the golden bough-第135章

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iental　costume；　with　little　images　suspended　on　their　breasts；　appear　to　have　been　a　familiar　sight　in　the　streets　of　Rome；　which　they　traversed　in　procession；　carrying　the　image　of　the　goddess　and　chanting　their　hymns　to　the　music　of　cymbals　and　tambourines；　flutes　and　horns；　while　the　people；　impressed　by　the　fantastic　show　and　moved　by　the　wild　strains；　flung　alms　to　them　in　abundance；　and　buried　the　image　and　its　bearers　under　showers　of　roses。　A　further　step　was　taken　by　the　Emperor　Claudius　when　he　incorporated　the　Phrygian　worship　of　the　sacred　tree；　and　with　it　probably　the　orgiastic　rites　of　Attis；　in　the　established　religion　of　Rome。　The　great　spring　festival　of　Cybele　and　Attis　is　best　known　to　us　in　the　form　in　which　it　was　celebrated　at　Rome；　but　as　we　are　informed　that　the　Roman　ceremonies　were　also　Phrygian；　we　may　assume　that　they　differed　hardly；　if　at　all；　from　their　Asiatic　original。　The　order　of　the　festival　seems　to　have　been　as　follows。　　3

On　the　twenty…second　day　of　March；　a　pine…tree　was　cut　in　the　woods　and　brought　into　the　sanctuary　of　Cybele；　where　it　was　treated　as　a　great　divinity。　The　duty　of　carrying　the　sacred　tree　was　entrusted　to　a　guild　of　Tree…bearers。　The　trunk　was　swathed　like　a　corpse　with　woollen　bands　and　decked　with　wreaths　of　violets；　for　violets　were　said　to　have　sprung　from　the　blood　of　Attis；　as　roses　and　anemones　from　the　blood　of　Adonis；　and　the　effigy　of　a　young　man；　doubtless　Attis　himself；　was　tied　to　the　middle　of　the　stem。　On　the　second　day　of　the　festival；　the　twenty…third　of　March；　the　chief　ceremony　seems　to　have　been　a　blowing　of　trumpets。　The　third　day；　the　twenty…fourth　of　March；　was　known　as　the　Day　of　Blood：　the　Archigallus　or　highpriest　drew　blood　from　his　arms　and　presented　it　as　an　offering。　Nor　was　he　alone　in　making　this　bloody　sacrifice。　Stirred　by　the　wild　barbaric　music　of　clashing　cymbals；　rumbling　drums；　droning　horns；　and　screaming　flutes；　the　inferior　clergy　whirled　about　in　the　dance　with　waggling　heads　and　streaming　hair；　until；　rapt　into　a　frenzy　of　excitement　and　insensible　to　pain；　they　gashed　their　bodies　with　potsherds　or　slashed　them　with　knives　in　order　to　bespatter　the　altar　and　the　sacred　tree　with　their　flowing　blood。　The　ghastly　rite　probably　formed　part　of　the　mourning　for　Attis　and　may　have　been　intended　to　strengthen　him　for　the　resurrection。　The　Australian　aborigines　cut　themselves　in　like　manner　over　the　graves　of　their　friends　for　the　purpose；　perhaps；　of　enabling　them　to　be　born　again。　Further；　we　may　conjecture；　though　we　are　not　expressly　told；　that　it　was　on　the　same　Day　of　Blood　and　for　the　same　purpose　that　the　novices　sacrificed　their　virility。　Wrought　up　to　the　highest　pitch　of　religious　excitement　they　dashed　the　severed　portions　of　themselves　against　the　image　of　the　cruel　goddess。　These　broken　instruments　of　fertility　were　afterwards　reverently　wrapt　up　and　buried　in　the　earth　or　in　subterranean　chambers　sacred　to　Cybele；　where；　like　the　offering　of　blood；　they　may　have　been　deemed　instrumental　in　recalling　Attis　to　life　and　hastening　the　general　resurrection　of　nature；　which　was　then　bursting　into　leaf　and　blossom　in　the　vernal　sunshine。　Some　confirmation　of　this　conjecture　is　furnished　by　the　savage　story　that　the　mother　of　Attis　conceived　by　putting　in　her　bosom　a　pomegranate　sprung　from　the　severed　genitals　of　a　man…monster　named　Agdestis；　a　sort　of　double　of　Attis。

