the golden bough-第110节

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s　and　ornaments；　tore　it　in　pieces；　trod　the　straw　of　which　it　was　made　under　foot；　and　flung　it　into　the　stream；　while　the　defenders　of　the　figure　hid　their　faces　in　their　hands　and　pretended　to　bewail　the　death　of　Kostroma。　In　the　district　of　Kostroma　the　burial　of　Yarilo　was　celebrated　on　the　twenty…ninth　or　thirtieth　of　June。　The　people　chose　an　old　man　and　gave　him　a　small　coffin　containing　a　Priapus…like　figure　representing　Yarilo。　This　he　carried　out　of　the　town；　followed　by　women　chanting　dirges　and　expressing　by　their　gestures　grief　and　despair。　In　the　open　fields　a　grave　was　dug；　and　into　it　the　figure　was　lowered　amid　weeping　and　wailing；　after　which　games　and　dances　were　begun；　calling　to　mind　the　funeral　games　celebrated　in　old　times　by　the　pagan　Slavonians。　In　Little　Russia　the　figure　of　Yarilo　was　laid　in　a　coffin　and　carried　through　the　streets　after　sunset　surrounded　by　drunken　women；　who　kept　repeating　mournfully；　He　is　dead！　he　is　dead！　The　men　lifted　and　shook　the　figure　as　if　they　were　trying　to　recall　the　dead　man　to　life。　Then　they　said　to　the　women；　Women；　weep　not。　I　know　what　is　sweeter　than　honey。　But　the　women　continued　to　lament　and　chant；　as　they　do　at　funerals。　Of　what　was　he　guilty？　He　was　so　good。　He　will　arise　no　more。　O　how　shall　we　part　from　thee？　What　is　life　without　thee？　Arise；　if　only　for　a　brief　hour。　But　he　rises　not；　he　not。　At　last　the　Yarilo　was　buried　in　a　grave。

7。　Death　and　Revival　ofVegetation

THESE　Russian　customs　are　plainly　of　the　same　nature　as　those　which　in　Austria　and　Germany　are　known　as　Carrying　out　Death。　Therefore　if　the　interpretation　here　adopted　of　the　latter　is　right；　the　Russian　Kostrubonko；　Yarilo；　and　the　rest　must　also　have　been　originally　embodiments　of　the　spirit　of　vegetation；　and　their　death　must　have　been　regarded　as　a　necessary　preliminary　to　their　revival。　The　revival　as　a　sequel　to　the　death　is　enacted　in　the　first　of　the　ceremonies　described；　the　death　and　resurrection　of　Kostrubonko。　The　reason　why　in　some　of　these　Russian　ceremonies　the　death　of　the　spirit　of　vegetation　is　celebrated　at　midsummer　may　be　that　the　decline　of　summer　is　dated　from　Midsummer　Day；　after　which　the　days　begin　to　shorten；　and　the　sun　sets　out　on　his　downward　journey：

To　the　darksome　hollows　Where　the　frosts　of　winter　lie。

Such　a　turning…point　of　the　year；　when　vegetation　might　be　thought　to　share　the　incipient　though　still　almost　imperceptible　decay　of　summer；　might　very　well　be　chosen　by　primitive　man　as　a　fit　moment　for　resorting　to　those　magic　rites　by　which　he　hopes　to　stay　the　decline；　or　at　least　to　ensure　the　revival；　of　plant　life。

But　while　the　death　of　vegetation　appears　to　have　been　represented　in　all；　and　its　revival　in　some；　of　these　spring　and　midsummer　ceremonies；　there　are　features　in　some　of　them　which　can　hardly　be　explained　on　this　hypothesis　alone。　The　solemn　funeral；　the　lamentations；　and　the　mourning　attire；　which　often　characterise　these　rites；　are　indeed　appropriate　at　the　death　of　the　beneficent　spirit　of　vegetation。　But　what　shall　we　say　of　the　glee　with　which　the　effigy　is　often　carried　out；　of　the　sticks　and　stones　with　which　it　is　assailed；　and　the　taunts　and　curses　which　are　hurled　at　it？　What　shall　we　say　of　the　dread　of　the　effigy　evinced　by　the　haste　with　which　the　bearers　scamper　home　as　soon　as　they　have　thrown　it　away；　and　by　the　belief　that　some　one　must　soon　die　in　any　house　into　which　it　has　looked？　This　dread　might　perhaps　be　explained　by　a　belief　that　there　is　a　certain　infectiousness　in　the　dead　spirit　of　vegetation　which　renders　its　approach　dangerous。　But　this　explanation；　besides　being　rather　strained；　does　not　cover　the　rejoicings　which　often　attend　the　carrying　out　of　Death。　We　must　therefore　recognise　two　distinct　and　seemingly　opposite　features　in　these　ceremonies：　on　the　one　hand；　sorrow　for　the　death；　and　affection　and　respect　for　the　dead；　on　the　other　hand；　fear　and　hatred　of　the　dead；　and　rejoicings　at　his　death。　How　the　former　of　these　features　is　to　be　explained　I　have　attempted　to　show：　how　the　latter　came　to　be　so　closely　associated　with　the　former　is　a　question　which　I　shall　try　to　answer　in　the　sequel。

