the golden bough-第178章

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t　destructive；　is　an　obvious　and　perhaps　sufficient　reason　why　wood…spirits　should　so　often　be　supposed　to　take　the　form　of　goats。　The　inconsistency　of　a　god　of　vegetation　subsisting　upon　the　vegetation　which　he　personifies　is　not　one　to　strike　the　primitive　mind。　Such　inconsistencies　arise　when　the　deity；　ceasing　to　be　immanent　in　the　vegetation；　comes　to　be　regarded　as　its　owner　or　lord；　for　the　idea　of　owning　the　vegetation　naturally　leads　to　that　of　subsisting　on　it。　Sometimes　the　corn…spirit；　originally　conceived　as　immanent　in　the　corn；　afterwards　comes　to　be　regarded　as　its　owner；　who　lives　on　it　and　is　reduced　to　poverty　and　want　by　being　deprived　of　it。　Hence　he　is　often　known　as　the　Poor　Man　or　the　Poor　Woman。　Occasionally　the　last　sheaf　is　left　standing　on　the　field　for　the　Poor　Old　Woman　or　for　the　Old　Rye…woman。

Thus　the　representation　of　wood…spirits　in　the　form　of　goats　appears　to　be　both　widespread　and；　to　the　primitive　mind；　natural。　Therefore　when　we　find；　as　we　have　done；　that　Dionysusa　tree…godis　sometimes　represented　in　goat…form；　we　can　hardly　avoid　concluding　that　this　representation　is　simply　a　part　of　his　proper　character　as　a　tree…god　and　is　not　to　be　explained　by　the　fusion　of　two　distinct　and　independent　worships；　in　one　of　which　he　originally　appeared　as　a　tree…god　and　in　the　other　as　a　goat。

Dionysus　was　also　figured；　as　we　have　seen；　in　the　shape　of　a　bull。　After　what　has　gone　before　we　are　naturally　led　to　expect　that　his　bull　form　must　have　been　only　another　expression　for　his　character　as　a　deity　of　vegetation；　especially　as　the　bull　is　a　common　embodiment　of　the　corn…spirit　in　Northern　Europe；　and　the　close　association　of　Dionysus　with　Demeter　and　Persephone　in　the　mysteries　of　Eleusis　shows　that　he　had　at　least　strong　agricultural　affinities。

The　probability　of　this　view　will　be　somewhat　increased　if　it　can　be　shown　that　in　other　rites　than　those　of　Dionysus　the　ancients　slew　an　OX　as　a　representative　of　the　spirit　of　vegetation。　This　they　appear　to　have　done　in　the　Athenian　sacrifice　known　as　the　murder　of　the　OX　（bouphonia）。　It　took　place　about　the　end　of　June　or　beginning　of　July；　that　is；　about　the　time　when　the　threshing　is　nearly　over　in　Attica。　According　to　tradition　the　sacrifice　was　instituted　to　procure　a　cessation　of　drought　and　dearth　which　had　afflicted　the　land。　The　ritual　was　as　follows。　Barley　mixed　with　wheat；　or　cakes　made　of　them；　were　laid　upon　the　bronze　altar　of　Zeus　Polieus　on　the　Acropolis。　Oxen　were　driven　round　the　altar；　and　the　OX　which　went　up　to　the　altar　and　ate　the　offering　on　it　was　sacrificed。　The　axe　and　knife　with　which　the　beast　was　slain　had　been　previously　wetted　with　water　brought　by　maidens　called　water…carriers。　The　weapons　were　then　sharpened　and　handed　to　the　butchers；　one　of　whom　felled　the　OX　with　the　axe　and　another　cut　its　throat　with　the　knife。　As　soon　as　he　had　felled　the　OX；　the　former　threw　the　axe　from　him　and　fled；　and　the　man　who　cut　the　beast's　throat　apparently　imitated　his

example。　Meantime　the　OX　was　skinned　and　all　present　partook　of　its　flesh。　Then　the　hide　was　stuffed　with　straw　and　sewed　up；　next　the　stuffed　animal　was　set　on　its　feet　and　yoked　to　a　plough　as　if　it　were　ploughing。　A　trial　then　took　place　in　an　ancient　law…court　presided　over　by　the　King　（as　he　was　called）　to　determine　who　had　murdered　the　OX。　The　maidens　who　had　brought　the　water　accused　the　men　who　had　sharpened　the　axe　and　knife；　the　men　who　had　sharpened　the　axe　and　knife　blamed　the　men　who　had　handed　these　implements　to　the　butchers；　the　men　who　had　handed　the　implements　to　the　butchers　blamed　the　butchers；　and　the　butchers　laid　the　blame　on　the　axe　and　knife；　which　were　accordingly　found　guilty；　condemned；　and　cast　into　the　sea。

