the golden bough-第115部分

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！


o　obtain　a　plentiful　inundation。　Whether　that　was　so　or　not；　the　intention　of　the　practice　appears　to　have　been　to　marry　the　river；　conceived　as　a　male　power；　to　his　bride　the　cornland；　which　was　so　soon　to　be　fertilised　by　his　water。　The　ceremony　was　therefore　a　charm　to　ensure　the　growth　of　the　crops。　In　modern　times　money　used　to　be　thrown　into　the　canal　on　this　occasion；　and　the　populace　dived　into　the　water　after　it。　This　practice　also　would　seem　to　have　been　ancient；　for　Seneca　tells　us　that　at　a　place　called　the　Veins　of　the　Nile；　not　far　from　Philae；　the　priests　used　to　cast　money　and　offerings　of　gold　into　the　river　at　a　festival　which　apparently　took　place　at　the　rising　of　the　water。

The　next　great　operation　of　the　agricultural　year　in　Egypt　is　the　sowing　of　the　seed　in　November；　when　the　water　of　the　inundation　has　retreated　from　the　fields。　With　the　Egyptians；　as　with　many　peoples　of　antiquity；　the　committing　of　the　seed　to　the　earth　assumed　the　character　of　a　solemn　and　mournful　rite。　On　this　subject　I　will　let　Plutarch　speak　for　himself。　What；　he　asks；　are　we　to　make　of　the　gloomy；　joyless；　and　mournful　sacrifices；　if　it　is　wrong　either　to　omit　the　established　rites　or　to　confuse　and　disturb　our　conceptions　of　the　gods　by　absurd　suspicions？　For　the　Greeks　also　perform　many　rites　which　resemble　those　of　the　Egyptians　and　are　observed　about　the　same　time。　Thus　at　the　festival　of　the　Thesmophoria　in　Athens　women　sit　on　the　ground　and　fast。　And　the　Boeotians　open　the　vaults　of　the　Sorrowful　One；　naming　that　festival　sorrowful　because　Demeter　is　sorrowing　for　the　descent　of　the　Maiden。　The　month　is　the　month　of　sowing　about　the　setting　of　the　Pleiades。　The　Egyptians　call　it　Athyr；　the　Athenians　Pyanepsion；　the　Boeotians　the　month　of　Demeter　。　For　it　was　that　time　of　year　when　they　saw　some　of　the　fruits　vanishing　and　failing　from　the　trees；　while　they　sowed　others　grudgingly　and　with　difficulty；　scraping　the　earth　with　their　hands　and　huddling　it　up　again；　on　the　uncertain　chance　that　what　they　deposited　in　the　ground　would　ever　ripen　and　come　to　maturity。　Thus　they　did　in　many　respects　like　those　who　bury　and　mourn　their　dead。

The　Egyptian　harvest；　as　we　have　seen；　falls　not　in　autumn　but　in　spring；　in　the　months　of　March；　April；　and　May。　To　the　husbandman　the　time　of　harvest；　at　least　in　a　good　year；　must　necessarily　be　a　season　of　joy：　in　bringing　home　his　sheaves　he　is　requited　for　his　long　and　anxious　labours。　Yet　if　the　old　Egyptian　farmer　felt　a　secret　joy　at　reaping　and　garnering　the　grain；　it　was　essential　that　he　should　conceal　the　natural　emotion　under　an　air　of　profound　dejection。　For　was　he　not　severing　the　body　of　the　corn…god　with　his　sickle　and　trampling　it　to　pieces　under　the　hoofs　of　his　cattle　on　the　threshing…floor？　Accordingly　we　are　told　that　it　was　an　ancient　custom　of　the　Egyptian　corn…reapers　to　beat　their　breasts　and　lament　over　the　first　sheaf　cut；　while　at　the　same　time　they　called　upon　Isis。　The　invocation　seems　to　have　taken　the　form　of　a　melancholy　chant；　to　which　the　Greeks　gave　the　name　of　Maneros。　Similar　plaintive　strains　were　chanted　by　corn…reapers　in　Phoenicia　and　other　parts　of　Western　Asia。　Probably　all　these　doleful　ditties　were　lamentations　for　the　corn…god　killed　by　the　sickles　of　the　reapers。　In　Egypt　the　slain　deity　was　Osiris；　and　the　name　Maneros；　applied　to　the　dirge；　appears　to　be　derived　from　certain　words　meaning　Come　to　thy　house；　which　often　occur　in　the　lamentations　for　the　dead　god。

