the golden bough-第196节

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In　the　first　place；　it　will　not　be　disputed　that　what　I　have　called　the　immediate　and　the　mediate　expulsions　of　evil　are　identical　in　intention；　in　other　words；　that　whether　the　evils　are　conceived　of　as　invisible　or　as　embodied　in　a　material　form；　is　a　circumstance　entirely　subordinate　to　the　main　object　of　the　ceremony；　which　is　simply　to　effect　a　total　clearance　of　all　the　ills　that　have　been　infesting　a　people。　If　any　link　were　wanting　to　connect　the　two　kinds　of　expulsion；　it　would　be　furnished　by　such　a　practice　as　that　of　sending　the　evils　away　in　a　litter　or　a　boat。　For　here；　on　the　one　hand；　the　evils　are　invisible　and　intangible；　and；　on　the　other　hand；　there　is　a　visible　and　tangible　vehicle　to　convey　them　away。　And　a　scapegoat　is　nothing　more　than　such　a　vehicle。

In　the　second　place；　when　a　general　clearance　of　evils　is　resorted　to　periodically；　the　interval　between　the　celebrations　of　the　ceremony　is　commonly　a　year；　and　the　time　of　year　when　the　ceremony　takes　place　usually　coincides　with　some　well…marked　change　of　season；　such　as　the　beginning　or　end　of　winter　in　the　arctic　and　temperate　zones；　and　the　beginning　or　end　of　the　rainy　season　in　the　tropics。　The　increased　mortality　which　such　climatic　changes　are　apt　to　produce；　especially　amongst　ill…fed；　ill…clothed；　and　ill…housed　savages；　is　set　down　by　primitive　man　to　the　agency　of　demons；　who　must　accordingly　be　expelled。　Hence；　in　the　tropical　regions　of　New　Britain　and　Peru；　the　devils　are　or　were　driven　out　at　the　beginning　of　the　rainy　season；　hence；　on　the　dreary　coasts　of　Baffin　Land；　they　are　banished　at　the　approach　of　the　bitter　Arctic　winter。　When　a　tribe　has　taken　to　husbandry；　the　time　for　the　general　expulsion　of　devils　is　naturally　made　to　agree　with　one　of　the　great　epochs　of　the　agricultural　year；　as　sowing；　or　harvest；　but；　as　these　epochs　themselves　naturally　coincide　with　changes　of　season；　it　does　not　follow　that　the　transition　from　the　hunting　or　pastoral　to　the　agricultural　life　involves　any　alteration　in　the　time　of　celebrating　this　great　annual　rite。　Some　of　the　agricultural　communities　of　India　and　the　Hindoo　Koosh；　as　we　have　seen；　hold　their　general　clearance　of　demons　at　harvest；　others　at　sowing…time。　But；　at　whatever　season　of　the　year　it　is　held；　the　general　expulsion　of　devils　commonly　marks　the　beginning　of　the　new　year。　For；　before　entering　on　a　new　year；　people　are　anxious　to　rid　themselves　of　the　troubles　that　have　harassed　them　in　the　past；　hence　it　comes　about　that　in　so　many　communities　the　beginning　of　the　new　year　is　inaugurated　with　a　solemn　and　public　banishment　of　evil　spirits。

In　the　third　place；　it　is　to　be　observed　that　this　public　and　periodic　expulsion　of　devils　is　commonly　preceded　or　followed　by　a　period　of　general　license；　during　which　the　ordinary　restraints　of　society　are　thrown　aside；　and　all　offences；　short　of　the　gravest；　are　allowed　to　pass　unpunished。　In　Guinea　and　Tonquin　the　period　of　license　precedes　the　public　expulsion　of　demons；　and　the　suspension　of　the　ordinary　government　in　Lhasa　previous　to　the　expulsion　of　the　scapegoat　is　perhaps　a　relic　of　a　similar　period　of　universal　license。　Amongst　the　Hos　of　India　the　period　of　license　follows　the　expulsion　of　the　devil。　Amongst　the　Iroquois　it　hardly　appears　whether　it　preceded　or　followed　the　banishment　of　evils。　In　any　case；　the　extraordinary　relaxation　of　all　ordinary　rules　of　conduct　on　such　occasions　is　doubtless　to　be　explained　by　the　general　clearance　of　evils　which　precedes　or　follows　it。　On　the　one　hand；　when　a　general　riddance　of　evil　and　absolution　from　all　sin　is　in　immediate　prospect；　men　are　encouraged　to　give　the　rein　to　their　passions；　trusting　that　the　coming　ceremony　will　wipe　out　the　score　which　they　are　running　up　so　fast。　On　the　other　hand；　when　the　ceremony　has　just　taken　place；　men's　minds　are　freed　from　the　oppressive　sense；　under　which　they　generally　labour；　of　an　atmosphere　surcharged　with　devils；　and　in　the　first　revulsion　of　joy　they　overleap　the　limits　commonly　imposed　by　custom　and　morality。　When　the　ceremony　takes　place　at　harvest…time；　the　elation　of　feeling　which　it　excites　is　further　stimulated　by　the　state　of　physical　wellbeing　produced　by　an　abundant　supply　of　food。

