the golden bough-第151章

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is　revelation　accords　perfectly　with　the　veiled　hint　of　the　old　poet。　On　the　whole；　then；　we　may；　with　many　modern　scholars；　confidently　accept　the　statement　of　the　learned　Christian　father　Clement　of　Alexandria；　that　the　myth　of　Demeter　and　Persephone　was　acted　as　a　sacred　drama　in　the　mysteries　of　Eleusis。

But　if　the　myth　was　acted　as　a　part；　perhaps　as　the　principal　part；　of　the　most　famous　and　solemn　religious　rites　of　ancient　Greece；　we　have　still　to　enquire；　What　was；　after　all；　stripped　of　later　accretions；　the　original　kernel　of　the　myth　which　appears　to　later　ages　surrounded　and　transfigured　by　an　aureole　of　awe　and　mystery；　lit　up　by　some　of　the　most　brilliant　rays　of　Grecian　literature　and　art？　If　we　follow　the　indications　given　by　our　oldest　literary　authority　on　the　subject；　the　author　of　the　Homeric　hymn　to　Demeter；　the　riddle　is　not　hard　to　read；　the　figures　of　the　two　goddesses；　the　mother　and　the　daughter；　resolve　themselves　into　personifications　of　the　corn。　At　least　this　appears　to　be　fairly　certain　for　the　daughter　Persephone。　The　goddess　who　spends　three　or；　according　to　another　version　of　the　myth；　six　months　of　every　year　with　the　dead　under　ground　and　the　remainder　of　the　year　with　the　living　above　ground；　in　whose　absence　the　barley　seed　is　hidden　in　the　earth　and　the　fields　lie　bare　and　fallow；　on　whose　return　in　spring　to　the　upper　world　the　corn　shoots　up　from　the　clods　and　the　earth　is　heavy　with　leaves　and　blossomsthis　goddess　can　surely　be　nothing　else　than　a　mythical　embodiment　of　the　vegetation；　and　particularly　of　the　corn；　which　is　buried　under　the　soil　for　some　months　of　every　winter　and　comes　to　life　again；　as　from　the　grave；　in　the　sprouting　cornstalks　and　the　opening　flowers　and　foliage　of　every　spring。　No　other　reasonable　and　probable　explanation　of　Persephone　seems　possible。　And　if　the　daughter　goddess　was　a　personification　of　the　young　corn　of　the　present　year；　may　not　the　mother　goddess　be　a　personification　of　the　old　corn　of　last　year；　which　has　given　birth　to　the　new　crops？　The　only　alternative　to　this　view　of　Demeter　would　seem　to　be　to　suppose　that　she　is　a　personification　of　the　earth；　from　whose　broad　bosom　the　corn　and　all　other　plants　spring　up；　and　of　which　accordingly　they　may　appropriately　enough　be　regarded　as　the　daughters。　This　view　of　the　original　nature　of　Demeter　has　indeed　been　taken　by　some　writers；　both　ancient　and　modern；　and　it　is　one　which　can　be　reasonably　maintained。　But　it　appears　to　have　been　rejected　by　the　author　of　the　Homeric　hymn　to　Demeter；　for　he　not　only　distinguishes　Demeter　from　the　personified　Earth　but　places　the　two　in　the　sharpest　opposition　to　each　other。　He　tells　us　that　it　was　Earth　who；　in　accordance　with　the　will　of　Zeus　and　to　please　Pluto；　lured　Persephone　to　her　doom　by　causing　the　narcissuses　to　grow　which　tempted　the　young　goddess　to　stray　far　beyond　the　reach　of　help　in　the　lush　meadow。　Thus　Demeter　of　the　hymn；　far　from　being　identical　with　the　Earth…goddess；　must　have　regarded　that　divinity　as　her　worst　enemy；　since　it　was　to　her　insidious　wiles　that　she　owed　the　loss　of　her　daughter。　But　if　the　Demeter　of　the　hymn　cannot　have　been　a　personification　of　the　earth；　the　only　alternative　apparently　is　to　conclude　that　she　was　a　personification　of　the　corn。

The　conclusion　is　confirmed　by　the　monuments；　for　in　ancient　art　Demeter　and　Persephone　are　alike　characterised　as　goddesses　of　the　corn　by　the　crowns　of　corn　which　they　wear　on　their　heads　and　by　the　stalks　of　corn　which　they　hold　in　their　hands。　Again；　it　was　Demeter　who　first　revealed　to　the　Athenians　the　secret　of　the　corn　and　diffused　the　beneficent　discovery　far　and　wide　through　the　agency　of　Triptolemus；　whom　she　sent　forth　as　an　itinerant　missionary　to　communicate　the　boon　to　all　mankind。　On　monuments　of　art；　especially　in　vase…paintings；　he　is　constantly　represented　along　with　Demeter　in　this　capacity；　holding　corn…stalks　in　his　hand　and　sitting　in　his　car；　which　is　sometimes　winged　and　sometimes　drawn　by　dragons；　and　from　which　he　is　said　to　have　sowed　the　seed　down　on　the　whole　world　as　he　sped　through　the　air。　In　gratitude　for　the　priceless　boon　many　Greek　cities　long　continued　to　send　the　first…fruits　of　their　barley　and　wheat　harvests　as　thank…offerings　to　the　Two　Goddesses；　Demeter　and　Persephone；　at　Eleusis；　where　subterranean　granaries　were　built　to　store　the　overflowing　contributions。　Theocritus　tells　how　in　the　island　of　Cos；　in　the　sweet…scented　summer　time；　the　farmer　brought　the　first…fruits　of　the　harvest　to　Demeter　who　had　filled　his　threshingfloor　with　barley；　and　whose　rustic　image　held　sheaves　and　poppies　in　her　hands。　Many　of　the　epithets　bestowed　by　the　ancients　on　Demeter　mark　her　intimate　association　with　the　corn　in　the　clearest　manner。

