the golden bough-第131节

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in　Osiris　as　the　sun　are　driven　to　the　alternative　of　either　dismissing　as　mistaken　the　testimony　of　antiquity　to　the　similarity　of　the　rites　of　Osiris；　Adonis；　Attis；　Dionysus；　and　Demeter；　or　of　interpreting　all　these　rites　as　sun…worship。　No　modern　scholar　has　fairly　faced　and　accepted　either　side　of　this　alternative。　To　accept　the　former　would　be　to　affirm　that　we　know　the　rites　of　these　deities　better　than　the　men　who　practised；　or　at　least　who　witnessed　them。　To　accept　the　latter　would　involve　a　wrenching；　clipping；　mangling；　and　distorting　of　myth　and　ritual　from　which　even　Macrobius　shrank。　On　the　other　hand；　the　view　that　the　essence　of　all　these　rites　was　the　mimic　death　and　revival　of　vegetation；　explains　them　separately　and　collectively　in　an　easy　and　natural　way；　and　harmonises　with　the　general　testimony　borne　by　the　ancients　to　their　substantial　similarity。

Chapter　43。　Dionysus。

IN　THE　PRECEDING　chapters　we　saw　that　in　antiquity　the　civilised　nations　of　Western　Asia　and　Egypt　pictured　to　themselves　the　changes　of　the　seasons；　and　particularly　the　annual　growth　and　decay　of　vegetation；　as　episodes　in　the　life　of　gods；　whose　mournful　death　and　happy　resurrection　they　celebrated　with　dramatic　rites　of　alternate　lamentation　and　rejoicing。　But　if　the　celebration　was　in　form　dramatic；　it　was　in　substance　magical；　that　is　to　say；　it　was　intended；　on　the　principles　of　sympathetic　magic；　to　ensure　the　vernal　regeneration　of　plants　and　the　multiplication　of　animals；　which　had　seemed　to　be　menaced　by　the　inroads　of　winter。　In　the　ancient　world；　however；　such　ideas　and　such　rites　were　by　no　means　confined　to　the　Oriental　peoples　of　Babylon　and　Syria；　of　Phrygia　and　Egypt；　they　were　not　a　product　peculiar　to　the　religious　mysticism　of　the　dreamy　East；　but　were　shared　by　the　races　of　livelier　fancy　and　more　mercurial　temperament　who　inhabited　the　shores　and　islands　of　the　Aegean。　We　need　not；　with　some　enquirers　in　ancient　and　modern　times；　suppose　that　these　Western　peoples　borrowed　from　the　older　civilisation　of　the　Orient　the　conception　of　the　Dying　and　Reviving　God；　together　with　the　solemn　ritual；　in　which　that　conception　was　dramatically　set　forth　before　the　eyes　of　the　worshippers。　More　probably　the　resemblance　which　may　be　traced　in　this　respect　between　the　religions　of　the　East　and　West　is　no　more　than　what　we　commonly；　though　incorrectly；　call　a　fortuitous　coincidence；　the　effect　of　similar　causes　acting　alike　on　the　similar　constitution　of　the　human　mind　in　different　countries　and　under　different　skies。　The　Greek　had　no　need　to　journey　into　far　countries　to　learn　the　vicissitudes　of　the　seasons；　to　mark　the　fleeting　beauty　of　the　damask　rose；　the　transient　glory　of　the　golden　corn；　the　passing　splendour　of　the　purple　grapes。　Year　by　year　in　his　own　beautiful　land　he　beheld；　with　natural　regret；　the　bright　pomp　of　summer　fading　into　the　gloom　and　stagnation　of　winter；　and　year　by　year　he　hailed　with　natural　delight　the　outburst　of　fresh　life　in　spring。　Accustomed　to　personify　the　forces　of　nature；　to　tinge　her　cold　abstractions　with　the　warm　hues　of　imagination；　to　clothe　her　naked　realities　with　the　gorgeous　drapery　of　a　mythic　fancy；　he　fashioned　for　himself　a　train　of　gods　and　goddesses；　of　spirits　and　elves；　out　of　the　shifting　panorama　of　the　seasons；　and　followed　the　annual　fluctuations　of　their　fortunes　with　alternate　emotions　of　cheerfulness　and　dejection；　of　gladness　and　sorrow；　which　found　their　natural　expression　in　alternate　rites　of　rejoicing　and　lamentation；　of　revelry　and　mourning。　A　consideration　of　some　of　the　Greek　divinities　who　thus　died　and　rose　again　from　the　dead　may　furnish　us　with　a　series　of　companion　pictures　to　set　side　by　side　with　the　sad　figures　of　Adonis；　Attis；　and　Osiris。　We　begin　with　Dionysus。