8。　Analogous　Rites　in　India。

IN　THE　KANAGRA　district　of　India　there　is　a　custom　observed　by　young　girls　in　spring　which　closely　resembles　some　of　the　European　spring　ceremonies　just　described。　It　is　called　the　Ral？　Ka　mela；　or　fair　of　Ral？；　the　Ral？　being　a　small　painted　earthen　image　of　Siva　or　Parvat？。　The　custom　is　in　vogue　all　over　the　Kanagra　district；　and　its　celebration；　which　is　entirely　confined　to　young　girls；　lasts　through　most　of　Chet　（March…April）　up　to　the　Sankrant　of　Baisakh　（April）。　On　a　morning　in　March　all　the　young　girls　of　the　village　take　small　baskets　of　d？b　grass　and　flowers　to　an　appointed　place；　where　they　throw　them　in　a　heap。　Round　this　heap　they　stand　in　a　circle　and　sing。　This　goes　on　every　day　for　ten　days；　till　the　heap　of　grass　and　flowers　has　reached　a　fair　height。　Then　they　cut　in　the　jungle　two　branches；　each　with　three　prongs　at　one　end；　and　place　them；　prongs　downwards；　over　the　heap　of　flowers；　so　as　to　make　two　tripods　or　pyramids。　On　the　single　uppermost　points　of　these　branches　they　get　an　image…maker　to　construct　two　clay　images；　one　to　represent　Siva；　and　the　other　Parvat？。　The　girls　then　divide　themselves　into　two　parties；　one　for　Siva　and　one　for　Parvat？；　and　marry　the　images　in　the　usual　way；　leaving　out　no　part　of　the　ceremony。　After　the　marriage　they　have　a　feast；　the　cost　of　which　is　defrayed　by　contributions　solicited　from　their　parents。　Then　at　the　next　Sankrant　（Baisakh）　they　all　go　together　to　the　river…side；　throw　the　images　into　a　deep　pool；　and　weep　over　the　place；　as　though　they　were　performing　funeral　obsequies。　The　boys　of　the　neighbourhood　often　tease　them　by　diving　after　the　images；　bringing　them　up；　and　waving　them　about　while　the　girls　are　crying　over　them。　The　object　of　the　fair　is　said　to　be　to　secure　a　good　husband。

That　in　this　Indian　ceremony　the　deities　Siva　and　Parvat？　are　conceived　as　spirits　of　vegetation　seems　to　be　proved　by　the　placing　of　their　images　on　branches　over　a　heap　of　grass　and　flowers。　Here；　as　often　in　European　folk…custom；　the　divinities　of　vegetation　are　represented　in　duplicate；　by　plants　and　by　puppets。　The　marriage　of　these　Indian　deities　in　spring　corresponds　to　the　European　ceremonies　in　which　the　marriage　of　the　vernal　spirits　of　vegetation　is　represented　by　the　King　and　Queen　of　May；　the　May　Bride；　Bridegroom　of　the　May；　and　so　forth。　The　throwing　of　the　images　into　the　water；　and　the　mourning　for　them；　are　the　equivalents　of　the　European　customs　of　throwing　the　dead　spirit　of　vegetation　under　the　name　of　Death；　Yarilo；　Kostroma；　and　the　rest；　into　the　water　and　lamenting　over　it。　Again；　in　India；　as　often　in　Europe；　the　rite　is　performed　exclusively　by　females。　The　notion　that　the　ceremony　helps　to　procure　husbands　for　the　girls　can　be　explained　by　the　quickening　and　fertilising　influence　which　the　spirit　of　vegetation　is　believed　to　exert　upon　the　life　of　man　as　well　as　of　plants。

9。　The　Magic　Spring。

THE　GENERAL　explanation　which　we　have　been　led　to　adopt　of　these　and　many　similar　ceremonies　is　that　they　are；　or　were　in　their　origin；　magical　rites　intended　to　ensure　the　revival　of　nature　in　spring。　The　means　by　which　they　were　supposed　to　effect　this　end　were　imitation　and　sympathy。　Led　astray　by　his　ignorance　of　the　true　causes　of　things；　primitive　man　believed　that　in　order　to　produce　the　great　phenomena　of　nature　on　which　his　life　depended　he　had　only　to　imitate　them；　and　that　immediately　by　a　secret　sympathy　or　mystic　influence　the　little　drama　which　he　acted　in　forest　glade　or　mountain　dell；　on　desert　plain　or　wind…swept　shore；　would　be　taken　up　and　repeated　by　mightier　actors　on　a　vaster　stage。　He　fancied　that　by　masquerading　in　leaves　and　flowers　he　helped　the　bare　earth　to　clothe　herself　with　verdure；　and　that　by　playing　the　death　and　burial　of　winter　he　drove　that　gloomy　season　away；　and　made　smooth　the　path　for　the　footsteps　of　returning　spring。　If　we　find　it　hard　to　throw　ourselves　even　in　fancy　into　a　mental　condition　in　which　such　things　seem　possible；　we　can　more　easily　picture　to　ourselves　the　anxiety　which　the　savage；　when　he　first　began　to　lift　his　thoughts　above　the　satisfaction　of　his　merely　animal　wants；　and　to　meditate　on　the　causes　of　things；　may　have　felt　as　to　the　continued　operation　of　what　we　now　call　the　laws　of　nature。　To　us；　familiar　as　we　are　with　the　conception　of　the　uniformity　and　regularity　with　which　the　great　cosmic　phenomena　succeed　each　other；　there　seems　little　ground　for　apprehension　that　the　causes　which　produce　these　effects　will　cease　to　operate；　at　least　within　the　near　future。　But　this　confidence　in　the　stability　of　nature　is　bred　only　by　the　experience　which　comes　of　wide　observation　and　long　tradition；　and　the　savage；　with　his　narrow　sphere　of　observation　and　his　short…lived　tradition；　lacks　the　very　elements　of　that　experience　which　alone　could　set　his　mind　at　rest　in　face　of　the　ever…changing　and　often　menacing　aspects　of　nature。　No　wonder；　therefore；　that　he　is　thrown　into　a　panic　by　an　eclipse；　and　thinks　that　the　sun　or　the　moon　would　surely　perish；　if