the golden bough-第145章

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led　that　the　body　was　distributed　in　four　places。　The　head　was　laid　in　a　barrow　at　Steinn　in　Hringariki；　and　each　party　took　away　their　own　share　and　buried　it。　All　these　barrows　are　called　Halfdan's　barrows。　It　should　be　remembered　that　this　Halfdan　belonged　to　the　family　of　the　Ynglings；　who　traced　their　descent　from　Frey；　the　great　Scandinavian　god　of　fertility。

The　natives　of　Kiwai；　an　island　lying　off　the　mouth　of　the　Fly　River　in　British　New　Guinea；　tell　of　a　certain　magician　named　Segera；　who　had　sago　for　his　totem。　When　Segera　was　old　and　ill；　he　told　the　people　that　he　would　soon　die；　but　that；　nevertheless；　he　would　cause　their　gardens　to　thrive。　Accordingly；　he　instructed　them　that　when　he　was　dead　they　should　cut　him　up　and　place　pieces　of　his　flesh　in　their　gardens；　but　his　head　was　to　be　buried　in　his　own　garden。　Of　him　it　is　said　that　he　outlived　the　ordinary　age；　and　that　no　man　knew　his　father；　but　that　he　made　the　sago　good　and　no　one　was　hungry　any　more。　Old　men　who　were　alive　some　years　ago　affirmed　that　they　had　known　Segera　in　their　youth；　and　the　general　opinion　of　the　Kiwai　people　seems　to　be　that　Segera　died　not　more　than　two　generations　ago。

Taken　all　together；　these　legends　point　to　a　widespread　practice　of　dismembering　the　body　of　a　king　or　magician　and　burying　the　pieces　in　different　parts　of　the　country　in　order　to　ensure　the　fertility　of　the　ground　and　probably　also　the　fecundity　of　man　and　beast。

To　return　to　the　human　victims　whose　ashes　the　Egyptians　scattered　with　winnowing…fans；　the　red　hair　of　these　unfortunates　was　probably　significant。　For　in　Egypt　the　oxen　which　were　sacrificed　had　also　to　be　red；　a　single　black　or　white　hair　found　on　the　beast　would　have　disqualified　it　for　the　sacrifice。　If；　as　I　conjecture；　these　human　sacrifices　were　intended　to　promote　the　growth　of　the　cropsand　the　winnowing　of　their　ashes　seems　to　support　this　viewredhaired　victims　were　perhaps　selected　as　best　fitted　to　personate　the　spirit　of　the　ruddy　grain。　For　when　a　god　is　represented　by　a　living　person；　it　is　natural　that　the　human　representative　should　be　chosen　on　the　ground　of　his　supposed　resemblance　to　the　divine　original。　Hence　the　ancient　Mexicans；　conceiving　the　maize　as　a　personal　being　who　went　through　the　whole　course　of　life　between　seed…time　and　harvest；　sacrificed　new…born　babes　when　the　maize　was　sown；　older　children　when　it　had　sprouted；　and　so　on　till　it　was　fully　ripe；　when　they　sacrificed　old　men。　A　name　for　Osiris　was　the　crop　or　harvest；　and　the　ancients　sometimes　explained　him　as　a　personification　of　the　corn。

2。　Osiris　a　Tree…spirit。

BUT　Osiris　was　more　than　a　spirit　of　the　corn；　he　was　also　a　tree…spirit；　and　this　may　perhaps　have　been　his　primitive　character；　since　the　worship　of　trees　is　naturally　older　in　the　history　of　religion　than　the　worship　of　the　cereals。　The　character　of　Osiris　as　a　tree…spirit　was　represented　very　graphically　in　a　ceremony　described　by　Firmicus　Maternus。　A　pine…tree　having　been　cut　down；　the　centre　was　hollowed　out；　and　with　the　wood　thus　excavated　an　image　of　Osiris　was　made；　which　was　then　buried　like　a　corpse　in　the　hollow　of　the　tree。　It　is　hard　to　imagine　how　the　conception　of　a　tree　as　tenanted　by　a　personal　being　could　be　more　plainly　expressed。　The　image　of　Osiris　thus　made　was　kept　for　a　year　and　then　burned；　exactly　as　was　done　with　the　image　of　Attis　which　was　attached　to　the　pine…tree。　The　ceremony　of　cutting　the　tree；　as　described　by　Firmicus　Maternus；　appears　to　be　alluded　to　by　Plutarch。　It　was　probably　the　ritual　counterpart　of　the　mythical　discovery　of　the　body　of　Osiris　enclosed　in　the　erica…tree。　In　the　hall　of　Osiris　at　Denderah　the　coffin　containing　the　hawk…headed　mummy　of　the　god　is　clearly　depicted　as　enclosed　within　a　tree；　apparently　a　conifer；　the　trunk　and　branches　of　which　are　seen　above　and　below　the　coffin。　The　scene　thus　corresponds　closely　both　to　the　myth　and　to　the　ceremony　described　by　Firmicus　Maternus。

