the golden bough-第162章

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wer　one；　whose　relationship　to　the　old　spirit　was　variously　explained　as　that　of　brother；　husband；　and　son；　for　of　course　mythology　would　always　be　free　to　account　for　the　coexistence　of　the　two　divinities　in　more　ways　than　one。　It　must　not；　however；　be　forgotten　that　this　proposed　explanation　of　such　pairs　of　deities　as　Demeter　and　Persephone　or　Isis　and　Osiris　is　purely　conjectural；　and　is　only　given　for　what　it　is　worth。

Chapter　47。　Lityerses。

1。　Songs　of　the　Corn　Reapers。

IN　THE　PRECEDING　pages　an　attempt　has　been　made　to　show　that　in　the　Corn…mother　and　Harvest…maiden　of　Northern　Europe　we　have　the　prototypes　of　Demeter　and　Persephone。　But　an　essential　feature　is　still　wanting　to　complete　the　resemblance。　A　leading　incident　in　the　Greek　myth　is　the　death　and　resurrection　of　Persephone；　it　is　this　incident　which；　coupled　with　the　nature　of　the　goddess　as　a　deity　of　vegetation；　links　the　myth　with　the　cults　of　Adonis；　Attis；　Osiris；　and　Dionysus；　and　it　is　in　virtue　of　this　incident　that　the　myth　finds　a　place　in　our　discussion　of　the　Dying　God。　It　remains；　therefore；　to　see　whether　the　conception　of　the　annual　death　and　resurrection　of　a　god；　which　figures　so　prominently　in　these　great　Greek　and　Oriental　worships；　has　not　also　its　origin　or　its　analogy　in　the　rustic　rites　observed　by　reapers　and　vine…dressers　amongst　the　corn…shocks　and　the　vines。

Our　general　ignorance　of　the　popular　superstitions　and　customs　of　the　ancients　has　already　been　confessed。　But　the　obscurity　which　thus　hangs　over　the　first　beginnings　of　ancient　religion　is　fortunately　dissipated　to　some　extent　in　the　present　case。　The　worships　of　Osiris；　Adonis；　and　Attis　had　their　respective　seats；　as　we　have　seen；　in　Egypt；　Syria；　and　Phrygia；　and　in　each　of　these　countries　certain　harvest　and　vintage　customs　are　known　to　have　been　observed；　the　resemblance　of　which　to　each　other　and　to　the　national　rites　struck　the　ancients　themselves；　and；　compared　with　the　harvest　customs　of　modern　peasants　and　barbarians；　seems　to　throw　some　light　on　the　origin　of　the　rites　in　question。

It　has　been　already　mentioned；　on　the　authority　of　Diodorus；　that　in　ancient　Egypt　the　reapers　were　wont　to　lament　over　the　first　sheaf　cut；　invoking　Isis　as　the　goddess　to　whom　they　owed　the　discovery　of　corn。　To　the　plaintive　song　or　cry　sung　or　uttered　by　Egyptian　reapers　the　Greeks　gave　the　name　of　Maneros；　and　explained　the　name　by　a　story　that　Maneros；　the　only　son　of　the　first　Egyptian　king；　invented　agriculture；　and；　dying　an　untimely　death；　was　thus　lamented　by　the　people。　It　appears；　however；　that　the　name　Maneros　is　due　to　a　misunderstanding　of　the　formula　maa…ne…hra；　Come　to　the　house；　which　has　been　discovered　in　various　Egyptian　writings；　for　example　in　the　dirge　of　Isis　in　the　Book　of　the　Dead。　Hence　we　may　suppose　that　the　cry　maa…ne…hra　was　chanted　by　the　reapers　over　the　cut　corn　as　a　dirge　for　the　death　of　the　corn…spirit　（Isis　or　Osiris）　and　a　prayer　for　its　return。　As　the　cry　was　raised　over　the　first　ears　reaped；　it　would　seem　that　the　corn…spirit　was　believed　by　the　Egyptians　to　be　present　in　the　first　corn　cut　and　to　die　under　the　sickle。　We　have　seen　that　in　the　Malay　Peninsula　and　Java　the　first　ears　of　rice　are　taken　to　represent　either　the　Soul　of　the　Rice　or　the　Rice…bride　and　the　Rice…bridegroom。　In　parts　of　Russia　the　first　sheaf　is　treated　much　in　the　same　way　that　the　last　sheaf　is　treated　elsewhere。　It　is　reaped　by　the　mistress　herself；　taken　home　and　set　in　the　place　of　honour　near　the　holy　pictures；　afterwards　it　is　threshed　separately；　and　some　of　its　grain　is　mixed　with　the　next　year's　seed…corn。　In　Aberdeenshire；　while　the　last　corn　cut　was　generally　used　to　make　the　clyack　sheaf；　it　was　sometimes；　though　rarely；　the　first　corn　cut　that　was　dressed　up　as　a　woman　and　carried　home　with　ceremony。

