the golden bough-第180章

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so　in　the　neighbourhood　of　Grenoble　the　goat　killed　on　the　harvest…field　is　partly　eaten　at　the　harvest…supper；　partly　pickled　and　kept　till　the　next　harvest；　so　at　Pouilly　the　ox　killed　on　the　harvest…field　is　partly　eaten　by　the　harvesters；　partly　pickled　and　kept　till　the　first　day　of　sowing　in　spring；　probably　to　be　then　mixed　with　the　seed；　or　eaten　by　the　ploughmen；　or　both；　so　at　Udvarhely　the　feathers　of　the　cock　which　is　killed　in　the　last　sheaf　at　harvest　are　kept　till　spring；　and　then　sown　with　the　seed　on　the　field；　so　in　Hesse　and　Meiningen　the　flesh　of　pigs　is　eaten　on　Ash　Wednesday　or　Candlemas；　and　the　bones　are　kept　till　sowing…time；　when　they　are　put　into　the　field　sown　or　mixed　with　the　seed　in　the　bag；　so；　lastly；　the　corn　from　the　last　sheaf　is　kept　till　Christmas；　made　into　the　Yule　Boar；　and　afterwards　broken　and　mixed　with　the　seed…corn　at　sowing　in　spring。　Thus；　to　put　it　generally；　the　corn…spirit　is　killed　in　animal　form　in　autumn；　part　of　his　flesh　is　eaten　as　a　sacrament　by　his　worshippers；　and　part　of　it　is　kept　till　next　sowing…time　or　harvest　as　a　pledge　and　security　for　the　continuance　or　renewal　of　the　corn…spirit's　energies。

If　persons　of　fastidious　taste　should　object　that　the　Greeks　never　could　have　conceived　Demeter　and　Persephone　to　be　embodied　in　the　form　of　pigs；　it　may　be　answered　that　in　the　cave　of　Phigalia　in　Arcadia　the　Black　Demeter　was　portrayed　with　the　head　and　mane　of　a　horse　on　the　body　of　a　woman。　Between　the　portraits　of　a　goddess　as　a　pig；　and　the　portrait　of　her　as　a　woman　with　a　horse's　head；　there　is　little　to　choose　in　respect　of　barbarism。　The　legend　told　of　the　Phigalian　Demeter　indicates　that　the　horse　was　one　of　the　animal　forms　assumed　in　ancient　Greece；　as　in　modern　Europe；　by　the　cornspirit。　It　was　said　that　in　her　search　for　her　daughter；　Demeter　assumed　the　form　of　a　mare　to　escape　the　addresses　of　Poseidon；　and　that；　offended　at　his　importunity；　she　withdrew　in　dudgeon　to　a　cave　not　far　from　Phigalia　in　the　highlands　of　Western　Arcadia。　There；　robed　in　black；　she　tarried　so　long　that　the　fruits　of　the　earth　were　perishing；　and　mankind　would　have　died　of　famine　if　Pan　had　not　soothed　the　angry　goddess　and　persuaded　her　to　quit　the　cave。　In　memory　of　this　event；　the　Phigalians　set　up　an　image　of　the　Black　Demeter　in　the　cave；　it　represented　a　woman　dressed　in　a　long　robe；　with　the　head　and　mane　of　a　horse。　The　Black　Demeter；　in　whose　absence　the　fruits　of　the　earth　perish；　is　plainly　a　mythical　expression　for　the　bare　wintry　earth　stripped　of　its　summer　mantle　of　green。

3。　Attis；　Adonis；　and　the　Pig。

PASSING　now　to　Attis　and　Adonis；　we　may　note　a　few　facts　which　seem　to　show　that　these　deities　of　vegetation　had　also；　like　other　deities　of　the　same　class；　their　animal　embodiments。　The　worshippers　of　Attis　abstained　from　eating　the　flesh　of　swine。　This　appears　to　indicate　that　the　pig　was　regarded　as　an　embodiment　of　Attis。　And　the　legend　that　Attis　was　killed　by　a　boar　points　in　the　same　direction。　For　after　the　examples　of　the　goat　Dionysus　and　the　pig　Demeter　it　may　almost　be　laid　down　as　a　rule　that　an　animal　which　is　said　to　have　injured　a　god　was　originally　the　god　himself。　Perhaps　the　cry　of　Hyes　Attes！　Hyes　Attes！　which　was　raised　by　the　worshippers　of　Attis；　may　be　neither　more　nor　less　than　Pig　Attis！　Pig　Attis！hyes　being　possibly　a　Phrygian　form　of　the　Greek　hyˉs；　a　pig。

