the golden bough-第137章

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nconsistent　with　this　supposition　that　Attis　was　also　represented　at　these　ceremonies　by　an　effigy；　for　instances　can　be　shown　in　which　the　divine　being　is　first　represented　by　a　living　person　and　afterwards　by　an　effigy；　which　is　then　burned　or　otherwise　destroyed。　Perhaps　we　may　go　a　step　farther　and　conjecture　that　this　mimic　killing　of　the　priest；　accompanied　by　a　real　effusion　of　his　blood；　was　in　Phrygia；　as　it　has　been　elsewhere；　a　substitute　for　a　human　sacrifice　which　in　earlier　times　was　actually　offered。

A　reminiscence　of　the　manner　in　which　these　old　representatives　of　the　deity　were　put　to　death　is　perhaps　preserved　in　the　famous　story　of　Marsyas。　He　was　said　to　be　a　Phrygian　satyr　or　Silenus；　according　to　others　a　shepherd　or　herdsman；　who　played　sweetly　on　the　flute。　A　friend　of　Cybele；　he　roamed　the　country　with　the　disconsolate　goddess　to　soothe　her　grief　for　the　death　of　Attis。　The　composition　of　the　Mother's　Air；　a　tune　played　on　the　flute　in　honour　of　the　Great　Mother　Goddess；　was　attributed　to　him　by　the　people　of　Celaenae　in　Phrygia。　Vain　of　his　skill；　he　challenged　Apollo　to　a　musical　contest；　he　to　play　on　the　flute　and　Apollo　on　the　lyre。　Being　vanquished；　Marsyas　was　tied　up　to　a　pine…tree　and　flayed　or　cut　limb　from　limb　either　by　the　victorious　Apollo　or　by　a　Scythian　slave。　His　skin　was　shown　at　Celaenae　in　historical　times。　It　hung　at　the　foot　of　the　citadel　in　a　cave　from　which　the　river　Marsyas　rushed　with　an　impetuous　and　noisy　tide　to　join　the　Maeander。　So　the　Adonis　bursts　full…born　from　the　precipices　of　the　Lebanon；　so　the　blue　river　of　Ibreez　leaps　in　a　crystal　jet　from　the　red　rocks　of　the　Taurus；　so　the　stream；　which　now　rumbles　deep　underground；　used　to　gleam　for　a　moment　on　its　passage　from　darkness　to　darkness　in　the　dim　light　of　the　Corycian　cave。　In　all　these　copious　fountains；　with　their　glad　promise　of　fertility　and　life；　men　of　old　saw　the　hand　of　God　and　worshipped　him　beside　the　rushing　river　with　the　music　of　its　tumbling　waters　in　their　ears。　At　Celaenae；　if　we　can　trust　tradition；　the　piper　Marsyas；　hanging　in　his　cave；　had　a　soul　for　harmony　even　in　death；　for　it　is　said　that　at　the　sound　of　his　native　Phrygian　melodies　the　skin　of　the　dead　satyr　used　to　thrill；　but　that　if　the　musician　struck　up　an　air　in　praise　of　Apollo　it　remained　deaf　and　motionless。

In　this　Phrygian　satyr；　shepherd；　or　herdsman　who　enjoyed　the　friendship　of　Cybele；　practised　the　music　so　characteristic　of　her　rites；　and　died　a　violent　death　on　her　sacred　tree；　the　pine；　may　we　not　detect　a　close　resemblance　to　Attis；　the　favourite　shepherd　or　herdsman　of　the　goddess；　who　is　himself　described　as　a　piper；　is　said　to　have　perished　under　a　pine…tree；　and　was　annually　represented　by　an　effigy　hung；　like　Marsyas；　upon　a　pine？　We　may　conjecture　that　in　old　days　the　priest　who　bore　the　name　and　played　the　part　of　Attis　at　the　spring　festival　of　Cybele　was　regularly　hanged　or　otherwise　slain　upon　the　sacred　tree；　and　that　this　barbarous　custom　was　afterwards　mitigated　into　the　form　in　which　it　is　known　to　us　in　later　times；　when　the　priest　merely　drew　blood　from　his　body　under　the　tree　and　attached　an　effigy　instead　of　himself　to　its　trunk。　In　the　holy　grove　at　Upsala　men　and　animals　were　sacrificed　by　being　hanged　upon　the　sacred　trees。　The　human　victims　dedicated　to　Odin　were　regularly　put　to　death　by　hanging　or　by　a　combination　of　hanging　and　stabbing；　the　man　being　strung　up　to　a　tree　or　a　gallows　and　then　wounded　with　a　spear。　Hence　Odin　was　called　the　Lord　of　the　Gallows　or　the　God　of　the　Hanged；　and　he　is　represented　sitting　under　a　gallows　tree。　Indeed　he　is　said　to　have　been　sacrificed　to　himself　in　the　ordinary　way；　as　we　learn　from　the　weird　verses　of　the　Havamal；　in　which　the　god　describes　how　he　acquired　his　divine　power　by　learning　the　magic　runes：