The　name　of　this　sacrifice；　the　murder　of　the　OX；the　pains　taken　by　each　person　who　had　a　hand　in　the　slaughter　to　lay　the　blame　on　some　one　else；　together　with　the　formal　trial　and　punishment　of　the　axe　or　knife　or　both；　prove　that　the　OX　was　here　regarded　not　merely　as　a　victim　offered　to　a　god；　but　as　itself　a　sacred　creature；　the　slaughter　of　which　was　sacrilege　or　murder。　This　is　borne　out　by　a　statement　of　Varro　that　to　kill　an　OX　was　formerly　a　capital　crime　in　Attica。　The　mode　of　selecting　the　victim　suggests　that　the　OX　which　tasted　the　corn　was　viewed　as　the　corn…deity　taking　possession　of　his　own。　This　interpretation　is　supported　by　the　following　custom。　In　Beauce；　in　the　district　of　Orleans；　on　the　twenty…fourth　or　twenty…fifth　of　April　they　make　a　straw　man　called　the　great　mondard。　For　they　say　that　the　old　mondard　is　now　dead　and　it　is　necessary　to　make　a　new　one。　The　straw　man　is　carried　in　solemn　procession　up　and　down　the　village　and　at　last　is　placed　upon　the　oldest　apple…tree。　There　he　remains　till　the　apples　are　gathered；　when　he　is　taken　down　and　thrown　into　the　water；　or　he　is　burned　and　his　ashes　cast　into　water。　But　the　person　who　plucks　the　first　fruit　from　the　tree　succeeds　to　the　title　of　the　great　mondard。　Here　the　straw　figure；　called　the　great　mondard　and　placed　on　the　oldest　apple…tree　in　spring；　represents　the　spirit　of　the　tree；　who；　dead　in　winter；　revives　when　the　apple…blossoms　appear　on　the　boughs。　Thus　the　person　who　plucks　the　first　fruit　from　the　tree　and　thereby　receives　the　name　of　the　great　mondard　must　be　regarded　as　a　representative　of　the　tree…spirit。　Primitive　peoples　are　usually　reluctant　to　taste　the　annual　first…fruits　of　any　crop；　until　some　ceremony　has　been　performed　which　makes　it　safe　and　pious　for　them　to　do　so。　The　reason　of　this　reluctance　appears　to　be　a　belief　that　the　first…fruits　either　belong　to　or　actually　contain　a　divinity。　Therefore　when　a　man　or　animal　is　seen　boldly　to　appropriate　the　sacred　first…fruits；　he　or　it　is　naturally　regarded　as　the　divinity　himself　in　human　or　animal　form　taking　possession　of　his　own。　The　time　of　the　Athenian　sacrifice；　which　fell　about　the　close　of　the　threshing；　suggests　that　the　wheat　and　barley　laid　upon　the　altar　were　a　harvest　offering；　and　the　sacramental　character　of　the　subsequent　repastall　partaking　of　the　flesh　of　the　divine　animalwould　make　it　parallel　to　the　harvest…suppers　of　modern　Europe；　in　which；　as　we　have　seen；　the　flesh　of　the　animal　which　stands　for　the　corn…spirit　is　eaten　by　the　harvesters。　Again；　the　tradition　that　the　sacrifice　was　instituted　in　order　to　put　an　end　to　drought　and　famine　is　in　favour　of　taking　it　as　a　harvest　festival。　The　resurrection　of　the　corn…spirit；　enacted　by　setting　up　the　stuffed　OX　and　yoking　it　to　the　plough；　may　be　compared　with　the　resurrection　of　the　tree…spirit　in　the　person　of　his　representative；　the　Wild　Man。

The　OX　appears　as　a　representative　of　the　corn…spirit　in　other　parts　of　the　world。　At　Great　Bassam；　in　Guinea；　two　oxen　are　slain　annually　to　procure　a　good　harvest。　If　the　sacrifice　is　to　be　effectual；　it　is　necessary　that　the　oxen　should　weep。　So　all　the　women　of　the　village　sit　in　front　of　the　beasts；　chanting；　The　OX　will　weep；　yes；　he　will　weep！　From　time　to　time　one　of　the　women　walks　round　the　beasts；　throwing　manioc　meal　or　palm　wine　upon　them；　especially　into　their　eyes。　When　tears　roll　down　from　the　eyes　of　the　oxen；　the　people　dance；　singing；　The　OX　weeps！　the　OX　weeps！　Then　two　men　seize　the　tails　of　the　beasts　and　cut　them　off　at　one　blow。　It　is　believed　that　a　great　misfortune　will　happen　in　the　course　of　the　year　if　the　tails　are　not　severed　at　one　blow。　The　oxen　are　afterwards　killed；　and　their　flesh　is　eaten　by　the　chiefs。　Here　the　tears　of　the　oxen；　like　those　of　the　human　victims　amongst　the　Khonds　and　the　Aztecs；　are　probably　a　rain…charm。　We　have　already　seen　that　the　virtue　of　the　corn…spirit；　embodied　in　animal　form；　is　sometimes　supposed　to　reside　in　the　tail；　and　that　the　last　handful　of　corn　is　sometimes　conceived　as　the　tail　of　the　corn…spirit。　In　the　Mithraic　religion　this　conception　is　graphically　set　forth　in　some　of　the　numerous　sculptures　which　represent　Mithras　kneeling　on　the　back　of　a　bull　and　plunging　a　knife　into　its　flank；　for　on　certain　of　these　monuments　the　tail　of　the　bull　ends　in　three　stalks　of　corn；　and　in　one　of　them　corn…stalks　instead　of　blood　are　seen　issuing　from　the　wound　inflicted　by　the　knife。　Such　representation