the golden bough-第59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！


o　the　jinnee　of　the　sea。　The　last　of　the　maidens　thus　offered　to　the　demon　was　rescued　by　a　pious　Berber；　who　by　reciting　the　Koran　succeeded　in　driving　the　jinnee　back　into　the　sea。

Ibn　Batutah's　narrative　of　the　demon　lover　and　his　mortal　brides　closely　resembles　a　well…known　type　of　folk…tale；　of　which　versions　have　been　found　from　Japan　and　Annam　in　the　East　to　Senegambia；　Scandinavia；　and　Scotland　in　the　West。　The　story　varies　in　details　from　people　to　people；　but　as　commonly　told　it　runs　thus。　A　certain　country　is　infested　by　a　many…headed　serpent；　dragon；　or　other　monster；　which　would　destroy　the　whole　people　if　a　human　victim；　generally　a　virgin；　were　not　delivered　up　to　him　periodically。　Many　victims　have　perished；　and　at　last　it　has　fallen　to　the　lot　of　the　king's　own　daughter　to　be　sacrificed。　She　is　exposed　to　the　monster；　but　the　hero　of　the　tale；　generally　a　young　man　of　humble　birth；　interposes　in　her　behalf；　slays　the　monster；　and　receives　the　hand　of　the　princess　as　his　reward。　In　many　of　the　tales　the　monster；　who　is　sometimes　described　as　a　serpent；　inhabits　the　water　of　a　sea；　a　lake；　or　a　fountain。　In　other　versions　he　is　a　serpent　or　dragon　who　takes　possession　of　the　springs　of　water；　and　only　allows　the　water　to　flow　or　the　people　to　make　use　of　it　on　condition　of　receiving　a　human　victim。

It　would　probably　be　a　mistake　to　dismiss　all　these　tales　as　pure　inventions　of　the　story…teller。　Rather　we　may　suppose　that　they　reflect　a　real　custom　of　sacrificing　girls　or　women　to　be　the　wives　of　waterspirits；　who　are　very　often　conceived　as　great　serpents　or　dragons。

