the golden bough-第152章

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s　of　Demeter　and　Persephone　militates　decidedly　against　the　view　that　the　two　goddesses　are　mythical　embodiments　of　two　things　so　different　and　so　easily　distinguishable　from　each　other　as　the　earth　and　the　vegetation　which　springs　from　it。　Had　Greek　artists　accepted　that　view　of　Demeter　and　Persephone；　they　could　surely　have　devised　types　of　them　which　would　have　brought　out　the　deep　distinction　between　the　goddesses。　And　if　Demeter　did　not　personify　the　earth；　can　there　be　any　reasonable　doubt　that；　like　her　daughter；　she　personified　the　corn　which　was　so　commonly　called　by　her　name　from　the　time　of　Homer　downwards？　The　essential　identity　of　mother　and　daughter　is　suggested；　not　only　by　the　close　resemblance　of　their　artistic　types；　but　also　by　the　official　title　of　the　Two　Goddesses　which　was　regularly　applied　to　them　in　the　great　sanctuary　at　Eleusis　without　any　specification　of　their　individual　attributes　and　titles；　as　if　their　separate　individualities　had　almost　merged　in　a　single　divine　substance。

Surveying　the　evidence　as　a　whole；　we　are　fairly　entitled　to　conclude　that　in　the　mind　of　the　ordinary　Greek　the　two　goddesses　were　essentially　personifications　of　the　corn；　and　that　in　this　germ　the　whole　efflorescence　of　their　religion　finds　implicitly　its　explanation。　But　to　maintain　this　is　not　to　deny　that　in　the　long　course　of　religious　evolution　high　moral　and　spiritual　conceptions　were　grafted　on　this　simple　original　stock　and　blossomed　out　into　fairer　flowers　than　the　bloom　of　the　barley　and　the　wheat。　Above　all；　the　thought　of　the　seed　buried　in　the　earth　in　order　to　spring　up　to　new　and　higher　life　readily　suggested　a　comparison　with　human　destiny；　and　strengthened　the　hope　that　for　man　too　the　grave　may　be　but　the　beginning　of　a　better　and　happier　existence　in　some　brighter　world　unknown。　This　simple　and　natural　reflection　seems　perfectly　sufficient　to　explain　the　association　of　the　Corn　Goddess　at　Eleusis　with　the　mystery　of　death　and　the　hope　of　a　blissful　immortality。　For　that　the　ancients　regarded　initiation　in　the　Eleusinian　mysteries　as　a　key　to　unlock　the　gates　of　Paradise　appears　to　be　proved　by　the　allusions　which　well…informed　writers　among　them　drop　to　the　happiness　in　store　for　the　initiated　hereafter。　No　doubt　it　is　easy　for　us　to　discern　the　flimsiness　of　the　logical　foundation　on　which　such　high　hopes　were　built。　But　drowning　men　clutch　at　straws；　and　we　need　not　wonder　that　the　Greeks；　like　ourselves；　with　death　before　them　and　a　great　love　of　life　in　their　hearts；　should　not　have　stopped　to　weigh　with　too　nice　a　hand　the　arguments　that　told　for　and　against　the　prospect　of　human　immortality。　The　reasoning　that　satisfied　Saint　Paul　and　has　brought　comfort　to　untold　thousands　of　sorrowing　Christians；　standing　by　the　deathbed　or　the　open　grave　of　their　loved　ones；　was　good　enough　to　pass　muster　with　ancient　pagans；　when　they　too　bowed　their　heads　under　the　burden　of　grief；　and；　with　the　taper　of　life　burning　low　in　the　socket；　looked　forward　into　the　darkness　of　the　unknown。　Therefore　we　do　no　indignity　to　the　myth　of　Demeter　and　Persephoneone　of　the　few　myths　in　which　the　sunshine　and　clarity　of　the　Greek　genius　are　crossed　by　the　shadow　and　mystery　of　deathwhen　we　trace　its　origin　to　some　of　the　most　familiar；　yet　eternally　affecting　aspects　of　nature；　to　the　melancholy　gloom　and　decay　of　autumn　and　to　the　freshness；　the　brightness；　and　the　verdure　of　spring。

Chapter　45。　The　Corn…Mother　and　the　Corn…Maiden　in　Northern　Europe。

IT　has　been　argued　by　W。　Mannhardt　that　the　first　part　of　Demeter's　name　is　derived　from　an　alleged　Cretan　word　deai；　barley；　and　that　accordingly　Demeter　means　neither　more　nor　less　than　Barley…mother　or　Corn…mother；　for　the　root　of　the　word　seems　to　have　been　applied　to　different　kinds　of　grain　by　different　branches　of　the　Aryans。　As　Crete　appears　to　have　been　one　of　the　most　ancient　seats　of　the　worship　of　Demeter；　it　would　not　be　surprising　if　her　name　were　of　Cretan　origin。　But　the　etymology　is　open　to　serious　objections；　and　it　is　safer　therefore　to　lay　no　stress　on　it。　Be　that　as　it　may；　we　have　found　independent　reasons　for　identifying　Demeter　as　the　Corn…mother；　and　of　the　two　species　of　corn　associated　with　her　in　Greek　religion；　namely　barley　and　wheat；　the　barley　has　perhaps　the　better　claim　to　be　her　original　element；　for　not　only　would　it　seem　to　have　been　the　staple　food　of　the　Greeks　in　the　Homeric　age；　but　there　are　grounds　for　believing　that　it　is　one　of　the　oldest；　if　not　the　very　oldest；　cereal　cultivated　by　the　Aryan　race。　Certainly　the　use　of　barley　in　the　religious　ritual　of　the　ancient　Hindoos　as　well　as　of　the　ancient　Greeks　furnishes　a　strong　argument　in　favour　of　the　great　antiquity　of　its　cultivation；　which　is　known　to　have　been　practised　by　the　lake…dwellers　of　the　Stone　Age　in　Europe。

