the golden bough-第62章

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tivals　in　modern　times　ought　not　to　blind　us　to　the　likelihood　that　in　earlier　days　they　were　marked　by　coarser　features；　which　were　probably　of　the　essence　of　the　rites。　Indeed；　among　the　rude　Esthonian　peasantry　these　features　seem　to　have　lingered　down　to　our　own　generation；　if　not　to　the　present　day。　One　other　feature　in　the　Roman　celebration　of　Midsummer　deserves　to　be　specially　noticed。　The　custom　of　rowing　in　flower…decked　boats　on　the　river　on　this　day　proves　that　it　was　to　some　extent　a　water　festival；　and　water　has　always；　down　to　modern　times；　played　a　conspicuous　part　in　the　rites　of　Midsummer　Day；　which　explains　why　the　Church；　in　throwing　its　cloak　over　the　old　heathen　festival；　chose　to　dedicate　it　to　St。　John　the　Baptist。

The　hypothesis　that　the　Latin　kings　may　have　been　begotten　at　an　annual　festival　of　love　is　necessarily　a　mere　conjecture；　though　the　traditional　birth　of　Numa　at　the　festival　of　the　Parilia；　when　shepherds　leaped　across　the　spring　bonfires；　as　lovers　leap　across　the　Midsummer　fires；　may　perhaps　be　thought　to　lend　it　a　faint　colour　of　probability。　But　it　is　quite　possible　that　the　uncertainty　as　to　their　fathers　may　not　have　arisen　till　long　after　the　death　of　the　kings；　when　their　figures　began　to　melt　away　into　the　cloudland　of　fable；　assuming　fantastic　shapes　and　gorgeous　colouring　as　they　passed　from　earth　to　heaven。　If　they　were　alien　immigrants；　strangers　and　pilgrims　in　the　land　they　ruled　over；　it　would　be　natural　enough　that　the　people　should　forget　their　lineage；　and　forgetting　it　should　provide　them　with　another；　which　made　up　in　lustre　what　it　lacked　in　truth。　The　final　apotheosis；　which　represented　the　kings　not　merely　as　sprung　from　gods　but　as　themselves　deities　incarnate；　would　be　much　facilitated　if　in　their　lifetime；　as　we　have　seen　reason　to　think；　they　had　actually　laid　claim　to　divinity。

If　among　the　Latins　the　women　of　royal　blood　always　stayed　at　home　and　received　as　their　consorts　men　of　another　stock；　and　often　of　another　country；　who　reigned　as　kings　in　virtue　of　their　marriage　with　a　native　princess；　we　can　understand　not　only　why　foreigners　wore　the　crown　at　Rome；　but　also　why　foreign　names　occur　in　the　list　of　the　Alban　kings。　In　a　state　of　society　where　nobility　is　reckoned　only　through　womenin　other　words；　where　descent　through　the　mother　is　everything；　and　descent　through　the　father　is　nothingno　objection　will　be　felt　to　uniting　girls　of　the　highest　rank　to　men　of　humble　birth；　even　to　aliens　or　slaves；　provided　that　in　themselves　the　men　appear　to　be　suitable　mates。　What　really　matters　is　that　the　royal　stock；　on　which　the　prosperity　and　even　the　existence　of　the　people　is　supposed　to　depend；　should　be　perpetuated　in　a　vigorous　and　efficient　form；　and　for　this　purpose　it　is　necessary　that　the　women　of　the　royal　family　should　bear　children　to　men　who　are　physically　and　mentally　fit；　according　to　the　standard　of　early　society；　to　discharge　the　important　duty　of　procreation。　Thus　the　personal　qualities　of　the　kings　at　this　stage　of　social　evolution　are　deemed　of　vital　importance。　If　they；　like　their　consorts；　are　of　royal　and　divine　descent；　so　much　the　better；　but　it　is　not　essential　that　they　should　be　so。

At　Athens；　as　at　Rome；　we　find　traces　of　succession　to　the　throne　by　marriage　with　a　royal　princess；　for　two　of　the　most　ancient　kings　of　Athens；　namely　Cecrops　and　Amphictyon；　are　said　to　have　married　the　daughters　of　their　predecessors。　This　tradition　is　to　a　certain　extent　confirmed　by　evidence；　pointing　to　the　conclusion　that　at　Athens　male　kinship　was　preceded　by　female　kinship。

