the golden bough-第64章

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　the　thunder。　Perhaps　the　oldest　and　certainly　one　of　the　most　famous　sanctuaries　in　Greece　was　that　of　Dodona；　where　Zeus　was　revered　in　the　oracular　oak。　The　thunder…storms　which　are　said　to　rage　at　Dodona　more　frequently　than　anywhere　else　in　Europe；　would　render　the　spot　a　fitting　home　for　the　god　whose　voice　was　heard　alike　in　the　rustling　of　the　oak　leaves　and　in　the　crash　of　thunder。　Perhaps　the　bronze　gongs　which　kept　up　a　humming　in　the　wind　round　the　sanctuary　were　meant　to　mimick　the　thunder　that　might　so　often　be　heard　rolling　and　rumbling　in　the　coombs　of　the　stern　and　barren　mountains　which　shut　in　the　gloomy　valley。　In　Boeotia；　as　we　have　seen；　the　sacred　marriage　of　Zeus　and　Hera；　the　oak　god　and　the　oak　goddess；　appears　to　have　been　celebrated　with　much　pomp　by　a　religious　federation　of　states。　And　on　Mount　Lycaeus　in　Arcadia　the　character　of　Zeus　as　god　both　of　the　oak　and　of　the　rain　comes　out　clearly　in　the　rain　charm　practised　by　the　priest　of　Zeus；　who　dipped　an　oak　branch　in　a　sacred　spring。　In　his　latter　capacity　Zeus　was　the　god　to　whom　the　Greeks　regularly　prayed　for　rain。　Nothing　could　be　more　natural；　for　often；　though　not　always；　he　had　his　seat　on　the　mountains　where　the　clouds　gather　and　the　oaks　grow。　On　the　Acropolis　at　Athens　there　was　an　image　of　Earth　praying　to　Zeus　for　rain。　And　in　time　of　drought　the　Athenians　themselves　prayed；　Rain；　rain；　O　dear　Zeus；　on　the　cornland　of　the　Athenians　and　on　the　plains。

Again；　Zeus　wielded　the　thunder　and　lightning　as　well　as　the　rain。　At　Olympia　and　elsewhere　he　was　worshipped　under　the　surname　of　Thunderbolt；　and　at　Athens　there　was　a　sacrificial　hearth　of　Lightning　Zeus　on　the　city　wall；　where　some　priestly　officials　watched　for　lightning　over　Mount　Parnes　at　certain　seasons　of　the　year。　Further；　spots　which　had　been　struck　by　lightning　were　regularly　fenced　in　by　the　Greeks　and　consecrated　to　Zeus　the　Descender；　that　is；　to　the　god　who　came　down　in　the　flash　from　heaven。　Altars　were　set　up　within　these　enclosures　and　sacrifices　offered　on　them。　Several　such　places　are　known　from　inscriptions　to　have　existed　in　Athens。

Thus　when　ancient　Greek　kings　claimed　to　be　descended　from　Zeus；　and　even　to　bear　his　name；　we　may　reasonably　suppose　that　they　also　attempted　to　exercise　his　divine　functions　by　making　thunder　and　rain　for　the　good　of　their　people　or　the　terror　and　confusion　of　their　foes。　In　this　respect　the　legend　of　Salmoneus　probably　reflects　the　pretensions　of　a　whole　class　of　petty　sovereigns　who　reigned　of　old；　each　over　his　little　canton；　in　the　oak…clad　highlands　of　Greece。　Like　their　kinsmen　the　Irish　kings；　they　were　expected　to　be　a　source　of　fertility　to　the　land　and　of　fecundity　to　the　cattle；　and　how　could　they　fulfil　these　expectations　better　than　by　acting　the　part　of　their　kinsman　Zeus；　the　great　god　of　the　oak；　the　thunder；　and　the　rain？　They　personified　him；　apparently；　just　as　the　Italian　kings　personified　Jupiter。

In　ancient　Italy　every　oak　was　sacred　to　Jupiter；　the　Italian　counterpart　of　Zeus；　and　on　the　Capitol　at　Rome　the　god　was　worshipped　as　the　deity　not　merely　of　the　oak；　but　of　the　rain　and　the　thunder。　Contrasting　the　piety　of　the　good　old　times　with　the　scepticism　of　an　age　when　nobody　thought　that　heaven　was　heaven；　or　cared　a　fig　for　Jupiter；　a　Roman　writer　tells　us　that　in　former　days　noble　matrons　used　to　go　with　bare　feet；　streaming　hair；　and　pure　minds；　up　the　long　Capitoline　slope；　praying　to　Jupiter　for　rain。　And　straightway；　he　goes　on；　it　rained　bucketsful；　then　or　never；　and　everybody　returned　dripping　like　drowned　rats。　But　nowadays；　says　he；　we　are　no　longer　religious；　so　the　fields　lie　baking。

When　we　pass　from　Southern　to　Central　Europe　we　still　meet　with　the　great　god　of　the　oak　and　the　thunder　among　the　barbarous　Aryans　who　dwelt　in　the　vast　primaeval　forests。　Thus　among　the　Celts　of　Gaul　the　Druids　esteemed　nothing　more　sacred　than　the　mistletoe　and　the　oak　on　which　it　grew；　they　chose　groves　of　oaks　for　the　scene　of　their　solemn　service；　and　they　performed　none　of　their　rites　without　oak　leaves。　The　Celts；　says　a　Greek　writer；　worship　Zeus；　and　the　Celtic　image　of　Zeus　is　a　tall　oak。　The　Celtic　conquerors；　who　settled　in　Asia　in　the　third　century　before　our　era；　appear　to　have　carried　the　worship　of　the　oak　with　them　to　their　new　home；　for　in　the　heart　of　Asia　Minor　the　Galatian　senate　met　in　a　place　which　bore　the　pure　Celtic　name　of　Drynemetum；　the　sacred　oak　grove　or　the　temple　of　the　oak。　Indeed　the　very　name　of　Druids　is　believed　by　good　authorities　to　mean　no　more　than　oak　men。