Ceremonies　of　the　same　sort　have　been　observed　by　other　peoples；　probably　for　the　same　purpose。　Thus　we　are　told　that　among　all　vegetables　corn；　by　which　is　apparently　meant　maize；　holds　the　first　place　in　the　household　economy　and　the　ceremonial　observance　of　the　Cherokee　Indians；　who　invoke　it　under　the　name　of　the　Old　Woman　in　allusion　to　a　myth　that　it　sprang　from　the　blood　of　an　old　woman　killed　by　her　disobedient　sons。　After　the　last　working　of　the　crop　a　priest　and　his　assistant　went　into　the　field　and　sang　songs　of　invocation　to　the　spirit　of　the　corn。　After　that　a　loud　rustling　would　be　heard；　which　was　thought　to　be　caused　by　the　Old　Woman　bringing　the　corn　into　the　field。　A　clean　trail　was　always　kept　from　the　field　to　the　house；　so　that　the　corn　might　be　encouraged　to　stay　at　home　and　not　go　wandering　elsewhere。　Another　curious　ceremony；　of　which　even　the　memory　is　now　almost　forgotten；　was　enacted　after　the　first　working　of　the　corn；　when　the　owner　or　priest　stood　in　succession　at　each　of　the　four　corners　of　the　field　and　wept　and　wailed　loudly。　Even　the　priests　are　now　unable　to　give　a　reason　for　this　performance；　which　may　have　been　a　lament　for　the　bloody　death　of　Selu；　the　Old　Woman　of　the　Corn。　In　these　Cherokee　practices　the　lamentations　and　the　invocations　of　the　Old　Woman　of　the　Corn　resemble　the　ancient　Egyptian　customs　of　lamenting　over　the　first　corn　cut　and　calling　upon　Isis；　herself　probably　in　one　of　her　aspects　an　Old　Woman　of　the　Corn。　Further；　the　Cherokee　precaution　of　leaving　a　clear　path　from　the　field　to　the　house　resembles　the　Egyptian　invitation　to　Osiris；　Come　to　thy　house。　So　in　the　East　Indies　to　this　day　people　observe　elaborate　ceremonies　for　the　purpose　of　bringing　back　the　Soul　of　the　Rice　from　the　fields　to　the　barn。　The　Nandi　of　East　Africa　perform　a　ceremony　in　September　when　the　eleusine　grain　is　ripening。　Every　woman　who　owns　a　plantation　goes　out　with　her　daughters　into　the　cornfields　and　makes　a　bonfire　of　the　branches　and　leaves　of　certain　trees。　After　that　they　pluck　some　of　the　eleusine；　and　each　of　them　puts　one　grain　in　her　necklace；　chews　another　and　rubs　it　on　her　forehead；　throat；　and　breast。　No　joy　is　shown　by　the　womenfolk　on　this　occasion；　and　they　sorrowfully　cut　a　basketful　of　the　corn　which　they　take　home　with　them　and　place　in　the　loft　to　dry。

The　conception　of　the　corn…spirit　as　old　and　dead　at　harvest　is　very　clearly　embodied　in　a　custom　observed　by　the　Arabs　of　Moab。　When　the　harvesters　have　nearly　finished　their　task　and　only　a　small　corner　of　the　field　remains　to　be　reaped；　the　owner　takes　a　handful　of　wheat　tied　up　in　a　sheaf。　A　hole　is　dug　in　the　form　of　a　grave；　and　two　stones　are　set　upright；　one　at　the　head　and　the　other　at　the　foot；　just　as　in　an　ordinary　burial。　Then　the　sheaf　of　wheat　is　laid　at　the　bottom　of　the　grave；　and　the　sheikh　pronounces　these　words；　'The　old　man　is　dead。　Earth　is　afterwards　thrown　in　to　cover　the　sheaf；　with　a　prayer；　May　Allah　bring　us　back　the　wheat　of　the　dead。

