the golden bough-第4节

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ant　that　a　mortal　man　should　return　from　the　gates　of　death；　thrust　down　the　meddling　leech　himself　to　Hades。　But　Diana　hid　her　favourite　from　the　angry　god　in　a　thick　cloud；　disguised　his　features　by　adding　years　to　his　life；　and　then　bore　him　far　away　to　the　dells　of　Nemi；　where　she　entrusted　him　to　the　nymph　Egeria；　to　live　there；　unknown　and　solitary；　under　the　name　of　Virbius；　in　the　depth　of　the　Italian　forest。　There　he　reigned　a　king；　and　there　he　dedicated　a　precinct　to　Diana。　He　had　a　comely　son；　Virbius；　who；　undaunted　by　his　father's　fate；　drove　a　team　of　fiery　steeds　to　join　the　Latins　in　the　war　against　Aeneas　and　the　Trojans。　Virbius　was　worshipped　as　a　god　not　only　at　Nemi　but　elsewhere；　for　in　Campania　we　hear　of　a　special　priest　devoted　to　his　service。　Horses　were　excluded　from　the　Arician　grove　and　sanctuary　because　horses　had　killed　Hippolytus。　It　was　unlawful　to　touch　his　image。　Some　thought　that　he　was　the　sun。　But　the　truth　is；　says　Servius；　that　he　is　a　deity　associated　with　Diana；　as　Attis　is　associated　with　the　Mother　of　the　Gods；　and　Erichthonius　with　Minerva；　and　Adonis　with　Venus。　What　the　nature　of　that　association　was　we　shall　enquire　presently。　Here　it　is　worth　observing　that　in　his　long　and　chequered　career　this　mythical　personage　has　displayed　a　remarkable　tenacity　of　life。　For　we　can　hardly　doubt　that　the　Saint　Hippolytus　of　the　Roman　calendar；　who　was　dragged　by　horses　to　death　on　the　thirteenth　of　August；　Diana's　own　day；　is　no　other　than　the　Greek　hero　of　the　same　name；　who；　after　dying　twice　over　as　a　heathen　sinner；　has　been　happily　resuscitated　as　a　Christian　saint。

It　needs　no　elaborate　demonstration　to　convince　us　that　the　stories　told　to　account　for　Diana's　worship　at　Nemi　are　unhistorical。　Clearly　they　belong　to　that　large　class　of　myths　which　are　made　up　to　explain　the　origin　of　a　religious　ritual　and　have　no　other　foundation　than　the　resemblance；　real　or　imaginary；　which　may　be　traced　between　it　and　some　foreign　ritual。　The　incongruity　of　these　Nemi　myths　is　indeed　transparent；　since　the　foundation　of　the　worship　is　traced　now　to　Orestes　and　now　to　Hippolytus；　according　as　this　or　that　feature　of　the　ritual　has　to　be　accounted　for。　The　real　value　of　such　tales　is　that　they　serve　to　illustrate　the　nature　of　the　worship　by　providing　a　standard　with　which　to　compare　it；　and　further；　that　they　bear　witness　indirectly　to　its　venerable　age　by　showing　that　the　true　origin　was　lost　in　the　mists　of　a　fabulous　antiquity。　In　the　latter　respect　these　Nemi　legends　are　probably　more　to　be　trusted　than　the　apparently　historical　tradition；　vouched　for　by　Cato　the　Elder；　that　the　sacred　grove　was　dedicated　to　Diana　by　a　certain　Egerius　Baebius　or　Laevius　of　Tusculum；　a　Latin　dictator；　on　behalf　of　the　peoples　of　Tusculum；　Aricia；　Lanuvium；　Laurentum；　Cora；　Tibur；　Pometia；　and　Ardea。　This　tradition　indeed　speaks　for　the　great　age　of　the　sanctuary；　since　it　seems　to　date　its　foundation　sometime　before　495　B。C。；　the　year　in　which　Pometia　was　sacked　by　the　Romans　and　disappears　from　history。　But　we　cannot　suppose　that　so　barbarous　a　rule　as　that　of　the　Arician　priesthood　was　deliberately　instituted　by　a　league　of　civilised　communities；　such　as　the　Latin　cities　undoubtedly　were。　It　must　have　been　handed　down　from　a　time　beyond　the　memory　of　man；　when　Italy　was　still　in　a　far　ruder　state　than　any　known　to　us　in　the　historical　period。　The　credit　of　the　tradition　is　rather　shaken　than　confirmed　by　another　story　which　ascribes　the　foundation　of　the　sanctuary　to　a　certain　Manius　Egerius；　who　gave　rise　to　the　saying；　There　are　many　Manii　at　Aricia。　This　proverb　some　explained　by　alleging　that　Manius　Egerius　was　the　ancestor　of　a　long　and　distinguished　line；　whereas　others　thought　it　meant　that　there　were　many　ugly　and　deformed　people　at　Aricia；　and　they　derived　the　name　Manius　from　Mania；　a　bogey　or　bugbear　to　frighten　children。　A　Roman　satirist　uses　the　name　Manius　as　typical　of　the　beggars　who　lay　in　wait　for　pilgrims　on　the　Arician　slopes。　These　differences　of　opinion；　together　with　the　discrepancy　between　Manius　Egerius　of　Aricia　and　Egerius　Laevius　of　Tusculum；　as　well　as　the　resemblance　of　both　names　to　the　mythical　Egeria；　excite　our　suspicion。　Yet　the　tradition　recorded　by　Cato　seems　too　circumstantial；　and　its　sponsor　too　respectable；　to　allow　us　to　dismiss　it　as　an　idle　fiction。　Rather　we　may　suppose　that　it　refers　to　some　ancient　restoration　or　reconstruction　of　the　sanctuary；　which　was　actually　carried　out　by　the　confederate　states。　At　any　rate　it　testifies　to　a　belief　that　the　grove　had　been　from　early　times　a　common　place　of　worship　for　many　of　the　oldest　cities　of　the　country；　if　not　for　the　whole　Latin　confederacy。

