the golden bough-第149章

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Both　Dionysus　and　Osiris　were　so　conceived。

A　feature　in　the　mythical　character　of　Dionysus；　which　at　first　sight　appears　inconsistent　with　his　nature　as　a　deity　of　vegetation；　is　that　he　was　often　conceived　and　represented　in　animal　shape；　especially　in　the　form；　or　at　least　with　the　horns；　of　a　bull。　Thus　he　is　spoken　of　as　cow…born；　bull；　bull…shaped；　bull…faced；　bull…browed；　bull…horned；　horn…bearing；　two…horned；　horned。　He　was　believed　to　appear；　at　least　occasionally；　as　a　bull。　His　images　were　often；　as　at　Cyzicus；　made　in　bull　shape；　or　with　bull　horns；　and　he　was　painted　with　horns。　Types　of　the　horned　Dionysus　are　found　amongst　the　surviving　monuments　of　antiquity。　On　one　statuette　he　appears　clad　in　a　bull's　hide；　the　head；　horns；　and　hoofs　hanging　down　behind。　Again；　he　is　represented　as　a　child　with　clusters　of　grapes　round　his　brow；　and　a　calf's　head；　with　sprouting　horns；　attached　to　the　back　of　his　head。　On　a　red…figured　vase　the　god　is　portrayed　as　a　calf…headed　child　seated　on　a　woman's　lap。　The　people　of　Cynaetha　held　a　festival　of　Dionysus　in　winter；　when　men；　who　had　greased　their　bodies　with　oil　for　the　occasion；　used　to　pick　out　a　bull　from　the　herd　and　carry　it　to　the　sanctuary　of　the　god。　Dionysus　was　supposed　to　inspire　their　choice　of　the　particular　bull；　which　probably　represented　the　deity　himself；　for　at　his　festivals　he　was　believed　to　appear　in　bull　form。　The　women　of　Elis　hailed　him　as　a　bull；　and　prayed　him　to　come　with　his　bull's　foot。　They　sang；　Come　hither；　Dionysus；　to　thy　holy　temple　by　the　sea；　come　with　the　Graces　to　thy　temple；　rushing　with　thy　bull's　foot；　O　goodly　bull；　O　goodly　bull！　The　Bacchanals　of　Thrace　wore　horns　in　imitation　of　their　god。　According　to　the　myth；　it　was　in　the　shape　of　a　bull　that　he　was　torn　to　pieces　by　the　Titans；　and　the　Cretans；　when　they　acted　the　sufferings　and　death　of　Dionysus；　tore　a　live　bull　to　pieces　with　their　teeth。　Indeed；　the　rending　and　devouring　of　live　bulls　and　calves　appear　to　have　been　a　regular　feature　of　the　Dionysiac　rites。　When　we　consider　the　practice　of　portraying　the　god　as　a　bull　or　with　some　of　the　features　of　the　animal；　the　belief　that　he　appeared　in　bull　form　to　his　worshippers　at　the　sacred　rites；　and　the　legend　that　in　bull　form　he　had　been　torn　in　pieces；　we　cannot　doubt　that　in　rending　and　devouring　a　live　bull　at　his　festival　the　worshippers　of　Dionysus　believed　themselves　to　be　killing　the　god；　eating　his　flesh；　and　drinking　his　blood。

Another　animal　whose　form　Dionysus　assumed　was　the　goat。　One　of　his　names　was　Kid。　At　Athens　and　at　Hermion　he　was　worshipped　under　the　title　of　the　one　of　the　Black　Goatskin；　and　a　legend　ran　that　on　a　certain　occasion　he　had　appeared　clad　in　the　skin　from　which　he　took　the　title。　In　the　wine…growing　district　of　Phlius；　where　in　autumn　the　plain　is　still　thickly　mantled　with　the　red　and　golden　foliage　of　the　fading　vines；　there　stood　of　old　a　bronze　image　of　a　goat；　which　the　husbandmen　plastered　with　gold…leaf　as　a　means　of　protecting　their　vines　against　blight。　The　image　probably　represented　the　vine…god　himself。　To　save　him　from　the　wrath　of　Hera；　his　father　Zeus　changed　the　youthful　Dionysus　into　a　kid；　and　when　the　gods　fled　to　Egypt　to　escape　the　fury　of　Typhon；　Dionysus　was　turned　into　a　goat。　Hence　when　his　worshippers　rent　in　pieces　a　live　goat　and　devoured　it　raw；　they　must　have　believed　that　they　were　eating　the　body　and　blood　of　the　god。　The　custom　of　tearing　in　pieces　the　bodies　of　animals　and　of　men　and　then　devouring　them　raw　has　been　practised　as　a　religious　rite　by　savages　in　modern　times。　We　need　not　therefore　dismiss　as　a　fable　the　testimony　of　antiquity　to　the　observance　of　similar　rites　among　the　frenzied　worshippers　of　Bacchus。

