the golden bough-第182章

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　second；　that　he　was　Osiris。　At　a　later　age；　when　Osiris　became　anthropomorphic　and　his　original　relation　to　the　pig　had　been　forgotten；　the　animal　was　first　distinguished　from　him；　and　afterwards　opposed　as　an　enemy　to　him　by　mythologists　who　could　think　of　no　reason　for　killing　a　beast　in　connexion　with　the　worship　of　a　god　except　that　the　beast　was　the　god's　enemy；　or；　as　Plutarch　puts　it；　not　that　which　is　dear　to　the　gods；　but　that　which　is　the　contrary；　is　fit　to　be　sacrificed。　At　this　later　stage　the　havoc　which　a　wild　boar　notoriously　makes　amongst　the　corn　would　supply　a　plausible　reason　for　regarding　him　as　the　foe　of　the　corn…spirit；　though　originally；　if　I　am　right；　the　very　freedom　with　which　the　boar　ranged　at　will　through　the　corn　led　people　to　identify　him　with　the　corn…spirit；　to　whom　he　was　afterwards　opposed　as　an　enemy。

The　view　which　identifies　the　pig　with　Osiris　derives　not　a　little　support　from　the　sacrifice　of　pigs　to　him　on　the　very　day　on　which；　according　to　tradition；　Osiris　himself　was　killed；　for　thus　the　killing　of　the　pig　was　the　annual　representation　of　the　killing　of　Osiris；　just　as　the　throwing　of　the　pigs　into　the　caverns　at　the　Thesmophoria　was　an　annual　representation　of　the　descent　of　Persephone　into　the　lower　world；　and　both　customs　are　parallel　to　the　European　practice　of　killing　a　goat；　cock；　and　so　forth；　at　harvest　as　a　representative　of　the　corn…spirit。

Again；　the　theory　that　the　pig；　originally　Osiris　himself；　afterwards　came　to　be　regarded　as　an　embodiment　of　his　enemy　Typhon；　is　supported　by　the　similar　relation　of　red…haired　men　and　red　oxen　to　Typhon。　For　in　regard　to　the　red…haired　men　who　were　burned　and　whose　ashes　were　scattered　with　winnowing…fans；　we　have　seen　fair　grounds　for　believing　that　originally；　like　the　red…haired　puppies　killed　at　Rome　in　spring；　they　were　representatives　of　the　corn…spirit　himself　that　is；　of　Osiris；　and　were　slain　for　the　express　purpose　of　making　the　corn　turn　red　or　golden。　Yet　at　a　later　time　these　men　were　explained　to　be　representatives；　not　of　Osiris；　but　of　his　enemy　Typhon；　and　the　killing　of　them　was　regarded　as　an　act　of　vengeance　inflicted　on　the　enemy　of　the　god。　Similarly；　the　red　oxen　sacrificed　by　the　Egyptians　were　said　to　be　offered　on　the　ground　of　their　resemblance　to　Typhon；　though　it　is　more　likely　that　originally　they　were　slain　on　the　ground　of　their　resemblance　to　the　corn…spirit　Osiris。　We　have　seen　that　the　ox　is　a　common　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　and　is　slain　as　such　on　the　harvest…field。

Osiris　was　regularly　identified　with　the　bull　Apis　of　Memphis　and　the　bull　Mnevis　of　Heliopolis。　But　it　is　hard　to　say　whether　these　bulls　were　embodiments　of　him　as　the　corn…spirit；　as　the　red　oxen　appear　to　have　been；　or　whether　they　were　not　in　origin　entirely　distinct　deities　who　came　to　be　fused　with　Osiris　at　a　later　time。　The　universality　of　the　worship　of　these　two　bulls　seems　to　put　them　on　a　different　footing　from　the　ordinary　sacred　animals　whose　worships　were　purely　local。　But　whatever　the　original　relation　of　Apis　to　Osiris　may　have　been；　there　is　one　fact　about　the　former　which　ought　not　to　be　passed　over　in　a　disquisition　on　the　custom　of　killing　a　god。　Although　the　bull　Apis　was　worshipped　as　a　god　with　much　pomp　and　profound　reverence；　he　was　not　suffered　to　live　beyond　a　certain　length　of　time　which　was　prescribed　by　the　sacred　books；　and　on　the　expiry　of　which　he　was　drowned　in　a　holy　spring。　The　limit；　according　to　Plutarch；　was　twenty…five　years；　but　it　cannot　always　have　been　enforced；　for　the　tombs　of　the　Apis　bulls　have　been　discovered　in　modern　times；　and　from　the　inscriptions　on　them　it　appears　that　in　the　twenty…second　dynasty　two　of　the　holy　steers　lived　more　than　twenty…six　years。

