the golden bough-第5章

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er　to　explain　Virbius　and　the　King　of　the　Wood？　In　regard　to　Orestes；　the　answer　is　obvious。　He　and　the　image　of　the　Tauric　Diana；　which　could　only　be　appeased　with　human　blood；　were　dragged　in　to　render　intelligible　the　murderous　rule　of　succession　to　the　Arician　priesthood。　In　regard　to　Hippolytus　the　case　is　not　so　plain。　The　manner　of　his　death　suggests　readily　enough　a　reason　for　the　exclusion　of　horses　from　the　grove；　but　this　by　itself　seems　hardly　enough　to　account　for　the　identification。　We　must　try　to　probe　deeper　by　examining　the　worship　as　well　as　the　legend　or　myth　of　Hippolytus。

He　had　a　famous　sanctuary　at　his　ancestral　home　of　Troezen；　situated　on　that　beautiful；　almost　landlocked　bay；　where　groves　of　oranges　and　lemons；　with　tall　cypresses　soaring　like　dark　spires　above　the　garden　of　Hesperides；　now　clothe　the　strip　of　fertile　shore　at　the　foot　of　the　rugged　mountains。　Across　the　blue　water　of　the　tranquil　bay；　which　it　shelters　from　the　open　sea；　rises　Poseidon's　sacred　island；　its　peaks　veiled　in　the　sombre　green　of　the　pines。　On　this　fair　coast　Hippolytus　was　worshipped。　Within　his　sanctuary　stood　a　temple　with　an　ancient　image。　His　service　was　performed　by　a　priest　who　held　office　for　life；　every　year　a　sacrificial　festival　was　held　in　his　honour；　and　his　untimely　fate　was　yearly　mourned；　with　weeping　and　doleful　chants；　by　unwedded　maids。　Youths　and　maidens　dedicated　locks　of　their　hair　in　his　temple　before　marriage。　His　grave　existed　at　Troezen；　though　the　people　would　not　show　it。　It　has　been　suggested；　with　great　plausibility；　that　in　the　handsome　Hippolytus；　beloved　of　Artemis；　cut　off　in　his　youthful　prime；　and　yearly　mourned　by　damsels；　we　have　one　of　those　mortal　lovers　of　a　goddess　who　appear　so　often　in　ancient　religion；　and　of　whom　Adonis　is　the　most　familiar　type。　The　rivalry　of　Artemis　and　Phaedra　for　the　affection　of　Hippolytus　reproduces；　it　is　said；　under　different　names；　the　rivalry　of　Aphrodite　and　Proserpine　for　the　love　of　Adonis；　for　Phaedra　is　merely　a　double　of　Aphrodite。　The　theory　probably　does　no　injustice　either　to　Hippolytus　or　to　Artemis。　For　Artemis　was　originally　a　great　goddess　of　fertility；　and；　on　the　principles　of　early　religion；　she　who　fertilises　nature　must　herself　be　fertile；　and　to　be　that　she　must　necessarily　have　a　male　consort。　On　this　view；　Hippolytus　was　the　consort　of　Artemis　at　Troezen；　and　the　shorn　tresses　offered　to　him　by　the　Troezenian　youths　and　maidens　before　marriage　were　designed　to　strengthen　his　union　with　the　goddess；　and　so　to　promote　the　fruitfulness　of　the　earth；　of　cattle；　and　of　mankind。　It　is　some　confirmation　of　this　view　that　within　the　precinct　of　Hippolytus　at　Troezen　there　were　worshipped　two　female　powers　named　Damia　and　Auxesia；　whose　connexion　with　the　fertility　of　the　ground　is　unquestionable。　When　Epidaurus　suffered　from　a　dearth；　the　people；　in　obedience　to　an　oracle；　carved　images　of　Damia　and　Auxesia　out　of　sacred　olive　wood；　and　no　sooner　had　they　done　so　and　set　them　up　than　the　earth　bore　fruit　again。　Moreover；　at　Troezen　itself；　and　apparently　within　the　precinct　of　Hippolytus；　a　curious　festival　of　stone…throwing　was　held　in　honour　of　these　maidens；　as　the　Troezenians　called　them；　and　it　is　easy　to　show　that　similar　customs　have　been　practised　in　many　lands　for　the　express　purpose　of　ensuring　good　crops。　In　the　story　of　the　tragic　death　of　the　youthful　Hippolytus　we　may　discern　an　analogy　with　similar　tales　of　other　fair　but　mortal　youths　who　paid　with　their　lives　for　the　brief　rapture　of　the　love　of　an　immortal　goddess。　These　hapless　lovers　were　probably　not　always　mere　myths；　and　the　legends　which　traced　their　spilt　blood　in　the　purple　bloom　of　the　violet；　the　scarlet　stain　of　the　anemone；　or　the　crimson　flush　of　the　rose　were　no　idle　poetic　emblems　of　youth　and　beauty　fleeting　as　the　summer　flowers。　Such　fables　contain　a　deeper　philosophy　of　the　relation　of　the　life　of　man　to　the　life　of　naturea　sad　philosophy　which　gave　birth　to　a　tragic　practice。　What　that　philosophy　and　that　practice　were；　we　shall　learn　later　on。