Fourthly；　the　employment　of　a　divine　man　or　animal　as　a　scapegoat　is　especially　to　be　noted；　indeed；　we　are　here　directly　concerned　with　the　custom　of　banishing　evils　only　in　so　far　as　these　evils　are　believed　to　be　transferred　to　a　god　who　is　afterwards　slain。　It　may　be　suspected　that　the　custom　of　employing　a　divine　man　or　animal　as　a　public　scapegoat　is　much　more　widely　diffused　than　appears　from　the　examples　cited。　For；　as　has　already　been　pointed　out；　the　custom　of　killing　a　god　dates　from　so　early　a　period　of　human　history　that　in　later　ages；　even　when　the　custom　continues　to　be　practised；　it　is　liable　to　be　misinterpreted。　The　divine　character　of　the　animal　or　man　is　forgotten；　and　he　comes　to　be　regarded　merely　as　an　ordinary　victim。　This　is　especially　likely　to　be　the　case　when　it　is　a　divine　man　who　is　killed。　For　when　a　nation　becomes　civilised；　if　it　does　not　drop　human　sacrifices　altogether；　it　at　least　selects　as　victims　only　such　wretches　as　would　be　put　to　death　at　any　rate。　Thus　the　killing　of　a　god　may　sometimes　come　to　be　confounded　with　the　execution　of　a　criminal。

If　we　ask　why　a　dying　god　should　be　chosen　to　take　upon　himself　and　carry　away　the　sins　and　sorrows　of　the　people；　it　may　be　suggested　that　in　the　practice　of　using　the　divinity　as　a　scapegoat　we　have　a　combination　of　two　customs　which　were　at　one　time　distinct　and　independent。　On　the　one　hand　we　have　seen　that　it　has　been　customary　to　kill　the　human　or　animal　god　in　order　to　save　his　divine　life　from　being　weakened　by　the　inroads　of　age。　On　the　other　hand　we　have　seen　that　it　has　been　customary　to　have　a　general　expulsion　of　evils　and　sins　once　a　year。　Now；　if　it　occurred　to　people　to　combine　these　two　customs；　the　result　would　be　the　employment　of　the　dying　god　as　a　scapegoat。　He　was　killed；　not　originally　to　take　away　sin；　but　to　save　the　divine　life　from　the　degeneracy　of　old　age；　but；　since　he　had　to　be　killed　at　any　rate；　people　may　have　thought　that　they　might　as　well　seize　the　opportunity　to　lay　upon　him　the　burden　of　their　sufferings　and　sins；　in　order　that　he　might　bear　it　away　with　him　to　the　unknown　world　beyond　the　grave。

The　use　of　the　divinity　as　a　scapegoat　clears　up　the　ambiguity　which；　as　we　saw；　appears　to　hang　about　the　European　folk…custom　of　carrying　out　Death。　Grounds　have　been　shown　for　believing　that　in　this　ceremony　the　so…called　Death　was　originally　the　spirit　of　vegetation；　who　was　annually　slain　in　spring；　in　order　that　he　might　come　to　life　again　with　all　the　vigour　of　youth。　But；　as　I　pointed　out；　there　are　certain　features　in　the　ceremony　which　are　not　explicable　on　this　hypothesis　alone。　Such　are　the　marks　of　joy　with　which　the　effigy　of　Death　is　carried　out　to　be　buried　or　burnt；　and　the　fear　and　abhorrence　of　it　manifested　by　the　bearers。　But　these　features　become　at　once　intelligible　if　we　suppose　that　the　Death　was　not　merely　the　dying　god　of　vegetation；　but　also　a　public　scapegoat；　upon　whom　were　laid　all　the　evils　that　had　afflicted　the　people　during　the　past　year。　Joy　on　such　an　occasion　is　natural　and　appropriate；　and　if　the　dying　god　appears　to　be　the　object　of　that　fear　and　abhorrence　which　are　properly　due　not　to　himself；　but　to　the　sins　and　misfortunes　with　which　he　is　laden；　this　arises　merely　from　the　difficulty　of　distinguishing；　or　at　least　of　marking　the　distinction；　between　the　bearer　and　the　burden。　When　the　burden　is　of　a　baleful　character；　the　bearer　of　it　will　be　feared　and　shunned　just　as　much　as　if　he　were　himself　instinct　with　those　dangerous　properties　of　which；　as　it　happens；　he　is　only　the　vehicle。　Similarly　we　have　seen　that　disease…laden　and　sin…laden　boats　are　dreaded　and　shunned　by　East　Indian　peoples。　Again；　the　view　that　in　these　popular　customs　the　Death　is　a　scapegoat　as　well　as　a　representative　of　the　divine　spirit　of　vegetation　derives　some　support　from　the　circumstance　that　its　expulsion　is　always　celebrated　in　spring　and　chiefly　by　Slavonic　peoples。　For　the　Slavonic　year　began　in　spring；　and　thus；　in　one　of　its　aspects；　the　ceremony　of　carrying　out　Death　would　be　an　example　of　the　widespread　custom　of　expelling　the　accumulated　evils　of　the　old　year　before　entering　on　a　new　one。

Chapter　58。　Human　Scapegoats　in　Classical　Antiquity。

1。　The　Human　Scapegoat　in　Ancient　Rome

WE　are　now　prepared　to　notice　the　use　of　the　human　scapegoat　in　classical　antiquity。　Every　year　on　the　fourteenth　of　March　a　man　clad　in　skins　was　led　in　procession　through　the　streets　of　Rome；　beaten　with　long　white　rods；　and　driven　out　of　the　city。　He　was　called　Mamurius　Veturius；　that　is；　the　old　Mars；　and　as　the　ceremony　took　place　on　the　day　preceding　the　first　full　moon　of　the　old　Roman　year　（which　began　on　the　first　of　March）；　the　skin…clad　man　must　have　represented　the　Mars　of　the　past　year；　who　was　driven　out　at　the　beginning　of　a　new　one。　Now　Mars　was　originally　not　a　god　of　war　but　of　vegetation。　For　it　was　to　Mars　that　the　Roman　husbandman　prayed　for　the　prosperity　of　his　corn　and　his　vines；　his　fruit…trees　and