the golden bough-第132节

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　time　he　evaded　their　assaults　by　turning　himself　into　various　shapes；　assuming　the　likeness　successively　of　Zeus　and　Cronus；　of　a　young　man；　of　a　lion；　a　horse；　and　a　serpent。　Finally；　in　the　form　of　a　bull；　he　was　cut　to　pieces　by　the　murderous　knives　of　his　enemies。　His　Cretan　myth；　as　related　by　Firmicus　Maternus；　ran　thus。　He　was　said　to　have　been　the　bastard　son　of　Jupiter；　a　Cretan　king。　Going　abroad；　Jupiter　transferred　the　throne　and　sceptre　to　the　youthful　Dionysus；　but；　knowing　that　his　wife　Juno　cherished　a　jealous　dislike　of　the　child；　he　entrusted　Dionysus　to　the　care　of　guards　upon　whose　fidelity　he　believed　he　could　rely。　Juno；　however；　bribed　the　guards；　and　amusing　the　child　with　rattles　and　a　cunningly…wrought　looking　glass　lured　him　into　an　ambush；　where　her　satellites；　the　Titans；　rushed　upon　him；　cut　him　limb　from　limb；　boiled　his　body　with　various　herbs；　and　ate　it。　But　his　sister　Minerva；　who　had　shared　in　the　deed；　kept　his　heart　and　gave　it　to　Jupiter　on　his　return；　revealing　to　him　the　whole　history　of　the　crime。　In　his　rage；　Jupiter　put　the　Titans　to　death　by　torture；　and；　to　soothe　his　grief　for　the　loss　of　his　son；　made　an　image　in　which　he　enclosed　the　child's　heart；　and　then　built　a　temple　in　his　honour。　In　this　version　a　Euhemeristic　turn　has　been　given　to　the　myth　by　representing　Jupiter　and　Juno　（Zeus　and　Hera）　as　a　king　and　queen　of　Crete。　The　guards　referred　to　are　the　mythical　Curetes　who　danced　a　war…dance　round　the　infant　Dionysus；　as　they　are　said　to　have　done　round　the　infant　Zeus。　Very　noteworthy　is　the　legend；　recorded　both　by　Nonnus　and　Firmicus；　that　in　his　infancy　Dionysus　occupied　for　a　short　time　the　throne　of　his　father　Zeus。　So　Proclus　tells　us　that　Dionysus　was　the　last　king　of　the　gods　appointed　by　Zeus。　For　his　father　set　him　on　the　kingly　throne；　and　placed　in　his　hand　the　sceptre；　and　made　him　king　of　all　the　gods　of　the　world。　Such　traditions　point　to　a　custom　of　temporarily　investing　the　king's　son　with　the　royal　dignity　as　a　preliminary　to　sacrificing　him　instead　of　his　father。　Pomegranates　were　supposed　to　have　sprung　from　the　blood　of　Dionysus；　as　anemones　from　the　blood　of　Adonis　and　violets　from　the　blood　of　Attis：　hence　women　refrained　from　eating　seeds　of　pomegranates　at　the　festival　of　the

Thesmophoria。　According　to　some；　the　severed　limbs　of　Dionysus　were　pieced　together；　at　the　command　of　Zeus；　by　Apollo；　who　buried　them　on　Parnassus。　The　grave　of　Dionysus　was　shown　in　the　Delphic　temple　beside　a　golden　statue　of　Apollo。　However；　according　to　another　account；　the　grave　of　Dionysus　was　at　Thebes；　where　he　is　said　to　have　been　torn　in　pieces。　Thus　far　the　resurrection　of　the　slain　god　is　not　mentioned；　but　in　other　versions　of　the　myth　it　is　variously　related。　According　to　one　version；　which　represented　Dionysus　as　a　son　of　Zeus　and　Demeter；　his　mother　pieced　together　his　mangled　limbs　and　made　him　young　again。　In　others　it　is　simply　said　that　shortly　after　his　burial　he　rose　from　the　dead　and　ascended　up　to　heaven；　or　that　Zeus　raised　him　up　as　he　lay　mortally　wounded；　or　that　Zeus　swallowed　the　heart　of　Dionysus　and　then　begat　him　afresh　by　Semele；　who　in　the　common　legend　figures　as　mother　of　Dionysus。　Or；　again；　the　heart　was　pounded　up　and　given　in　a　potion　to　Semele；　who　thereby　conceived　him。