The　god　Dionysus　or　Bacchus　is　best　known　to　us　as　a　personification　of　the　vine　and　of　the　exhilaration　produced　by　the　juice　of　the　grape。　His　ecstatic　worship；　characterised　by　wild　dances；　thrilling　music；　and　tipsy　excess；　appears　to　have　originated　among　the　rude　tribes　of　Thrace；　who　were　notoriously　addicted　to　drunkenness。　Its　mystic　doctrines　and　extravagant　rites　were　essentially　foreign　to　the　clear　intelligence　and　sober　temperament　of　the　Greek　race。　Yet　appealing　as　it　did　to　that　love　of　mystery　and　that　proneness　to　revert　to　savagery　which　seem　to　be　innate　in　most　men；　the　religion　spread　like　wildfire　through　Greece　until　the　god　whom　Homer　hardly　deigned　to　notice　had　become　the　most　popular　figure　of　the　pantheon。　The　resemblance　which　his　story　and　his　ceremonies　present　to　those　of　Osiris　have　led　some　enquirers　both　in　ancient　and　modern　times　to　hold　that　Dionysus　was　merely　a　disguised　Osiris；　imported　directly　from　Egypt　into　Greece。　But　the　great　preponderance　of　evidence　points　to　his　Thracian　origin；　and　the　similarity　of　the　two　worships　is　sufficiently　explained　by　the　similarity　of　the　ideas　and　customs　on　which　they　were　founded。

While　the　vine　with　its　clusters　was　the　most　characteristic　manifestation　of　Dionysus；　he　was　also　a　god　of　trees　in　general。　Thus　we　are　told　that　almost　all　the　Greeks　sacrificed　to　Dionysus　of　the　tree。　In　Boeotia　one　of　his　titles　was　Dionysus　in　the　tree。　His　image　was　often　merely　an　upright　post；　without　arms；　but　draped　in　a　mantle；　with　a　bearded　mask　to　represent　the　head；　and　with　leafy　boughs　projecting　from　the　head　or　body　to　show　the　nature　of　the　deity。　On　a　vase　his　rude　effigy　is　depicted　appearing　out　of　a　low　tree　or　bush。　At　Magnesia　on　the　Maeander　an　image　of　Dionysus　is　said　to　have　been　found　in　a　plane…tree；　which　had　been　broken　by　the　wind。　He　was　the　patron　of　cultivated　trees：　prayers　were　offered　to　him　that　he　would　make　the　trees　grow；　and　he　was　especially　honoured　by　husbandmen；　chiefly　fruit…growers；　who　set　up　an　image　of　him；　in　the　shape　of　a　natural　tree…stump；　in　their　orchards。　He　was　said　to　have　discovered　all　tree…fruits；　amongst　which　apples　and　figs　are　particularly　mentioned；　and　he　was　referred　to　as　well…fruited；　he　of　the　green　fruit；　and　making　the　fruit　to　grow。　One　of　his　titles　was　teeming　or　bursting　（as　of　sap　or　blossoms）；　and　there　was　a　Flowery　Dionysus　in　Attica　and　at　Patrae　in　Achaia。　The　Athenians　sacrificed　to　him　for　the　prosperity　of　the　fruits　of　the　land。　Amongst　the　trees　particularly　sacred　to　him；　in　addition　to　the　vine；　was　the　pine…tree。　The　Delphic　oracle　commanded　the　Corinthians　to　worship　a　particular　pine…tree　equally　with　the　god；　so　they　made　two　images　of　Dionysus　out　of　it；　with　red　faces　and　gilt　bodies。　In　art　a　wand；　tipped　with　a　pine…cone；　is　commonly　carried　by　the　god　or　his　worshippers。　Again；　the　ivy　and　the　fig…tree　were　especially　associated　with　him。　In　the　Attic　township　of　Acharnae　there　was　a　Dionysus　Ivy；　at　Lacedaemon　there　was　a　Fig　Dionysus；　and　in　Naxos；　where　figs　were　called　meilicha；　there　was　a　Dionysus　Meilichios；　the　face　of　whose　image　was　made　of　fig…wood。