The　custom　of　killing　a　god　in　animal　form；　which　we　shall　examine　more　in　detail　further　on；　belongs　to　a　very　early　stage　of　human　culture；　and　is　apt　in　later　times　to　be　misunderstood。　The　advance　of　thought　tends　to　strip　the　old　animal　and　plant　gods　of　their　bestial　and　vegetable　husk；　and　to　leave　their　human　attributes　（which　are　always　the　kernel　of　the　conception）　as　the　final　and　sole　residuum。　In　other　words；　animal　and　plant　gods　tend　to　become　purely　anthropomorphic。　When　they　have　become　wholly　or　nearly　so；　the　animals　and　plants　which　were　at　first　the　deities　themselves；　still　retain　a　vague　and　ill…understood　connexion　with　the　anthropomorphic　gods　who　have　developed　out　of　them。　The　origin　of　the　relationship　between　the　deity　and　the　animal　or　plant　having　been　forgotten；　various　stories　are　invented　to　explain　it。　These　explanations　may　follow　one　of　two　lines　according　as　they　are　based　on　the　habitual　or　on　the　exceptional　treatment　of　the　sacred　animal　or　plant。　The　sacred　animal　was　habitually　spared；　and　only　exceptionally　slain；　and　accordingly　the　myth　might　be　devised　to　explain　either　why　it　was　spared　or　why　it　was　killed。　Devised　for　the　former　purpose；　the　myth　would　tell　of　some　service　rendered　to　the　deity　by　the　animal；　devised　for　the　latter　purpose；　the　myth　would　tell　of　some　injury　inflicted　by　the　animal　on　the　god。　The　reason　given　for　sacrificing　goats　to　Dionysus　exemplifies　a　myth　of　the　latter　sort。　They　were　sacrificed　to　him；　it　was　said；　because　they　injured　the　vine。　Now　the　goat；　as　we　have　seen；　was　originally　an　embodiment　of　the　god　himself。　But　when　the　god　had　divested　himself　of　his　animal　character　and　had　become　essentially　anthropomorphic；　the　killing　of　the　goat　in　his　worship　came　to　be　regarded　no　longer　as　a　slaying　of　the　deity　himself；　but　as　a　sacrifice　offered　to　him；　and　since　some　reason　had　to　be　assigned　why　the　goat　in　particular　should　be　sacrificed；　it　was　alleged　that　this　was　a　punishment　inflicted　on　the　goat　for　injuring　the　vine；　the　object　of　the　god's　especial　care。　Thus　we　have　the　strange　spectacle　of　a　god　sacrificed　to　himself　on　the　ground　that　he　is　his　own　enemy。　And　as　the　deity　is　supposed　to　partake　of　the　victim　offered　to　him；　it　follows　that；　when　the　victim　is　the　god's　old　self；　the　god　eats　of　his　own　flesh。　Hence　the　goat…god　Dionysus　is　represented　as　eating　raw　goat's　blood；　and　the　bull…god　Dionysus　is　called　eater　of　bulls。　On　the　analogy　of　these　instances　we　may　conjecture　that　wherever　a　deity　is　described　as　the　eater　of　a　particular　animal；　the　animal　in　question　was　originally　nothing　but　the　deity　himself。　Later　on　we　shall　find　that　some　savages　propitiate　dead　bears　and　whales　by　offering　them　portions　of　their　own　bodies。

All　this；　however；　does　not　explain　why　a　deity　of　vegetation　should　appear　in　animal　form。　But　the　consideration　of　that　point　had　better　be　deferred　till　we　have　discussed　the　character　and　attributes　of　Demeter。　Meantime　it　remains　to　mention　that　in　some　places；　instead　of　an　animal；　a　human　being　was　torn　in　pieces　at　the　rites　of　Dionysus。　This　was　the　practice　in　Chios　and　Tenedos；　and　at　Potniae　in　Boeotia　the　tradition　ran　that　it　had　been　formerly　the　custom　to　sacrifice　to　the　goat…smiting　Dionysus　a　child；　for　whom　a　goat　was　afterwards　substituted。　At　Orchomenus；　as　we　have　seen；　the　human　victim　was　taken　from　the　women　of　an　old　royal　family。　As　the　slain　bull　or　goat　represented　the　slain　god；　so；　we　may　suppose；　the　human　victim　also　represented　him。

The　legends　of　the　deaths　of　Pentheus　and　Lycurgus；　two　kings　who　are　said　to　have　been　torn　to　pieces；　the　one　by　Bacchanals；　the　other　by　horses；　for　their　opposition　to　the　rites　of　Dionysus；　may　be；　as　I　have　already　suggested；　distorted　reminiscences　of　a　custom　of　sacrificing　divine　kings　in　the　character　of　Dionysus　and　of　dispersing　the　fragments　of　their　broken　bodies　over　the　fields　for　the　purpose　of　fertilising　them。　It　is　probably　no　mere　coincidence　that　Dionysus　himself　is　said　to　have　been　torn　in　pieces　at　Thebes；　the　very　place　where　according　to　legend　the　same　fate　befell　king　Pentheus　at　the　hands　of　the　frenzied　votaries　of　the　vine…god。

However；　a　tradition　of　human　sacrifice　may　sometimes　have　been　a　mere　misinterpretation　of　a　sacrificial　ritual　in　which　an　animal　victim　was　treated　as　a　human　being。　For　example；　at　Tenedos　the　new…born　calf　sacrificed　to　Dionysus　was　shod　in　buskins；　and　the　mother　cow　was　tended