If　there　is　any　truth　in　this　conjectural　explanation　of　the　custom；　we　can　readily　understand　why　other　Asiatic　goddesses　of　fertility　were　served　in　like　manner　by　eunuch　priests。　These　feminine　deities　required　to　receive　from　their　male　ministers；　who　personated　the　divine　lovers；　the　means　of　discharging　their　beneficent　functions：　they　had　themselves　to　be　impregnated　by　the　life…giving　energy　before　they　could　transmit　it　to　the　world。　Goddesses　thus　ministered　to　by　eunuch　priests　were　the　great　Artemis　of　Ephesus　and　the　great　Syrian　Astarte　of　Hierapolis；　whose　sanctuary；　frequented　by　swarms　of　pilgrims　and　enriched　by　the　offerings　of　Assyria　and　Babylonia；　of　Arabia　and　Phoenicia；　was　perhaps　in　the　days　of　its　glory　the　most　popular　in　the　East。　Now　the　unsexed　priests　of　this　Syrian　goddess　resembled　those　of　Cybele　so　closely　that　some　people　took　them　to　be　the　same。　And　the　mode　in　which　they　dedicated　themselves　to　the　religious　life　was　similar。　The　greatest　festival　of　the　year　at　Hierapolis　fell　at　the　beginning　of　spring；　when　multitudes　thronged　to　the　sanctuary　from　Syria　and　the　regions　round　about。　While　the　flutes　played；　the　drums　beat；　and　the　eunuch　priests　slashed　themselves　with　knives；　the　religious　excitement　gradually　spread　like　a　wave　among　the　crowd　of　onlookers；　and　many　a　one　did　that　which　he　little　thought　to　do　when　he　came　as　a　holiday　spectator　to　the　festival。　For　man　after　man；　his　veins　throbbing　with　the　music；　his　eyes　fascinated　by　the　sight　of　the　streaming　blood；　flung　his　garments　from　him；　leaped　forth　with　a　shout；　and　seizing　one　of　the　swords　which　stood　ready　for　the　purpose；　castrated　himself　on　the　spot。　Then　he　ran　through　the　city；　holding　the　bloody　pieces　in　his　hand；　till　he　threw　them　into　one　of　the　houses　which　he　passed　in　his　mad　career。　The　household　thus　honoured　had　to　furnish　him　with　a　suit　of　female　attire　and　female　ornaments；　which　he　wore　for　the　rest　of　his　life。　When　the　tumult　of　emotion　had　subsided；　and　the　man　had　come　to　himself　again；　the　irrevocable　sacrifice　must　often　have　been　followed　by　passionate　sorrow　and　lifelong　regret。　This　revulsion　of　natural　human　feeling　after　the　frenzies　of　a　fanatical　religion　is　powerfully　depicted　by　Catullus　in　a　celebrated　poem。

The　parallel　of　these　Syrian　devotees　confirms　the　view　that　in　the　similar　worship　of　Cybele　the　sacrifice　of　virility　took　place　on　the　Day　of　Blood　at　the　vernal　rites　of　the　goddess；　when　the　violets；　supposed　to　spring　from　the　red　drops　of　her　wounded　lover；　were　in　bloom　among　the　pines。　Indeed　the　story　that　Attis　unmanned　himself　under　a　pine…tree　was　clearly　devised　to　explain　why　his　priests　did　the　same　beside　the　sacred　violet…wreathed　tree　at　his　festival。　At　all　events；　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　the　Day　of　Blood　witnessed　the　mourning　for　Attis　over　an　effigy　of　him　which　was　afterwards　buried。　The　image　thus　laid　in　the　sepulchre　was　probably　the　same　which　had　hung　upon　the　tree。　Throughout　the　period　of　mourning　the　worshippers　fasted　from　bread；　nominally　because　Cybele　had　done　so　in　her　grief　for　the　death　of　Attis；　but　really　perhaps　for　the　same　reason　which　induced　the　women　of　Harran　to　abstain　from　eating　anything　ground　in　a　mill　while　they　wept　for　Tammuz。　To　partake　of　bread　or　flour　at　such　a　season　might　have　been　deemed　a　wanton　profanation　of　the　bruised　and　broken　body　of　the　god。　Or　the　fast　may　possibly　have　been　a　preparation　for　a　sacramental　meal。

But　when　night　had　fallen；　the　sorrow　of　the　worshippers　was　turned　to　joy。　For　suddenly　a　light　shone　in　the　darkness：　the　tomb　was　opened：　the　god　had　risen　from　the　dead；　and　as　the　priest　touched　the　lips　of　the　weeping　mourners　with　balm；　he　softly　whispered　in　their　ears　the　glad　tidings　of　salvation。　The　resurrection　of　the　god　was　hailed　by　his　disciples　as　a　promise　that　they　too　would　issue　triumphant　from　the　corruption　of　the　grave。　On　the　morrow；　the　twenty…fifth　day　of　March；　which　was　reckoned　the　vernal　equinox；　the　divine　resurrection　was　celebrated　with　a　wild　outburst　of　glee。　At　Rome；　and　probably　elsewhere；　the　celebration　took　the　form　of　a　carnival。　It　was　the　Festival　of　Joy　（Hilaria）。　A　universal　licence　prevailed。　Every　man　might　say　and　do　what　he　pleased。　People　went　about　the　streets　in　disguise。　No　dignity　was　too　high　or　too　sacred　for　the　humblest　citizen　to　assume　with　impunity。　In　the　reign　of　Commodus　a　band　of　conspirators　thought　to　take　advantage　of　the　masquerade　by　dressing　in　the　uniform　of　the　Imperial　Guard；　and　so；　mingling　with　the　crowd　of　merrymakers；　to　get　within　stabbing　distance　of　the　emperor。　But　the　plot　miscarried。　Even　the　stern　Alexander　Severus　used　to　relax　so　far　on　the　joyous　day　as　to　admit　a　pheasant　to　his　frugal　board。　The　next　day；　the　twenty…sixth　of　March；　w