the golden bough-第134节

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ed　to　them　her　sacred　rites　and　mysteries。　Blessed；　says　the　poet；　is　the　mortal　man　who　has　seen　these　things；　but　he　who　has　had　no　share　of　them　in　life　will　never　be　happy　in　death　when　he　has　descended　into　the　darkness　of　the　grave。　So　the　two　goddesses　departed　to　dwell　in　bliss　with　the　gods　on　Olympus；　and　the　bard　ends　the　hymn　with　a　pious　prayer　to　Demeter　and　Persephone　that　they　would　be　pleased　to　grant　him　a　livelihood　in　return　for　his　song。

It　has　been　generally　recognised；　and　indeed　it　seems　scarcely　open　to　doubt；　that　the　main　theme　which　the　poet　set　before　himself　in　composing　this　hymn　was　to　describe　the　traditional　foundation　of　the　Eleusinian　mysteries　by　the　goddess　Demeter。　The　whole　poem　leads　up　to　the　transformation　scene　in　which　the　bare　leafless　expanse　of　the　Eleusinian　plain　is　suddenly　turned；　at　the　will　of　the　goddess；　into　a　vast　sheet　of　ruddy　corn；　the　beneficent　deity　takes　the　princes　of　Eleusis；　shows　them　what　she　has　done；　teaches　them　her　mystic　rites；　and　vanishes　with　her　daughter　to　heaven。　The　revelation　of　the　mysteries　is　the　triumphal　close　of　the　piece。　This　conclusion　is　confirmed　by　a　more　minute　examination　of　the　poem；　which　proves　that　the　poet　has　given；　not　merely　a　general　account　of　the　foundation　of　the　mysteries；　but　also　in　more　or　less　veiled　language　mythical　explanations　of　the　origin　of　particular　rites　which　we　have　good　reason　to　believe　formed　essential　features　of　the　festival。　Amongst　the　rites　as　to　which　the　poet　thus　drops　significant　hints　are　the　preliminary　fast　of　the　candidates　for　initiation；　the　torchlight　procession；　the　all…night　vigil；　the　sitting　of　the　candidates；　veiled　and　in　silence；　on　stools　covered　with　sheepskins；　the　use　of　scurrilous　language；　the　breaking　of　ribald　jests；　and　the　solemn　communion　with　the　divinity　by　participation　in　a　draught　of　barley…water　from　a　holy　chalice。

But　there　is　yet　another　and　a　deeper　secret　of　the　mysteries　which　the　author　of　the　poem　appears　to　have　divulged　under　cover　of　his　narrative。　He　tells　us　how；　as　soon　as　she　had　transformed　the　barren　brown　expanse　of　the　Eleusinian　plain　into　a　field　of　golden　grain；　she　gladdened　the　eyes　of　Triptolemus　and　the　other　Eleusinian　princes　by　showing　them　the　growing　or　standing　corn。　When　we　compare　this　part　of　the　story　with　the　statement　of　a　Christian　writer　of　the　second　century；　Hippolytus；　that　the　very　heart　of　the　mysteries　consisted　in　showing　to　the　initiated　a　reaped　ear　of　corn；　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　the　poet　of　the　hymn　was　well　acquainted　with　this　solemn　rite；　and　that　he　deliberately　intended　to　explain　its　origin　in　precisely　the　same　way　as　he　explained　other　rites　of　the　mysteries；　namely　by　representing　Demeter　as　having　set　the　example　of　performing　the　ceremony　in　her　own　person。　Thus　myth　and　ritual　mutually　explain　and　confirm　each　other。　The　poet　of　the　seventh　century　before　our　era　gives　us　the　mythhe　could　not　without　sacrilege　have　revealed　the　ritual：　the　Christian　father　reveals　the　ritual；　and　his　revelation　accords　perfectly　with　the　veiled　hint　of　the　old　poet。　On　the　whole；　then；　we　may；　with　many　modern　scholars；　confidently　accept　the　statement　of　the　learned　Christian　father　Clement　of　Alexandria；　that　the　myth　of　Demeter　and　Persephone　was　acted　as　a　sacred　drama　in　the　mysteries　of　Eleusis。

