the golden bough-第103章

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　deities　were　permitted　to　share　the　benefit　of　an　invention　which　held　out　to　gods　as　well　as　to　men　a　reasonable　hope　of　immortality。　Every　province　then　had　the　tomb　and　mummy　of　its　dead　god。　The　mummy　of　Osiris　was　to　be　seen　at　Mendes；　Thinis　boasted　of　the　mummy　of　Anhouri；　and　Heliopolis　rejoiced　in　the　possession　of　that　of　Toumou。　The　high　gods　of　Babylon　also；　though　they　appeared　to　their　worshippers　only　in　dreams　and　visions；　were　conceived　to　be　human　in　their　bodily　shape；　human　in　their　passions；　and　human　in　their　fate；　for　like　men　they　were　born　into　the　world；　and　like　men　they　loved　and　fought　and　died。

2。　Kings　killed　when　their　Strength　fails。

IF　THE　HIGH　gods；　who　dwell　remote　from　the　fret　and　fever　of　this　earthly　life；　are　yet　believed　to　die　at　last；　it　is　not　to　be　expected　that　a　god　who　lodges　in　a　frail　tabernacle　of　flesh　should　escape　the　same　fate；　though　we　hear　of　African　kings　who　have　imagined　themselves　immortal　by　virtue　of　their　sorceries。　Now　primitive　peoples；　as　we　have　seen；　sometimes　believe　that　their　safety　and　even　that　of　the　world　is　bound　up　with　the　life　of　one　of　these　god…men　or　human　incarnations　of　the　divinity。　Naturally；　therefore；　they　take　the　utmost　care　of　his　life；　out　of　a　regard　for　their　own。　But　no　amount　of　care　and　precaution　will　prevent　the　man…god　from　growing　old　and　feeble　and　at　last　dying。　His　worshippers　have　to　lay　their　account　with　this　sad　necessity　and　to　meet　it　as　best　they　can。　The　danger　is　a　formidable　one；　for　if　the　course　of　nature　is　dependent　on　the　man…god's　life；　what　catastrophes　may　not　be　expected　from　the　gradual　enfeeblement　of　his　powers　and　their　final　extinction　in　death？　There　is　only　one　way　of　averting　these　dangers。　The　man…god　must　be　killed　as　soon　as　he　shows　symptoms　that　his　powers　are　beginning　to　fail；　and　his　soul　must　be　transferred　to　a　vigorous　successor　before　it　has　been　seriously　impaired　by　the　threatened　decay。　The　advantages　of　thus　putting　the　man…god　to　death　instead　of　allowing　him　to　die　of　old　age　and　disease　are；　to　the　savage；　obvious　enough。　For　if　the　man…god　dies　what　we　call　a　natural　death；　it　means；　according　to　the　savage；　that　his　soul　has　either　voluntarily　departed　from　his　body　and　refuses　to　return；　or　more　commonly　that　it　has　been　extracted；　or　at　least　detained　in　its　wanderings；　by　a　demon　or　sorcerer。　In　any　of　these　cases　the　soul　of　the　man…god　is　lost　to　his　worshippers；　and　with　it　their　prosperity　is　gone　and　their　very　existence　endangered。　Even　if　they　could　arrange　to　catch　the　soul　of　the　dying　god　as　it　left　his　lips　or　his　nostrils　and　so　transfer　it　to　a　successor；　this　would　not　effect　their　purpose；　for；　dying　of　disease；　his　soul　would　necessarily　leave　his　body　in　the　last　stage　of　weakness　and　exhaustion；　and　so　enfeebled　it　would　continue　to　drag　out　a　languid；　inert　existence　in　any　body　to　which　it　might　be　transferred。　Whereas　by　slaying　him　his　worshippers　could；　in　the　first　place；　make　sure　of　catching　his　soul　as　it　escaped　and　transferring　it　to　a　suitable　successor；　and；　in　the　second　place；　by　putting　him　to　death　before　his　natural　force　was　abated；　they　would　secure　that　the　world　should　not　fall　into　decay　with　the　decay　of　the　man…god。　Every　purpose；　therefore；　was　answered；　and　all　dangers　averted　by　thus　killing　the　man…god　and　transferring　his　soul；　while　yet　at　its　prime；　to　a　vigorous　successor。

The　mystic　kings　of　Fire　and　Water　in　Cambodia　are　not　allowed　to　die　a　natural　death。　Hence　when　one　of　them　is　seriously　ill　and　the　elders　think　that　he　cannot　recover；　they　stab　him　to　death。　The　people　of　Congo　believed；　as　we　have　seen；　that　if　their　pontiff　the　Chitomé　were　to　die　a　natural　death；　the　world　would　perish；　and　the　earth；　which　he　alone　sustained　by　his　power　and　merit；　would　immediately　be　annihilated。　Accordingly　when　he　fell　ill　and　seemed　likely　to　die；　the　man　who　was　destined　to　be　his　successor　entered　the　pontiff's　house　with　a　rope　or　a　club　and　strangled　or　clubbed　him　to　death。　The　Ethiopian　kings　of　Meroe　were　worshipped　as　gods；　but　whenever　the　priests　chose；　they　sent　a　messenger　to　the　king；　ordering　him　to　die；　and　alleging　an　oracle　of　the　gods　as　their　authority　for　the　command。　This　command　the　kings　always　obeyed　down　to　the　reign　of　Ergamenes；　a　contemporary　of　Ptolemy　II。；　King　of　Egypt。　Having　received　a　Greek　education　which　emancipated　him　from　the　superstitions　of　his　countrymen；　Ergamenes　ventured　to　disregard　the　command　of　the　priests；　and；　entering　the　Golden　Temple　with　a　body　of　soldiers；　put　the　priests　to　the　sword。

