the golden bough-第148章

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his　titles　was　teeming　or　bursting　（as　of　sap　or　blossoms）；　and　there　was　a　Flowery　Dionysus　in　Attica　and　at　Patrae　in　Achaia。　The　Athenians　sacrificed　to　him　for　the　prosperity　of　the　fruits　of　the　land。　Amongst　the　trees　particularly　sacred　to　him；　in　addition　to　the　vine；　was　the　pine…tree。　The　Delphic　oracle　commanded　the　Corinthians　to　worship　a　particular　pine…tree　equally　with　the　god；　so　they　made　two　images　of　Dionysus　out　of　it；　with　red　faces　and　gilt　bodies。　In　art　a　wand；　tipped　with　a　pine…cone；　is　commonly　carried　by　the　god　or　his　worshippers。　Again；　the　ivy　and　the　fig…tree　were　especially　associated　with　him。　In　the　Attic　township　of　Acharnae　there　was　a　Dionysus　Ivy；　at　Lacedaemon　there　was　a　Fig　Dionysus；　and　in　Naxos；　where　figs　were　called　meilicha；　there　was　a　Dionysus　Meilichios；　the　face　of　whose　image　was　made　of　fig…wood。

Further；　there　are　indications；　few　but　significant；　that　Dionysus　was　conceived　as　a　deity　of　agriculture　and　the　corn。　He　is　spoken　of　as　himself　doing　the　work　of　a　husbandman：　he　is　reported　to　have　been　the　first　to　yoke　oxen　to　the　plough；　which　before　had　been　dragged　by　hand　alone；　and　some　people　found　in　this　tradition　the　clue　to　the　bovine　shape　in　which；　as　we　shall　see；　the　god　was　often　supposed　to　present　himself　to　his　worshippers。　Thus　guiding　the　ploughshare　and　scattering　the　seed　as　he　went；　Dionysus　is　said　to　have　eased　the　labour　of　the　husbandman。　Further；　we　are　told　that　in　the　land　of　the　Bisaltae；　a　Thracian　tribe；　there　was　a　great　and　fair　sanctuary　of　Dionysus；　where　at　his　festival　a　bright　light　shone　forth　at　night　as　a　token　of　an　abundant　harvest　vouchsafed　by　the　diety；　but　if　the　crops　were　to　fail　that　year；　the　mystic　light　was　not　seen；　darkness　brooded　over　the　sanctuary　as　at　other　times。　Moreover；　among　the　emblems　of　Dionysus　was　the　winnowing…fan；　that　is　the　large　open　shovel…shaped　basket；　which　down　to　modern　times　has　been　used　by　farmers　to　separate　the　grain　from　the　chaff　by　tossing　the　corn　in　the　air。　This　simple　agricultural　instrument　figured　in　the　mystic　rites　of　Dionysus；　indeed　the　god　is　traditionally　said　to　have　been　placed　at　birth　in　a　winnowing…fan　as　in　a　cradle：　in　art　he　is　represented　as　an　infant　so　cradled；　and　from　these　traditions　and　representations　he　derived　the　epithet　of　Liknites；　that　is；　He　of　the　Winnowing…fan。

Like　other　gods　of　vegetation　Dionysus　was　believed　to　have　died　a　violent　death；　but　to　have　been　brought　to　life　again；　and　his　sufferings；　death；　and　resurrection　were　enacted　in　his　sacred　rites。　His　tragic　story　is　thus　told　by　the　poet　Nonnus。　Zeus　in　the　form　of　a　serpent　visited　Persephone；　and　she　bore　him　Zagreus；　that　is；　Dionysus；　a　horned　infant。　Scarcely　was　he　born；　when　the　babe　mounted　the　throne　of　his　father　Zeus　and　mimicked　the　great　god　by　brandishing　the　lightning　in　his　tiny　hand。　But　he　did　not　occupy　the　throne　long；　for　the　treacherous　Titans；　their　faces　whitened　with　chalk；　attacked　him　with　knives　while　he　was　looking　at　himself　in　a　mirror。　For　a　time　he　evaded　their　assaults　by　turning　himself　into　various　shapes；　assuming　the　likeness　successively　of　Zeus　and　Cronus；　of　a　young　man；　of　a　lion；　a　horse；　and　a　serpent。　Finally；　in　the　form　of　a　bull；　he　was　cut　to　pieces　by　the　murderous　knives　of　his　enemies。　His　Cretan　myth；　as　related　by　Firmicus　Maternus；　ran　thus。　He　was　said　to　have　been　the　bastard　son　of　Jupiter；　a　Cretan　king。　Going　abroad；　Jupiter　transferred　the　throne　and　sceptre　to　the　youthful　Dionysus；　but；　knowing　that　his　wife　Juno　cherished　a　jealous　dislike　of　the　child；　he　entrusted　Dionysus　to　the　care　of　guards　upon　whose　fidelity　he　believed　he　could　rely。　Juno；　however；　bribed　the　guards；　and　amusing　the　child　with　rattles　and　a　cunningly…wrought　looking　glass　lured　him　into　an　ambush；　where　her　satellites；　the　Titans；　rushed　upon　him；　cut　him　limb　from　limb；　boiled　his　body　with　various　herbs；　and　ate　it。　But　his　sister　Minerva；　who　had　shared　in　the　deed；　kept　his　heart　and　gave　it　to　Jupiter　on　his　return；　revealing　to　him　the　whole　history　of　the　crime。　In　his　rage；　Jupiter　put　the　Titans　to　death　by　torture；　and；　to　soothe　his　grief　for　the　loss　of　his　son；　made　an　image　in　which　he　enclosed　the　child's　heart；　and　then　built　a　temple　in　his　honour。　In　this　version　a　Euhemeristic　turn　has　been　given　to　the　myth　by　representing　Jupiter　and　Juno　（Zeus　and　Hera）　as　a　king　and　queen　of　Crete。　The　guards　referred　to　are　the　mythical　Curetes　who　danced　a　war…dance　round　the　infant　Dionysus；　as　they　are　said　to　have　done　round　the　infant　Zeus。　Very　noteworthy　is　the　legend；　recorded　both　by　Nonnus　and　Firmicus；　that　in　his　infancy　Dionysus　occupied　for　a　short　time　the　throne　of　his　father　Zeus。　So　Proclus　tells　us　that　Dionysus　was　the　last　king　of　the　gods　appointed　by　Zeus。　For　his　father　set　him　on　the　kingly　throne；　and　placed　in　his　hand　the　sceptre；　and　made　him　king　of　all　the　gods　of　the　world。　Such　traditions　point　to　a　custom　of　temporarily　investing　the　king's　son　with　the　royal　dignity　as　a　preliminary　to　sacrificing　him　instead　of　his　father。　Pomegranates　were　supposed　to　have　sprung　from　the　blood　of　Dionysus；　as　anemones　from　the　blood　of　Adonis　and　violets　from　the　blood　of　Attis：　hence　women　refrained　from　eating　seeds　of　pomegranates　at　the　festival　of　the

