the golden bough-第59节

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


is　not　for　us　confidently　to　decide。　But　the　view　mentioned　by　Varro　that　Janus　was　the　god　of　the　sky　is　supported　not　only　by　the　etymological　identity　of　his　name　with　that　of　the　sky…god　Jupiter；　but　also　by　the　relation　in　which　he　appears　to　have　stood　to　Jupiter's　two　mates；　Juno　and　Juturna。　For　the　epithet　Junonian　bestowed　on　Janus　points　to　a　marriage　union　between　the　two　deities；　and　according　to　one　account　Janus　was　the　husband　of　the　water…nymph　Juturna；　who　according　to　others　was　beloved　by　Jupiter。　Moreover；　Janus；　like　Jove；　was　regularly　invoked；　and　commonly　spoken　of　under　the　title　of　Father。　Indeed；　he　was　identified　with　Jupiter　not　merely　by　the　logic　of　the　learned　St。　Augustine；　but　by　the　piety　of　a　pagan　worshipper　who　dedicated　an　offering　to　Jupiter　Dianus。　A　trace　of　his　relation　to　the　oak　may　be　found　in　the　oakwoods　of　the　Janiculum；　the　hill　on　the　right　bank　of　the　Tiber；　where　Janus　is　said　to　have　reigned　as　a　king　in　the　remotest　ages　of　Italian　history。

Thus；　if　I　am　right；　the　same　ancient　pair　of　deities　was　variously　known　among　the　Greek　and　Italian　peoples　as　Zeus　and　Dione；　Jupiter　and　Juno；　or　Dianus　（Janus）　and　Diana　（Jana）；　the　names　of　the　divinities　being　identical　in　substance；　though　varying　in　form　with　the　dialect　of　the　particular　tribe　which　worshipped　them。　At　first；　when　the　peoples　dwelt　near　each　other；　the　difference　between　the　deities　would　be　hardly　more　than　one　of　name；　in　other　words；　it　would　be　almost　purely　dialectical。　But　the　gradual　dispersion　of　the　tribes；　and　their　consequent　isolation　from　each　other；　would　favour　the　growth　of　divergent　modes　of　conceiving　and　worshipping　the　gods　whom　they　had　carried　with　them　from　their　old　home；　so　that　in　time　discrepancies　of　myth　and　ritual　would　tend　to　spring　up　and　thereby　to　convert　a　nominal　into　a　real　distinction　between　the　divinities。　Accordingly　when；　with　the　slow　progress　of　culture；　the　long　period　of　barbarism　and　separation　was　passing　away；　and　the　rising　political　power　of　a　single　strong　community　had　begun　to　draw　or　hammer　its　weaker　neighbours　into　a　nation；　the　confluent　peoples　would　throw　their　gods；　like　their　dialects；　into　a　common　stock；　and　thus　it　might　come　about　that　the　same　ancient　deities；　which　their　forefathers　had　worshipped　together　before　the　dispersion；　would　now　be　so　disguised　by　the　accumulated　effect　of　dialectical　and　religious　divergencies　that　their　original　identity　might　fail　to　be　recognised；　and　they　would　take　their　places　side　by　side　as　independent　divinities　in　the　national　pantheon。

This　duplication　of　deities；　the　result　of　the　final　fusion　of　kindred　tribes　who　had　long　lived　apart；　would　account　for　the　appearance　of　Janus　beside　Jupiter；　and　of　Diana　or　Jana　beside　Juno　in　the　Roman　religion。　At　least　this　appears　to　be　a　more　probable　theory　than　the　opinion；　which　has　found　favour　with　some　modern　scholars；　that　Janus　was　originally　nothing　but　the　god　of　doors。　That　a　deity　of　his　dignity　and　importance；　whom　the　Romans　revered　as　a　god　of　gods　and　the　father　of　his　people；　should　have　started　in　life　as　a　humble；　though　doubtless　respectable；　doorkeeper　appears　very　unlikely。　So　lofty　an　end　hardly　consorts　with　so　lowly　a　beginning。　It　is　more　probable　that　the　door　（janua）　got　its　name　from　Janus　than　that　he　got　his　name　from　it。　This　view　is　strengthened　by　a　consideration　of　the　word　janua　itself。　The　regular　word　for　door　is　the　same　in　all　the　languages　of　the　Aryan　family　from　India　to　Ireland。　It　is　dur　in　Sanscrit；　thura　in　Greek；　tür　in　German；　door　in　English；　dorus　in　old　Irish；　and　foris　in　Latin。　Yet　besides　this　ordinary　name　for　door；　which　the　Latins　shared　with　all　their　Aryan　brethren；　they　had　also　the　name　janua；　to　which　there　is　no　corresponding　term　in　any　Indo…European　speech。　The　word　has　the　appearance　of　being　an　adjectival　form　derived　from　the　noun　Janus。　I　conjecture　that　it　may　have　been　customary　to　set　up　an　image　or　symbol　of　Janus　at　the　principal　door　of　the　house　in　order　to　place　the　entrance　under　the　protection　of　the　great　god。　A　door　thus　guarded　might　be　known　as　a　janua　foris；　that　is；　a　Januan　door；　and　the　phrase　might　in　time　be　abridged　into　janua；　the　noun　foris　being　understood　but　not　expressed。　From　this　to　the　use　of　janua　to　designate　a　door　in　general；　whether　guarded　by　an　image　of　Janus　or　not；　would　be　an　easy　and　natural　transition。