Further；　if　I　am　right　in　supposing　that　in　ancient　Latium　the　royal　families　kept　their　daughters　at　home　and　sent　forth　their　sons　to　marry　princesses　and　reign　among　their　wives'　people；　it　will　follow　that　the　male　descendants　would　reign　in　successive　generations　over　different　kingdoms。　Now　this　seems　to　have　happened　both　in　ancient　Greece　and　in　ancient　Sweden；　from　which　we　may　legitimately　infer　that　it　was　a　custom　practised　by　more　than　one　branch　of　the　Aryan　stock　in　Europe。　Many　Greek　traditions　relate　how　a　prince　left　his　native　land；　and　going　to　a　far　country　married　the　king's　daughter　and　succeeded　to　the　kingdom。　Various　reasons　are　assigned　by　ancient　Greek　writers　for　these　migrations　of　the　princes。　A　common　one　is　that　the　king's　son　had　been　banished　for　murder。　This　would　explain　very　well　why　he　fled　his　own　land；　but　it　is　no　reason　at　all　why　he　should　become　king　of　another。　We　may　suspect　that　such　reasons　are　afterthoughts　devised　by　writers；　who；　accustomed　to　the　rule　that　a　son　should　succeed　to　his　father's　property　and　kingdom；　were　hard　put　to　it　to　account　for　so　many　traditions　of　kings'　sons　who　quitted　the　land　of　their　birth　to　reign　over　a　foreign　kingdom。　In　Scandinavian　tradition　we　meet　with　traces　of　similar　customs。　For　we　read　of　daughters'　husbands　who　received　a　share　of　the　kingdoms　of　their　royal　fathers…in…law；　even　when　these　fathers…in…law　had　sons　of　their　own；　in　particular；　during　the　five　generations　which　preceded　Harold　the　Fair…haired；　male　members　of　the　Ynglingar　family；　which　is　said　to　have　come　from　Sweden；　are　reported　in　the　Heimskringla　or　Sagas　of　the　Norwegian　Kings　to　have　obtained　at　least　six　provinces　in　Norway　by　marriage　with　the　daughters　of　the　local　kings。

Thus　it　would　seem　that　among　some　Aryan　peoples；　at　a　certain　stage　of　their　social　evolution；　it　has　been　customary　to　regard　women　and　not　men　as　the　channels　in　which　royal　blood　flows；　and　to　bestow　the　kingdom　in　each　successive　generation　on　a　man　of　another　family；　and　often　of　another　country；　who　marries　one　of　the　princesses　and　reigns　over　his　wife's　people。　A　common　type　of　popular　tale；　which　relates　how　an　adventurer；　coming　to　a　strange　land；　wins　the　hand　of　the　king's　daughter　and　with　her　the　half　or　the　whole　of　the　kingdom；　may　well　be　a　reminiscence　of　a　real　custom。

Where　usages　and　ideas　of　this　sort　prevail；　it　is　obvious　that　the　kingship　is　merely　an　appanage　of　marriage　with　a　woman　of　the　blood　royal。　The　old　Danish　historian　Saxo　Grammaticus　puts　this　view　of　the　kingship　very　clearly　in　the　mouth　of　Hermutrude；　a　legendary　queen　of　Scotland。　Indeed　she　was　a　queen；　says　Hermutrude；　and　but　that　her　sex　gainsaid　it；　might　be　deemed　a　king；　nay　（and　this　is　yet　truer）；　whomsoever　she　thought　worthy　of　her　bed　was　at　once　a　king；　and　she　yielded　her　kingdom　with　herself。　Thus　her　sceptre　and　her　hand　went　together。　The　statement　is　all　the　more　significant　because　it　appears　to　reflect　the　actual　practice　of　the　Pictish　kings。　We　know　from　the　testimony　of　Bede　that；　whenever　a　doubt　arose　as　to　the　succession；　the　Picts　chose　their　kings　from　the　female　rather　than　the　male　line。

The　personal　qualities　which　recommended　a　man　for　a　royal　alliance　and　succession　to　the　throne　would　naturally　vary　according　to　the　popular　ideas　of　the　time　and　the　character　of　the　king　or　his　substitute；　but　it　is　reasonable　to　suppose　that　among　them　in　early　society　physical　strength　and　beauty　would　hold　a　prominent　place。

Sometimes　apparently　the　right　to　the　hand　of　the　princess　and　to　the　throne　has　been　determined　by　a　race。　The　Alitemnian　Libyans　awarded　the　kingdom　to　the　fleetest　runner。　Amongst　the　old　Prussians；　candidates　for　nobility　raced　on　horseback　to　the　king；　and　the　one　who　reached　him　first　was　ennobled。　According　to　tradition　the　earliest　games　at　Olympia　were　held　by　Endymion；　who　set　his　sons　to　run　a　race　for　the　kingdom。　His　tomb　was　said　to　be　at　the　point　of　the　racecourse　from　which　the　runners　started。　The　famous　story　of　Pelops　and　Hippodamia　is　perhaps　only　another　version　of　the　legend　that　the　first　races　at　Olympia　were　run　for　no　less　a　prize　than　a　kingdom。

These　traditions　may　very　well　reflect　a　real　custom　of　racing　for　a　bride；　for　such　a　custom　appears　to　have　prevailed　among　various　peoples；　though　in　practice　it　has　degenerated　into　a　mere　form　or　pretence。　Thus　there　is　one　race；　called　the　'Love　Chase；'　which　may　be　considered　a　part　of　the　form　of　marriage　among　the　Kirghiz。　In　this　the　bride；　armed　with　a　formidable　whip；　mounts　a　fleet　horse；　and　is　pursued　by　all　the