the golden bough-第167章

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y　a　scene　of　tumult；　is　silent　and　deserted　except　for　a　few　people　who　remain　to　guard　all　that　is　left　of　the　buffalo；　to　wit；　the　head；　the　bones；　and　the　stomach；　which　are　burned　with　ceremony　at　the　foot　of　the　stake。

In　these　Khond　sacrifices　the　Meriahs　are　represented　by　our　authorities　as　victims　offered　to　propitiate　the　Earth　Goddess。　But　from　the　treatment　of　the　victims　both　before　and　after　death　it　appears　that　the　custom　cannot　be　explained　as　merely　a　propitiatory　sacrifice。　A　part　of　the　flesh　certainly　was　offered　to　the　Earth　Goddess；　but　the　rest　was　buried　by　each　householder　in　his　fields；　and　the　ashes　of　the　other　parts　of　the　body　were　scattered　over　the　fields；　laid　as　paste　on　the　granaries；　or　mixed　with　the　new　corn。　These　latter　customs　imply　that　to　the　body　of　the　Meriah　there　was　ascribed　a　direct　or　intrinsic　power　of　making　the　crops　to　grow；　quite　independent　of　the　indirect　efficacy　which　it　might　have　as　an　offering　to　secure　the　good…will　of　the　deity。　In　other　words；　the　flesh　and　ashes　of　the　victim　were　believed　to　be　endowed　with　a　magical　or　physical　power　of　fertilising　the　land。　The　same　intrinsic　power　was　ascribed　to　the　blood　and　tears　of　the　Meriah；　his　blood　causing　the　redness　of　the　turmeric　and　his　tears　producing　rain；　for　it　can　hardly　be　doubted　that；　originally　at　least；　the　tears　were　supposed　to　bring　down　the　rain；　not　merely　to　prognosticate　it。　Similarly　the　custom　of　pouring　water　on　the　buried　flesh　of　the　Meriah　was　no　doubt　a　rain…charm。　Again；　magical　power　as　an　attribute　of　the　Meriah　appears　in　the　sovereign　virtue　believed　to　reside　in　anything　that　came　from　his　person；　as　his　hair　or　spittle。　The　ascription　of　such　power　to　the　Meriah　indicates　that　he　was　much　more　than　a　mere　man　sacrificed　to　propitiate　a　deity。　Once　more；　the　extreme　reverence　paid　him　points　to　the　same　conclusion。　Major　Campbell　speaks　of　the　Meriah　as　being　regarded　as　something　more　than　mortal；　and　Major　Macpherson　says；　A　species　of　reverence；　which　it　is　not　easy　to　distinguish　from　adoration；　is　paid　to　him。　In　short；　the　Meriah　seems　to　have　been　regarded　as　divine。　As　such；　he　may　originally　have　represented　the　Earth　Goddess　or；　perhaps；　a　deity　of　vegetation；　though　in　later　times　he　came　to　be　regarded　rather　as　a　victim　offered　to　a　deity　than　as　himself　an　incarnate　god。　This　later　view　of　the　Meriah　as　a　victim　rather　than　a　divinity　may　perhaps　have　received　undue　emphasis　from　the　European　writers　who　have　described　the　Khond　religion。　Habituated　to　the　later　idea　of　sacrifice　as　an　offering　made　to　a　god　for　the　purpose　of　conciliating　his　favour；　European　observers　are　apt　to　interpret　all　religious　slaughter　in　this　sense；　and　to　suppose　that　wherever　such　slaughter　takes　place；　there　must　necessarily　be　a　deity　to　whom　the　carnage　is　believed　by　the　slayers　to　be　acceptable。　Thus　their　preconceived　ideas　may　unconsciously　colour　and　warp　their　descriptions　of　savage　rites。

The　same　custom　of　killing　the　representative　of　a　god；　of　which　strong　traces　appear　in　the　Khond　sacrifices；　may　perhaps　be　detected　in　some　of　the　other　human　sacrifices　described　above。　Thus　the　ashes　of　the　slaughtered　Marimo　were　scattered　over　the　fields；　the　blood　of　the　Brahman　lad　was　put　on　the　crop　and　field；　the　flesh　of　the　slain　Naga　was　stowed　in　the　corn…bin；　and　the　blood　of　the　Sioux　girl　was　allowed　to　trickle　on　the　seed。　Again；　the　identification　of　the　victim　with　the　corn；　in　other　words；　the　view　that　he　is　an　embodiment　or　spirit　of　the　corn；　is　brought　out　in　the　pains　which　seem　to　be　taken　to　secure　a　physical　correspondence　between　him　and　the　natural　object　which　he　embodies　or　represents。　Thus　the　Mexicans　killed　young　victims　for　the　young　corn　and　old　ones　for　the　ripe　corn；　the　Marimos　sacrifice；　as　seed；　a　short；　fat　man；　the　shortness　of　his　stature　corresponding　to　that　of　the　young　corn；　his　fatness　to　the　condition　which　it　is　desired　that　the　crops　may　attain；　and　the　Pawnees　fattened　their　victims　probably　with　the　same　view。　Again；　the　identification　of　the　victim　with　the　corn　comes　out　in　the　African　custom　of　killing　him　with　spades　and　hoes；　and　the　Mexican　custom　of　grinding　him；　like　corn；　between　two　stones。