Turning　from　the　myth　to　the　ritual；　we　find　that　the　Cretans　celebrated　a　biennial　festival　at　which　the　passion　of　Dionysus　was　represented　in　every　detail。　All　that　he　had　done　or　suffered　in　his　last　moments　was　enacted　before　the　eyes　of　his　worshippers；　who　tore　a　live　bull　to　pieces　with　their　teeth　and　roamed　the　woods　with　frantic　shouts。　In　front　of　them　was　carried　a　casket　supposed　to　contain　the　sacred　heart　of　Dionysus；　and　to　the　wild　music　of　flutes　and　cymbals　they　mimicked　the　rattles　by　which　the　infant　god　had　been　lured　to　his　doom。　Where　the　resurrection　formed　part　of　the　myth；　it　also　was　acted　at　the　rites；　and　it　even　appears　that　a　general　doctrine　of　resurrection；　or　at　least　of　immortality；　was　inculcated　on　the　worshippers；　for　Plutarch；　writing　to　console　his　wife　on　the　death　of　their　infant　daughter；　comforts　her　with　the　thought　of　the　immortality　of　the　soul　as　taught　by　tradition　and　revealed　in　the　mysteries　of　Dionysus。　A　different　form　of　the　myth　of　the　death　and　resurrection　of　Dionysus　is　that　he　descended　into　Hades　to　bring　up　his　mother　Semele　from　the　dead。　The　local　Argive　tradition　was　that　he　went　down　through　the　Alcyonian　lake；　and　his　return　from　the　lower　world；　in　other　words　his　resurrection；　was　annually　celebrated　on　the　spot　by　the　Argives；　who　summoned　him　from　the　water　by　trumpet　blasts；　while　they　threw　a　lamb　into　the　lake　as　an　offering　to　the　warder　of　the　dead。　Whether　this　was　a　spring　festival　does　not　appear；　but　the　Lydians　certainly　celebrated　the　advent　of　Dionysus　in　spring；　the　god　was　supposed　to　bring　the　season　with　him。　Deities　of　vegetation；　who　are　believed　to　pass　a　certain　portion　of　each　year　underground；　naturally　come　to　be　regarded　as　gods　of　the　lower　world　or　of　the　dead。　Both　Dionysus　and　Osiris　were　so　conceived。

