the golden bough-第168章

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tor　was　compelled　to　accept　the　fatal　honour。　The　supposition　is　countenanced　by　European　harvest…customs。　We　have　seen　that　in　Europe　there　is　sometimes　a　contest　amongst　the　reapers　to　avoid　being　last；　and　that　the　person　who　is　vanquished　in　this　competition；　that　is；　who　cuts　the　last　corn；　is　often　roughly　handled。　It　is　true　we　have　not　found　that　a　pretence　is　made　of　killing　him；　but　on　the　other　hand　we　have　found　that　a　pretence　is　made　of　killing　the　man　who　gives　the　last　stroke　at　threshing；　that　is；　who　is　vanquished　in　the　threshing　contest。　Now；　since　it　is　in　the　character　of　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　that　the　thresher　of　the　last　corn　is　slain　in　mimicry；　and　since　the　same　representative　character　attaches　（as　we　have　seen）　to　the　cutter　and　binder　as　well　as　to　the　thresher　of　the　last　corn；　and　since　the　same　repugnance　is　evinced　by　harvesters　to　be　last　in　any　one　of　these　labours；　we　may　conjecture　that　a　pretence　has　been　commonly　made　of　killing　the　reaper　and　binder　as　well　as　the　thresher　of　the　last　corn；　and　that　in　ancient　times　this　killing　was　actually　carried　out。　This　conjecture　is　corroborated　by　the　common　superstition　that　whoever　cuts　the　last　corn　must　die　soon。　Sometimes　it　is　thought　that　the　person　who　binds　the　last　sheaf　on　the　field　will　die　in　the　course　of　next　year。　The　reason　for　fixing　on　the　reaper；　binder；　or　thresher　of　the　last　corn　as　the　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　may　be　this。　The　corn…spirit　is　supposed　to　lurk　as　long　as　he　can　in　the　corn；　retreating　before　the　reapers；　the　binders；　and　the　threshers　at　their　work。　But　when　he　is　forcibly　expelled　from　his　refuge　in　the　last　corn　cut　or　the　last　sheaf　bound　or　the　last　grain　threshed；　he　necessarily　assumes　some　other　form　than　that　of　the　corn…stalks；　which　had　hitherto　been　his　garment　or　body。　And　what　form　can　the　expelled　corn…spirit　assume　more　naturally　than　that　of　the　person　who　stands　nearest　to　the　corn　from　which　he　（the　corn…spirit）　has　just　been　expelled？　But　the　person　in　question　is　necessarily　the　reaper；　binder；　or　thresher　of　the　last　corn。　He　or　she；　therefore；　is　seized　and　treated　as　the　corn…spirit　himself。

Thus　the　person　who　was　killed　on　the　harvest…field　as　the　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　may　have　been　either　a　passing　stranger　or　the　harvester　who　was　last　at　reaping；　binding；　or　threshing。　But　there　is　a　third　possibility；　to　which　ancient　legend　and　modern　folk…custom　alike　point。　Lityerses　not　only　put　strangers　to　death；　he　was　himself　slain；　and　apparently　in　the　same　way　as　he　had　slain　others；　namely；　by　being　wrapt　in　a　corn…sheaf；　beheaded；　and　cast　into　the　river；　and　it　is　implied　that　this　happened　to　Lityerses　on　his　own　land。　Similarly　in　modern　harvest…customs　the　pretence　of　killing　appears　to　be　carried　out　quite　as　often　on　the　person　of　the　master　（farmer　or　squire）　as　on　that　of　strangers。　Now　when　we　remember　that　Lityerses　was　said　to　have　been　a　son　of　the　King　of　Phrygia；　and　that　in　one　account　he　is　himself　called　a　king；　and　when　we　combine　with　this　the　tradition　that　he　was　put　to　death；　apparently　as　a　representative　of　the　corn…spirit；　we　are　led　to　conjecture　that　we　have　here　another　trace　of　the　custom　of　annually　slaying　one　of　those　divine　or　priestly　kings　who　are　known　to　have　held　ghostly　sway　in　many　parts　of　Western　Asia　and　particularly　in　Phrygia。　The　custom　appears；　as　we　have　seen；　to　have　been　so　far　modified　in　places　that　the　king's　son　was　slain　in　the　king's　stead。　Of　the　custom　thus　modified　the　story　of　Lityerses　would　be；　in　one　version　at　least；　a　reminiscence。