In　regard　to　Adonis；　his　connexion　with　the　boar　was　not　always　explained　by　the　story　that　he　had　been　killed　by　the　animal。　According　to　another　story；　a　boar　rent　with　his　tusk　the　bark　of　the　tree　in　which　the　infant　Adonis　was　born。　According　to　yet　another　story；　he　perished　at　the　hands　of　Hephaestus　on　Mount　Lebanon　while　he　was　hunting　wild　boars。　These　variations　in　the　legend　serve　to　show　that；　while　the　connexion　of　the　boar　with　Adonis　was　certain；　the　reason　of　the　connexion　was　not　understood；　and　that　consequently　different　stories　were　devised　to　explain　it。　Certainly　the　pig　ranked　as　a　sacred　animal　among　the　Syrians。　At　the　great　religious　metropolis　of　Hierapolis　on　the　Euphrates　pigs　were　neither　sacrificed　nor　eaten；　and　if　a　man　touched　a　pig　he　was　unclean　for　the　rest　of　the　day。　Some　people　said　this　was　because　the　pigs　were　unclean；　others　said　it　was　because　the　pigs　were　sacred。　This　difference　of　opinion　points　to　a　hazy　state　of　religious　thought　in　which　the　ideas　of　sanctity　and　uncleanness　are　not　yet　sharply　distinguished；　both　being　blent　in　a　sort　of　vaporous　solution　to　which　we　give　the　name　of　taboo。　It　is　quite　consistent　with　this　that　the　pig　should　have　been　held　to　be　an　embodiment　of　the　divine　Adonis；　and　the　analogies　of　Dionysus　and　Demeter　make　it　probable　that　the　story　of　the　hostility　of　the　animal　to　the　god　was　only　a　late　misapprehension　of　the　old　view　of　the　god　as　embodied　in　a　pig。　The　rule　that　pigs　were　not　sacrificed　or　eaten　by　worshippers　of　Attis　and　presumably　of　Adonis；　does　not　exclude　the　possibility　that　in　these　rituals　the　pig　was　slain　on　solemn　occasions　as　a　representative　of　the　god　and　consumed　sacramentally　by　the　worshippers。　Indeed；　the　sacramental　killing　and　eating　of　an　animal　implies　that　the　animal　is　sacred；　and　that；　as　a　general　rule；　it　is　spared。

The　attitude　of　the　Jews　to　the　pig　was　as　ambiguous　as　that　of　the　heathen　Syrians　towards　the　same　animal。　The　Greeks　could　not　decide　whether　the　Jews　worshipped　swine　or　abominated　them。　On　the　one　hand　they　might　not　eat　swine；　but　on　the　other　hand　they　might　not　kill　them。　And　if　the　former　rule　speaks　for　the　uncleanness；　the　latter　speaks　still　more　strongly　for　the　sanctity　of　the　animal。　For　whereas　both　rules　may；　and　one　rule　must；　be　explained　on　the　supposition　that　the　pig　was　sacred；　neither　rule　must；　and　one　rule　cannot；　be　explained　on　the　supposition　that　the　pig　was　unclean。　If；　therefore；　we　prefer　the　former　supposition；　we　must　conclude　that；　originally　at　least；　the　pig　was　revered　rather　than　abhorred　by　the　Israelites。　We　are　confirmed　in　this　opinion　by　observing　that　down　to　the　time　of　Isaiah　some　of　the　Jews　used　to　meet　secretly　in　gardens　to　eat　the　flesh　of　swine　and　mice　as　a　religious　rite。　Doubtless　this　was　a　very　ancient　ceremony；　dating　from　a　time　when　both　the　pig　and　the　mouse　were　venerated　as　divine；　and　when　their　flesh　was　partaken　of　sacramentally　on　rare　and　solemn　occasions　as　the　body　and　blood　of　gods。　And　in　general　it　may　perhaps　be　said　that　all　so…called　unclean　animals　were　originally　sacred；　the　reason　for　not　eating　them　was　that　they　were　divine。

4。　Osiris；　the　Pig　and　the　Bull。

IN　ANCIENT　Egypt；　within　historical　times；　the　pig　occupied　the　same　dubious　position　as　in　Syria　and　Palestine；　though　at　first　sight　its　uncleanness　is　more　prominent　than　its　sanctity。　The　Egyptians　are　generally　said　by　Greek　writers　to　have　abhorred　the　pig　as　a　foul　and　loathsome　animal。　If　a　man　so　much　as　touched　a　pig　in　passing；　he　stepped　into　the　river　with　all　his　clothes　on；　to　wash　off　the　taint。　To　drink　pig's　milk　was　believed　to　cause　leprosy　to　the　drinker。　Swineherds；　though　natives　of　Egypt；　were　forbidden　to　enter　any　temple；　and　they　were　the　only　men　who　were　thus　excluded。　No　one　would　give　his　daughter　in　marriage　to　a　swineherd；　or　marry　a　swineherd's　daughter；　the　swineherds　married　among　themselves。　Yet　once　a　year　the　Egyptians　sacrificed　pigs　to　the　moon　and　to　Osiris；　and　not　only　sacrificed　them；　but　ate　of　their　flesh；　though　on　any　other　day　of　the　year　they　would　neither　sacrifice　them　nor　taste　of　their　flesh。　Those　who　were　too　poor　to　offer　a　pig　on　this　day　baked　cakes　of　dough；　and　offered　them　instead。　This　can　hardly　be　explained　except　by　the　supposition　that　the　pig　was　a　sacred　animal　which　was　eaten　sacramentally　by　his　worshippers　once　a　year。

The　view　that　in　Egypt　the　pig　was　sacred　is　borne　out　by　the　very　facts　which；　to　moderns；　might　seem　to　prove　the　contrary。　Thus　the　Egyptians　thought；　as　we　have　seen；　that　to　drink　pig's　milk　produced　leprosy。　But　exactly　analogous　views　are　held　by　savages　about　the　animals　and　plants　which　they　deem　most　sacred。　Thus　in　the　island　of　Wetar　（between　New　Guinea　and　Celebes）　people　believe　themselves　to　be　vari