the golden bough-第54节

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he　trees　in　the　grove　were　oaks。　We　know　that　in　antiquity　Mount　Algidus；　an　outlying　group　of　the　Alban　hills；　was　covered　with　dark　forests　of　oak；　and　among　the　tribes　who　belonged　to　the　Latin　League　in　the　earliest　days；　and　were　entitled　to　share　the　flesh　of　the　white　bull　sacrificed　on　the　Alban　Mount；　there　was　one　whose　members　styled　themselves　the　Men　of　the　Oak；　doubtless　on　account　of　the　woods　among　which　they　dwelt。

But　we　should　err　if　we　pictured　to　ourselves　the　country　as　covered　in　historical　times　with　an　unbroken　forest　of　oaks。　Theophrastus　has　left　us　a　description　of　the　woods　of　Latium　as　they　were　in　the　fourth　century　before　Christ。　He　says：　The　land　of　the　Latins　is　all　moist。　The　plains　produce　laurels；　myrtles；　and　wonderful　beeches；　for　they　fell　trees　of　such　a　size　that　a　single　stem　suffices　for　the　keel　of　a　Tyrrhenian　ship。　Pines　and　firs　grow　in　the　mountains。　What　they　call　the　land　of　Circe　is　a　lofty　headland　thickly　wooded　with　oak；　myrtle；　and　luxuriant　laurels。　The　natives　say　that　Circe　dwelt　there；　and　they　show　the　grave　of　Elpenor；　from　which　grow　myrtles　such　as　wreaths　are　made　of；　whereas　the　other　myrtle…trees　are　tall。　Thus　the　prospect　from　the　top　of　the　Alban　Mount　in　the　early　days　of　Rome　must　have　been　very　different　in　some　respects　from　what　it　is　to…day。　The　purple　Apennines；　indeed；　in　their　eternal　calm　on　the　one　hand；　and　the　shining　Mediterranean　in　its　eternal　unrest　on　the　other；　no　doubt　looked　then　much　as　they　look　now；　whether　bathed　in　sunshine；　or　chequered　by　the　fleeting　shadows　of　clouds；　but　instead　of　the　desolate　brown　expanse　of　the　fever…stricken　Campagna；　spanned　by　its　long　lines　of　ruined　aqueducts；　like　the　broken　arches　of　the　bridge　in　the　vision　of　Mirza；　the　eye　must　have　ranged　over　woodlands　that　stretched　away；　mile　after　mile；　on　all　sides；　till　their　varied　hues　of　green　or　autumnal　scarlet　and　gold　melted　insensibly　into　the　blue　of　the　distant　mountains　and　sea。

But　Jupiter　did　not　reign　alone　on　the　top　of　his　holy　mountain。　He　had　his　consort　with　him；　the　goddess　Juno；　who　was　worshipped　here　under　the　same　title；　Moneta；　as　on　the　Capitol　at　Rome。　As　the　oak　crown　was　sacred　to　Jupiter　and　Juno　on　the　Capitol；　so　we　may　suppose　it　was　on　the　Alban　Mount；　from　which　the　Capitoline　worship　was　derived。　Thus　the　oak…god　would　have　his　oak…goddess　in　the　sacred　oak　grove。　So　at　Dodona　the　oak…god　Zeus　was　coupled　with　Dione；　whose　very　name　is　only　a　dialectically　different　form　of　Juno；　and　so　on　the　top　of　Mount　Cithaeron；　as　we　have　seen；　he　appears　to　have　been　periodically　wedded　to　an　oaken　image　of　Hera。　It　is　probable；　though　it　cannot　be　positively　proved；　that　the　sacred　marriage　of　Jupiter　and　Juno　was　annually　celebrated　by　all　the　peoples　of　the　Latin　stock　in　the　month　which　they　named　after　the　goddess；　the　midsummer　month　of　June。

If　at　any　time　of　the　year　the　Romans　celebrated　the　sacred　marriage　of　Jupiter　and　Juno；　as　the　Greeks　commonly　celebrated　the　corresponding　marriage　of　Zeus　and　Hera；　we　may　suppose　that　under　the　Republic　the　ceremony　was　either　performed　over　images　of　the　divine　pair　or　acted　by　the　Flamen　Dialis　and　his　wife　the　Flaminica。　For　the　Flamen　Dialis　was　the　priest　of　Jove；　indeed；　ancient　and　modern　writers　have　regarded　him；　with　much　probability；　as　a　living　image　of　Jupiter；　a　human　embodiment　of　the　sky…god。　In　earlier　times　the　Roman　king；　as　representative　of　Jupiter；　would　naturally　play　the　part　of　the　heavenly　bridegroom　at　the　sacred　marriage；　while　his　queen　would　figure　as　the　heavenly　bride；　just　as　in　Egypt　the　king　and　queen　masqueraded　in　the　character　of　deities；　and　as　at　Athens　the　queen　annually　wedded　the　vine…god　Dionysus。　That　the　Roman　king　and　queen　should　act　the　parts　of　Jupiter　and　Juno　would　seem　all　the　more　natural　because　these　deities　themselves　bore　the　title　of　King　and　Queen。