Customs　of　the　same　sort　appear　to　have　prevailed　in　this　part　of　Africa　down　to　modern　times。　In　some　tribes　of　Fazoql　the　king　had　to　administer　justice　daily　under　a　certain　tree。　If　from　sickness　or　any　other　cause　he　was　unable　to　discharge　this　duty　for　three　whole　days；　he　was　hanged　on　the　tree　in　a　noose；　which　contained　two　razors　so　arranged　that　when　the　noose　was　drawn　tight　by　the　weight　of　the　king's　body　they　cut　his　throat。

A　custom　of　putting　their　divine　kings　to　death　at　the　first　symptoms　of　infirmity　or　old　age　prevailed　until　lately；　if　indeed　it　is　even　now　extinct　and　not　merely　dormant；　among　the　Shilluk　of　the　White　Nile；　and　in　recent　years　it　has　been　carefully　investigated　by　Dr。　C。　G。　Seligman。　The　reverence　which　the　Shilluk　pay　to　their　king　appears　to　arise　chiefly　from　the　conviction　that　he　is　a　reincarnation　of　the　spirit　of　Nyakang；　the　semi…divine　hero　who　founded　the　dynasty　and　settled　the　tribe　in　their　present　territory。　It　is　a　fundamental　article　of　the　Shilluk　creed　that　the　spirit　of　the　divine　or　semi…divine　Nyakang　is　incarnate　in　the　reigning　king；　who　is　accordingly　himself　invested　to　some　extent　with　the　character　of　a　divinity。　But　while　the　Shilluk　hold　their　kings　in　high；　indeed　religious　reverence　and　take　every　precaution　against　their　accidental　death；　nevertheless　they　cherish　the　conviction　that　the　king　must　not　be　allowed　to　become　ill　or　senile；　lest　with　his　diminishing　vigour　the　cattle　should　sicken　and　fail　to　bear　their　increase；　the　crops　should　rot　in　the　fields；　and　man；　stricken　with　disease；　should　die　in　ever…increasing　numbers。　To　prevent　these　calamities　it　used　to　be　the　regular　custom　with　the　Shilluk　to　put　the　king　to　death　whenever　he　showed　signs　of　ill…health　or　failing　strength。　One　of　the　fatal　symptoms　of　decay　was　taken　to　be　an　incapacity　to　satisfy　the　sexual　passions　of　his　wives；　of　whom　he　has　very　many；　distributed　in　a　large　number　of　houses　at　Fashoda。　When　this　ominous　weakness　manifested　itself；　the　wives　reported　it　to　the　chiefs；　who　are　popularly　said　to　have　intimated　to　the　king　his　doom　by　spreading　a　white　cloth　over　his　face　and　knees　as　he　lay　slumbering　in　the　heat　of　the　sultry　afternoon。　Execution　soon　followed　the　sentence　of　death。　A　hut　was　specially　built　for　the　occasion：　the　king　was　led　into　it　and　lay　down　with　his　head　resting　on　the　lap　of　a　nubile　virgin：　the　door　of　the　hut　was　then　walled　up；　and　the　couple　were　left　without　food；　water；　or　fire　to　die　of　hunger　and　suffocation。　This　was　the　old　custom；　but　it　was　abolished　some　five　generations　ago　on　account　of　the　excessive　sufferings　of　one　of　the　kings　who　perished　in　this　way。　It　is　said　that　the　chiefs　announce　his　fate　to　the　king；　and　that　afterwards　he　is　strangled　in　a　hut　which　has　been　specially　built　for　the　occasion。

From　Dr。　Seligman's　enquiries　it　appears　that　not　only　was　the　Shilluk　king　liable　to　be　killed　with　due　ceremony　at　the　first　symptoms　of　incipient　decay；　but　even　while　he　was　yet　in　the　prime　of　health　and　strength　he　might　be　attacked　at　any　time　by　a　rival　and　have　to　defend　his　crown　in　a　combat　to　the　death。　According　to　the　common　Shilluk　tradition　any　son　of　a　king　had　the　right　thus　to　fight　the　king　in　possession　and；　if　he　succeeded　in　killing　him；　to　reign　in　his　stead。　As　every　king　had　a　large　harem　and　many　sons；　the　number　of　possible　candidates　for　the　throne　at　any　time　may　well　have　been　not　inconsiderable；　and　the　reigning　monarch　must　have　carried　his　life　in　his　hand。　But　the　attack　on　him　could　only　take　place　with　any　prospect　of　success　at　night；　for