the golden bough-第147章

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s　fact　alone　seems　fatal　to　the　interpretation　of　the　myth　as　descriptive　of　sunset　and　sunrise。　Again；　though　the　sun　may　be　said　to　die　daily；　in　what　sense　can　he　be　said　to　be　torn　in　pieces？

In　the　course　of　our　enquiry　it　has；　I　trust；　been　made　clear　that　there　is　another　natural　phenomenon　to　which　the　conception　of　death　and　resurrection　is　as　applicable　as　to　sunset　and　sunrise；　and　which；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　has　been　so　conceived　and　represented　in　folk…custom。　That　phenomenon　is　the　annual　growth　and　decay　of　vegetation。　A　strong　reason　for　interpreting　the　death　of　Osiris　as　the　decay　of　vegetation　rather　than　as　the　sunset　is　to　be　found　in　the　general；　though　not　unanimous；　voice　of　antiquity；　which　classed　together　the　worship　and　myths　of　Osiris；　Adonis；　Attis；　Dionysus；　and　Demeter；　as　religions　of　essentially　the　same　type。　The　consensus　of　ancient　opinion　on　this　subject　seems　too　great　to　be　rejected　as　a　mere　fancy。　So　closely　did　the　rites　of　Osiris　resemble　those　of　Adonis　at　Byblus　that　some　of　the　people　of　Byblus　themselves　maintained　that　it　was　Osiris　and　not　Adonis　whose　death　was　mourned　by　them。　Such　a　view　could　certainly　not　have　been　held　if　the　rituals　of　the　two　gods　had　not　been　so　alike　as　to　be　almost　indistinguishable。　Herodotus　found　the　similarity　between　the　rites　of　Osiris　and　Dionysus　so　great；　that　he　thought　it　impossible　the　latter　could　have　arisen　independently；　they　must；　he　supposed；　have　been　recently　borrowed；　with　slight　alterations；　by　the　Greeks　from　the　Egyptians。　Again；　Plutarch；　a　very　keen　student　of　comparative　religion；　insists　upon　the　detailed　resemblance　of　the　rites　of　Osiris　to　those　of　Dionysus。　We　cannot　reject　the　evidence　of　such　intelligent　and　trustworthy　witnesses　on　plain　matters　of　fact　which　fell　under　their　own　cognizance。　Their　explanations　of　the　worships　it　is　indeed　possible　to　reject；　for　the　meaning　of　religious　cults　is　often　open　to　question；　but　resemblances　of　ritual　are　matters　of　observation。　Therefore；　those　who　explain　Osiris　as　the　sun　are　driven　to　the　alternative　of　either　dismissing　as　mistaken　the　testimony　of　antiquity　to　the　similarity　of　the　rites　of　Osiris；　Adonis；　Attis；　Dionysus；　and　Demeter；　or　of　interpreting　all　these　rites　as　sun…worship。　No　modern　scholar　has　fairly　faced　and　accepted　either　side　of　this　alternative。　To　accept　the　former　would　be　to　affirm　that　we　know　the　rites　of　these　deities　better　than　the　men　who　practised；　or　at　least　who　witnessed　them。　To　accept　the　latter　would　involve　a　wrenching；　clipping；　mangling；　and　distorting　of　myth　and　ritual　from　which　even　Macrobius　shrank。　On　the　other　hand；　the　view　that　the　essence　of　all　these　rites　was　the　mimic　death　and　revival　of　vegetation；　explains　them　separately　and　collectively　in　an　easy　and　natural　way；　and　harmonises　with　the　general　testimony　borne　by　the　ancients　to　their　substantial　similarity。

