the golden bough-第66章

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tains。　Thus　Mount　Algidus；　a　spur　of　the　Alban　hills；　was　covered　in　antiquity　with　dark　forests　of　oak；　both　of　the　evergreen　and　the　deciduous　sort。　In　winter　the　snow　lay　long　on　these　cold　hills；　and　their　gloomy　oak…woods　were　believed　to　be　a　favourite　haunt　of　Diana；　as　they　have　been　of　brigands　in　modern　times。　Again；　Mount　Tifata；　the　long　abrupt　ridge　of　the　Apennines　which　looks　down　on　the　Campanian　plain　behind　Capua；　was　wooded　of　old　with　evergreen　oaks；　among　which　Diana　had　a　temple。　Here　Sulla　thanked　the　goddess　for　his　victory　over　the　Marians　in　the　plain　below；　attesting　his　gratitude　by　inscriptions　which　were　long　afterwards　to　be　seen　in　the　temple。　On　the　whole；　then；　we　conclude　that　at　Nemi　the　King　of　the　Wood　personated　the　oak…god　Jupiter　and　mated　with　the　oak…goddess　Diana　in　the　sacred　grove。　An　echo　of　their　mystic　union　has　come　down　to　us　in　the　legend　of　the　loves　of　Numa　and　Egeria；　who　according　to　some　had　their　trysting…place　in　these　holy　woods。

To　this　theory　it　may　naturally　be　objected　that　the　divine　consort　of　Jupiter　was　not　Diana　but　Juno；　and　that　if　Diana　had　a　mate　at　all　he　might　be　expected　to　bear　the　name　not　of　Jupiter；　but　of　Dianus　or　Janus；　the　latter　of　these　forms　being　merely　a　corruption　of　the　former。　All　this　is　true；　but　the　objection　may　be　parried　by　observing　that　the　two　pairs　of　deities；　Jupiter　and　Juno　on　the　one　side；　and　Dianus　and　Diana；　or　Janus　and　Jana；　on　the　other　side；　are　merely　duplicates　of　each　other；　their　names　and　their　functions　being　in　substance　and　origin　identical。　With　regard　to　their　names；　all　four　of　them　come　from　the　same　Aryan　root　DI；　meaning　bright；　which　occurs　in　the　names　of　the　corresponding　Greek　deities；　Zeus　and　his　old　female　consort　Dione。　In　regard　to　their　functions；　Juno　and　Diana　were　both　goddesses　of　fecundity　and　childbirth；　and　both　were　sooner　or　later　identified　with　the　moon。　As　to　the　true　nature　and　functions　of　Janus　the　ancients　themselves　were　puzzled；　and　where　they　hesitated；　it　is　not　for　us　confidently　to　decide。　But　the　view　mentioned　by　Varro　that　Janus　was　the　god　of　the　sky　is　supported　not　only　by　the　etymological　identity　of　his　name　with　that　of　the　sky…god　Jupiter；　but　also　by　the　relation　in　which　he　appears　to　have　stood　to　Jupiter's　two　mates；　Juno　and　Juturna。　For　the　epithet　Junonian　bestowed　on　Janus　points　to　a　marriage　union　between　the　two　deities；　and　according　to　one　account　Janus　was　the　husband　of　the　water…nymph　Juturna；　who　according　to　others　was　beloved　by　Jupiter。　Moreover；　Janus；　like　Jove；　was　regularly　invoked；　and　commonly　spoken　of　under　the　title　of　Father。　Indeed；　he　was　identified　with　Jupiter　not　merely　by　the　logic　of　the　learned　St。　Augustine；　but　by　the　piety　of　a　pagan　worshipper　who　dedicated　an　offering　to　Jupiter　Dianus。　A　trace　of　his　relation　to　the　oak　may　be　found　in　the　oakwoods　of　the　Janiculum；　the　hill　on　the　right　bank　of　the　Tiber；　where　Janus　is　said　to　have　reigned　as　a　king　in　the　remotest　ages　of　Italian　history。

Thus；　if　I　am　right；　the　same　ancient　pair　of　deities　was　variously　known　among　the　Greek　and　Italian　peoples　as　Zeus　and　Dione；　Jupiter　and　Juno；　or　Dianus　（Janus）　and　Diana　（Jana）；　the　names　of　the　divinities　being　identical　in　substance；　though　varying　in　form　with　the　dialect　of　the　particular　tribe　which　worshipped　them。　At　first；　when　the　peoples　dwelt　near　each　other；　the　difference　between　the　deities　would　be　hardly　more　than　one　of　name；　in　other　words；　it　would　be　almost　purely　dialectical。　But　the　gradual　dispersion　of　the　tribes；　and　their　consequent　isolation　from　each　other；　would　favour　the　growth　of　divergent　modes　of　conceiving　and　worshipping　the　gods　whom　they　had　carried　with　them　from　their　old　home；　so　that　in　time　discrepancies　of　myth　and　ritual　would　tend　to　spring　up　and　thereby　to　convert　a　nominal　into　a　real　distinction　between　the　divinities。　Accordingly　when；　with　the　slow　progress　of　culture；　the　long　period　of　barbarism　and　separation　was　passing　away；　and　the　rising　political　power　of　a　single　strong　community　had　begun　to　draw　or　hammer　its　weaker　neighbours　into　a　nation；　the　confluent　peoples　would　throw　their　gods；　like　their　dialects；　into　a　common　stock；　and　thus　it　might　come　about　that　the　same　ancient　deities；　which　their　forefathers　had　worshipped　together　before　the　dispersion；　would　now　be　so　disguised　by　the　accumulated　effect　of　dialectical　and　religious　divergencies　that　their　original　identity　might　fail　to　be　recognised；　and　they　would　take　their　places　side　by　side　as　independent　divinities　in　the　national　pantheon。