In　the　religion　of　the　ancient　Germans　the　veneration　for　sacred　groves　seems　to　have　held　the　foremost　place；　and　according　to　Grimm　the　chief　of　their　holy　trees　was　the　oak。　It　appears　to　have　been　especially　dedicated　to　the　god　of　thunder；　Donar　or　Thunar；　the　equivalent　of　the　Norse　Thor；　for　a　sacred　oak　near　Geismar；　in　Hesse；　which　Boniface　cut　down　in　the　eighth　century；　went　among　the　heathen　by　the　name　of　Jupiter's　oak　（robur　Jovis）；　which　in　old　German　would　be　Donares　eih；　the　oak　of　Donar。　That　the　Teutonic　thunder　god　Donar；　Thunar；　Thor　was　identified　with　the　Italian　thunder　god　Jupiter　appears　from　our　word　Thursday；　Thunar's　day；　which　is　merely　a　rendering　of　the　Latin　dies　Jovis。　Thus　among　the　ancient　Teutons；　as　among　the　Greeks　and　Italians；　the　god　of　the　oak　was　also　the　god　of　the　thunder。　Moreover；　he　was　regarded　as　the　great　fertilising　power；　who　sent　rain　and　caused　the　earth　to　bear　fruit；　for　Adam　of　Bremen　tells　us　that　Thor　presides　in　the　air；　he　it　is　who　rules　thunder　and　lightning；　wind　and　rains；　fine　weather　and　crops。　In　these　respects；　therefore；　the　Teutonic　thunder　god　again　resembled　his　southern　counterparts　Zeus　and　Jupiter。

Amongst　the　Slavs　also　the　oak　appears　to　have　been　the　sacred　tree　of　the　thunder　god　Perun；　the　counterpart　of　Zeus　and　Jupiter。　It　is　said　that　at　Novgorod　there　used　to　stand　an　image　of　Perun　in　the　likeness　of　a　man　with　a　thunder…stone　in　his　hand。　A　fire　of　oak　wood　burned　day　and　night　in　his　honour；　and　if　ever　it　went　out　the　attendants　paid　for　their　negligence　with　their　lives。　Perun　seems；　like　Zeus　and　Jupiter；　to　have　been　the　chief　god　of　his　people；　for　Procopius　tells　us　that　the　Slavs　believe　that　one　god；　the　maker　of　lightning；　is　alone　lord　of　all　things；　and　they　sacrifice　to　him　oxen　and　every　victim。

The　chief　deity　of　the　Lithuanians　was　Perkunas　or　Perkuns；　the　god　of　thunder　and　lightning；　whose　resemblance　to　Zeus　and　Jupiter　has　often　been　pointed　out。　Oaks　were　sacred　to　him；　and　when　they　were　cut　down　by　the　Christian　missionaries；　the　people　loudly　complained　that　their　sylvan　deities　were　destroyed。　Perpetual　fires；　kindled　with　the　wood　of　certain　oak…trees；　were　kept　up　in　honour　of　Perkunas；　if　such　a　fire　went　out；　it　was　lighted　again　by　friction　of　the　sacred　wood。　Men　sacrificed　to　oak…trees　for　good　crops；　while　women　did　the　same　to　lime…trees；　from　which　we　may　infer　that　they　regarded　oaks　as　male　and　lime…trees　as　female。　And　in　time　of　drought；　when　they　wanted　rain；　they　used　to　sacrifice　a　black　heifer；　a　black　he…goat；　and　a　black　cock　to　the　thunder　god　in　the　depths　of　the　woods。　On　such　occasions　the　people　assembled　in　great　numbers　from　the　country　round　about；　ate　and　drank；　and　called　upon　Perkunas。　They　carried　a　bowl　of　beer　thrice　round　the　fire；　then　poured　the　liquor　on　the　flames；　while　they　prayed　to　the　god　to　send　showers。　Thus　the　chief　Lithuanian　deity　presents　a　close　resemblance　to　Zeus　and　Jupiter；　since　he　was　the　god　of　the　oak；　the　thunder；　and　the　rain。

From　the　foregoing　survey　it　appears　that　a　god　of　the　oak；　the　thunder；　and　the　rain　was　worshipped　of　old　by　all　the　main　branches　of　the　Aryan　stock　in　Europe；　and　was　indeed　the　chief　deity　of　their　pantheon。

Chapter　16。　Dianus　and　Diana

IN　THIS　CHAPTER　I　propose　to　recapitulate　the　conclusions　to　which　the　enquiry　has　thus　far　led　us；　and　drawing　together　the　scattered　rays　of　light；　to　turn　them　on　the　dark　figure　of　the　priest　of　Nemi。

We　have　found　that　at　an　early　stage　of　society　men；　ignorant　of　the　secret　processes　of　nature　and　of　the　narrow　limits　within　which　it　is　in　our　power　to　contro