the golden bough-第34节

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at　sacrifice　and　prayer　are　the　resource　of　the　pious　and　enlightened　portion　of　the　community；　while　magic　is　the　refuge　of　the　superstitious　and　ignorant。　But　when；　still　later；　the　conception　of　the　elemental　forces　as　personal　agents　is　giving　way　to　the　recognition　of　natural　law；　then　magic；　based　as　it　implicitly　is　on　the　idea　of　a　necessary　and　invariable　sequence　of　cause　and　effect；　independent　of　personal　will；　reappears　from　the　obscurity　and　discredit　into　which　it　had　fallen；　and　by　investigating　the　causal　sequences　in　nature；　directly　prepares　the　way　for　science。　Alchemy　leads　up　to　chemistry。

The　notion　of　a　man…god；　or　of　a　human　being　endowed　with　divine　or　supernatural　powers；　belongs　essentially　to　that　earlier　period　of　religious　history　in　which　gods　and　men　are　still　viewed　as　beings　of　much　the　same　order；　and　before　they　are　divided　by　the　impassable　gulf　which；　to　later　thought；　opens　out　between　them。　Strange；　therefore；　as　may　seem　to　us　the　idea　of　a　god　incarnate　in　human　form；　it　has　nothing　very　startling　for　early　man；　who　sees　in　a　man…god　or　a　god…man　only　a　higher　degree　of　the　same　supernatural　powers　which　he　arrogates　in　perfect　good　faith　to　himself。　Nor　does　he　draw　any　very　sharp　distinction　between　a　god　and　a　powerful　sorcerer。　His　gods　are　often　merely　invisible　magicians　who　behind　the　veil　of　nature　work　the　same　sort　of　charms　and　incantations　which　the　human　magician　works　in　a　visible　and　bodily　form　among　his　fellows。　And　as　the　gods　are　commonly　believed　to　exhibit　themselves　in　the　likeness　of　men　to　their　worshippers；　it　is　easy　for　the　magician；　with　his　supposed　miraculous　powers；　to　acquire　the　reputation　of　being　an　incarnate　deity。　Thus　beginning　as　little　more　than　a　simple　conjurer；　the　medicine…man　or　magician　tends　to　blossom　out　into　a　full…blown　god　and　king　in　one。　Only　in　speaking　of　him　as　a　god　we　must　beware　of　importing　into　the　savage　conception　of　deity　those　very　abstract　and　complex　ideas　which　we　attach　to　the　term。　Our　ideas　on　this　profound　subject　are　the　fruit　of　a　long　intellectual　and　moral　evolution；　and　they　are　so　far　from　being　shared　by　the　savage　that　he　cannot　even　understand　them　when　they　are　explained　to　him。　Much　of　the　controversy　which　has　raged　as　to　the　religion　of　the　lower　races　has　sprung　merely　from　a　mutual　misunderstanding。　The　savage　does　not　understand　the　thoughts　of　the　civilised　man；　and　few　civilised　men　understand　the　thoughts　of　the　savage。　When　the　savage　uses　his　word　for　god；　he　has　in　his　mind　a　being　of　a　certain　sort：　when　the　civilised　man　uses　his　word　for　god；　he　has　in　his　mind　a　being　of　a　very　different　sort；　and　if；　as　commonly　happens；　the　two　men　are　equally　unable　to　place　themselves　at　the　other's　point　of　view；　nothing　but　confusion　and　mistakes　can　result　from　their　discussions。　If　we　civilised　men　insist　on　limiting　the　name　of　God　to　that　particular　conception　of　the　divine　nature　which　we　ourselves　have　formed；　then　we　must　confess　that　the　savage　has　no　god　at　all。　But　we　shall　adhere　more　closely　to　the　facts　of　history　if　we　allow　most　of　the　higher　savages　at　least　to　possess　a　rudimentary　notion　of　certain　supernatural　beings　who　may　fittingly　be　called　gods；　though　not　in　the　full　sense　in　which　we　use　the　word。　That　rudimentary　notion　represents　in　all　probability　the　germ　out　of　which　the　civilised　peoples　have　gradually　evolved　their　own　high　conceptions　of　deity；　and　if　we　could　trace　the　whole　course　of　religious　development；　we　might　find　that　the　chain　which　links　our　idea　of　the　Godhead　with　that　of　the　savage　is　one　and　unbroken。

With　these　explanations　and　cautions　I　will　now　adduce　some　examples　of　gods　who　have　been　believed　by　their　worshippers　to　be　incarnate　in　living　human　beings；　whether　men　or　women。　The　persons　in　whom　a　deity　is　thought　to　reveal　himself　are　by　no　means　always　kings　or　descendants　of　kings；　the　supposed　incarnation　may　take　place　even　in　men　of　the　humblest　rank。　In　India；　for　example；　one　human　god　started　in　life　as　a　cotton…bleacher　and　another　as　the　son　of　a　carpenter。　I　shall　therefore　not　draw　my　examples　exclusively　from　royal　personages；　as　I　wish　to　illustrate　the　general　principle　of　the　deification　of　living　men；　in　other　words；　the　incarnation　of　a　deity　in　human　form。　Such　incarnate　gods　are　common　in　rude　society。　The　incarnation　may　be　temporary　or　permanent。　In　the　former　case；　the　incarnationcommonly　known　as　inspiration　or　possessionreveals　itself　in　supernatural　knowledge　rather　than　in　supernatural　power。　In　other　words；　its　usual　manifestations　are　divination　and　prophecy　rather　than　miracles。　On　the　other　hand；　when　the　incarnation　is　not　merely　temporary；　when　the　divine　spirit　has　permanently　taken　up　its　abode　in　a　human　body；　the　god…man　is　usually　expected　to　vindicate　his　character　by　working　miracles。　Only　we　have　to　remember　that　by　men　at　this　stage　of　thought　miracles　are　not　considered　as　breaches　of　natural　law。　Not　conceiving　the　existence　of　natural　law；　primitive　man　cannot　conceive　a　breach　of　it。　A　miracle　is　to　him　merely　an　unusually　striking　manifestation　of　a　common　power。

