the golden bough-第160章

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The　same　notion　of　the　propagation　of　the　rice　by　a　male　and　female　power　finds　expression　amongst　the　Szis　of　Upper　Burma。　When　the　paddy；　that　is；　the　rice　with　the　husks　still　on　it；　has　been　dried　and　piled　in　a　heap　for　threshing；　all　the　friends　of　the　household　are　invited　to　the　threshing…floor；　and　food　and　drink　are　brought　out。　The　heap　of　paddy　is　divided　and　one　half　spread　out　for　threshing；　while　the　other　half　is　left　piled　up。　On　the　pile　food　and　spirits　are　set；　and　one　of　the　elders；　addressing　the　father　and　mother　of　the　paddy…plant；　prays　for　plenteous　harvests　in　future；　and　begs　that　the　seed　may　bear　many　fold。　Then　the　whole　party　eat；　drink；　and　make　merry。　This　ceremony　at　the　threshing…floor　is　the　only　occasion　when　these　people　invoke　the　father　and　mother　of　the　paddy。

3。　The　Spirit　of　the　Corn　embodied　in　Human　Beings。

THUS　the　theory　which　recognises　in　the　European　Corn…mother；　Corn…maiden；　and　so　forth；　the　embodiment　in　vegetable　form　of　the　animating　spirit　of　the　crops　is　amply　confirmed　by　the　evidence　of　peoples　in　other　parts　of　the　world；　who；　because　they　have　lagged　behind　the　European　races　in　mental　development；　retain　for　that　very　reason　a　keener　sense　of　the　original　motives　for　observing　those　rustic　rites　which　among　ourselves　have　sunk　to　the　level　of　meaningless　survivals。　The　reader　may；　however；　remember　that　according　to　Mannhardt；　whose　theory　I　am　expounding；　the　spirit　of　the　corn　manifests　itself　not　merely　in　vegetable　but　also　in　human　form；　the　person　who　cuts　the　last　sheaf　or　gives　the　last　stroke　at　threshing　passes　for　a　temporary　embodiment　of　the　corn…spirit；　just　as　much　as　the　bunch　of　corn　which　he　reaps　or　threshes。　Now　in　the　parallels　which　have　been　hitherto　adduced　from　the　customs　of　peoples　outside　Europe　the　spirit　of　the　crops　appears　only　in　vegetable　form。　It　remains；　therefore；　to　prove　that　other　races　besides　our　European　peasantry　have　conceived　the　spirit　of　the　crops　as　incorporate　in　or　represented　by　living　men　and　women。　Such　a　proof；　I　may　remind　the　reader；　is　germane　to　the　theme　of　this　book；　for　the　more　instances　we　discover　of　human　beings　representing　in　themselves　the　life　or　animating　spirit　of　plants；　the　less　difficulty　will　be　felt　at　classing　amongst　them　the　King　of　the　Wood　at　Nemi。

The　Mandans　and　Minnitarees　of　North　America　used　to　hold　a　festival　in　spring　which　they　called　the　corn…medicine　festival　of　the　women。　They　thought　that　a　certain　Old　Woman　who　Never　Dies　made　the　crops　to　grow；　and　that；　living　somewhere　in　the　south；　she　sent　the　migratory　waterfowl　in　spring　as　her　tokens　and　representatives。　Each　sort　of　bird　represented　a　special　kind　of　crop　cultivated　by　the　Indians：　the　wild　goose　stood　for　the　maize；　the　wild　swan　for　the　gourds；　and　the　wild　duck　for　the　beans。　So　when　the　feathered　messengers　of　the　Old　Woman　began　to　arrive　in　spring　the　Indians　celebrated　the　corn…medicine　festival　of　the　women。　Scaffolds　were　set　up；　on　which　the　people　hung　dried　meat　and　other　things　by　way　of　offerings　to　the　Old　Woman；　and　on　a　certain　day　the　old　women　of　the　tribe；　as　representatives　of　the　Old　Woman　who　Never　Dies；　assembled　at　the　scaffolds　each　bearing　in　her　hand　an　ear　of　maize　fastened　to　a　stick。　They　first　planted　these　sticks　in　the　ground；　then　danced　round　the　scaffolds；　and　finally　took　up　the　sticks　again　in　their　arms。　Meanwhile　old　men　beat　drums　and　shook　rattles　as　a　musical　accompaniment　to　the　performance　of　the　old　women。　Further；　young　women　came　and　put　dried　flesh　into　the　mouths　of　the　old　women；　for　which　they　received　in　return　a　grain　of　the　consecrated　maize　to　eat。　Three　or　four　grains　of　the　holy　corn　were　also　placed　in　the　dishes　of　the　young　women；　to　be　afterwards　carefully　mixed　with　the　seed…corn；　which　they　were　supposed　to　fertilise。　The　dried　flesh　hung　on　the　scaffold　belonged　to　the　old　women；　because　they　represented　the　Old　Woman　who　Never　Dies。　A　similar　corn…medicine　festival　was　held　in　autumn　for　the　purpose　of　attracting　the　herds　of　buffaloes　and　securing　a　supply　of　meat。　At　that　time　every　woman　carried　in　her　arms　an　uprooted　plant　of　maize。　They　gave　the　name　of　the　Old　Woman　who　Never　Dies　both　to　the　maize　and　to　those　birds　which　they　regarded　as　symbols　of　the　fruits　of　the　earth；　and　they　prayed　to　them　in　autumn　saying；　Mother；　have　pity　on　us！　send　us　not　the　bitter　cold　too　soon；　lest　we　have　not　meat　enough！　let　not　all　the　game　depart；　that　we　may　have　something　for　the　winter！　In　autumn；　when　the　birds　were　flying　south；　the　Indians　thought　that　they　were　going　home　to　the　Old　Woman　and　taking　to　her　the　offerings　that　had　been　hung　up　on　the　scaffolds；　especially　the　dried　meat；　which　she　ate。　Here　then　we　have　the　spirit　or　divinity　of　the　corn　conceived　as　an　Old　Woman　and　represented　in　bodily　form　by　old　women；　who　in　their　capacity　of　representatives　receive　some　at　least　of　the　offerings　which　are　intended　for　her。