In　Phoenicia　and　Western　Asia　a　plaintive　song；　like　that　chanted　by　the　Egyptian　corn…reapers；　was　sung　at　the　vintage　and　probably　（to　judge　by　analogy）　also　at　harvest。　This　Phoenician　song　was　called　by　the　Greeks　Linus　or　Ailinus　and　explained；　like　Maneros；　as　a　lament　for　the　death　of　a　youth　named　Linus。　According　to　one　story　Linus　was　brought　up　by　a　shepherd；　but　torn　to　pieces　by　his　dogs。　But；　like　Maneros；　the　name　Linus　or　Ailinus　appears　to　have　originated　in　a　verbal　misunderstanding；　and　to　be　nothing　more　than　the　cry　ai　lanu；　that　is　Woe　to　us；　which　the　Phoenicians　probably　uttered　in　mourning　for　Adonis；　at　least　Sappho　seems　to　have　regarded　Adonis　and　Linus　as　equivalent。

In　Bithynia　a　like　mournful　ditty；　called　Bormus　or　Borimus；　was　chanted　by　Mariandynian　reapers。　Bormus　was　said　to　have　been　a　handsome　youth；　the　son　of　King　Upias　or　of　a　wealthy　and　distinguished　man。　One　summer　day；　watching　the　reapers　at　work　in　his　fields；　he　went　to　fetch　them　a　drink　of　water　and　was　never　heard　of　more。　So　the　reapers　sought　for　him；　calling　him　in　plaintive　strains；　which　they　continued　to　chant　at　harvest　ever　afterwards。

2。　Killing　the　Corn…spirit。

IN　PHRYGIA　the　corresponding　song；　sung　by　harvesters　both　at　reaping　and　at　threshing；　was　called　Lityerses。　According　to　one　story；　Lityerses　was　a　bastard　son　of　Midas；　King　of　Phrygia；　and　dwelt　at　Celaenae。　He　used　to　reap　the　corn；　and　had　an　enormous　appetite。　When　a　stranger　happened　to　enter　the　corn…field　or　to　pass　by　it；　Lityerses　gave　him　plenty　to　eat　and　drink；　then　took　him　to　the　corn…fields　on　the　banks　of　the　Maeander　and　compelled　him　to　reap　along　with　him。　Lastly；　it　was　his　custom　to　wrap　the　stranger　in　a　sheaf；　cut　off　his　head　with　a　sickle；　and　carry　away　his　body；　swathed　in　the　corn…stalks。　But　at　last　Hercules　undertook　to　reap　with　him；　cut　off　his　head　with　the　sickle；　and　threw　his　body　into　the　river。　As　Hercules　is　reported　to　have　slain　Lityerses　in　the　same　way　that　Lityerses　slew　others；　we　may　infer　that　Lityerses　used　to　throw　the　bodies　of　his　victims　into　the　river。　According　to　another　version　of　the　story；　Lityerses；　a　son　of　Midas；　was　wont　to　challenge　people　to　a　reaping　match　with　him；　and　if　he　vanquished　them　he　used　to　thrash　them；　but　one　day　he　met　with　a　stronger　reaper；　who　slew　him。

There　are　some　grounds　for　supposing　that　in　these　stories　of　Lityerses　we　have　the　description　of　a　Phrygian　harvest　custom　in　accordance　with　which　certain　persons；　especially　strangers　passing　the　harvest　field；　were　regularly　regarded　as　embodiments　of　the　corn…spirit；　and　as　such　were　seized　by　the　reapers；　wrapt　in　sheaves；　and　beheaded；　their　bodies；　bound　up　in　the　corn…stalks；　being　after…wards　thrown　into　water　as　a　rain…charm。　The　grounds　for　this　supposition　are；　first；　the　resemblance　of　the　Lityerses　story　to　the　harvest　customs　of　European　peasantry；　and；　second；　the　frequency　of　human　sacrifices　offered　by　savage　races　to　promote　the　fertility　of　the　fields。　We　will　examine　these　grounds　successively；　beginning　with　the　former。

In　comparing　the　story　with　the　harvest　customs　of　Europe；　three　points　deserve　special　attention；　namely：　I。　the　reaping　match　and　the　binding　of　persons　in　the　sheaves；　II。　the　killing　of　the　corn…spirit　or　his　representatives；　III。　the　treatment　of　visitors　to　the　harvest　field　or　of　strangers　passing　it。

I。　In　regard　to　the　first　head；　we　have　seen　that　in　modern　Europe　the　person　who　cuts　or　binds　or　threshes　the　last　sheaf　is　often　exposed　to　rough　treatment　at　the　hands　of　his　fellow…labourers。　For　example；　he　is　bound　up　in　the　last　sheaf；　and；　thus　encased；　is　carried　or　carted　about；　beaten；　drenched　with　water；　thrown　on　a　dunghill；　and　so　forth。　Or；　if　he　is　spared　this　horse…play；　he　is　at　least　the　subject　of　ridicule　or　is　thought　to　be　destined　to　suffer　some　misfortune　in　the　course　of　the　year。　Hence　the　harvesters　are　naturally　reluctant　to　give　the　last　cut　at　reaping　or　the　last　stroke　at　threshing　or　to　bind　the　last　sheaf；　and　towards　the　close　of　the　work　this　reluctance　produces　an　emulation　among　the　labourers；　each　striving　to　finish　his　task　as　fast　as　possible；　in　order　that　he　may　escape　the　invidious　distinction　of　being　last。　For　example；　in　the　Mittelmark　district　of　Prussia；　when　the　rye　has　been　reaped；　and　the　last　sheaves　are　about　to　be　tied　up；　the　binders