the golden bough-第222章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！


　and　stoned　to　death。　The　city　of　Abdera　in　Thrace　was　publicly　purified　once　a　year；　and　one　of　the　burghers；　set　apart　for　the　purpose；　was　stoned　to　death　as　a　scapegoat　or　vicarious　sacrifice　for　the　life　of　all　the　others；　six　days　before　his　execution　he　was　excommunicated；　in　order　that　he　alone　might　bear　the　sins　of　all　the　people。

From　the　Lover's　Leap；　a　white　bluff　at　the　southern　end　of　their　island；　the　Leucadians　used　annually　to　hurl　a　criminal　into　the　sea　as　a　scapegoat。　But　to　lighten　his　fall　they　fastened　live　birds　and　feathers　to　him；　and　a　flotilla　of　small　boats　waited　below　to　catch　him　and　convey　him　beyond　the　boundary。　Probably　these　humane　precautions　were　a　mitigation　of　an　earlier　custom　of　flinging　the　scapegoat　into　the　sea　to　drown。　The　Leucadian　ceremony　took　place　at　the　time　of　a　sacrifice　to　Apollo；　who　had　a　temple　or　sanctuary　on　the　spot。　Elsewhere　it　was　customary　to　cast　a　young　man　every　year　into　the　sea；　with　the　prayer；　Be　thou　our　offscouring。　This　ceremony　was　supposed　to　rid　the　people　of　the　evils　by　which　they　were　beset；　or　according　to　a　somewhat　different　interpretation　it　redeemed　them　by　paying　the　debt　they　owed　to　the　sea…god。　As　practised　by　the　Greeks　of　Asia　Minor　in　the　sixth　century　before　our　era；　the　custom　of　the　scapegoat　was　as　follows。　When　a　city　suffered　from　plague；　famine；　or　other　public　calamity；　an　ugly　or　deformed　person　was　chosen　to　take　upon　himself　all　the　evils　which　afflicted　the　community。　He　was　brought　to　a　suitable　place；　where　dried　figs；　a　barley　loaf；　and　cheese　were　put　into　his　hand。　These　he　ate。　Then　he　was　beaten　seven　times　upon　his　genital　organs　with　squills　and　branches　of　the　wild　fig　and　other　wild　trees；　while　the　flutes　played　a　particular　tune。　Afterwards　he　was　burned　on　a　pyre　built　of　the　wood　of　forest　trees；　and　his　ashes　were　cast　into　the　sea。　A　similar　custom　appears　to　have　been　annually　celebrated　by　the　Asiatic　Greeks　at　the　harvest　festival　of　the　Thargelia。

In　the　ritual　just　described　the　scourging　of　the　victim　with　squills；　branches　of　the　wild　fig；　and　so　forth；　cannot　have　been　intended　to　aggravate　his　sufferings；　otherwise　any　stick　would　have　been　good　enough　to　beat　him　with。　The　true　meaning　of　this　part　of　the　ceremony　has　been　explained　by　W。　Mannhardt。　He　points　out　that　the　ancients　attributed　to　squills　a　magical　power　of　averting　evil　influences；　and　that　accordingly　they　hung　them　up　at　the　doors　of　their　houses　and　made　use　of　them　in　purificatory　rites。　Hence　the　Arcadian　custom　of　whipping　the　image　of　Pan　with　squills　at　a　festival；　or　whenever　the　hunters　returned　empty…handed；　must　have　been　meant；　not　to　punish　the　god；　but　to　purify　him　from　the　harmful　influences　which　were　impeding　him　in　the　exercise　of　his　divine　functions　as　a　god　who　should　supply　the　hunter　with　game。　Similarly　the　object　of　beating　the　human　scapegoat　on　the　genital　organs　with　squills　and　so　on；　must　have　been　to　release　his　reproductive　energies　from　any　restraint　or　spell　under　which　they　might　be　laid　by　demoniacal　or　other　malignant　agency；　and　as　the　Thargelia　at　which　he　was　annually　sacrificed　was　an　early　harvest　festival　celebrated　in　May；　we　must　recognise　in　him　a　representative　of　the　creative　and　fertilising　god　of　vegetation。　The　representative　of　the　god　was　annually　slain　for　the　purpose　I　have　indicated；　that　of　maintaining　the　divine　life　in　perpetual　vigour；　untainted　by　the　weakness　of　age；　and　before　he　was　put　to　death　it　was　not　unnatural　to　stimulate　his　reproductive　powers　in　order　that　these　might　be　transmitted　in　full　activity　to　his　successor；　the　new　god　or　new　embodiment　of　the　old　god；　who　was　doubtless　supposed　immediately　to　take　the　place　of　the　one　slain。　Similar　reasoning　would　lead　to　a　similar　treatment　of　the　scapegoat　on　special　occasions；　such　as　drought　or　famine。　If　the　crops　did　not　answer　to　the　expectation　of　the　husbandman；　this　would　be　attributed　to　some　failure　in　the　generative　powers　of　the　god　whose　function　it　was　to　produce　the　fruits　of　the　earth。　It　might　be　thought　that　he　was　under　a　spell　or　was　growing　old　and　feeble。　Accordingly　he　was　slain　in　the　person　of　his　representative；　with　all　the　ceremonies　already　described；　in　order　that；　born　young　again；　he　might　infuse　his　own　youthful　vigour　into　the　stagnant　energies　of　nature。　On　the　same　principle　we　can　understand　why　Mamurius　Veturius　was　beaten　with　rods；　why　the　slave　at　the　Chaeronean　ceremony　was　beaten　with　the　agnus　castus　（a　tree　to　which　magical　properties　were　ascribed）；　why　the　effigy　of　Death　in　some　parts　of　Europe　is　assailed　with　sticks　and　stones；　and　why　at　Babylon　the　criminal　who　played　the　god　scourged　before　he　was　crucified。　The　purpose　of　the　scourging　was　not　to　intensify　the　agony　of　the　divine　sufferer；　but　on　the　contrary　to　dispel　any　malignant　influences　by　which　at　the　supreme　moment　he　might　conceivably　be　beset。