In　some　parts　of　India　the　harvest…goddess　Gauri　is　represented　at　once　by　an　unmarried　girl　and　by　a　bundle　of　wild　balsam　plants；　which　is　made　up　into　the　figure　of　a　woman　and　dressed　as　such　with　mask；　garments；　and　ornaments。　Both　the　human　and　the　vegetable　representative　of　the　goddess　are　worshipped；　and　the　intention　of　the　whole　ceremony　appears　to　be　to　ensure　a　good　crop　of　rice。

4。　The　Double　Personification　ofthe　Corn　as　Mother　and　Daughter。

COMPARED　with　the　Corn…mother　of　Germany　and　the　Harvest…maiden　of　Scotland；　the　Demeter　and　Persephone　of　Greece　are　late　products　of　religious　growth。　Yet　as　members　of　the　Aryan　family　the　Greeks　must　at　one　time　or　another　have　observed　harvest　customs　like　those　which　are　still　practised　by　Celts；　Teutons；　and　Slavs；　and　which；　far　beyond　the　limits　of　the　Aryan　world；　have　been　practised　by　the　Indians　of　Peru　and　many　peoples　of　the　East　Indiesa　sufficient　proof　that　the　ideas　on　which　these　customs　rest　are　not　confined　to　any　one　race；　but　naturally　suggest　themselves　to　all　untutored　peoples　engaged　in　agriculture。　It　is　probable；　therefore；　that　Demeter　and　Persephone；　those　stately　and　beautiful　figures　of　Greek　mythology；　grew　out　of　the　same　simple　beliefs　and　practices　which　still　prevail　among　our　modern　peasantry；　and　that　they　were　represented　by　rude　dolls　made　out　of　the　yellow　sheaves　on　many　a　harvest…field　long　before　their　breathing　images　were　wrought　in　bronze　and　marble　by　the　master　hands　of　Phidias　and　Praxiteles。　A　reminiscence　of　that　olden　timea　scent；　so　to　say；　of　the　harvest…fieldlingered　to　the　last　in　the　title　of　the　Maiden　（Kore）　by　which　Persephone　was　commonly　known。　Thus　if　the　prototype　of　Demeter　is　the　Corn…mother　of　Germany；　the　prototype　of　Persephone　is　the　Harvest…maiden　which；　autumn　after　autumn；　is　still　made　from　the　last　sheaf　on　the　Braes　of　Balquhidder。　Indeed；　if　we　knew　more　about　the　peasant…farmers　of　ancient　Greece；　we　should　probably　find　that　even　in　classical　times　they　continued　annually　to　fashion　their　Corn…mothers　（Demeters）　and　Maidens　（Persephones）　out　of　the　ripe　corn　on　the　harvest…fields。　But　unfortunately　the　Demeter　and　Persephone　whom　we　know　were　the　denizens　of　towns；　the　majestic　inhabitants　of　lordly　temples；　it　was　for　such　divinities　alone　that　the　refined　writers　of　antiquity　had　eyes；　the　uncouth　rites　performed　by　rustics　amongst　the　corn　were　beneath　their　notice。　Even　if　they　noticed　them；　they　probably　never　dreamed　of　any　connexion　between　the　puppet　of　corn…stalks　on　the　sunny　stubble…field　and　the　marble　divinity　in　the　shady　coolness　of　the　temple。　Still　the　writings　even　of　these　town…bred　and　cultured　persons　afford　us　an　occasional　glimpse　of　a　Demeter　as　rude　as　the　rudest　that　a　remote　German　village　can　show。　Thus　the　story　that　Iasion　begat　a　child　Plutus　（　wealth；　abundance）　by　Demeter　on　a　thrice…ploughed　field；　may　be　compared　with　the　West　Prussian　custom　of　the　mock　birth　of　a　child　on　the　harvest…field。　In　this　Prussian　custom　the　pretended　mother　represents　the　Corn…mother　（Zytniamatka）；　the　pretended　child　represents　the　Corn…baby；　and　the　whole　ceremony　is　a　charm　to　ensure　a　crop　next　year。　The　custom　and　the　legend　alike　point　to　an　older　practice　o