It　accords　with　the　character　of　Osiris　as　a　tree…spirit　that　his　worshippers　were　forbidden　to　injure　fruit…trees；　and　with　his　character　as　a　god　of　vegetation　in　general　that　they　were　not　allowed　to　stop　up　wells　of　water；　which　are　so　important　for　the　irrigation　of　hot　southern　lands。　According　to　one　legend；　he　taught　men　to　train　the　vine　to　poles；　to　prune　its　superfluous　foliage；　and　to　extract　the　juice　of　the　grape。　In　the　papyrus　of　Nebseni；　written　about　1550　B。C。；　Osiris　is　depicted　sitting　in　a　shrine；　from　the　roof　of　which　hang　clusters　of　grapes；　and　in　the　papyrus　of　the　royal　scribe　Nekht　we　see　the　god　enthroned　in　front　of　a　pool；　from　the　banks　of　which　a　luxuriant　vine；　with　many　bunches　of　grapes；　grows　towards　the　green　face　of　the　seated　deity。　The　ivy　was　sacred　to　him；　and　was　called　his　plant　because　it　is　always　green。

3。　Osiris　a　God　of　Fertility。

AS　A　GOD　of　vegetation　Osiris　was　naturally　conceived　as　a　god　of　creative　energy　in　general；　since　men　at　a　certain　stage　of　evolution　fail　to　distinguish　between　the　reproductive　powers　of　animals　and　of　plants。　Hence　a　striking　feature　in　his　worship　was　the　coarse　but　expressive　symbolism　by　which　this　aspect　of　his　nature　was　presented　to　the　eye　not　merely　of　the　initiated　but　of　the　multitude。　At　his　festival　women　used　to　go　about　the　villages　singing　songs　in　his　praise　and　carrying　obscene　images　of　him　which　they　set　in　motion　by　means　of　strings。　The　custom　was　probably　a　charm　to　ensure　the　growth　of　the　crops。　A　similar　image　of　him；　decked　with　all　the　fruits　of　the　earth；　is　said　to　have　stood　in　a　temple　before　a　figure　of　Isis；　and　in　the　chambers　dedicated　to　him　at　Philae　the　dead　god　is　portrayed　lying　on　his　bier　in　an　attitude　which　indicates　in　the　plainest　way　that　even　in　death　his　generative　virtue　was　not　extinct　but　only　suspended；　ready　to　prove　a　source　of　life　and　fertility　to　the　world　when　the　opportunity　should　offer。　Hymns　addressed　to　Osiris　contain　allusions　to　this　important　side　of　his　nature。　In　one　of　them　it　is　said　that　the　world　waxes　green　in　triumph　through　him；　and　another　declares；　Thou　art　the　father　and　mother　of　mankind；　they　live　on　thy　breath；　they　subsist　on　the　flesh　of　thy　body。　We　may　conjecture　that　in　this　paternal　aspect　he　was　supposed；　like　other　gods　of　fertility；　to　bless　men　and　women　with　offspring；　and　that　the　processions　at　his　festival　were　intended　to　promote　this　object　as　well　as　to　quicken　the　seed　in　the　ground。　It　would　be　to　misjudge　ancient　religion　to　denounce　as　lewd　and　profligate　the　emblems　and　the　ceremonies　which　the　Egyptians　employed　for　the　purpose　of　giving　effect　to　this　conception　of　the　divine　power。　The　ends　which　they　proposed　to　themselves　in　these　rites　were　natural　and　laudable；　only　the　means　they　adopted　to　compass　them　were　mistaken。　A　similar　fallacy　induced　the　Greeks　to　adopt　a　like　symbolism　in　their　Dionysiac　festivals；　and　the　superficial　but　striking　resemblance　thus　produced　between　the　two　religions　has　perhaps　more　than　anything　else　misled　enquirers；　both　ancient　and　modern；　into　identifying　worships　which；　though　certainly　akin　in　nature；　are　perfectly　distinct　and　independent　in　origin。

4。　Osiris　a　God　of　the　Dead。

WE　have　seen　that　in　one　of　his　aspects　Osiris　was　the　ruler　and　judge　of　the　dead。　To　a　people　like　the　Egyptians；　who　not　only　believed　in　a　life　beyond　the　grave　but　actually　spent　much　of　their　time；　labour；　and　money　in　preparing　for　it；　this　office　of　the　god　must　have　appeared　hardly；　if　at　all；　less　important　than　his　function　of　making　the　earth　to　bring　forth　its　fruits　in　due　season。　We　may　assume　that　in　the　faith　of　his　worshippers　the　two　provinces　of　the　god　were　intimately　connected。　In　laying　their　dead　in　the　grave　they　committed　them　to　his　keeping　who　could　raise　them　from　the　dust　to　life　eternal；　even　as　he　caused　the　seed　to　spring　from　the　ground。　Of　that　faith　the　corn…stuffed　effigies　of　Osiris　found　in　Egyptian　tombs　furnish　an　eloquent　and　un…equivocal　testimony。　They　were　at　once　an　emblem　and　an　instrument　of　resurrection。　Thus　from　the　sprouting　of　the　grain　the　ancient　Egyptians　drew　an　augury　of　human　immortality。　They　are　not　the　only　people　who　have　built　the　same　lo