the golden bough-第135部分

快捷操作: 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! 如果本书没有阅读完，想下次继续接着阅读，可使用上方 "收藏到我的浏览器" 功能 和 "加入书签" 功能！

ans；　a　corn…growing　people　devoted　to　the　worship　of　the　two　Corn　Goddesses；　lamented　that　the　crops　of　many　towns　had　perished　because　the　unscrupulous　Roman　governor　Verres　had　impiously　carried　off　the　image　of　Demeter　from　her　famous　temple　at　Henna。　Could　we　ask　for　a　clearer　proof　that　Demeter　was　indeed　the　goddess　of　the　corn　than　this　belief；　held　by　the　Greeks　down　to　modern　times；　that　the　corn…crops　depended　on　her　presence　and　bounty　and　perished　when　her　image　was　removed？

On　the　whole；　then；　if；　ignoring　theories；　we　adhere　to　the　evidence　of　the　ancients　themselves　in　regard　to　the　rites　of　Eleusis；　we　shall　probably　incline　to　agree　with　the　most　learned　of　ancient　antiquaries；　the　Roman　Varro；　who；　to　quote　Augustine's　report　of　his　opinion；　interpreted　the　whole　of　the　Eleusinian　mysteries　as　relating　to　the　corn　which　Ceres　（Demeter）　had　discovered；　and　to　Proserpine　（Persephone）；　whom　Pluto　had　carried　off　from　her。　And　Proserpine　herself　he　said；　signifies　the　fecundity　of　the　seeds；　the　failure　of　which　at　a　certain　time　had　caused　the　earth　to　mourn　for　barrenness；　and　therefore　had　given　rise　to　the　opinion　that　the　daughter　of　Ceres；　that　is；　fecundity　itself；　had　been　ravished　by　Pluto　and　detained　in　the　nether　world；　and　when　the　dearth　had　been　publicly　mourned　and　fecundity　had　returned　once　more；　there　was　gladness　at　the　return　of　Proserpine　and　solemn　rites　were　instituted　accordingly。　After　that　he　says；　continues　Augustine；　reporting　Varro；　that　many　things　were　taught　in　her　mysteries　which　had　no　reference　but　to　the　discovery　of　the　corn。

Thus　far　I　have　for　the　most　part　assumed　an　identity　of　nature　between　Demeter　and　Persephone；　the　divine　mother　and　daughter　personifying　the　corn　in　its　double　aspect　of　the　seed…corn　of　last　year　and　the　ripe　ears　of　this；　and　this　view　of　the　substantial　unity　of　mother　and　daughter　is　borne　out　by　their　portraits　in　Greek　art；　which　are　often　so　alike　as　to　be　indistinguishable。　Such　a　close　resemblance　between　the　artistic　types　of　Demeter　and　Persephone　militates　decidedly　against　the　view　that　the　two　goddesses　are　mythical　embodiments　of　two　things　so　different　and　so　easily　distinguishable　from　each　other　as　the　earth　and　the　vegetation　which　springs　from　it。　Had　Greek　artists　accepted　that　view　of　Demeter　and　Persephone；　they　could　surely　have　devised　types　of　them　which　would　have　brought　out　the　deep　distinction　between　the　goddesses。　And　if　Demeter　did　not　personify　the　earth；　can　there　be　any　reasonable　doubt　that；　like　her　daughter；　she　personified　the　corn　which　was　so　commonly　called　by　her　name　from　the　time　of　Homer　downwards？　The　essential　identity　of　mother　and　daughter　is　suggested；　not　only　by　the　close　resemblance　of　their　artistic　types；　but　also　by　the　official　title　of　the　Two　Goddesses　which　was　regularly　applied　to　them　in　the　great　sanctuary　at　Eleusis　without　any　specification　of　their　individual　attributes　and　titles；　as　if　their　separate　individualities　had　almost　merged　in　a　single　divine　substance。