Chapter　43。　Dionysus。

IN　THE　PRECEDING　chapters　we　saw　that　in　antiquity　the　civilised　nations　of　Western　Asia　and　Egypt　pictured　to　themselves　the　changes　of　the　seasons；　and　particularly　the　annual　growth　and　decay　of　vegetation；　as　episodes　in　the　life　of　gods；　whose　mournful　death　and　happy　resurrection　they　celebrated　with　dramatic　rites　of　alternate　lamentation　and　rejoicing。　But　if　the　celebration　was　in　form　dramatic；　it　was　in　substance　magical；　that　is　to　say；　it　was　intended；　on　the　principles　of　sympathetic　magic；　to　ensure　the　vernal　regeneration　of　plants　and　the　multiplication　of　animals；　which　had　seemed　to　be　menaced　by　the　inroads　of　winter。　In　the　ancient　world；　however；　such　ideas　and　such　rites　were　by　no　means　confined　to　the　Oriental　peoples　of　Babylon　and　Syria；　of　Phrygia　and　Egypt；　they　were　not　a　product　peculiar　to　the　religious　mysticism　of　the　dreamy　East；　but　were　shared　by　the　races　of　livelier　fancy　and　more　mercurial　temperament　who　inhabited　the　shores　and　islands　of　the　Aegean。　We　need　not；　with　some　enquirers　in　ancient　and　modern　times；　suppose　that　these　Western　peoples　borrowed　from　the　older　civilisation　of　the　Orient　the　conception　of　the　Dying　and　Reviving　God；　together　with　the　solemn　ritual；　in　which　that　conception　was　dramatically　set　forth　before　the　eyes　of　the　worshippers。　More　probably　the　resemblance　which　may　be　traced　in　this　respect　between　the　religions　of　the　East　and　West　is　no　more　than　what　we　commonly；　though　incorrectly；　call　a　fortuitous　coincidence；　the　effect　of　similar　causes　acting　alike　on　the　similar　constitution　of　the　human　mind　in　different　countries　and　under　different　skies。　The　Greek　had　no　need　to　journey　into　far　countries　to　learn　the　vicissitudes　of　the　seasons；　to　mark　the　fleeting　beauty　of　the　damask　rose；　the　transient　glory　of　the　golden　corn；　the　passing　splendour　of　the　purple　grapes。　Year　by　year　in　his　own　beautiful　land　he　beheld；　with　natural　regret；　the　bright　pomp　of　summer　fading　into　the　gloom　and　stagnation　of　winter；　and　year　by　year　he　hailed　with　natural　delight　the　outburst　of　fresh　life　in　spring。　Accustomed　to　personify　the　forces　of　nature；　to　tinge　her　cold　abstractions　with　the　warm　hues　of　imagination；　to　clothe　her　naked　realities　with　the　gorgeous　drapery　of　a　mythic　fancy；　he　fashioned　for　himself　a　train　of　gods　and　goddesses；　of　spirits　and　elves；　out　of　the　shifting　panorama　of　the　seasons；　and　followed　the　annual　fluctuations　of　their　fortunes　with　alternate　emotions　of　cheerfulness　and　dejection；　of　gladness　and　sorrow；　which　found　their　natural　expression　in　alternate　rites　of　rejoicing　and　lamentation；　of　revelry　and　mourning。　A　consideration　of　some　of　the　Greek　divinities　who　thus　died　and　rose　again　from　the　dead　may　furnish　us　with　a　series　of　companion　pictures　to　set　side　by　side　with　the　sad　figures　of　Adonis；　Attis；　and　Osiris。　We　begin　with　Dionysus。

The　god　Dionysus　or　Bacchus　is　best　known　to　us　as　a　personification　of　the　vine　and　of　the　exhilaration　produced　by　the　juice　of　the　grape。　His　ecstatic　worship；　characterised　by　wild　dances；　thrilling　music；　and　tipsy　excess；　appears　to　have　originated　among　the　rude　tribes　of　Thrace；　who　were　notoriously　addicted　to　drunkenness。　Its　mystic　doctrines　and　extravagant　rites　were　essentially　foreign　to　the　clear　intelligence　and　sober　temperament　of　the　Greek　race。　Yet　appealing　as　it　did　to　that　love　of　mystery　and　that　proneness　to　revert　to　savagery　which　seem　to　be　innate　in　most　men；　the　religion　spread　like　wildfire　through　Greece　until　the　god　whom　Homer　hardly　deigned　to　notice　had　become　the　most　popular　figure　of　the　pantheon。　The　resemblance　which　his　story　and　his　ceremonies　present　to　those　of　Osiris　have　led　some　enquirers　both　in　ancient　and　modern　times　to　hold　that　Dionysus　was　merely　a　disguised　Osiris；　imported　directly　from　Egypt　into　Greece。　But　the　great　preponderance　of　evidence　points　to　his　Thracian　origin；　and　the　similarity　of　the　two　worships　is　sufficiently　explained　by　the　similarity　of　the　ideas　and　customs　on　which　they　were　founded。

While　the　vine　with　its　clusters　was　the　most　characteristic　manifestation　of　Dionysus；　he　was　also　a　god　of　trees　in　general。　Thus　we　are　told　that　almost　all　the　Greeks　sacrificed　to　Dionysus　of　the　tree。　In　Boeotia　one　of　his　titles　was　Dionysus　in　the　tree。　His　image　was　often　merely　an　upright　post；　without　arms；　but　draped　in　a　mantle；　with　a　bearded　mask　to　represent　the　head；　and　with　leafy　boughs　projecting　from　the　head　or　body　to　show　the　nature　of　the　deity。　On　a　vase　his　rude　effigy　is　depicted　appearing　out　of　a　low　tree　or　bush。　At　Magnesia　on　the　Maeander　an　image　of　Dionysus　is　said　to　have　been　found　in　a　plane…tree；　which　had　been　broken　by　the　wind。　He　was　the　patron　of　cultivated　trees：　prayers　were　offered　to　him　that　he　would　make　the　trees　grow；　and　he　was　especially　honoured　by　husbandmen；　chiefly　fruit…growers；　who　set　up　an　image　of　him；　in　the　shape　of　a　natural　tree…stump；　in　their　orchards。　He　was　said　to　have　discovered　all　tree…fruits；　amongst　which　apples　and　figs　are　particularly　mentioned；　and　he　was　referred　to　as　well…fruited；　he　of　the　green　fruit；　and　making　the　fruit　to　grow。　One　of　his　titles　was　teeming　or　bursting　（as　of　sap　or　blossoms）；　and　there　was　a　Flowery　Dionysus　in　Atti