Analogies　to　the　Corn…mother　or　Barley…mother　of　ancient　Greece　have　been　collected　in　great　abundance　by　W。　Mannhardt　from　the　folk…lore　of　modern　Europe。　The　following　may　serve　as　specimens。

In　Germany　the　corn　is　very　commonly　personified　under　the　name　of　the　Corn…mother。　Thus　in　spring；　when　the　corn　waves　in　the　wind；　the　peasants　say；　There　comes　the　Corn…mother；　or　The　Corn…mother　is　running　over　the　field；　or　The　Corn…mother　is　going　through　the　corn。　When　children　wish　to　go　into　the　fields　to　pull　the　blue　corn…flowers　or　the　red　poppies；　they　are　told　not　to　do　so；　because　the　Corn…mother　is　sitting　in　the　corn　and　will　catch　them。　Or　again　she　is　called；　according　to　the　crop；　the　Rye…mother　or　the　Pea…mother；　and　children　are　warned　against　straying　in　the　rye　or　among　the　peas　by　threats　of　the　Rye…mother　or　the　Pea…mother。　Again　the　Corn…mother　is　believed　to　make　the　crop　grow。　Thus　in　the　neighbourhood　of　Magdeburg　it　is　sometimes　said；　It　will　be　a　good　year　for　flax；　the　Flax…mother　has　been　seen。　In　a　village　of　Styria　it　is　said　that　the　Corn…mother；　in　the　shape　of　a　female　puppet　made　out　of　the　last　sheaf　of　corn　and　dressed　in　white；　may　be　seen　at　mid…night　in　the　corn…fields；　which　she　fertilises　by　passing　through　them；　but　if　she　is　angry　with　a　farmer；　she　withers　up　all　his　corn。

Further；　the　Corn…mother　plays　an　important　part　in　harvest　customs。　She　is　believed　to　be　present　in　the　handful　of　corn　which　is　left　standing　last　on　the　field；　and　with　the　cutting　of　this　last　handful　she　is　caught；　or　driven　away；　or　killed。　In　the　first　of　these　cases；　the　last　sheaf　is　carried　joyfully　home　and　honoured　as　a　divine　being。　It　is　placed　in　the　barn；　and　at　threshing　the　corn…spirit　appears　again。　In　the　Hanoverian　district　of　Hadeln　the　reapers　stand　round　the　last　sheaf　and　beat　it　with　sticks　in　order　to　drive　the　Corn…mother　out　of　it。　They　call　to　each　other；　There　she　is！　hit　her！　Take　care　she　doesn't　catch　you！　The　beating　goes　on　till　the　grain　is　completely　threshed　out；　then　the　Corn…mother　is　believed　to　be　driven　away。　In　the　neighbourhood　of　Danzig　the　person　who　cuts　the　last　ears　of　corn　makes　them　into　a　doll；　which　is　called　the　Corn…mother　or　the　Old　Woman　and　is　brought　home　on　the　last　waggon。　In　some　parts　of　Holstein　the　last　sheaf　is　dressed　in　woman's　clothes　and　called　the　Corn…mother。　It　is　carried　home　on　the　last　waggon；　and　then　thoroughly　drenched　with　water。　The　drenching　with　water　is　doubtless　a　rain…charm。　In　the　district　of　Bruck　in　Styria　the　last　sheaf；　called　the　Corn…mother；　is　made　up　into　the　shape　of　a　woman　by　the　oldest　married　woman　in　the　village；　of　an　age　from　fifty　to　fifty…five　years。　The　finest　ears　are　plucked　out　of　it　and　made　into　a　wreath；　which；　twined　with　flowers；　is　carried　on　her　head　by　the　prettiest　girl　of　the　village　to　the　farmer　or　squire；　while　the　Corn…mother　is　laid　down　in　the　barn　to　keep　off　the　mice。　In　other　villages　of　the　same　district　the　Corn…mother；　at　the　close　of　harvest；　is　carried　by　two　lads　at　the　top　of　a　pole。　They　march　behind　the　girl　who　wears　the　wreath　to　the　squire's　house；　and　while　he　receives　the　wreath　and　hangs　it　up　in　the　hall；　the　Corn…mother　is　placed　on　the　top　of　a　pile　of　wood；　where　she　is　the　centre　of　the　harvest　supper　and　dance。　Afterwards　she　is　hung　up　in　the　barn　and　remains　there　till　the　threshing　is　over。　The　man