I　know　that　I　hung　on　the　windy　tree

For　nine　whole　nights；

Wounded　with　the　spear；　dedicated　to　Odin；

Myself　to　myself。

The　Bagobos　of　Mindanao；　one　of　the　Philippine　Islands；　used　annually　to　sacrifice　human　victims　for　the　good　of　the　crops　in　a　similar　way。　Early　in　December；　when　the　constellation　Orion　appeared　at　seven　o'clock　in　the　evening；　the　people　knew　that　the　time　had　come　to　clear　their　fields　for　sowing　and　to　sacrifice　a　slave。　The　sacrifice　was　presented　to　certain　powerful　spirits　as　payment　for　the　good　year　which　the　people　had　enjoyed；　and　to　ensure　the　favour　of　the　spirits　for　the　coming　season。　The　victim　was　led　to　a　great　tree　in　the　forest；　there　he　was　tied　with　his　back　to　the　tree　and　his　arms　stretched　high　above　his　head；　in　the　attitude　in　which　ancient　artists　portrayed　Marsyas　hanging　on　the　fatal　tree。　While　he　thus　hung　by　the　arms；　he　was　slain　by　a　spear　thrust　through　his　body　at　the　level　of　the　armpits。　Afterwards　the　body　was　cut　clean　through　the　middle　at　the　waist；　and　the　upper　part　was　apparently　allowed　to　dangle　for　a　little　from　the　tree；　while　the　under　part　wallowed　in　blood　on　the　ground。　The　two　portions　were　finally　cast　into　a　shallow　trench　beside　the　tree。　Before　this　was　done；　anybody　who　wished　might　cut　off　a　piece　of　flesh　or　a　lock　of　hair　from　the　corpse　and　carry　it　to　the　grave　of　some　relation　whose　body　was　being　consumed　by　a　ghoul。　Attracted　by　the　fresh　corpse；　the　ghoul　would　leave　the　mouldering　old　body　in　peace。　These　sacrifices　have　been　offered　by　men　now　living。

In　Greece　the　great　goddess　Artemis　herself　appears　to　have　been　annually　hanged　in　effigy　in　her　sacred　grove　of　Condylea　among　the　Arcadian　hills；　and　there　accordingly　she　went　by　the　name　of　the　Hanged　One。　Indeed　a　trace　of　a　similar　rite　may　perhaps　be　detected　even　at　Ephesus；　the　most　famous　of　her　sanctuaries；　in　the　legend　of　a　woman　who　hanged　herself　and　was　thereupon　dressed　by　the　compassionate　goddess　in　her　own　divine　garb　and　called　by　the　name　of　Hecate。　Similarly；　at　Melite　in　Phthia；　a　story　was　told　of　a　girl　named　Aspalis　who　hanged　herself；　but　who　appears　to　have　been　merely　a　form　of　Artemis。　For　after　her　death　her　body　could　not　be　found；　but　an　image　of　her　was　discovered　standing　beside　the　image　of　Artemis；　and　the　people　bestowed　on　it　the　title　of　Hecaerge　or　Far…shooter；　one　of　the　regular　epithets　of　the　goddess。　Every　year　the　virgins　sacrificed　a　young　goat　to　the　image　by　hanging　it；　because　Aspalis　was　said　to　have　hanged　herself。　The　sacrifice　may　have　been　a　substitute　for　hanging　an　image　or　a　human　representative　of　Artemis。　Again；　in　Rhodes　the　fair　Helen　was　worshipped　under　the　title　of　Helen　of　the　Tree；　because　the　queen　of　the　island　had　caused　her　handmaids；　disguised　as　Furies；　to　string　her　up　to　a　bough。　That　the　Asiatic　Greeks　sacrificed　animals　in　this　fashion　is　proved　by　coins　of　Ilium；　which　represent　an　ox　or　cow　hanging　on　a　tree　and　stabbed　with　a　knife　by　a　man；　who　sits　among　the　branches　or　on　the　animal's　back。　At　Hierapolis　also　the　victims　were　hung　on　trees　before　they　were　burnt。　With　these　Greek　and　Scandinavian　parallels　before　us　we　can　hardly　dismiss　as　wholly　improbable　the　conjecture　that　in　Phrygia　a　man…god　may　have　hung　year　by　year　on　the　sacred　but　fatal　tree。

Chapter　37。　Oriental　Religions　in　the　West。

THE　WORSHIP　of　the　Great　Mother　of　the　Gods　and　her　lover　or　son　was　very　popular　under　the　Roman　Empire。　Inscriptions　prove　that　the　two　received　divine　honours；　separately　or　conjointly；　not　only　in　Italy；　and　especially　at　Rome；　but　also　in　the　provinces；　particularly　in　Africa；　Spain；　Portugal；　France；　Germany；　and　Bulgaria。　Their　worship　survived　the　establishment　of　Christianity　by　Constantine；　for　Symmachus　records　the　recurrence　of　the　festival　of　the　Great　Mother；　and　in　the　days　of　Augustine　her　effeminate　priests　still　paraded　the　streets　and　squares　of　Carthage　with　whitened　faces；　scented　hair；　and　mincing　gait；　while；　like　the　mendicant　friars　of　the　Middle　Ages；　they　begged　alms　from　the　passers…by。　In　Greece；　on　the　other　hand；　the　bloody　orgies　of　the　Asiatic　goddess　and　her　consort　appear　to　have　found　little　favour。　The　barbarous　and　cruel　character　of　the　worship；　with　its　frantic　excesses；　was　doubtless　repugnant　to　the　good　taste　and　humanity　of　the　Greeks；　who　seem　to　have　preferred　the　kindred