This　duplication　of　deities；　the　result　of　the　final　fusion　of　kindred　tribes　who　had　long　lived　apart；　would　account　for　the　appearance　of　Janus　beside　Jupiter；　and　of　Diana　or　Jana　beside　Juno　in　the　Roman　religion。　At　least　this　appears　to　be　a　more　probable　theory　than　the　opinion；　which　has　found　favour　with　some　modern　scholars；　that　Janus　was　originally　nothing　but　the　god　of　doors。　That　a　deity　of　his　dignity　and　importance；　whom　the　Romans　revered　as　a　god　of　gods　and　the　father　of　his　people；　should　have　started　in　life　as　a　humble；　though　doubtless　respectable；　doorkeeper　appears　very　unlikely。　So　lofty　an　end　hardly　consorts　with　so　lowly　a　beginning。　It　is　more　probable　that　the　door　（janua）　got　its　name　from　Janus　than　that　he　got　his　name　from　it。　This　view　is　strengthened　by　a　consideration　of　the　word　janua　itself。　The　regular　word　for　door　is　the　same　in　all　the　languages　of　the　Aryan　family　from　India　to　Ireland。　It　is　dur　in　Sanscrit；　thura　in　Greek；　tür　in　German；　door　in　English；　dorus　in　old　Irish；　and　foris　in　Latin。　Yet　besides　this　ordinary　name　for　door；　which　the　Latins　shared　with　all　their　Aryan　brethren；　they　had　also　the　name　janua；　to　which　there　is　no　corresponding　term　in　any　Indo…European　speech。　The　word　has　the　appearance　of　being　an　adjectival　form　derived　from　the　noun　Janus。　I　conjecture　that　it　may　have　been　customary　to　set　up　an　image　or　symbol　of　Janus　at　the　principal　door　of　the　house　in　order　to　place　the　entrance　under　the　protection　of　the　great　god。　A　door　thus　guarded　might　be　known　as　a　janua　foris；　that　is；　a　Januan　door；　and　the　phrase　might　in　time　be　abridged　into　janua；　the　noun　foris　being　understood　but　not　expressed。　From　this　to　the　use　of　janua　to　designate　a　door　in　general；　whether　guarded　by　an　image　of　Janus　or　not；　would　be　an　easy　and　natural　transition。

If　there　is　any　truth　in　this　conjecture；　it　may　explain　very　simply　the　origin　of　the　double　head　of　Janus；　which　has　so　long　exercised　the　ingenuity　of　mythologists。　When　it　had　become　customary　to　guard　the　entrance　of　houses　and　towns　by　an　image　of　Janus；　it　might　well　be　deemed　necessary　to　make　the　sentinel　god　look　both　ways；　before　and　behind；　at　the　same　time；　in　order　that　nothing　should　escape　his　vigilant　eye。　For　if　the　divine　watchman　always　faced　in　one　direction；　it　is　easy　to　imagine　what　mischief　might　have　been　wrought　with　impunity　behind　his　back。　This　explanation　of　the　double…headed　Janus　at　Rome　is　confirmed　by　the　double…headed　idol　which　the　Bush　negroes　in　the　interior　of　Surinam　regularly　set　up　as　a　guardian　at　the　entrance　of　a　village。　The　idol　consists　of　a　block　of　wood　with　a　human　face　rudely　carved　on　each　side；　it　stands　under　a　gateway　composed　of　two　uprights　and　a　cross…bar。　Beside　the　idol　generally　lies　a　white　rag　intended　to　keep　off　the　devil；　and　sometimes　there　is　also　a　stick　which　seems　to　represent　a　bludgeon　or　weapon　of　some　sort。　Further；　from　the　cross…bar　hangs　a　small　log　which　serves　the　useful　purpose　of　knocking　on　the　head　any　evil　spirit　who　might　attempt　to　pass　through　the　gateway。　Clearly　this　double…headed　fetish　at　the　gateway　of　the　negro　villages　in　Surinam　bears　a　close　resemblance　to　the　double…headed　images　of　Janus　which；　grasping　a　stick　in　one　hand　and　a　key　in　the　other；　stood　sentinel　at　Roman　gates　and　doorways；　and　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　in　both　cases　the　heads　facing　two　ways　are　to　be　similarly　explained　as　expressive　of　the　vigilance　of　the　guardian　god；　who　kept　his　eye　on　spiritual　foes　behind　and　before；　and　stood　ready　to　bludgeon　them　on　the　spot。　We　may；　t