the golden bough-第57章

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or　cropping　the　herbage　in　the　open　glades　and　dells。　Thus　she　might　come　to　be　the　patron　goddess　both　of　hunters　and　herdsmen；　just　as　Silvanus　was　the　god　not　only　of　woods；　but　of　cattle。　Similarly　in　Finland　the　wild　beasts　of　the　forest　were　regarded　as　the　herds　of　the　woodland　god　Tapio　and　of　his　stately　and　beautiful　wife。　No　man　might　slay　one　of　these　animals　without　the　gracious　permission　of　their　divine　owners。　Hence　the　hunter　prayed　to　the　sylvan　deities；　and　vowed　rich　offerings　to　them　if　they　would　drive　the　game　across　his　path。　And　cattle　also　seem　to　have　enjoyed　the　protection　of　those　spirits　of　the　woods；　both　when　they　were　in　their　stalls　and　while　they　strayed　in　the　forest。　Before　the　Gayos　of　Sumatra　hunt　deer；　wild　goats；　or　wild　pigs　with　hounds　in　the　woods；　they　deem　it　necessary　to　obtain　the　leave　of　the　unseen　Lord　of　the　forest。　This　is　done　according　to　a　prescribed　form　by　a　man　who　has　special　skill　in　woodcraft。　He　lays　down　a　quid　of　betel　before　a　stake　which　is　cut　in　a　particular　way　to　represent　the　Lord　of　the　Wood；　and　having　done　so　he　prays　to　the　spirit　to　signify　his　consent　or　refusal。　In　his　treatise　on　hunting；　Arrian　tells　us　that　the　Celts　used　to　offer　an　annual　sacrifice　to　Artemis　on　her　birthday；　purchasing　the　sacrificial　victim　with　the　fines　which　they　had　paid　into　her　treasury　for　every　fox；　hare；　and　roe　that　they　had　killed　in　the　course　of　the　year。　The　custom　clearly　implied　that　the　wild　beasts　belonged　to　the　goddess；　and　that　she　must　be　compensated　for　their　slaughter。

But　Diana　was　not　merely　a　patroness　of　wild　beasts；　a　mistress　of　woods　and　hills；　of　lonely　glades　and　sounding　rivers；　conceived　as　the　moon；　and　especially；　it　would　seem；　as　the　yellow　harvest　moon；　she　filled　the　farmer's　grange　with　goodly　fruits；　and　heard　the　prayers　of　women　in　travail。　In　her　sacred　grove　at　Nemi；　as　we　have　seen；　she　was　especially　worshipped　as　a　goddess　of　childbirth；　who　bestowed　offspring　on　men　and　women。　Thus　Diana；　like　the　Greek　Artemis；　with　whom　she　was　constantly　identified；　may　be　described　as　a　goddess　of　nature　in　general　and　of　fertility　in　particular。　We　need　not　wonder；　therefore；　that　in　her　sanctuary　on　the　Aventine　she　was　represented　by　an　image　copied　from　the　many…breasted　idol　of　the　Ephesian　Artemis；　with　all　its　crowded　emblems　of　exuberant　fecundity。　Hence　too　we　can　understand　why　an　ancient　Roman　law；　attributed　to　King　Tullus　Hostilius；　prescribed　that；　when　incest　had　been　committed；　an　expiatory　sacrifice　should　be　offered　by　the　pontiffs　in　the　grove　of　Diana。　For　we　know　that　the　crime　of　incest　is　commonly　supposed　to　cause　a　dearth；　hence　it　would　be　meet　that　atonement　for　the　offence　should　be　made　to　the　goddess　of　fertility。

Now　on　the　principle　that　the　goddess　of　fertility　must　herself　be　fertile；　it　behoved　Diana　to　have　a　male　partner。　Her　mate；　if　the　testimony　of　Servius　may　be　trusted；　was　that　Virbius　who　had　his　representative；　or　perhaps　rather　his　embodiment；　in　the　King　of　the　Wood　at　Nemi。　The　aim　of　their　union　would　be　to　promote　the　fruitfulness　of　the　earth；　of　animals；　and　of　mankind；　and　it　might　naturally　be　thought　that　this　object　would　be　more　surely　attained　if　the　sacred　nuptials　were　celebrated　every　year；　the　parts　of　the　divine　bride　and　bridegroom　being　played　either　by　their　images　or　by　living　persons。　No　ancient　writer　mentions　that　this　was　done　in　the　grove　at　Nemi；　but　our　knowledge　of　the　Arician　ritual　is　so　scanty　that　the　want　of　information　on　this　head　can　hardly　count　as　a　fatal　objection　to　the　theory。　That　theory；　in　the　absence　of　direct　evidence；　must　necessarily　be　based　on　the　analogy　of　similar　customs　practised　elsewhere。　Some　modern　examples　of　such　customs；　more　or　less　degenerate；　were　described　in　the　last　chapter。　Here　we　shall　consider　their　ancient　counterparts。