Thesmophoria。　According　to　some；　the　severed　limbs　of　Dionysus　were　pieced　together；　at　the　command　of　Zeus；　by　Apollo；　who　buried　them　on　Parnassus。　The　grave　of　Dionysus　was　shown　in　the　Delphic　temple　beside　a　golden　statue　of　Apollo。　However；　according　to　another　account；　the　grave　of　Dionysus　was　at　Thebes；　where　he　is　said　to　have　been　torn　in　pieces。　Thus　far　the　resurrection　of　the　slain　god　is　not　mentioned；　but　in　other　versions　of　the　myth　it　is　variously　related。　According　to　one　version；　which　represented　Dionysus　as　a　son　of　Zeus　and　Demeter；　his　mother　pieced　together　his　mangled　limbs　and　made　him　young　again。　In　others　it　is　simply　said　that　shortly　after　his　burial　he　rose　from　the　dead　and　ascended　up　to　heaven；　or　that　Zeus　raised　him　up　as　he　lay　mortally　wounded；　or　that　Zeus　swallowed　the　heart　of　Dionysus　and　then　begat　him　afresh　by　Semele；　who　in　the　common　legend　figures　as　mother　of　Dionysus。　Or；　again；　the　heart　was　pounded　up　and　given　in　a　potion　to　Semele；　who　thereby　conceived　him。

Turning　from　the　myth　to　the　ritual；　we　find　that　the　Cretans　celebrated　a　biennial　festival　at　which　the　passion　of　Dionysus　was　represented　in　every　detail。　All　that　he　had　done　or　suffered　in　his　last　moments　was　enacted　before　the　eyes　of　his　worshippers；　who　tore　a　live　bull　to　pieces　with　their　teeth　and　roamed　the　woods　with　frantic　shouts。　In　front　of　them　was　carried　a　casket　supposed　to　contain　the　sacred　heart　of　Dionysus；　and　to　the　wild　music　of　flutes　and　cymbals　they　mimicked　the　rattles　by　which　the　infant　god　had　been　lured　to　his　doom。　Where　the　resurrection　formed　part　of　the　myth；　it　also　was　acted　at　the　rites；　and　it　even　appears　that　a　general　doctrine　of　resurrection；　or　at　least　of　immortality；　was　inculcated　on　the　worshippers；　for　Plutarch；　writing　to　console　his　wife　on　the　death　of　their　infant　daughter；　comforts　her　with　the　thought　of　the　immortality　of　the　soul　as　taught　by　tradition　and　revealed　in　the　mysteries　of　Dionysus。　A　different　form　of　the　myth　of　the　death　and　resurrection　of　Dionysus　is　that　he　descended　into　Hades　to　bring　up　his　mother　Semele　from　the　dead。　The　local　Argive　tradition　was　that　he　went　down　through　the　Alcyonian　lake；　and　his　return　from　the　lower　world；　in　other　words　his　resurrection；　was　annually　celebrated　on　the　spot　by　the　Argives；　who　summoned　him　from　the　water　by　trumpet　blasts；　while　they　threw　a　lamb　into　the　lake　as　an　offering　to　the　warder　of　the　dead。　Whether　this　was　a　spring　festival　does　not　appear；　but　the　Lydians　certainly　celebrated　the　advent　of　Dionysus　in　spring；　the　god　was　supposed　to　bring　the　season　with　him。　Deities　of　vegetation；　who　are　believed　to　pass　a　certain　portion　of　each　year　underground；　naturally　come　to　be　regarded　as　gods　of　the　lower　world　or　of　the　dead。　Both　Dionysus　and　Osiris　were　so　conceived。

A　feature　in　the　mythical　character　of　Dionysus；　whic