5。　Virbius　and　theHorse。

WE　are　now　in　a　position　to　hazard　a　conjecture　as　to　the　meaning　of　the　tradition　that　Virbius；　the　first　of　the　divine　Kings　of　the　Wood　at　Aricia；　had　been　killed　in　the　character　of　Hippolytus　by　horses。　Having　found；　first；　that　spirits　of　the　corn　are　not　infrequently　represented　in　the　form　of　horses；　and；　second；　that　the　animal　which　in　later　legends　is　said　to　have　injured　the　god　was　sometimes　originally　the　god　himself；　we　may　conjecture　that　the　horses　by　which　Virbius　or　Hippolytus　was　said　to　have　been　slain　were　really　embodiments　of　him　as　a　deity　of　vegetation。　The　myth　that　he　had　been　killed　by　horses　was　probably　invented　to　explain　certain　features　in　his　worship；　amongst　others　the　custom　of　excluding　horses　from　his　sacred　grove。　For　myth　changes　while　custom　remains　constant；　men　continue　to　do　what　their　fathers　did　before　them；　though　the　reasons　on　which　their　fathers　acted　have　been　long　forgotten。　The　history　of　religion　is　a　long　attempt　to　reconcile　old　custom　with　new　reason；　to　find　a　sound　theory　for　an　absurd　practice。　In　the　case　before　us　we　may　be　sure　that　the　myth　is　more　modern　than　the　custom　and　by　no　means　represents　the　original　reason　for　excluding　horses　from　the　grove。　From　their　exclusion　it　might　be　inferred　that　horses　could　not　be　the　sacred　animals　or　embodiments　of　the　god　of　the　grove。　But　the　inference　would　be　rash。　The　goat　was　at　one　time　a　sacred　animal　or　embodiment　of　Athena；　as　may　be　inferred　from　the　practice　of　representing　the　goddess　clad　in　a　goat…skin　（aegis）。　Yet　the　goat　was　neither　sacrificed　to　her　as　a　rule；　nor　allowed　to　enter　her　great　sanctuary；　the　Acropolis　at　Athens。　The　reason　alleged　for　this　was　that　the　goat　injured　the　olive；　the　sacred　tree　of　Athena。　So　far；　therefore；　the　relation　of　the　goat　to　Athena　is　parallel　to　the　relation　of　the　horse　to　Virbius；　both　animals　being　excluded　from　the　sanctuary　on　the　ground　of　injury　done　by　them　to　the　god。　But　from　Varro　we　learn　that　there　was　an　exception　to　the　rule　which　excluded　the　goat　from　the　Acropolis。　Once　a　year；　he　says；　the　goat　was　driven　on　to　the　Acropolis　for　a　necessary　sacrifice。　Now；　as　has　been　remarked　before；　when　an　animal　is　sacrificed　once　and　once　only　in　the　year；　it　is　probably　slain；　not　as　a　victim　offered　to　the　god；　but　as　a　representative　of　the　god　himself。　Therefore　we　may　infer　that　if　a　goat　was　sacrificed　on　the　Acropolis　once　a　year；　it　was　sacrificed　in　the　character　of　Athena　herself；　and　it　may　be　conjectured　that　the　skin　of　the　sacrificed　animal　was　placed　on　the　statue　of　the　goddess　and　formed　the　aegis；　which　would　thus　be　renewed　annually。　Similarly　at　Thebes　in　Egypt　rams　were　sacred　and　were　not　sacrificed。　But　on　one　day　in　the　year　a　ram　was　killed；　and　its　skin　was　placed　on　the　statue　of　the　god　Ammon。　Now；　if　we　knew　the　ritual　of　the　Arician　grove　better；　we　might　find　that　the　rule　of　excluding　horses　from　it；　like　the　rule　of　excluding　goats　from　the　Acropolis　at　Athens；　was　subject　to　an　annual　exception；　a　horse　being　once　a　year　taken　into　the　grove　and　sacrificed　as　an　embodiment　of　the　god　Virbius。　By　the　usual　misunderstanding　the　horse　thus　killed　would　come　in　time　to　be　regarded　as　an　enemy　offered　up　in　sacrifice　to　the　god　whom　he　had　injured；　like　the　pig　which　was　sacrificed　to　Demeter　and　Osiris　or　the　goat　which　was　sacrificed　to　Dionysus；　and　possibly　to　Athena。　It　is　so　easy　for　a　writer　to　record　a　rule　without　noticing　an　exception　that　we　need　not　wonder　at　finding　the　rule　of　the　Arician　grove　recorded　without　any　mention　of　an　exception　such　as　I　suppose。　If　we　had　had　only　the　statements　of　Athenaeus　and　Pliny；　we　should　have　known　only　the　rule　which　forbade　the　sacrifice　of　goats　to　Athena　and　excluded　them　from　the　Acropolis；　without　being　aware　of　the　important　exception　which　the　fortunate　preservation　of　Varro's　work　has　revealed　to　us。

The　conjecture　that　once　a　year　a　horse　may　have　been　sacrificed　in　the　Arician　grove　as　a　representative　of　the　deity　of　the　grove　derives　some　support　from　the　similar　sacrifice　of　a　horse　which　took　place　once　a　year　at　Rome。　On　the　fifteenth　of　October　in　each　year　a　chariot…race　was　run　on　the　Field　of　Mars。　Stabbed　with　a　spear；　the　right…hand　horse　of　the　victorious　team　was　then　sacrificed　to　Mars　for　the　purpose　of　ensuring　good　crops；　and　its　head　was　cut　off　and　adorned　with　a　string　of　loaves。　Thereupon　the　inhabitants　of