Surveying　the　evidence　as　a　whole；　we　are　fairly　entitled　to　conclude　that　in　the　mind　of　the　ordinary　Greek　the　two　goddesses　were　essentially　personifications　of　the　corn；　and　that　in　this　germ　the　whole　efflorescence　of　their　religion　finds　implicitly　its　explanation。　But　to　maintain　this　is　not　to　deny　that　in　the　long　course　of　religious　evolution　high　moral　and　spiritual　conceptions　were　grafted　on　this　simple　original　stock　and　blossomed　out　into　fairer　flowers　than　the　bloom　of　the　barley　and　the　wheat。　Above　all；　the　thought　of　the　seed　buried　in　the　earth　in　order　to　spring　up　to　new　and　higher　life　readily　suggested　a　comparison　with　human　destiny；　and　strengthened　the　hope　that　for　man　too　the　grave　may　be　but　the　beginning　of　a　better　and　happier　existence　in　some　brighter　world　unknown。　This　simple　and　natural　reflection　seems　perfectly　sufficient　to　explain　the　association　of　the　Corn　Goddess　at　Eleusis　with　the　mystery　of　death　and　the　hope　of　a　blissful　immortality。　For　that　the　ancients　regarded　initiation　in　the　Eleusinian　mysteries　as　a　key　to　unlock　the　gates　of　Paradise　appears　to　be　proved　by　the　allusions　which　well…informed　writers　among　them　drop　to　the　happiness　in　store　for　the　initiated　hereafter。　No　doubt　it　is　easy　for　us　to　discern　the　flimsiness　of　the　logical　foundation　on　which　such　high　hopes　were　built。　But　drowning　men　clutch　at　straws；　and　we　need　not　wonder　that　the　Greeks；　like　ourselves；　with　death　before　them　and　a　great　love　of　life　in　their　hearts；　should　not　have　stopped　to　weigh　with　too　nice　a　hand　the　arguments　that　told　for　and　against　the　prospect　of　human　immortality。　The　reasoning　that　satisfied　Saint　Paul　and　has　brought　comfort　to　untold　thousands　of　sorrowing　Christians；　standing　by　the　deathbed　or　the　open　grave　of　their　loved　ones；　was　good　enough　to　pass　muster　with　ancient　pagans；　when　they　too　bowed　their　heads　under　the　burden　of　grief；　and；　with　the　taper　of　life　burning　low　in　the　socket；　looked　forward　into　the　darkness　of　the　unknown。　Therefore　we　do　no　indignity　to　the　myth　of　Demeter　and　Persephoneone　of　the　few　myths　in　which　the　sunshine　and　clarity　of　the　Greek　genius　are　crossed　by　the　shadow　and　mystery　of　deathwhen　we　trace　its　origin　to　some　of　the　most　familiar；　yet　eternally　affecting　aspects　of　nature；　to　the　melancholy　gloom　and　decay　of　autumn　and　to　the　freshness；　the　brightness；　and　the　verdure　of　spring。

Chapter　45。　The　Corn…Mother　and　the　Corn…Maiden　in　Northern　Europe。

IT　has　been　argued　by　W。　Mannhardt　that　the　first　part　of　Demeter's　name　is　derived　from　an　alleged　Cretan　word　deai；　barley；　and　that　accordingly　Demeter　means　neither　more　nor　less　than　Barley…mother　or　Corn…mother；　for　the　root　of　the　word　seems　to　have　been　applied　to　different　kinds　of　grain　by　different　branches　of　the　Aryans。　As　Crete　appears　to　have　been　one　of　the　most　ancient　seats　of　the　worship　of　Demeter；　it　would　not　be　surprising　if　her　name　were　of　Cretan　origin。　But　the　etymology　is　open　to　serious　objections；　and　it　is　safer　therefore　to　lay　no　stress　on　it。　Be　that　as　it　may；　we　have　found　independent　reasons　for　identifying　Demeter　as　the　Corn…mother；　and　of　the　two　species　of　corn　associated　with　her　in　Greek　religion；　namely　barley　and　wheat；　the　barley　has　perhaps　the　better　claim　to　be　her　original　element；　for　not　only　would　it　seem　to　have　been　the　staple　food　of　the　Greeks　in　the　Homeric　age；　but　there　are　grounds　for　believing　that　it　is　one　of　the　oldest；　if　not　the　very　oldest；　cereal　cultivated　by　the　Aryan　race。　Certainly　the　use　of　barley　in　the　religious　ritual　of　the　ancient　Hindoos　as　well　as　of　the　ancient　Greeks　furnishes　a　strong　argument　in　favour　of　the　great　antiquity　of　its　cultivation；　which　is　known　to　have　been　practised　by　the　lake…dwellers　of　the　Stone　Age　in　Europe。