One　more　point　in　these　savage　customs　deserves　to　be　noted。　The　Pawnee　chief　devoured　the　heart　of　the　Sioux　girl；　and　the　Marimos　and　Gonds　ate　the　victim's　flesh。　If；　as　we　suppose；　the　victim　was　regarded　as　divine；　it　follows　that　in　eating　his　flesh　his　worshippers　believed　themselves　to　be　partaking　of　the　body　of　their　god。

4。　The　Corn…spirit　slain　in　his　Human　Representatives。

THE　BARBAROUS　rites　just　described　offer　analogies　to　the　harvest　customs　of　Europe。　Thus　the　fertilising　virtue　ascribed　to　the　corn…spirit　is　shown　equally　in　the　savage　custom　of　mixing　the　victim's　blood　or　ashes　with　the　seed…corn　and　the　European　custom　of　mixing　the　grain　from　the　last　sheaf　with　the　young　corn　in　spring。　Again；　the　identification　of　the　person　with　the　corn　appears　alike　in　the　savage　custom　of　adapting　the　age　and　stature　of　the　victim　to　the　age　and　stature；　whether　actual　or　expected；　of　the　crop；　in　the　Scotch　and　Styrian　rules　that　when　the　corn…spirit　is　conceived　as　the　Maiden　the　last　corn　shall　be　cut　by　a　young　maiden；　but　when　it　is　conceived　as　the　Corn…mother　it　shall　be　cut　by　an　old　woman；　in　the　warning　given　to　old　women　in　Lorraine　to　save　themselves　when　the　Old　Woman　is　being　killed；　that　is；　when　the　last　corn　is　being　threshed；　and　in　the　Tyrolese　expectation　that　if　the　man　who　gives　the　last　stroke　at　threshing　is　tall；　the　next　year's　corn　will　be　tall　also。　Further；　the　same　identification　is　implied　in　the　savage　custom　of　killing　the　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　with　hoes　or　spades　or　by　grinding　him　between　stones；　and　in　the　European　custom　of　pretending　to　kill　him　with　the　scythe　or　the　flail。　Once　more　the　Khond　custom　of　pouring　water　on　the　buried　flesh　of　the　victim　is　parallel　to　the　European　customs　of　pouring　water　on　the　personal　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　or　plunging　him　into　a　stream。　Both　the　Khond　and　the　European　customs　are　rain…charms。

To　return　now　to　the　Lityerses　story。　It　has　been　shown　that　in　rude　society　human　beings　have　been　commonly　killed　to　promote　the　growth　of　the　crops。　There　is　therefore　no　improbability　in　the　supposition　that　they　may　once　have　been　killed　for　a　like　purpose　in　Phrygia　and　Europe；　and　when　Phrygian　legend　and　European　folk…custom；　closely　agreeing　with　each　other；　point　to　the　conclusion　that　men　were　so　slain；　we　are　bound；　provisionally　at　least；　to　accept　the　conclusion。　Further；　both　the　Lityerses　story　and　European　harvest…customs　agree　in　indicating　that　the　victim　was　put　to　death　as　a　representative　of　the　corn…spirit；　and　this　indication　is　in　harmony　with　the　view　which　some　savages　appear　to　take　of　the　victim　slain　to　make　the　crops　flourish。　On　the　whole；　then；　we　may　fairly　suppose　that　both　in　Phrygia　and　in　Europe　the　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　was　annually　killed　upon　the　harvest…field。　Grounds　have　been　already　shown　for　believing　that　similarly　in　Europe　the　representative　of　the　tree…spirit　was　annually　slain。　The　proofs　of　these　two　remarkable　and　closely　analogous　customs　are　entirely　independent　of　each　other。　Their　coincidence　seems　to　furnish　fresh　presumption　in　favour　of　both。

To　the　question；　How　was　the　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　chosen？　one　answer　has　been　already　given。　Both　the　Lityerses　story　and　European　folk…custom　show　that　passing　strangers　were　regarded　as　manifestations　of　the　corn…spirit　escaping　from　the　cut　or　threshed　corn；　and　as　such　were　seized　and　slain。　But　this　is　not　the　only　answer　which　the　evidence　suggests。　According　to　the　Phrygian　legend　the　victims　of　Lityerses　were　not　simply　passing　strangers；　but　persons　whom　he　had　vanquished　in　a　reaping　contest　and　afterwards　wrapt　up　in　corn…sheaves　and　beheaded。　This　suggests　that　the　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　may　have　been　selected　by　means　of　a　competition　on　the　harvest…field；　in　which　the　vanquished　competitor　was　compelled　to　accept　the　fatal　honour。　The　supposition　is　countenanced　by　European　harvest…cu