　story　forms　a　part　is　stamped　with　a　character　of　rudeness　and　savagery　that　speaks　strongly　for　its　antiquity。　Both　tales　might　claim　the　support　of　custom；　or　rather　both　were　probably　invented　to　explain　certain　customs　observed　by　the　worshippers。　The　story　of　the　self…mutilation　of　Attis　is　clearly　an　attempt　to　account　for　the　self…mutilation　of　his　priests；　who　regularly　castrated　themselves　on　entering　the　service　of　the　goddess。　The　story　of　his　death　by　the　boar　may　have　been　told　to　explain　why　his　worshippers；　especially　the　people　of　Pessinus；　abstained　from　eating　swine。　In　like　manner　the　worshippers　of　Adonis　abstained　from　pork；　because　a　boar　had　killed　their　god。　After　his　death　Attis　is　said　to　have　been　changed　into　a　pine…tree。

The　worship　of　the　Phrygian　Mother　of　the　Gods　was　adopted　by　the　Romans　in　204　B。C。　towards　the　close　of　their　long　struggle　with　Hannibal。　For　their　drooping　spirits　had　been　opportunely　cheered　by　a　prophecy；　alleged　to　be　drawn　from　that　convenient　farrago　of　nonsense；　the　Sibylline　Books；　that　the　foreign　invader　would　be　driven　from　Italy　if　the　great　Oriental　goddess　were　brought　to　Rome。　Accordingly　ambassadors　were　despatched　to　her　sacred　city　Pessinus　in　Phrygia。　The　small　black　stone　which　embodied　the　mighty　divinity　was　entrusted　to　them　and　conveyed　to　Rome；　where　it　was　received　with　great　respect　and　installed　in　the　temple　of　Victory　on　the　Palatine　Hill。　It　was　the　middle　of　April　when　the　goddess　arrived；　and　she　went　to　work　at　once。　For　the　harvest　that　year　was　such　as　had　not　been　seen　for　many　a　long　day；　and　in　the　very　next　year　Hannibal　and　his　veterans　embarked　for　Africa。　As　he　looked　his　last　on　the　coast　of　Italy；　fading　behind　him　in　the　distance；　he　could　not　foresee　that　Europe；　which　had　repelled　the　arms；　would　yet　yield　to　the　gods；　of　the　Orient。　The　vanguard　of　the　conquerors　had　already　encamped　in　the　heart　of　Italy　before　the　rearguard　of　the　beaten　army　fell　sullenly　back　from　its　shores。

We　may　conjecture；　though　we　are　not　told；　that　the　Mother　of　the　Gods　brought　with　her　the　worship　of　her　youthful　lover　or　son　to　her　new　home　in　the　West。　Certainly　the　Romans　were　familiar　with　the　Galli；　the　emasculated　priests　of　Attis；　before　the　close　of　the　Republic。　These　unsexed　beings；　in　their　Oriental　costume；　with　little　images　suspended　on　their　breasts；　appear　to　have　been　a　familiar　sight