The　belief　in　temporary　incarnation　or　inspiration　is　world…wide。　Certain　persons　are　supposed　to　be　possessed　from　time　to　time　by　a　spirit　or　deity；　while　the　possession　lasts；　their　own　personality　lies　in　abeyance；　the　presence　of　the　spirit　is　revealed　by　convulsive　shiverings　and　shakings　of　the　man's　whole　body；　by　wild　gestures　and　excited　looks；　all　of　which　are　referred；　not　to　the　man　himself；　but　to　the　spirit　which　has　entered　into　him；　and　in　this　abnormal　state　all　his　utterances　are　accepted　as　the　voice　of　the　god　or　spirit　dwelling　in　him　and　speaking　through　him。　Thus；　for　example；　in　the　Sandwich　Islands；　the　king；　personating　the　god；　uttered　the　responses　of　the　oracle　from　his　concealment　in　a　frame　of　wicker…work。　But　in　the　southern　islands　of　the　Pacific　the　god　frequently　entered　the　priest；　who；　inflated　as　it　were　with　the　divinity；　ceased　to　act　or　speak　as　a　voluntary　agent；　but　moved　and　spoke　as　entirely　under　supernatural　influence。　In　this　respect　there　was　a　striking　resemblance　between　the　rude　oracles　of　the　Polynesians；　and　those　of　the　celebrated　nations　of　ancient　Greece。　As　soon　as　the　god　was　supposed　to　have　entered　the　priest；　the　latter　became　violently　agitated；　and　worked　himself　up　to　the　highest　pitch　of　apparent　frenzy；　the　muscles　of　the　limbs　seemed　convulsed；　the　body　swelled；　the　countenance　became　terrific；　the　features　distorted；　and　the　eyes　wild　and　strained。　In　this　state　he　often　rolled　on　the　earth；　foaming　at　the　mouth；　as　if　labouring　under　the　influence　of　the　divinity　by　whom　he　was　possessed；　and；　in　shrill　cries；　and　violent　and　often　indistinct　sounds；　revealed　the　will　of　the　god。　The　priests；　who　were　attending；　and　versed　in　the　mysteries；　received；　and　reported　to　the　people；　the　declarations　which　had　been　thus　received。　When　the　priest　had　uttered　the　response　of　the　oracle；　the　violent　paroxysm　gradually　subsided；　and　comparative　composure　ensued。　The　god　did　not；　however；　always　leave　him　as　soon　as　the　communication　had　been　made。　Sometimes　the　same　taura；　or　priest；　continued　for　two　or　three　days　possessed　by　the　spirit　or　deity；　a　piece　of　a　native　cloth；　of　a　peculiar　kind；　worn　round　one　arm；　was　an　indication　of　inspiration；　or　of　the　indwelling　of　the　god　with　the　individual　who　wore　it。　The　acts　of　the　man　during　this　period　were　considered　as　those　of　the　god；　and　hence　the　greatest　attention　was　paid　to　his　expressions；　and　the　whole　of　his　deportment　。　When　uruhia　（under　the　inspiration　of　the　spirit）；　the　priest　was　always　considered　as　sacred　as　the　god；　and　was　called；　during　this　period；　atua；　god；　though　at　other　times　only　denominated　taura　or　priest。

But　examples　of　such　temporary　inspiration　are　so　common　in　every　part　of　the　world　and　are　now　so　familiar　through　books　on　ethnology　that　it　is　needless　to　multiply　illustrations　of　the　general　principle。　It　may　be　well；　however；　to　refer　to　two　particular　modes　of　producing　temporary　inspiration；　because　they　are　perhaps　less　known　than　some　others；　and　because　we　shall　have　occasion　to　refer　to　them　later　on。　One　of　these　modes　of　producing　inspiration　is　by　sucking　the　fresh　blood　of　a　sacrificed　victim。　In　the　temple　of　Apollo　Diradiotes　at　Argos；　a　lamb　was　sacrificed　by　night　once　a　month；　a　woman；　who　had　to　observe　a　rule　of　chastity；　tasted　the　blood　of　the　lamb；　and　thus　being　inspired　by　the　god　she　prophesied　or　divined。　At　Aegira　in　Achaia　the　priestess　of　Earth　drank　the　fresh　blood　of　a　bull　before　she　descended　into　the　cave　to　prophesy。　Similarly　among　the　Kuruvikkarans；　a　class　of　bird…catchers　and　beggars　in　Southern　India；　the　goddess　Kali　is　believed　to　descend　upon　the　priest；　and　he　gives　oracular　replies　after　sucking　the　blood　which　streams　from　the　cut　throat　of　a　goat。　At　a　festival　of　the　Alfoors　of　Minahassa；　in　Northern　Celebes；　after　a　pig　has　been　killed；　the　priest　rushes　furiously　at　it；　thrusts　his　head　into　the　carcase；　and　drinks　of　the　blood。　Then　he　is　dragged　away　from　it　by　force　and　set　on　a　chair；　whereupon　he　begins　to　prophesy　how　the　rice…crop　will　tur