Thus　far　I　have　assumed　that　the　human　victims　at　the　Thargelia　represented　the　spirits　of　vegetation　in　general；　but　it　has　been　well　remarked　by　Mr。　W。　R。　Paton　that　these　poor　wretches　seem　to　have　masqueraded　as　the　spirits　of　fig…trees　in　particular。　He　points　out　that　the　process　of　caprification；　as　it　is　called；　that　is；　the　artificial　fertilisation　of　the　cultivated　fig…trees　by　hanging　strings　of　wild　figs　among　the　boughs；　takes　place　in　Greece　and　Asia　Minor　in　June　about　a　month　after　the　date　of　the　Thargelia；　and　he　suggests　that　the　hanging　of　the　black　and　white　figs　round　the　necks　of　the　two　human　victims；　one　of　whom　represented　the　men　and　the　other　the　women；　may　have　been　a　direct　imitation　of　the　process　of　caprification　designed；　on　the　principle　of　imitative　magic；　to　assist　the　fertilisation　of　the　fig…trees。　And　since　caprification　is　in　fact　a　marriage　of　the　male　fig…tree　with　the　female　fig…tree；　Mr。　Paton　further　supposes　that　the　loves　of　the　trees　may；　on　the　same　principle　of　imitative　magic；　have　been　simulated　by　a　mock　or　even　a　real　marriage　between　the　two　human　victims；　one　of　whom　appears　sometimes　to　have　been　a　woman。　On　this　view　the　practice　of　beating　the　human　victims　on　their　genitals　with　branches　of　wild　fig…trees　and　with　squills　was　a　charm　intended　to　stimulate　the　generative　powers　of　the　man　and　woman　who　for　the　time　being　personated　the　male　and　the　female　fig…trees　respectively；　and　who　by　their　union　in　marriage；　whether　real　or　pretended；　were　believed　to　help　the　trees　to　bear　fruit。

The　interpretation　which　I　have　adopted　of　the　custom　of　beating　the　human　scapegoat　with　certain　plants　is　supported　by　many　analogies。　Thus　among　the　Kai　of　German　New　Guinea；　when　a　man　wishes　to　make　his　banana　shoots　bear　fruit　quickly；　he　beats　them　with　a　stick　cut　from　a　banana…tree　which　has　already　borne　fruit。　Here　it　is　obvious　that　fruitfulness　is　believed　to　inhere　in　a　stick　cut　from　a　fruitful　tree　and　to　be　imparted　by　contact　to　the　young　banana　plants。　Similarly　in　New　Caledonia　a　man　will　beat　his　taro　plants　lightly　with　a　branch；　saying　as　he　does　so；　I　beat　this　taro　that　it　may　grow；　after　which　he　plants　the　branch　in　the　ground　at　the　end　of　the　field。　Among　the　Indians　of　Brazil　at　the　mouth　of　the　Amazon；　when　a　man　wishes　to　increase　the　size　of　his　generative　organ；　he　strikes　it　with　the　fruit　of　a　white　aquatic　plant　called　aninga；　which　grows　luxuriantly　on　the　banks　of　the　river。　The　fruit；　which　is　inedible；　resembles　a　banana；　and　is　clearly　chosen　for　this　purpose　on　account　of　its　shape。　The　ceremony　should　be　performed　three　days　before　or　after　the　new　moon。　In　the　county　of　Bekes；　in　Hungary；　barren　women　are　fertilised　by　being　struck　with　a　stick　which　has　first　been　used　to　separate　pairing　dogs。　Here　a　fertilising　virtue　is　clearly　supposed　to　be　inherent　in　the　stick　and　to　be　conveyed　by　contact　to　the　women。　The　Toradjas　of　Central　Celebes　think　that　the　plant　Dracaena　terminalis　has　a　strong　soul；　because　when　it　is　lopped；　it　soon　grows　up　again。　Hence　when　a　man　is　ill；　his　friends　will　sometimes　beat　him　on　the　crown　of　the　head　with　Dracaena　leaves　in　order　to　strengthen　his　weak　soul　with　the　strong　soul　of　the　plant。

These　analogies；　accordingly；　support