the golden bough-第169章

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corn…sheaf　and　throwing　him　into　the　water。　The　mournful　strain　which　the　reapers　sang　was　probably　a　lamentation　over　the　death　of　the　corn…spirit；　slain　either　in　the　cut　corn　or　in　the　person　of　a　human　representative；　and　the　call　which　they　addressed　to　him　may　have　been　a　prayer　that　he　might　return　in　fresh　vigour　next　year。

The　Phoenician　Linus　song　was　sung　at　the　vintage；　at　least　in　the　west　of　Asia　Minor；　as　we　learn　from　Homer；　and　this；　combined　with　the　legend　of　Syleus；　suggests　that　in　ancient　times　passing　strangers　were　handled　by　vintagers　and　vine…diggers　in　much　the　same　way　as　they　are　said　to　have　been　handled　by　the　reaper　Lityerses。　The　Lydian　Syleus；　so　ran　the　legend；　compelled　passers…by　to　dig　for　him　in　his　vineyard；　till　Hercules　came　and　killed　him　and　dug　up　his　vines　by　the　roots。　This　seems　to　be　the　outline　of　a　legend　like　that　of　Lityerses；　but　neither　ancient　writers　nor　modern　folk…custom　enable　us　to　fill　in　the　details。　But；　further；　the　Linus　song　was　probably　sung　also　by　Phoenician　reapers；　for　Herodotus　compares　it　to　the　Maneros　song；　which；　as　we　have　seen；　was　a　lament　raised　by　Egyptian　reapers　over　the　cut　corn。　Further；　Linus　was　identified　with　Adonis；　and　Adonis　has　some　claims　to　be　regarded　as　especially　a　corn…deity。　Thus　the　Linus　lament；　as　sung　at　harvest；　would　be　identical　with　the　Adonis　lament；　each　would　be　the　lamentation　raised　by　reapers　over　the　dead　spirit　of　the　corn。　But　whereas　Adonis；　like　Attis；　grew　into　a　stately　figure　of　mythology；　adored　and　mourned　in　splendid　cities　far　beyond　the　limits　of　his　Phoenician　home；　Linus　appears　to　have　remained　a　simple　ditty　sung　by　reapers　and　vintagers　among　the　corn…sheaves　and　the　vines。　The　analogy　of　Lityerses　and　of　folk…custom；　both　European　and　savage；　suggests　that　in　Phoenicia　the　slain　corn…spiritthe　dead　Adonismay　formerly　have　been　represented　by　a　human　victim；　and　this　suggestion　is　possibly　supported　by　the　Harran　legend　that　Tammuz　（Adonis）　was　slain　by　his　cruel　lord；　who　ground　his　bones　in　a　mill　and　scattered　them　to　the　wind。　For　in　Mexico；　as　we　have　seen；　the　human　victim　at　harvest　was　crushed　between　two　stones；　and　both　in　Africa　and　India　the　ashes　or　other　remains　of　the　victim　were　scattered　over　the　fields。　But　the　Harran　legend　may　be　only　a　mythical　way　of　expressing　the　grinding　of　corn　in　the　mill　and　the　scattering　of　the　seed。　It　seems　worth　suggesting　that　the　mock　king　who　was　annually　killed　at　the　Babylonian　festival　of　the　Sacaea　on　the　sixteenth　day　of　the　month　Lous　may　have　represented　Tammuz　himself。　For　the　historian　Berosus；　who　records　the　festival　and　its　date；　probably　used　the　Macedonian　calendar；　since　he　dedicated　his　history　to　Antiochus　Soter；　and　in　his　day　the　Macedonian　month　Lous　appears　to　have　corresponded　to　the　Babylonian　month　Tammuz。　If　this　conjecture　is　right；　the　view　that　the　mock　king　at　the　Sacaea　was　slain　in　the　character　of　a　god　would　be　established。

There　is　a　good　deal　more　evidence　that　in　Egypt　the　slain　corn…spiritthe　dead　Osiriswas　represented　by　a　human　victim；　whom　the　reapers　slew　on　the　harvest…field；　mourning　his　death　in　a　dirge；　to　which　the　Greeks；　through　a　verbal　misunderstanding；　gave　the　name　of　Maneros。　For　the　legend　of　Busiris　seems　to　preserve　a　reminiscence　of　human　sacrifices　once　offered　by　the　Egyptians　in　connexion　with　the　worship　of　Osiris。　Busiris　was　said　to　have　been　an　Egyptian　king　who　sacrificed　all　strangers　on　the　altar　of　Zeus。　The　origin　of　the　custom　was　traced　to　a　dearth　which　afflicted　the　land　of　Egypt　for　nine　years。　A　Cyprian　seer　informed　Busiris　that　the　dearth　would　cease　if　a　man　were　annually　sacrificed　to　Zeus。　So　Busiris　instituted　the　sacrifice。　But　when　Hercules　came　to　Egypt；　and　was　being　dragged　to　the　altar　to　be　sacrificed；　he　burst　his　bonds　and　slew　Busiris　and　his　son。　Here　then　is　a　legend　that　in　Egypt　a　human　victim　was　annually　sacrificed　to　prevent　the　failure　of　the　crops；　and　a　belief　is　implied　that　an　omission　of　the　sacrifice　would　have　entailed　a　recurrence　of　that　infertility　which　it　was　the　object　of　the　sacrifice　to　prevent。　So　the　Pawnees；　as　we　have　seen；　believed　that　an　omission　of　the　human　sacrifice　at　planting　would　have　been　followed　by　a　total　failure　of　their　crops。　The　name　Busiris　was　in　reality　the　name　of　a　city；　pe…Asar；　the　house　of　Osiris；　the　city　being　so　called　because　it　contained　the　grave　of　Osiris。　Indeed　some　high　modern　authorities　believe　that　Busiris　was　the　original　home　of　Osiris；　from　which　his　worship　spread　to　other　parts　of　Egypt。　The　human　sacrifice　were　said　to　have　been　offered　at　his　grave；　and　the　victims　were　red…haired　men；　whose　ashes　were　scattered　abroad　by　means　of　winnowing…fans。　This　tradition　of　human　sacrifices　offered　at　the　tomb　of　Osiris　is　confirmed　by　the　evidence　of　the　monuments。