Chapter　40。　The　Nature　of　Osiris。

1。　Osiris　a　Corn…god。

THE　FOREGOING　survey　of　the　myth　and　ritual　of　Osiris　may　suffice　to　prove　that　in　one　of　his　aspects　the　god　was　a　personification　of　the　corn；　which　may　be　said　to　die　and　come　to　life　again　every　year。　Through　all　the　pomp　and　glamour　with　which　in　later　times　the　priests　had　invested　his　worship；　the　conception　of　him　as　the　corn…god　comes　clearly　out　in　the　festival　of　his　death　and　resurrection；　which　was　celebrated　in　the　month　of　Khoiak　and　at　a　later　period　in　the　month　of　Athyr。　That　festival　appears　to　have　been　essentially　a　festival　of　sowing；　which　properly　fell　at　the　time　when　the　husbandman　actually　committed　the　seed　to　the　earth。　On　that　occasion　an　effigy　of　the　corn…god；　moulded　of　earth　and　corn；　was　buried　with　funeral　rites　in　the　ground　in　order　that；　dying　there；　he　might　come　to　life　again　with　the　new　crops。　The　ceremony　was；　in　fact；　a　charm　to　ensure　the　growth　of　the　corn　by　sympathetic　magic；　and　we　may　conjecture　that　as　such　it　was　practised　in　a　simple　form　by　every　Egyptian　farmer　on　his　fields　long　before　it　was　adopted　and　transfigured　by　the　priests　in　the　stately　ritual　of　the　temple。　In　the　modern；　but　doubtless　ancient；　Arab　custom　of　burying　the　Old　Man；　namely；　a　sheaf　of　wheat；　in　the　harvest…field　and　praying　that　he　may　return　from　the　dead；　we　see　the　germ　out　of　which　the　worship　of　the　corn…god　Osiris　was　probably　developed。

The　details　of　his　myth　fit　in　well　with　this　interpretation　of　the　god。　He　was　said　to　be　the　offspring　of　Sky　and　Earth。　What　more　appropriate　parentage　could　be　invented　for　the　corn　which　springs　from　the　ground　that　has　been　fertilised　by　the　water　of　heaven？　It　is　true　that　the　land　of　Egypt　owed　its　fertility　directly　to　the　Nile　and　not　to　showers；　but　the　inhabitants　must　have　known　or　guessed　that　the　great　river　in　its　turn　was　fed　by　the　rains　which　fell　in　the　far　interior。　Again；　the　legend　that　Osiris　was　the　first　to　teach　men　the　use　of　corn　would　be　most　naturally　told　of　the　corn…god　himself。　Further；　the　story　that　his　mangled　remains　were　scattered　up　and　down　the　land　and　buried　in　different　places　may　be　a　mythical　way　of　expressing　either　the　sowing　or　the　winnowing　of　the　grain。　The　latter　interpretation　is　supported　by　the　tale　that　Isis　placed　the　severed　limbs　of　Osiris　on　a　corn…sieve。　Or　more　probably　the　legend　may　be　a　reminiscence　of　a　custom　of　slaying　a　human　victim；　perhaps　a　representative　of　the　corn…spirit；　and　distributing　his　flesh　or　scattering　his　ashes　over　the　fields　to　fertilise　them。　In　modern　Europe　the　figure　of　Death　is　sometimes　torn　in　pieces；　and　the　fragments　are　then　buried　in　the　ground　to　make　the　crops　grow　well；　and　in　other　parts　of　the　world　human　victims　are　treated　in　the　same　way。　With　regard　to　the　ancient　Egyptians　we　have　it　on　the　authority　of　Manetho　that　they　used　to　burn　red…haired　men　and　scatter　their　ashes　with　winnowing　fans；　and　it　is　highly　significant　that　this　barbarous　sacrifice　was　offered　by　the　kings　at　the　grave　of　Osiris。　We　may　conjecture　that　the　victims　represented　Osiris　himself；　who　was　annually　slain；　dismembered；　and　buried　in　their　persons　that　he　might　quicken　the　seed　in　the　earth。

Possibly　in　prehistoric　times　the　kings　themselves　played　the　part　of　the　god　and　were　slain　and　dismembered　in　that　character。　Set　as　well　as　Osiris　is　said　to　have　been　torn　in　pieces　after　a　reign　of　eighteen　days；　which　was　commemorated　by　an　annual　festival　of　the　same　length。　According　to　one　story　Romulus；　the　first　king　of　Rome；　was　cut　in　pieces　by　the　senators；　who　buried　the　fragments　of　him　in　the　ground；　and　the　traditional　day　of　his　death；　the　seventh　of　July；　was　celebrated　with　certain　curious　rites；