Analogies　to　the　Corn…mother　or　Barley…mother　of　ancient　Greece　have　been　collected　in　great　abundance　by　W。　Mannhardt　from　the　folk…lore　of　modern　Europe。　The　following　may　serve　as　specimens。

In　Germany　the　corn　is　very　commonly　personified　under　the　name　of　the　Corn…mother。　Thus　in　spring；　when　the　corn　waves　in　the　wind；　the　peasants　say；　There　comes　the　Corn…mother；　or　The　Corn…mother　is　running　over　the　field；　or　The　Corn…mother　is　going　through　the　corn。　When　children　wish　to　go　into　the　fields　to　pull　the　blue　corn…flowers　or　the　red　poppies；　they　are　told　not　to　do　so；　because　the　Corn…mother　is　sitting　in　the　corn　and　will　catch　them。　Or　again　she　is　called；　according　to　the　crop；　the　Rye…mother　or　the　Pea…mother；　and　children　are　warned　against　straying　in　the　rye　or　among　the　peas　by　threats　of　the　Rye…mother　or　the　Pea…mother。　Again　the　Corn…mother　is　believed　to　make　the　crop　grow。　Thus　in　the　neighbourhood　of　Magdeburg　it　is　sometimes　said；　It　will　be　a　good　year　for　flax；　the　Flax…mother　has　been　seen。　In　a　village　of　Styria　it　is　said　that　the　Corn…mother；　in　the　shape　of　a　female　puppet　made　out　of　the　last　sheaf　of　corn　and　dressed　in　white；　may　be　seen　at　mid…night　in　the　corn…fields；　which　she　fertilises　by　passing　through　them；　but　if　she　is　angry　with　a　farmer；　she　withers　up　all　his　corn。

Further；　the　Corn…mother　plays　an　important　part　in　harvest　customs。　She　is　believed　to　be　present　in　the　handful　of　corn　which　is　left　standing　last　on　the　field；　and　with　the　cutting　of　this　last　handful　she　is　caught；　or　driven　away；　or　killed。　In　the　first　of　these　cases；　the　last　sheaf　is　carried　joyfully　home　and　honoured　as　a　divine　being。　It　is　placed　in　the　barn；　and　at　threshing　the　corn…spirit　appears　again。　In　the　Hanoverian　district　of　Hadeln　the　reapers　stand　round　the　last　sheaf　and　beat　it　with　sticks　in　order　to　drive　the　Corn…mother　out　of　it。　They　call　to　each　other；　There　she　is！　hit　her！　Take　care　she　doesn't　catch　you！　The　beating　goes　on　till　the　grain　is　completely　threshed　out；　then　the　Corn…mother　is　believed　to　be　driven　away。　In　the　neighbourhood　of　Danzig　the　person　who　cuts　the　last　ears　of　corn　makes　them　into　a　doll；　which　is　called　the　Corn…mother　or　the　Old　Woman　and　is　brought　home　on　the　last　waggon。　In　some　parts　of　Holstein　the　last　sheaf　is　dressed　in　woman's　clothes　and　called　the　Corn…mother。　It　is　carried