Further；　there　are　indications；　few　but　significant；　that　Dionysus　was　conceived　as　a　deity　of　agriculture　and　the　corn。　He　is　spoken　of　as　himself　doing　the　work　of　a　husbandman：　he　is　reported　to　have　been　the　first　to　yoke　oxen　to　the　plough；　which　before　had　been　dragged　by　hand　alone；　and　some　people　found　in　this　tradition　the　clue　to　the　bovine　shape　in　which；　as　we　shall　see；　the　god　was　often　supposed　to　present　himself　to　his　worshippers。　Thus　guiding　the　ploughshare　and　scattering　the　seed　as　he　went；　Dionysus　is　said　to　have　eased　the　labour　of　the　husbandman。　Further；　we　are　told　that　in　the　land　of　the　Bisaltae；　a　Thracian　tribe；　there　was　a　great　and　fair　sanctuary　of　Dionysus；　where　at　his　festival　a　bright　light　shone　forth　at　night　as　a　token　of　an　abundant　harvest　vouchsafed　by　the　diety；　but　if　the　crops　were　to　fail　that　year；　the　mystic　light　was　not　seen；　darkness　brooded　over　the　sanctuary　as　at　other　times。　Moreover；　among　the　emblems　of　Dionysus　was　the　winnowing…fan；　that　is　the　large　open　shovel…shaped　basket；　which　down　to　modern　times　has　been　used　by　farmers　to　separate　the　grain　from　the　chaff　by　tossing　the　corn　in　the　air。　This　simple　agricultural　instrument　figured　in　the　mystic　rites　of　Dionysus；　indeed　the　god　is　traditionally　said　to　have　been　placed　at　birth　in　a　winnowing…fan　as　in　a　cradle：　in　art　he　is　represented　as　an　infant　so　cradled；　and　from　these　traditions　and　representations　he　derived　the　epithet　of　Liknites；　that　is；　He　of　the　Winnowing…fan。

Like　other　gods　of　vegetation　Dionysus　was　believed　to　have　died　a　violent　death；　but　to　have　been　brought　to　life　again；　and　his　sufferings；　death；　and　resurrection　were　enacted　in　his　sacred　rites。　His　tragic　story　is　thus　told　by　the　poet　Nonnus。　Zeus　in　the　form　of　a　serpent　visited　Persephone；　and　she　bore　him　Zagreus；　that　is；　Dionysus；　a　horned　infant。　Scarcely　was　he　born；　when　the　babe　mounted　the　throne　of　his　father　Zeus　and　mimicked　the　great　god　by　brandishing　the　lightning　in　his　tiny　hand。　But　he　did　not　occupy　the　throne　long；　for　the　treacherous　Titans；　their　faces　whitened　with　chalk；　attacked　him　with　knives　while　he　was　looking　at　himself　in　a　mirror。　For　a　time　he　evaded　their　assaults　by　turning　himself　into　various　shapes；　assuming　the　likeness　success