the golden bough-第113章

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e　sacrificed　as　an　expiatory　offering　for　the　whole　country。　So　the　people　decked　him　with　garlands　like　a　victim　and　led　him　to　the　altar；　where　they　were　just　about　to　sacrifice　him　when　he　was　rescued　either　by　his　grandson　Cytisorus；　who　arrived　in　the　nick　of　time　from　Colchis；　or　by　Hercules；　who　brought　tidings　that　the　king's　son　Phrixus　was　yet　alive。　Thus　Athamas　was　saved；　but　afterward　he　went　mad；　and　mistaking　his　son　Learchus　for　a　wild　beast；　shot　him　dead。　Next　he　attempted　the　life　of　his　remaining　son　Melicertes；　but　the　child　was　rescued　by　his　mother　Ino；　who　ran　and　threw　herself　and　him　from　a　high　rock　into　the　sea。　Mother　and　son　were　changed　into　marine　divinities；　and　the　son　received　special　homage　in　the　isle　of　Tenedos；　where　babes　were　sacrificed　to　him。　Thus　bereft　of　wife　and　children　the　unhappy　Athamas　quitted　his　country；　and　on　enquiring　of　the　oracle　where　he　should　dwell　was　told　to　take　up　his　abode　wherever　he　should　be　entertained　by　wild　beasts。　He　fell　in　with　a　pack　of　wolves　devouring　sheep；　and　when　they　saw　him　they　fled　and　left　him　the　bleeding　remnants　of　their　prey。　In　this　way　the　oracle　was　fulfilled。　But　because　King　Athamas　had　not　been　sacrificed　as　a　sin…offering　for　the　whole　country；　it　was　divinely　decreed　that　the　eldest　male　scion　of　his　family　in　each　generation　should　be　sacrificed　without　fail；　if　ever　he　set　foot　in　the　town…hall；　where　the　offerings　were　made　to　Laphystian　Zeus　by　one　of　the　house　of　Athamas。　Many　of　the　family；　Xerxes　was　informed；　had　fled　to　foreign　lands　to　escape　this　doom；　but　some　of　them　had　returned　long　afterwards；　and　being　caught　by　the　sentinels　in　the　act　of　entering　the　town…hall　were　wreathed　as　victims；　led　forth　in　procession；　and　sacrificed。　These　instances　appear　to　have　been　notorious；　if　not　frequent；　for　the　writer　of　a　dialogue　attributed　to　Plato；　after　speaking　of　the　immolation　of　human　victims　by　the　Carthaginians；　adds　that　such　practices　were　not　unknown　among　the　Greeks；　and　he　refers　with　horror　to　the　sacrifices　offered　on　Mount　Lycaeus　and　by　the　descendants　of　Athamas。

The　suspicion　that　this　barbarous　custom　by　no　means　fell　into　disuse　even　in　later　days　is　strengthened　by　a　case　of　human　sacrifice　which　occurred　in　Plutarch's　time　at　Orchomenus；　a　very　ancient　city　of　Boeotia；　distant　only　a　few　miles　across　the　plain　from　the　historian's　birthplace。　Here　dwelt　a　family　of　which　the　men　went　by　the　name　of　Psoloeis　or　Sooty；　and　the　women　by　the　name　of　Oleae　or　Destructive。　Every　year　at　the　festival　of　the　Agrionia　the　priest　of　Dionysus　pursued　these　women　with　a　drawn　sword；　and　if　he　overtook　one　of　them　he　had　the　right　to　slay　her。　In　Plutarch's　lifetime　the　right　was　actually　exercised　by　a　priest　Zoilus。　The　family　thus　liable　to　furnish　at　least　one　human　victim　every　year　was　of　royal　descent；　for　they　traced　their　lineage　to　Minyas；　the　famous　old　king　of　Orchomenus；　the　monarch　of　fabulous　wealth；　whose　stately　treasury；　as　it　is　called；　still　stands　in　ruins　at　the　point　where　the　long　rocky　hill　of　Orchomenus　melts　into　the　vast　level　expanse　of　the　Copaic　plain。　Tradition　ran　that　the　king's　three　daughters　long　despised　the　other　women　of　the　country　for　yielding　to　the　Bacchic　frenzy；　and　sat　at　home　in　the　king's　house　scornfully　plying　the　distaff　and　the　loom；　while　the　rest；　wreathed　with　flowers；　their　dishevelled　locks　streaming　to　the　wind；　roamed　in　ecstasy　the　barren　mountains　that　rise　above　Orchomenus；　making　the　solitude　of　the　hills　to　echo　to　the　wild　music　of　cymbals　and　tambourines。　But　in　time　the　divine　fury　infected　even　the　royal　damsels　in　their　quiet　chamber；　they　were　seized　with　a　fierce　longing　to　partake　of　human　flesh；　and　cast　lots　among　themselves　which　should　give　up　her　child　to　furnish　a　cannibal　feast。　The　lot　fell　on　Leucippe；　and　she　surrendered　her　son　Hippasus；　who　was　torn　limb　from　limb　by　the　three。　From　these　misguided　women　sprang　the　Oleae　and　the　Psoloeis；　of　whom　the　men　were　said　to　be　so　called　because　they　wore　sad…coloured　raiment　in　token　of　their　mourning　and　grief。