Chapter　13。　The　Kings　of　Rome　and　Alba。

1。　Numa　and　Egeria

FROM　THE　FOREGOING　survey　of　custom　and　legend　we　may　infer　that　the　sacred　marriage　of　the　powers　both　of　vegetation　and　of　water　has　been　celebrated　by　many　peoples　for　the　sake　of　promoting　the　fertility　of　the　earth；　on　which　the　life　of　animals　and　men　ultimately　depends；　and　that　in　such　rites　the　part　of　the　divine　bridegroom　or　bride　is　often　sustained　by　a　man　or　woman。　The　evidence　may；　therefore；　lend　some　countenance　to　the　conjecture　that　in　the　sacred　grove　at　Nemi；　where　the　powers　of　vegetation　and　of　water　manifested　themselves　in　the　fair　forms　of　shady　woods；　tumbling　cascades；　and　glassy　lake；　a　marriage　like　that　of　our　King　and　Queen　of　May　was　annually　celebrated　between　the　mortal　King　of　the　Wood　and　the　immortal　Queen　of　the　Wood；　Diana。　In　this　connexion　an　important　figure　in　the　grove　was　the　water…nymph　Egeria；　who　was　worshipped　by　pregnant　women　because　she；　like　Diana；　could　grant　them　an　easy　delivery。　From　this　it　seems　fairly　safe　to　conclude　that；　like　many　other　springs；　the　water　of　Egeria　was　credited　with　a　power　of　facilitating　conception　as　well　as　delivery。　The　votive　offerings　found　on　the　spot；　which　clearly　refer　to　the　begetting　of　children；　may　possibly　have　been　dedicated　to　Egeria　rather　than　to　Diana；　or　perhaps　we　should　rather　say　that　the　water…nymph　Egeria　is　only　another　form　of　the　great　nature…goddess　Diana　herself；　the　mistress　of　sounding　rivers　as　well　as　of　umbrageous　woods；　who　had　her　home　by　the　lake　and　her　mirror　in　its　calm　waters；　and　whose　Greek　counterpart　Artemis　loved　to　haunt　meres　and　springs。　The　identification　of　Egeria　with　Diana　is　confirmed　by　a　statement　of　Plutarch　that　Egeria　was　one　of　the　oak…nymphs　whom　the　Romans　believed　to　preside　over　every　green　oak…grove；　for；　while　Diana　was　a　goddess　of　the　woodlands　in　general；　she　appears　to　have　been　intimately　associated　with　oaks　in　particular；　especially　at　her　sacred　grove　of　Nemi。　Perhaps；　then；　Egeria　was　the　fairy　of　a　spring　that　flowed　from　the　roots　of　a　sacred　oak。　Such　a　spring　is　said　to　have　gushed　from　the　foot　of　the　great　oak　at　Dodona；　and　from　its　murmurous　flow　the　priestess　drew　oracles。　Among　the　Greeks　a　draught　of　water　from　certain　sacred　springs　or　wells　was　supposed　to　confer　prophetic　powers。　This　would　explain　the　more　than　mortal　wisdom　with　which；　according　to　tradition；　Egeria　inspired　her　royal　husband　or　lover　Numa。　When　we　remember　how　very　often　in　early　society　the　king　is　held　responsible　for　the　fall　of　rain　and　the　fruitfulness　of　the　earth；　it　seems　hardly　rash　to　conjecture　that　in　the　legend　of　the　nuptials　of　Numa　and　Egeria　we　have　a　reminiscence　of　a　sacred　marriage　which　the　old　Roman　kings　regularly　contracted　with　a　goddess　of　vegetation　and　water　for　the　purpose　of　enabling　him　to　discharge　his　divine　or　magical　functions。　In　such　a　rite　the　part　of　the　goddess　might　be　played　either　by　an　image　or　a　woman；　and　if　by　a　woman；　probably　by　the　Queen。　If　there　is　any　truth　in　this　conjecture；　we　may　suppose　that　the　King　and　Queen　of　Rome　masqueraded　as　god　and　goddess　at　their　marriage；　exactly　as　the　King　and　Queen　of　Egypt　appear　to　have　done。　The　legend　of　Numa　and　Egeria　points　to　a　sacred　grove　rather　than　to　a　house　as　the　scene　of　the　nuptial　union；　which；　like　the　marriage　of　the　King　and　Queen　of　May；　or　of　the　vine…god　and　the　Queen　of　Athens；　may　have　been　annually　celebrated　as　a　charm　to　ensure　the　fertility　not　only　of　the　earth　but　of　man　and　beast。　Now；　according　to　some　accounts；　the　scene　of　the　marriage　was　no　other　than　the　sacred　grove　of　Nemi；　and　on　quite　independent　grounds　we　have　been　led　to　suppose　that　in　that　same　grove　the　King　of　the　Wood　was　wedded　to　Diana。　The　convergence　of　the　two　distinct　lines　of　enquiry　suggests　that　the　legendary　union　of　the　Roman　king　with　Egeria　may　have　been　a　reflection　or　duplicate　of　the　union　of　the　King　of　the　Wood　with　Egeria　or　her　double　Diana。　This　does　not　imply　that　the　Roman　kings　ever　served　as　Kings　of　the　Wood　in　the　Arician　grove；　but　only　that　they　may　originally　have　been　invested　with　a　sacred　character　of　the　same　general　kind；　and　may　have　held　office　on　similar　terms。　To　be　more　explicit；　it　is　possible　that　they　reigned；　not　by　right　of　birth；　but　in　virtue　of　their　supposed　divinity　as　representatives　or　embodiments　of　a　god；　and　that　as　such　they　mated　with　a　goddess；　and　had　to　prove　their　fitness　from　time　to　time　to　discharge　their　divine　functions　by　engaging　in　a　severe　bodily　struggle；　which　may　often　have　proved　fatal　to　them；　leaving　the　crown　to　their　victorious　adversary。　Our　knowledge　of　the　Roman　kingship　is　far　too　scanty　to　allow　us　to　affirm　any　one　of　these　propositions　with　confidence；　but　at　least　there　are　some　scattered　hints　or　indications　of　a　similarity　in　all　these　respects　between　the　priests　of　Nemi　and　the　kings　of　Rome；　or　perhaps　rather　between　their　remote　predecessors　in　the　dark　ages　which　preceded　the　dawn　of　legend。

2。　The　King　as　Jupiter

IN　THE　FIRST　place；　then；　it　would　seem　that　the　Roman　king　personated　no　less　a　deity　than　Jupiter　himself。　For　down　to　imperial　times　victorious　generals　celebrating　a　triumph；　and　magistrates　presiding　at　the　games　in　the　Circus；　wore　the　costume　of　Jupiter；　which　was　borrowed　for　the　occasion　from　his　great　temple　on　the　Capitol；　and　it　has　been　held　with　a　high　degree　of　probability　both　by　ancients　and　moderns　that　in　so　doing　they　copied　the　traditionary　attire　and　insignia　of　the　Roman　kings。　They　rode　a　chariot　drawn　by　four　laurel…crowned　horses　through　the　city；　where　every　one　else　went　on　foot：　they　wore　purple　robes　embroidered　or　spangled　with　gold：　in　the　right　hand　they　bore　a　branch　of　laurel；　and　in　the　left　hand　an　ivory　sceptre　topped　with　an　eagle：　a　wreath　of　laurel　crowned　their　brows：　their　face　was　reddened　with　vermilion；　and　over　their　head　a　slave　held　a　heavy　crown　of　massy　gold　fashioned　in　the　likeness　of　oak　leaves。　In　this　attire　the　assimilation　of　the　man　to　the　god　comes　out　above　all　in　the　eagle…topped　sceptre；　the　oaken　crown；　and　the　reddened　face。　For　the　eagle　was　the　bird　of　Jove；　the　oak　was　his　sacred　tree；　and　the　face　of　his　image　standing　in　his　four…horse　chariot　on　the　Capitol　was　in　like　manner　regularly　dyed　red　on　festivals；　indeed；　so　important　was　it　deemed　to　keep　the　divine　features　properly　rouged　that　one　of　the　first　duties　of　the　censors　was　to　contract　for　having　this　done。　As　the　triumphal　procession　always　ended　in　the　temple　of　Jupiter　on　the　Capitol；　it　was　peculiarly　appropriate　that