A　feature　in　the　mythical　character　of　Dionysus；　which　at　first　sight　appears　inconsistent　with　his　nature　as　a　deity　of　vegetation；　is　that　he　was　often　conceived　and　represented　in　animal　shape；　especially　in　the　form；　or　at　least　with　the　horns；　of　a　bull。　Thus　he　is　spoken　of　as　cow…born；　bull；　bull…shaped；　bull…faced；　bull…browed；　bull…horned；　horn…bearing；　two…horned；　horned。　He　was　believed　to　appear；　at　least　occasionally；　as　a　bull。　His　images　were　often；　as　at　Cyzicus；　made　in　bull　shape；　or　with　bull　horns；　and　he　was　painted　with　horns。　Types　of　the　horned　Dionysus　are　found　amongst　the　surviving　monuments　of　antiquity。　On　one　statuette　he　appears　clad　in　a　bull's　hide；　the　head；　horns；　and　hoofs　hanging　down　behind。　Again；　he　is　represented　as　a　child　with　clusters　of　grapes　round　his　brow；　and　a　calf's　head；　with　sprouting　horns；　attached　to　the　back　of　his　head。　On　a　red…figured　vase　the　god　is　portrayed　as　a　calf…headed　child　seated　on　a　woman's　lap。　The　people　of　Cynaetha　held　a　festival　of　Dionysus　in　winter；　when　men；　who　had　greased　their　bodies　with　oil　for　the　occasion；　used　to　pick　out　a　bull　from　the　herd　and　carry　it　to　the　sanctuary　of　the　god。　Dionysus　was　supposed　to　inspire　their　choice　of　the　particular　bull；　which　probably　represented　the　deity　himself；　for　at　his　festivals　he　was　believed　to　appear　in　bull　form。　The　women　of　Elis　hailed　him　as　a　bull；　and　prayed　him　to　come　with　his　bull's　foot。　They　sang；　Come　hither；　Dionysus；　to　thy　holy　temple　by　the　sea；　come　with　the　Graces　to　thy　temple；　rushing　with　thy　bull's　foot；　O　goodly　bull；　O　goodly　bull！　The　Bacchanals　of　Thrace　wore　horns　in　imitation　of　their　god。　According　to　the　myth；　it　was　in　the　shape　of　a　bull　that　he　was　torn　to　pieces　by　the　Titans；　and　the　Cretans；　when　they　acted　the　sufferings　and　death　of　Dionysus；　tore　a　live　bull　to　pieces　with　their　teeth。　Indeed；　the　rending　and　devouring　of　live　bulls　and　calves　appear　to　have　been　a　regular　feature　of　the　Dionysiac　rites。　When　we　consider　the　practice　of　portraying　the　god　as　a　bull　or　with　some　of　the　features　of　the　animal；　the　belief　that　he　appeared　in　bull　form　to　his　worshippers　at　the　sacred　rites；　and　the　legend　that　in　bull　form　he　had　been　torn　in　pieces；　we　cannot　doubt　that　in　rending　and　devouring　a　live　bull　at　his　festival　the　worshippers　of　Dionysus　believed　themselves　to　be　killing　the　god；　eating　his　flesh；　and　drinking　his　blood。

Another　animal　whose　form　Dionysus　assumed　was　the　goat。　One　of　his　names　was　Kid。　At　Athens　and　at　Hermion　he　was　worshipped　under　the　title　of　the　one　of　the　Black　Goatskin；　and　a　legend　ran　that　on　a　certain　occasion　he　had　appeared　clad　in　the　skin　from　which　he　took　the　title。　In　the　wine…growing　district　of　Phlius；　where　in　autumn　the　plain　is　still　thickly　mantled　with　the　red　and　golden　foliage　of　the　fading　vines；　there　stood　of　old　a　bronze　image　of　a　goat；　which　the　husbandmen　plastered　with　gold…leaf　as　a　means　of　protecting　their　vines　against　blight。　The　image　probably　represented　the　vine…god　himself。　To　save　him　from　the　wrath　of　Hera；　his　father　Zeus　changed　the　youthful　Dionysus　into　a　kid；　and　when　the　gods　fled　to　Egypt　to　escape　the　fury　of　Typhon；　Dionysus　was　turned　into　a　goat。　Hence　when　his　worshippers　rent　in　pieces　a　live　goat　and　devoured　it　raw；　they　must　have　believed　that　they　were　eating　the　body　and　blood　of　the　god。　The　custom　of　tearing　in　pieces　the　bodies　of　animals　and　of　men　and　then　devouring　them　raw　has　been　practised　as　a　religious　rite　by　savages　in　modern　times。　We　need　not　therefore　dismiss　as　a　fable　the　testimony　of　antiquity　to　the　observance　of　similar　rites　among　the　frenzied　worshippers　of　Bacchus。

The　custom　of　killing　a　god　in　animal　form；　which　we　shall　examine　more　in　detail　further　on；　belongs　to　a　very　early　stage　of　human　culture；　and　is　apt　in　later　times　to　be　misunderstood。　The　advance　of　thought　tends　to　strip　the　old　animal　and　plant　gods　of　their　bestial　and　vegetable　husk；　and　to　leave　their　human　attributes　（which　are　always　the　kernel　of　the　conception）　as　the　final　and　sole　residuum。　In　other　words；　anim