How　deeply　implanted　in　the　mind　of　the　ancient　Greeks　was　this　faith　in　Demeter　as　goddess　of　the　corn　may　be　judged　by　the　circumstance　that　the　faith　actually　persisted　among　their　Christian　descendants　at　her　old　sanctuary　of　Eleusis　down　to　the　beginning　of　the　nineteenth　century。　For　when　the　English　traveller　Dodwell　revisited　Eleusis；　the　inhabitants　lamented　to　him　the　loss　of　a　colossal　image　of　Demeter；　which　was　carried　off　by　Clarke　in　1802　and　presented　to　the　University　of　Cambridge；　where　it　still　remains。　In　my　first　journey　to　Greece；　says　Dodwell；　this　protecting　deity　was　in　its　full　glory；　situated　in　the　centre　of　a　threshing…floor；　amongst　the　ruins　of　her　temple。　The　villagers　were　impressed　with　a　persuasion　that　their　rich　harvests　were　the　effect　of　her　bounty；　and　since　her　removal；　their　abundance；　as　they　assured　me；　has　disappeared。　Thus　we　see　the　Corn　Goddess　Demeter　standing　on　the　threshing…floor　of　Eleusis　and　dispensing　corn　to　her　worshippers　in　the　nineteenth　century　of　the　Christian　era；　precisely　as　her　image　stood　and　dispensed　corn　to　her　worshippers　on　the　threshing…floor　of　Cos　in　the　days　of　Theocritus。　And　just　as　the　people　of　Eleusis　in　the　nineteenth　century　attributed　the　diminution　of　their　harvests　to　the　loss　of　the　image　of　Demeter；　so　in　antiquity　the　Sicilians；　a　corn…growing　people　devoted　to　the　worship　of　the　two　Corn　Goddesses；　lamented　that　the　crops　of　many　towns　had　perished　because　the　unscrupulous　Roman　governor　Verres　had　impiously　carried　off　the　image　of　Demeter　from　her　famous　temple　at　Henna。　Could　we　ask　for　a　clearer　proof　that　Demeter　was　indeed　the　goddess　of　the　corn　than　this　belief；　held　by　the　Greeks　down　to　modern　times；　that　the　corn…crops　depended　on　her　presence　and　bounty　and　perished　when　her　image　was　removed？

On　the　whole；　then；　if；　ignoring　theories；　we　adhere　to　the　evidence　of　the　ancients　themselves　in　regard　to　the　rites　of　Eleusis；　we　shall　probably　incline　to　agree　with　the　most　learned　of　ancient　antiquaries；　the　Roman　Varro；　who；　to　quote　Augustine's　report　of　his　opinion；　interpreted　the　whole　of　the　Eleusinian　mysteries　as　relating　to　the　corn　which　Ceres　（Demeter）　had　discovered；　and　to　Proserpine　（Persephone）；　whom　Pluto　had　carried　off　from　her。　And　Proserpine　herself　he　said；　signifies　the　fecundity　of　the　seeds；　the　failure　of　which　at　a　certain　time　had　caused　the　earth　to　mourn　for　barrenness；　and　therefore　had　given　rise　to　the　opinion　that　the　daughter　of　Ceres；　that　is；　fecundity　itself；　had　been　ravished　by　Pluto　and　detained　in　the　nether　world；　and　when　the　dearth　had　been　publicly　mourned　and　fecundity　had　returned　once　more；　there　was　gladness　at　the　return　of　Proserpine　and　solemn　rites　were　instituted　accordingly。　After　that　he　says；　continues　Augustine；　reporting　Varro；　that　many　things　were　taught　in　her　mysteries　which　had　no　reference　but　to　the　discovery　of　the　corn。

Thus　far　I　have　for　the　most　part　assumed　an　identity　of　nature　between　Demeter　and　Persephone；　the　divine　mother　and　daughter　personifying　the　corn　in　its　double　aspect　of　the　seed…corn　of　last　year　and　the　ripe　ears　of　this；　and　this　view　of　the　substantial　unity　of　mother　and　daughter　is　borne　out　by　their　portraits　in　Greek　art；　which　are　often　so　alike　as　to　be　indistinguishable。　Such　a　close　resemblance　between　the　artistic　types　of　Demeter　and　Persephone　militates　decidedly　against　the　view　that　the　two　goddesses　are　mythical