2。　The　Marriage　of　the　Gods

AT　BABYLON　the　imposing　sanctuary　of　Bel　rose　like　a　pyramid　above　the　city　in　a　series　of　eight　towers　or　stories；　planted　one　on　the　top　of　the　other。　On　the　highest　tower；　reached　by　an　ascent　which　wound　about　all　the　rest；　there　stood　a　spacious　temple；　and　in　the　temple　a　great　bed；　magnificently　draped　and　cushioned；　with　a　golden　table　beside　it。　In　the　temple　no　image　was　to　be　seen；　and　no　human　being　passed　the　night　there；　save　a　single　woman；　whom；　according　to　the　Chaldean　priests；　the　god　chose　from　among　all　the　women　of　Babylon。　They　said　that　the　deity　himself　came　into　the　temple　at　night　and　slept　in　the　great　bed；　and　the　woman；　as　a　consort　of　the　god；　might　have　no　intercourse　with　mortal　man。

At　Thebes　in　Egypt　a　woman　slept　in　the　temple　of　Ammon　as　the　consort　of　the　god；　and；　like　the　human　wife　of　Bel　at　Babylon；　she　was　said　to　have　no　commerce　with　a　man。　In　Egyptian　texts　she　is　often　mentioned　as　the　divine　consort；　and　usually　she　was　no　less　a　personage　than　the　Queen　of　Egypt　herself。　For；　according　to　the　Egyptians；　their　monarchs　were　actually　begotten　by　the　god　Ammon；　who　assumed　for　the　time　being　the　form　of　the　reigning　king；　and　in　that　disguise　had　intercourse　with　the　queen。　The　divine　procreation　is　carved　and　painted　in　great　detail　on　the　walls　of　two　of　the　oldest　temples　in　Egypt；　those　of　Deir　el　Bahari　and　Luxor；　and　the　inscriptions　attached　to　the　paintings　leave　no　doubt　as　to　the　meaning　of　the　scenes。

At　Athens　the　god　of　the　vine；　Dionysus；　was　annually　married　to　the　Queen；　and　it　appears　that　the　consummation　of　the　divine　union；　as　well　as　the　espousals；　was　enacted　at　the　ceremony；　but　whether　the　part　of　the　god　was　played　by　a　man　or　an　image　we　do　not　know。　We　learn　from　Aristotle　that　the　ceremony　took　place　in　the　old　official　residence　of　the　King；　known　as　the　Cattle…stall；　which　stood　near　the　Prytaneum　or　Town…hall　on　the　north…eastern　slope　of　the　Acropolis。　The　object　of　the　marriage　can　hardly　have　been　any　other　than　that　of　ensuring　the　fertility　of　the　vines　and　other　fruit…trees　of　which　Dionysus　was　the　god。　Thus　both　in　form　and　in　meaning　the　ceremony　would　answer　to　the　nuptials　of　the　King　and　Queen　of　May。

In　the　great　mysteries　solemnised　at　Eleusis　in　the　month　of　September　the　union　of　the　sky…god　Zeus　with　the　corn…goddess　Demeter　appears　to　have　been　represented　by　the　union　of　the　hierophant　with　the　priestess　of　Demeter；　who　acted　the　parts　of　god　and　goddess。　But　their　intercourse　was　only　dramatic　or　symbolical；　for　the　hierophant　had　temporarily　deprived　himself　of　his　virility　by　an　application　of　hemlock。　The　torches　having　been　extinguished；　the　pair　descended　into　a　murky　place；　while　the　throng　of　worshippers　awaited　in　anxious　suspense　the　result　of　the　mystic　congress；　on　which　they　believed　their　own　salvation　to　depend。　After　a　time　the　hierophant　reappeared；　and　in　a　blaze　of　light　silently　exhibited　to　the　assembly　a　reaped　ear　of　corn；　the　fruit　of　the　divine　marriage。　Then　in　a　loud　voice　he　proclaimed；　Queen　Brimo　has　brought　forth　a　sacred　boy　Brimos；　by　which　he　meant；　The　Mighty　One　has　brought　forth　the　Mighty。　The　corn…mother　in　fact　had　given　birth　to　her　child；　the　corn；　and　her　travail…pangs　were　enacted　in　the　sacred　drama。　This　revelation　of　the　reaped　corn　appears　to　have　been　the　crowning　act　of　the　mysteries。　Thus　through　the　glamour　shed　round　these　rites　by　the　poetry　and　philosophy　of　later　ages　there　still　looms；　like　a　distant　landscape　through　a　sunlit　haze；　a　simple　rustic　festival　designed　to　cover　the　wide　Eleusinian　plain　with　a　plenteous　harvest　by　wedding　the　goddess　of　the　corn　to　the　sky…god；　who　fertilised　the　bare　earth　with　genial　showers。　Every　few　years　the　people　of　Plataea；　in　Boeotia；　held　a　festival　called　the　Little　Daedala；　at　which　they　felled　an　oak…tree　in　an　ancient　oak　forest。　Out　of　the　tree　they　carved　an　image；　and　having　dressed　it　as　a　bride；　they　set　it　on　a　bullock…cart　with　a　bridesmaid　beside　it。　The　image　seems　then　to　have　been　drawn　to　the　bank　of　the　river　Asopus　and　back　to　the　town；　attended　by　a　piping　and　dancing　crowd。　Every　sixty　years　the　festival　of　the　Great　Daedala　was　celebrated　by　all　the　people　of　Boeotia；　and　at　it　all　the　images；　fourteen　in　number；　which　had　accumulated　at　the　lesser　festi