Whether　that　was　so　or　not；　the　legend　of　Numa　and　Egeria　appears　to　embody　a　reminiscence　of　a　time　when　the　priestly　king　himself　played　the　part　of　the　divine　bridegroom；　and　as　we　have　seen　reason　to　suppose　that　the　Roman　kings　personated　the　oak…god；　while　Egeria　is　expressly　said　to　have　been　an　oak…nymph；　the　story　of　their　union　in　the　sacred　grove　raises　a　presumption　that　at　Rome　in　the　regal　period　a　ceremony　was　periodically　performed　exactly　analogous　to　that　which　was　annually　celebrated　at　Athens　down　to　the　time　of　Aristotle。　The　marriage　of　the　King　of　Rome　to　the　oak…goddess；　like　the　wedding　of　the　vine…god　to　the　Queen　of　Athens；　must　have　been　intended　to　quicken　the　growth　of　vegetation　by　homoeopathic　magic。　Of　the　two　forms　of　the　rite　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　the　Roman　was　the　older；　and　that　long　before　the　northern　invaders　met　with　the　vine　on　the　shores　of　the　Mediterranean　their　forefathers　had　married　the　tree…god　to　the　tree…goddess　in　the　vast　oak　forests　of　Central　and　Northern　Europe。　In　the　England　of　our　day　the　forests　have　mostly　disappeared；　yet　still　on　many　a　village　green　and　in　many　a　country　lane　a　faded　image　of　the　sacred　marriage　lingers　in　the　rustic　pageantry　of　May　Day。

Chapter　14。　The　Succession　to　the　Kingdom　in　Ancient　Latium

IN　REGARD　to　the　Roman　king；　whose　priestly　functions　were　inherited　by　his　successor　the　king　of　the　Sacred　Rites；　the　foregoing　discussion　has　led　us　to　the　following　conclusions。　He　represented　and　indeed　personated　Jupiter；　the　great　god　of　the　sky；　the　thunder；　and　the　oak；　and　in　that　character　made　rain；　thunder；　and　lightning　for　the　good　of　his　subjects；　like　many　more　kings　of　the　weather　in　other　parts　of　the　world。　Further；　he　not　only　mimicked　the　oak…god　by　wearing　an　oak　wreath　and　other　insignia　of　divinity；　but　he　was　married　to　an　oak…nymph　Egeria；　who　appears　to　have　been　merely　a　local　form　of　Diana　in　her　character　of　a　goddess　of　woods；　of　waters；　and　of　child…birth。　All　these　conclusions；　which　we　have　reached　mainly　by　a　consideration　of　the　Roman　evidence；　may　with　great　probability　be　applied　to　the　other　Latin　communities。　They　too　probably　had　of　old　their　divine　or　priestly　kings；　who　transmitted　their　religious　functions；　without　their　civil　powers；　to　their　successors　the　Kings　of　the　Sacred　Rites。

But　we　have　still　to　ask；　What　was　the　rule　of　succession　to　the　kingdom　among　the　old　Latin　tribes？　According　to　tradition；　there　were　in　all　eight　kings　of　Rome；　and　with　regard　to　the　five　last　of　them；　at　all　events；　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　they　actually　sat　on　the　throne；　and　that　the　traditional　history　of　their　reigns　is；　in　its　main　outlines；　correct。　Now　it　is　very　remarkable　that　though　the　first　king　of　Rome；　Romulus；　is　said　to　have　been　descended　from　the　royal　house　of　Alba；　in　which　the　kingship　is　represented　as　hereditary　in　the　male　line；　not　one　of　the　Roman　kings　was　immediately　succeeded　by　his　son　on　the　throne。　Yet　several　left　sons　or　grandsons　behind　them。　On　the　other　hand；　one　of　them　was　descended　from　a　former　king　through　his　mother；　not　through　his　father；　and　three　of　the　kings；　namely　Tatius；　the　elder　Tarquin；　and　Servius　Tullius；　were　succeeded　by　their　sons…in…law；　who　were　all　either　foreigners　or　of　foreign　descent。　This　suggests　that　the　right　to　the　kingship　was　transmitted　in　the　female　line；　and　was　actually　exercised　by　foreigners　who　married　the　royal　princesses。　To　put　it　in　technical　language；　the　succession　to　the　kingship　at　Rome　and　probably　in　Latium　generally　would　seem　to　have　been　determined　by　certain　rules　which　have　moulded　early　society　in　many　parts　of　the　world；　namely　exogamy；　beena　marriage；　and　female　kinship　or　mother…kin。　Exogamy　is　the　rule　which　obliges　a　man　to　marry　a　woman　of　a　different　clan　from　his　own：　beena　marriage　is　the　rule　that　he　must　leave　the　home　of　his　birth　and　live　with　his　wife's　people；　and　female　kinship　or　mother…kin　is　the　system　of　tracing　relationship　and　transmitting　the　family　name　through　women　instead　of　through　men。　If　these　principles　regulated　descent　of　the　kingship　among　the　ancient　Latins；　the　state　of　things　in　this　respect　would　be　somewhat　as　follows。　The　political　and　religious　centre　of　each　community　would　be　the　perpetual　fire　on　the　king's　hearth　tended　by　Vestal　Virgins　of　the　royal　clan。　The　king　would　be　a　man　of　another　clan；　perhaps　of　another　town　or　even　of　another　race；　who　had　married　a　daughter　of　his　predecessor　and　received　the　kingdom　with　her。　The　children　whom　he　had　by　her　would　inherit　their　mother's　name；　not　his；　the　daughters　would　remain　at　home；　the　sons；　when　they　grew　up；　would　go　away　into　the　world；　marry；　and　settle　in　their　wives'　country；　whether　as　kings　or　commoners。　Of　the　daughters　who　stayed　at　home；　some　or　all　would　be　dedicated　as　Vestal　Virgins　for　a　longer　or　shorter　time　to　the　service　of　the　fire　on　the　hearth；　and　one　of　them　would　in　time　become　the　consort　of　her　father's　successor。

This　hypothesis　has　the　advantage　of　explaining　in　a　simple　and　natural　way　some　obscure　features　in　the　traditional　history　of　the　Latin　kingship。　Thus　the　legends　which　tell　how　Latin　kings　were　born　of　virgin　mothers　and　divine　fathers　become　at　least　more　intelligible。　For；　stripped　of　their　fabulous　element；　tales　of　this　sort　mean