In　the　light　of　the　foregoing　discussion　the　Egyptian　tradition　of　Busiris　admits　of　a　consistent　and　fairly　probable　explanation。　Osiris；　the　corn…spirit；　was　annually　represented　at　harvest　by　a　stranger；　whose　red　hair　made　him　a　suitable　representative　of　the　ripe　corn。　This　man；　in　his　representative　character；　was　slain　on　the　harvest…field；　and　mourned　by　the　reapers；　who　prayed　at　the　same　time　that　the　corn…spirit　might　revive　and　return　（maa…ne…rha；　Maneros）　with　renewed　vigour　in　the　following　year。　Finally；　the　victim；　or　some　part　of　him；　was　burned；　and　the　ashes　scattered　by　winnowing…fans　over　the　fields　to　fertilise　them。　Here　the　choice　of　the　victim　on　the　ground　of　his　resemblance　to　the　corn　which　he　was　to　represent　agrees　with　the　Mexican　and　African　customs　already　described。　Similarly　the　woman　who　died　in　the　character　of　the　Corn…mother　at　the　Mexican　midsummer　sacrifice　had　her　face　painted　red　and　yellow　in　token　of　the　colours　of　the　corn；　and　she　wore　a　pasteboard　mitre　surmounted　by　waving　plumes　in　imitation　of　the　tassel　of　the　maize。　On　the　other　hand；　at　the　festival　of　the　Goddess　of　the　White　Maize　the　Mexicans　sacrificed　lepers。　The　Romans　sacrificed　red…haired　puppies　in　spring　to　avert　the　supposed　blighting　influence　of　the　Dog…star；　believing　that　the　crops　would　thus　grow　ripe　and　ruddy。　The　heathen　of　Harran　offered　to　the　sun；　moon；　and　planets　human　victims　who　were　chosen　on　the　ground　of　their　supposed　resemblance　to　the　heavenly　bodies　to　which　they　were　sacrificed；　for　example；　the　priests；　clothed　in　red　and　smeared　with　blood；　offered　a　red…haired；　red…cheeked　man　to　the　red　planet　Mars　in　a　temple　which　was　painted　red　and　draped　with　red　hangings。　These　and　the　like　cases　of　assimilating　the　victim　to　the　god；　or　to　the　natural　phenomenon　which　he　represents；　are　based　ultimately　on　the　principle　of　homoeopathic　or　imitative　magic；　the　notion　being　that　the　object　aimed　at　will　be　most　readily　attained　by　means　of　a　sacrifice　which　resembles　the　effect　that　it　is　designed　to　bring　about。

The　story　that　the　fragments　of　Osiris's　body　were　scattered　up　and　down　the　land；　and　buried　by　Isis　on　the　spots　where　they　lay；　may　very　well　be　a　reminiscence　of　a　custom；　like　that　observed　by　the　Khonds；　of　dividing　the　human　victim　in　pieces　and　burying　the　pieces；　often　at　intervals　of　many　miles　from　each　other；　in　the　fields。

Thus；　if　I　am　right；　the　key　to　the　mysteries　of　Osiris　is　furnished　by　the　melancholy　cry　of　the　Egyptian　reapers；　which　down　to　Roman　times　could　be　heard　year　after　year　sounding　across　the　fields；　announcing　the　death　of　the　corn…spirit；　the　rustic　prototype　of　Osiris。　Similar　cries；　as　we　have　seen；　were　also　heard　on　all　the　harvest…fields　of　Western　Asia。　By　the　ancients　they　are　spoken　of　as　songs；　but　to　judge　from　the　analysis　of　the　names　Linus　and　Maneros；　they　probably　consisted　only　of　a　few　words　uttered　in　a　prolonged　musical　note　which　could　be　heard　at　a　great　distance。　Such　sonorous　and　long…drawn　cries；　raised　by　a　number　of　strong　voices　in　concert；　must　have　had　a　striking　effect；　and　could　hardly　fail　to　arrest　the　attention　of　any　wayfarer　who　happened　to　be　within　hearing。　The　sounds；　repeated　again　and　again；　could　probably　be　distinguished　with　tolerable　ease　even　at　a　distance；　but　to　a　Greek　traveller　in　Asia　or　Egypt　the　forei