Now　this　practice　of　taking　human　victims　from　a　family　of　royal　descent　at　Orchomenus　is　all　the　more　significant　because　Athamas　himself　is　said　to　have　reigned　in　the　land　of　Orchomenus　even　before　the　time　of　Minyas；　and　because　over　against　the　city　there　rises　Mount　Laphystius；　on　which；　as　at　Alus　in　Thessaly；　there　was　a　sanctuary　of　Laphystian　Zeus；　where；　according　to　tradition；　Athamas　purposed　to　sacrifice　his　two　children　Phrixus　and　Helle。　On　the　whole；　comparing　the　traditions　about　Athamas　with　the　custom　that　obtained　with　regard　to　his　descendants　in　historical　times；　we　may　fairly　infer　that　in　Thessaly　and　probably　in　Boeotia　there　reigned　of　old　a　dynasty　of　which　the　kings　were　liable　to　be　sacrificed　for　the　good　of　the　country　to　the　god　called　Laphystian　Zeus；　but　that　they　contrived　to　shift　the　fatal　responsibility　to　their　offspring；　of　whom　the　eldest　son　was　regularly　destined　to　the　altar。　As　time　went　on；　the　cruel　custom　was　so　far　mitigated　that　a　ram　was　accepted　as　a　vicarious　sacrifice　in　room　of　the　royal　victim；　provided　always　that　the　prince　abstained　from　setting　foot　in　the　town…hall　where　the　sacrifices　were　offered　to　Laphystian　Zeus　by　one　of　his　kinsmen。　But　if　he　were　rash　enough　to　enter　the　place　of　doom；　to　thrust　himself　wilfully；　as　it　were；　on　the　notice　of　the　god　who　had　good…naturedly　winked　at　the　substitution　of　a　ram；　the　ancient　obligation　which　had　been　suffered　to　lie　in　abeyance　recovered　all　its　force；　and　there　was　no　help　for　it　but　he　must　die。　The　tradition　which　associated　the　sacrifice　of　the　king　or　his　children　with　a　great　dearth　points　clearly　to　the　belief；　so　common　among　primitive　folk；　that　the　king　is　responsible　for　the　weather　and　the　crops；　and　that　he　may　justly　pay　with　his　life　for　the　inclemency　of　the　one　or　the　failure　of　the　other。　Athamas　and　his　line；　in　short；　appear　to　have　united　divine　or　magical　with　royal　functions；　and　this　view　is　strongly　supported　by　the　claims　to　divinity　which　Salmoneus；　the　brother　of　Athamas；　is　said　to　have　set　up。　We　have　seen　that　this　presumptuous　mortal　professed　to　be　no　other　than　Zeus　himself；　and　to　wield　the　thunder　and　lightning；　of　which　he　made　a　trumpery　imitation　by　the　help　of　tinkling　kettles　and　blazing　torches。　If　we　may　judge　from　analogy；　his　mock　thunder　and　lightning　were　no　mere　scenic　exhibition　designed　to　deceive　and　impress　the　beholders；　they　were　enchantments　practised　by　the　royal　magician　for　the　purpose　of　bringing　about　the　celestial　phenomena　which　they　feebly　mimicked。

Among　the　Semites　of　Western　Asia　the　king；　in　a　time　of　national　danger；　sometimes　gave　his　own　son　to　die　as　a　sacrifice　for　the　people。　Thus　Philo　of　Byblus；　in　his　work　on　the　Jews；　says：　It　was　an　ancient　custom　in　a　crisis　of　great　danger　that　the　ruler　of　a　city　or　nation　should　give　his　beloved　son　to　die　for　the　whole　people；　as　a　ransom　offered　to　the　avenging　demons；　and　the　children　thus　offered　were　slain　with　mystic　rites。　So　Cronus；　whom　the　Phoenicians　call　Israel；　being　king　of　the　land　and　having　an　only…begotten　son　called　Jeoud　（for　in　the　Phoenician　tongue　Jeoud　signifies　'only　begotten'）；　dressed　him　in　royal　robes　and　sacrificed　him　upon　an　altar　in　a　time　of　war；　when　the　country　was　in　great　danger　from　the　enemy。　When　the　king　of　Moab　was　besieged　by　the　Israelites　and　hard　beset；　he　took　his　eldest　son；　who　should　have　reigned　in　his　stead；　and　offered　him　for　a　burnt　offering　on　the　wall。

Chapter　27。　Succession　to　the　Soul。

TO　THE　VIEW　that　in　early　times；　and　among　barbarous　races；　kings　have　frequently　been　put　to　death　at　the　end　of　a　short　reign；　it　may　be　objected　that　such　a　custom　would　tend　to　the　extinction　of　the　royal　family。　The　objection　may　be　met　by　observing；　first；　that　the　kingship　is　often　not　confined　to　one　family；　but　may　be　shared　in　turn　by　several；　second；　that　the　office　is　frequently　not　hereditary；　but　is　open　to　men　of　any　family；　even　to　foreigners；　who　may　fulfil　the　requisite　conditions；　such　as　marrying　a　princess　or　vanquishing　the　king　in　battle；　and；　third；　that　even　if　the　custom　did　t