3。　Recapitulation

WE　can　now　perhaps　understand　why　the　ancients　identified　Hippolytus；　the　consort　of　Artemis；　with　Virbius；　who；　according　to　Servius；　stood　to　Diana　as　Adonis　to　Venus；　or　Attis　to　the　Mother　of　the　Gods。　For　Diana；　like　Artemis；　was　a　goddess　of　fertility　in　general；　and　of　childbirth　in　particular。　As　such　she；　like　her　Greek　counterpart；　needed　a　male　partner。　That　partner；　if　Servius　is　right；　was　Virbius。　In　his　character　of　the　founder　of　the　sacred　grove　and　first　king　of　Nemi；　Virbius　is　clearly　the　mythical　predecessor　or　archetype　of　the　line　of　priests　who　served　Diana　under　the　title　of　Kings　of　the　Wood；　and　who　came；　like　him；　one　after　the　other；　to　a　violent　end。　It　is　natural；　therefore；　to　conjecture　that　they　stood　to　the　goddess　of　the　grove　in　the　same　relation　in　which　Virbius　stood　to　her；　in　short；　that　the　mortal　King　of　the　Wood　had　for　his　queen　the　woodland　Diana　herself。　If　the　sacred　tree　which　he　guarded　with　his　life　was　supposed；　as　seems　probable；　to　be　her　special　embodiment；　her　priest　may　not　only　have　worshipped　it　as　his　goddess　but　embraced　it　as　his　wife。　There　is　at　least　nothing　absurd　in　the　supposition；　since　even　in　the　time　of　Pliny　a　noble　Roman　used　thus　to　treat　a　beautiful　beech…tree　in　another　sacred　grove　of　Diana　on　the　Alban　hills。　He　embraced　it；　he　kissed　it；　he　lay　under　its　shadow；　he　poured　wine　on　its　trunk。　Apparently　he　took　the　tree　for　the　goddess。　The　custom　of　physically　marrying　men　and　women　to　trees　is　still　practised　in　India　and　other　parts　of　the　East。　Why　should　it　not　have　obtained　in　ancient　Latium？

Reviewing　the　evidence　as　a　whole；　we　may　conclude　that　the　worship　of　Diana　in　her　sacred　grove　at　Nemi　was　of　great　importance　and　immemorial　antiquity；　that　she　was　revered　as　the　goddess　of　woodlands　and　of　wild　creatures；　probably　also　of　domestic　cattle　and　of　the　fruits　of　the　earth；　that　she　was　believed　to　bless　men　and　women　with　offspring　and　to　aid　mothers　in　childbed；　that　her　holy　fire；　tended　by　chaste　virgins；　burned　perpetually　in　a　round　temple　within　the　precinct；　that　associated　with　her　was　a　water…nymph　Egeria　who　discharged　one　of　Diana's　own　functions　by　succouring　women　in　travail；　and　who　was　popularly　supposed　to　have　mated　with　an　old　Roman　king　in　the　sacred　grove；　further；　that　Diana　of　the　Wood　herself　had　a　male　companion　Virbius　by　name；　who　was　to　her　what　Adonis　was　to　Venus；　or　Attis　to　Cybele；　and；　lastly；　that　this　mythical　Virbius　was　represented　in　historical　times　by　a　line　of　priests　known　as　Kings　of　the　Wood；　who　regularly　perished　by　the　swords　of　their　successors；　and　whose　lives　were　in　a　manner　bound　up　with　a　certain　tree　in　the　grove；　because　so　long　as　that　tree　was　uninjured　they　were　safe　from　attack。

Clearly　these　conclusions　do　not　of　themselves　suffice　to　explain　the　peculiar　rule　of　succession　to　the　priesthood。　But　perhaps　the　survey　of　a　wider　field　may　lead　us　to　think　that　they　contain　in　germ　the　solution　of　the　problem。　To　that　wider　survey　we　must　now　address　ourselves。　It　will　be　long　and　laborious；　but　may　possess　something　of　the　interest　and　charm　of　a　voyage　of　discovery；　in　which　we　shall　visit　many　strange　foreign　lands；　with　strange　foreign　peoples；　and　still　stranger　customs。　The　wind　is　in　the　shrouds：　we　shake　out　our　sails　to　it；　and　leave　the　coast　of　Italy　behind　us　for　a　time。

Chapter　2。　Priestly　Kings　THE　questions　which　we　have　set　ourselves　to　answer　are　mainly　two：　first；　why　had　Diana's　priest　at　Nemi；　the　King　of　the　Wood；　to　slay　his　predecessor？　second；　why　before　doing　so　had　he　to　pluck　the　branch　of　a　certain　tree　which　the　public　opinion　of　the　ancients　identified　with　Virgil's　Golden　Bough？

The　first　point　on　which　we　fasten　is　the　priest's　title。　Why　was　he　called　the　King　of　the　Wood？　Why　was　his　office　spoken　of　as　a　kingdom？

The　union　of　a　royal　title　with　priestly　duties　was　common　in　ancient　Italy　and　Greece。　At　Rome　and　in　other　cities　of　Latium　there　was　a　priest　called　the　Sacrificial　King　or　King　of　the　Sacred　Rites；　and　his　wife　bore　the　title　of　Queen　of　the　Sacred　Rites。　In　republican　Athens　the　second