Turning　now　to　the　relation　of　the　Phrygian　Lityerses　to　the　Phrygian　Attis；　it　may　be　remembered　that　at　Pessinusthe　seat　of　a　priestly　kingshipthe　high…priest　appears　to　have　been　annually　slain　in　the　character　of　Attis；　a　god　of　vegetation；　and　that　Attis　was　described　by　an　ancient　authority　as　a　reaped　ear　of　corn。　Thus　Attis；　as　an　embodiment　of　the　corn…spirit；　annually　slain　in　the　person　of　his　representative；　might　be　thought　to　be　ultimately　identical　with　Lityerses；　the　latter　being　simply　the　rustic　prototype　out　of　which　the　state　religion　of　Attis　was　developed。　It　may　have　been　so；　but；　on　the　other　hand；　the　analogy　of　European　folk…custom　warns　us　that　amongst　the　same　people　two　distinct　deities　of　vegetation　may　have　their　separate　personal　representatives；　both　of　whom　are　slain　in　the　character　of　gods　at　different　times　of　the　year。　For　in　Europe；　as　we　have　seen；　it　appears　that　one　man　was　commonly　slain　in　the　character　of　the　tree…spirit　in　spring；　and　another　in　the　character　of　the　corn…spirit　in　autumn。　It　may　have　been　so　in　Phrygia　also。　Attis　was　especially　a　tree…god；　and　his　connexion　with　corn　may　have　been　only　such　an　extension　of　the　power　of　a　tree…spirit　as　is　indicated　in　customs　like　the　Harvest…May。　Again；　the　representative　of　Attis　appears　to　have　been　slain　in　spring；　whereas　Lityerses　must　have　been　slain　in　summer　or　autumn；　according　to　the　time　of　the　harvest　in　Phrygia。　On　the　whole；　then；　while　we　are　not　justified　in　regarding　Lityerses　as　the　prototype　of　Attis；　the　two　may　be　regarded　as　parallel　products　of　the　same　religious　idea；　and　may　have　stood　to　each　other　as　in　Europe　the　Old　Man　of　harvest　stands　to　the　Wild　Man；　the　Leaf　Man；　and　so　forth；　of　spring。　Both　were　spirits　or　deities　of　vegetation；　and　the　personal　representatives　of　both　were　annually　slain。　But　whereas　the　Attis　worship　became　elevated　into　the　dignity　of　a　state　religion　and　spread　to　Italy；　the　rites　of　Lityerses　seem　never　to　have　passed　the　limits　of　their　native　Phrygia；　and　always　retained　their　character　of　rustic　ceremonies　performed　by　peasants　on　the　harvest…field。　At　most　a　few　villages　may　have　clubbed　together；　as　amongst　the　Khonds；　to　procure　a　human　victim　to　be　slain　as　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　for　their　common　benefit。　Such　victims　may　have　been　drawn　from　the　families　of　priestly　kings　or　kinglets；　which　would　account　for　the　legendary　character　of　Lityerses　as　the　son　of　a　Phrygian　king　or　as　himself　a　king。　When　villages　did　not　so　club　together；　each　village　or　farm　may　have　procured　its　own　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　by　dooming　to　death　either　a　passing　stranger　or　the　harvester　who　cut；　bound；　or　threshed　the　last　sheaf。　Perhaps　in　the　olden　time　the　practice　of　head…hunting　as　a　means　of　promoting　the　growth　of　the　corn　may　have　been　as　common　among　the　rude　inhabitants　of　Europe　and　Western　Asia　as　it　still　is；　or　was　till　lately；　among　the　primitive　agricultural　tribes　of　Assam；　Burma；　the　Philippine　Islands；　and　the　Indian　Archipelago。　It　is　hardly　necessary　to　add　that　in　Phrygia；　as　in　Europe；　the　old　barbarous　custom　of　killing　a　man　on　the　harvest…field　or　the　threshing…floor　had　doubtless　passed　into　a　mere　pretence　long　before　the　classical　era；　and　was　probably　regarded　by　the　reapers　and　threshers　themselves　as　no　more　than　a　rough　jest　which　the　license　of　a　harvest…home　permitted　them　to　play　off　on　a　passing　stranger；　a　comrade；　or　even　on　their　master　himself。

I　have　dwelt　on　the　Lityerses　song　at　length　because　it　affords　so　many　points　of　comparison　with　European　and　savage　folk…custom。　The　other　harvest　songs　of　Western　Asia　and　Egypt；　to　which　attention　has　been　called　above；　may　now　be　dismissed　much　more　briefly。　The　similarity　of　the　Bithynian　Bormus　to　the　Phrygian　Lityerses　helps　to　bear　out　the　interpretation　which　has　been　given　of　the　latter。　Bormus；　whose　death　or　rather　disappearance　was　annually　mourned　by　the　reapers　in　a　plaintive　song；　was；　like　Lityerses；　a　king's　son　or　at　least　the　son　of　a　wealthy　and　distinguished　man。　The　reapers　whom　he　watched　were　at　work　on　his　own　fields；　and　he　disappeared　in　going　to　fetch　water　for　them；　according　to　one　version　of　the　story　he　was　carried　off　by　the　nymphs；　doubtless　the　nymphs　of　the　spring　or　pool　or　river　whither　he　went　to　draw　water。　Viewed　in　the　light　of　the　Lityerses　story　and　of　European　folk…custom；　this　disappearance　of　Bormus　may　be　a　reminiscence　of　the　custom　of　binding　the　farmer　himself　in　a　corn…sheaf　and　throwing　him　into　the　water。　The　mournful　strain　which　the　reapers　sang　was　probably