But　if　the　myth　was　acted　as　a　part；　perhaps　as　the　principal　part；　of　the　most　famous　and　solemn　religious　rites　of　ancient　Greece；　we　have　still　to　enquire；　What　was；　after　all；　stripped　of　later　accretions；　the　original　kernel　of　the　myth　which　appears　to　later　ages　surrounded　and　transfigured　by　an　aureole　of　awe　and　mystery；　lit　up　by　some　of　the　most　brilliant　rays　of　Grecian　literature　and　art？　If　we　follow　the　indications　given　by　our　oldest　literary　authority　on　the　subject；　the　author　of　the　Homeric　hymn　to　Demeter；　the　riddle　is　not　hard　to　read；　the　figures　of　the　two　goddesses；　the　mother　and　the　daughter；　resolve　themselves　into　personifications　of　the　corn。　At　least　this　appears　to　be　fairly　certain　for　the　daughter　Persephone。　The　goddess　who　spends　three　or；　according　to　another　version　of　the　myth；　six　months　of　every　year　with　the　dead　under　ground　and　the　remainder　of　the　year　with　the　living　above　ground；　in　whose　absence　the　barley　seed　is　hidden　in　the　earth　and　the　fields　lie　bare　and　fallow；　on　whose　return　in　spring　to　the　upper　world　the　corn　shoots　up　from　the　clods　and　the　earth　is　heavy　with　leaves　and　blossomsthis　goddess　can　surely　be　nothing　else　than　a　mythical　embodiment　of　the　vegetation；　and　particularly　of　the　corn；　which　is　buried　under　the　soil　for　some　months　of　every　winter　and　comes　to　life　again；　as　from　the　grave；　in　the　sprouting　cornstalks　and　the　opening　flowers　and　foliage　of　every　spring。　No　other　reasonable　and　probable　explanation　of　Persephone　seems　possible。　And　if　the　daughter　goddess　was　a　personification　of　the　young　corn　of　the　present　year；　may　not　the　mother　goddess　be　a　personification　of　the　old　corn　of　last　year；　which　has　given　birth　to　the　new　crops？　The　only　alternative　to　this　view　of　Demeter　would　seem　to　be　to　suppose　that　she　is　a　personification　of　the　earth；　from　whose　broad　bosom　the　corn　and　all　other　plants　spring　up；　and　of　which　accordingly　they　may　appropriately　enough　be　regarded　as　the　daughters。　This　view　of　the　original　nature　of　Demeter　has　indeed　been　taken　by　some　writers；　both　ancient　and　modern；　and　it　is　one　which　can　be　reasonably　maintained。　But　it　appears　to　have　been　rejected　by　the　author　of　the　Homeric　hymn　to　Demeter；　for　he　not　only　distinguishes　Demeter　from　the　personified　Earth　but　places　the　two　in　the　sharpest　opposition　to　each　other。　He　tells　us　that　it　was　Earth　who；　in　accordance　with　the　will　of　Zeus　and　to　please　Pluto；　lured　Persephone　to　her　doom　by　causing　the　narcissuses　to　grow　which　tempted　the　young　goddess　to　stray　far　beyond　the　reach　of　help　in　the　lush　meadow。　Thus　Demeter　of　the　hymn；　far　from　being　identical　with　the　Earth…goddess；　must　have　regarded　that　divinity　as　her　worst　enemy；　since　it　was　to　her　insidious　wiles　that　she　owed　the　loss　of　her　daughter。　But　if　the　Demeter　of　the　hymn　cannot　have　been　a　personification　of　the　earth；　the　only　alternative　apparently　is　to　conclude　that　she　was　a　personification　of　the　corn。

The　conclusion　is　confirmed　by　the　monuments；　for　in　ancient　art　Demeter　and　Persephone　are　alike　characterised　as　goddesses　of　the　corn　by　the　crowns　of　corn　which　they　wear　on　their　heads　and　by　the　stalks　of　corn　which　they　hold　in　their　hands。　Again；　it　was　Demeter　who　first　revealed　to　the　Athenians　the　secret　of　the　corn　and　diffused　the　beneficent　discovery　far　and　wide　through　the　agency　of　Triptolemus；　whom　she　sent　forth　as　an　itinerant　missionary　to　communicate　the　boon　to　all　mankind。　On　monuments　of　art；　especially　in　vase…paintings；　he　is　constantly　represented　along　with　Demeter　in　this　capacity；　holding　corn…stalks　in　his　hand　and　sitting　in　his　car；　which　is　sometimes　winged　and　sometimes　drawn　by　dragons；　and　from　which　he　is　said　to　have　sowed　the　seed　down　on　the　whole　world　as　he　sped　through　the　air。　In　gratitude　for　the　priceless　boon　many　Greek　cities　long　continued　to　send　the　first…fruits　of　their　barley　and　wheat　harvests　as　thank…offerings　to　the　Two　Goddesses；　Demeter　and　Persephone；　at　Eleusis；　where　subterranean　granaries　were　built　to　store　the　overflowing　contributions。　Theocritus　tells　how　in　the　island　of　Cos；　in　the　sweet…scented　summer　time；　the　farmer　brought　the　first…fruits　of　the　harvest　to　Demeter　who　had　filled　his　threshingfloor　with　barley；　and　whose　rustic　image　held　sheaves　and　poppies　in　her　hands。　Many　of　the　epithets　bestowed　by　the　ancients　on　Demeter　mark　her　intimate　association　with　the　corn　in　the　clearest　manner。

How　deeply　implanted　in　the　mind　of　the　ancient　Greeks　was　this　faith　in　Demeter　as　goddess　of　the　corn　may　be　judged　by　the　circumstance　that　the　faith　actually　persisted　among　their　Christian　descendants　at　her　old　sanctuary　of　Eleusis　down　to　the　beginning　of　the　nineteenth　century。　For　when　the　English　traveller　Dodwell　revisited　Eleusis；　the　inhabitants　lamented　to　him　the　loss　of　a　colossal　image　of　Demeter；　which　was　carried　off　by　Clarke　in　1802　and　presented　to　the　University　of　Cambridge；　where　it　still　remains。　In　my　first　journey　to　Greece；　says　Dodwell；　this　protecting　deity　was　in　its　full　glory；　situated　in　the　centre　of　a　threshing…floor；　amongst　the　ruins　of　her　temple。　The　villagers　were　impressed　with　a　persuasion　that　their　rich　harvests　were　the　effect　of　her　bounty；　and　since　her　removal；　their　abundance；　as　they　assured　me；　has　disappeared。　Thus　we　see　the　Corn　Goddess　Demeter　standing　on　the　threshing…floor　of　Eleusis　and　dispensing　corn　to　her　worshippers　in　the　nineteenth　century　of　the　Christian　era；　precisely　as　her　image　stood　and　dispensed　corn　to　her　worshippers　on　the　threshing…floor　of　Cos　in　the　days　of　Theocritus。　And　just　as　the　people　of　Eleusis　in　the　nineteenth　century　attributed　the　diminution　of　their　harvests　to　the　loss　of　the　image　of　Demeter；　so　in　antiquity　the　Sicilians；　a　corn…growing　people　devoted　to　the　worship　of　the　two　Corn　Goddesses；　lamented　that　the　crops