If　there　is　any　truth　in　this　conjecture；　it　may　explain　very　simply　the　origin　of　the　double　head　of　Janus；　which　has　so　long　exercised　the　ingenuity　of　mythologists。　When　it　had　become　customary　to　guard　the　entrance　of　houses　and　towns　by　an　image　of　Janus；　it　might　well　be　deemed　necessary　to　make　the　sentinel　god　look　both　ways；　before　and　behind；　at　the　same　time；　in　order　that　nothing　should　escape　his　vigilant　eye。　For　if　the　divine　watchman　always　faced　in　one　direction；　it　is　easy　to　imagine　what　mischief　might　have　been　wrought　with　impunity　behind　his　back。　This　explanation　of　the　double…headed　Janus　at　Rome　is　confirmed　by　the　double…headed　idol　which　the　Bush　negroes　in　the　interior　of　Surinam　regularly　set　up　as　a　guardian　at　the　entrance　of　a　village。　The　idol　consists　of　a　block　of　wood　with　a　human　face　rudely　carved　on　each　side；　it　stands　under　a　gateway　composed　of　two　uprights　and　a　cross…bar。　Beside　the　idol　generally　lies　a　white　rag　intended　to　keep　off　the　devil；　and　sometimes　there　is　also　a　stick　which　seems　to　represent　a　bludgeon　or　weapon　of　some　sort。　Further；　from　the　cross…bar　hangs　a　small　log　which　serves　the　useful　purpose　of　knocking　on　the　head　any　evil　spirit　who　might　attempt　to　pass　through　the　gateway。　Clearly　this　double…headed　fetish　at　the　gateway　of　the　negro　villages　in　Surinam　bears　a　close　resemblance　to　the　double…headed　images　of　Janus　which；　grasping　a　stick　in　one　hand　and　a　key　in　the　other；　stood　sentinel　at　Roman　gates　and　doorways；　and　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　in　both　cases　the　heads　facing　two　ways　are　to　be　similarly　explained　as　expressive　of　the　vigilance　of　the　guardian　god；　who　kept　his　eye　on　spiritual　foes　behind　and　before；　and　stood　ready　to　bludgeon　them　on　the　spot。　We　may；　therefore；　dispense　with　the　tedious　and　unsatisfactory　explanations　which；　if　we　may　trust　Ovid；　the　wily　Janus　himself　fobbed　off　an　anxious　Roman　enquirer。

To　apply　these　conclusions　to　the　priest　of　Nemi；　we　may　suppose　that　as　the　mate　of　Diana　he　represented　originally　Dianus　or　Janus　rather　than　Jupiter；　but　that　the　difference　between　these　deities　was　of　old　merely　superficial；　going　little　deeper　than　the　names；　and　leaving　practically　unaffected　the　essential　functions　of　the　god　as　a　power　of　the　sky；　the　thunder；　and　the　oak。　It　was　fitting；　therefore；　that　his　human　representative　at　Nemi　should　dwell；　as　we　have　seen　reason　to　believe　he　did；　in　an　oak　grove。　His　title　of　King　of　the　Wood　clearly　indicates　the　sylvan　character　of　the　deity　whom　he　served；　and　since　he　could　only　be　assailed　by　him　who　had　plucked　the　bough　of　a　certain　tree　in　the　grove；　his　own　life　might　be　said　to　be　bound　up　with　that　of　the　sacred　tree。　Thus　he　not　only　served　but　embodied　the　great　Aryan　god　of　the　oak；　and　as　an　oak…god　he　would　mate　with　the　oak…goddess；　whether　she　went　by　the　name　of　Egeria　or　Diana。　Their　union；　however　consummated；　would　be　deemed　essential　to　the　fertility　of　the　earth　and　the　fecundity　of　man　and　beast。　Further；　as　the　oak…god　was　also　a　god　of　the　sky；　the　thunder；　and　the　rain；　so　his　human　representative　would　be　required；　like　many　other　divine　kings；　to　cause　the　clouds　to　gather；　the　thunder　to　peal；　and　the　rain　to　descend　in　due　season；　that　the　fields　and　orchards　might　bear　fruit　and　the　pastures　be　covered　with　luxuriant　herbage。　The　reputed　possessor　of　powers　so　exalted　must　have　been　a　very　important　personage；　and　the　remains　of　buildings　and　of　votive　offerings　which　have　been　found　on　the　site　of　the　sanctuary　combine　with　the　testimony　of　classical　writers　to　prove　that　in　later　times　it　was　one　of　the　greatest　and　most　popular　shrines　in　Italy。　Even　in　the　old　days；　when　the　champaign　country　around　was　still　parcelled　out　among　the　petty　tribes　who　composed　the　Latin　League；　the　sacred　grove　is　known　to　have　been　an　object　of　their　common　reverence　and　care。　And　just　as　the　kings　of　Cambodia　used　to　send　offerings　to　the　mystic　kings　of　Fire　and　Water　far　in　the　dim　depths　of　the　tropical　forest；　so；　we　may　well　believe；　from　all　sides　of　the　broad　Latian　plain　the　eyes　and　footsteps　of　Italian　pilgrims　turned　to　the　quarter　where；　standing　sharply　out　against　the　faint　blue　line　of　the　Apennines　or　the　deeper　blue　of　the　distant　sea；　the　Alban　Mountain　rose　before　them；　the　home　of　the　mysterious　priest　of　Nemi；　the　King　of　the　Wood。　There；　among　the　green　woods　and　beside　the　still　waters　of　the　lonely　hills；　the　ancient　Aryan　worship　of　the　god　of　the　oak；　the　thunder；　and　the　dripping　sky　lingered　in　its　early；　almost　Druidical　form；　long　after　a　great　political　and　intellectual　revolution　had　shifted　the　capital　of　Latin　religion　from　the　forest　to　the　city；　from　Nemi　to　Rome。

Chapter　17。　The　Burden　of　Royalty。

1。　Royal　and　Priestly　Taboos

AT　A　CERTAIN