2。　Artemis　and　Hippolytus

I　HAVE　said　that　the　Arician　legends　of　Orestes　and　Hippolytus；　though　worthless　as　history；　have　a　certain　value　in　so　far　as　they　may　help　us　to　understand　the　worship　at　Nemi　better　by　comparing　it　with　the　ritual　and　myths　of　other　sanctuaries。　We　must　ask　ourselves；　Why　did　the　author　of　these　legends　pitch　upon　Orestes　and　Hippolytus　in　order　to　explain　Virbius　and　the　King　of　the　Wood？　In　regard　to　Orestes；　the　answer　is　obvious。　He　and　the　image　of　the　Tauric　Diana；　which　could　only　be　appeased　with　human　blood；　were　dragged　in　to　render　intelligible　the　murderous　rule　of　succession　to　the　Arician　priesthood。　In　regard　to　Hippolytus　the　case　is　not　so　plain。　The　manner　of　his　death　suggests　readily　enough　a　reason　for　the　exclusion　of　horses　from　the　grove；　but　this　by　itself　seems　hardly　enough　to　account　for　the　identification。　We　must　try　to　probe　deeper　by　examining　the　worship　as　well　as　the　legend　or　myth　of　Hippolytus。

He　had　a　famous　sanctuary　at　his　ancestral　home　of　Troezen；　situated　on　that　beautiful；　almost　landlocked　bay；　where　groves　of　oranges　and　lemons；　with　tall　cypresses　soaring　like　dark　spires　above　the　garden　of　Hesperides；　now　clothe　the　strip　of　fertile　shore　at　the　foot　of　the　rugged　mountains。　Across　the　blue　water　of　the　tranquil　bay；　which　it　shelters　from　the　open　sea；　rises　Poseidon's　sacred　island；　its　peaks　veiled　in　the　sombre　green　of　the　pines。　On　this　fair　coast　Hippolytus　was　worshipped。　Within　his　sanctuary　stood　a　temple　with　an　ancient　image。　His　service　was　performed　by　a　priest　who　held　office　for　life；　every　year　a　sacrificial　festival　was　held　in　his　honour；　and　his　untimely　fate　was　yearly　mourned；　with　weeping　and　doleful　chants；　by　unwedded　maids。　Youths　and　maidens　dedicated　locks　of　their　hair　in　his　temple　before　marriage。　His　grave　existed　at　Troezen；　though　the　people　would　not　show　it。　It　has　been　suggested；　with　great　plausibility；　that　in　the　handsome　Hippolytus；　beloved　of　Artemis；　cut　off　in　his　youthful　prime；　and　yearly　mourned　by　damsels；　we　have　one　of　those　mortal　lovers　of　a　goddess　who　appear　so　often　in　ancient　religion；　and　of　whom　Adonis　is　the　most　familiar　type。　The　rivalry　of　Artemis　and　Phaedra　for　the　affection　of　Hippolytus　reproduces；　it　is　said；　under　different　names；　the　rivalry　of　Aphrodite　and　Proserpine　for　the　love　of　Adonis；　for　Phaedra　is　merely　a　double　of　Aphrodite。　The　theory　probably　does　no　injustice　either　to　Hippolytus　or　to　Artemis。　For　Artemis　was　originally　a　great　goddess　of　fertility；　and；　on　the　principles　of　early　religion；　she　who　fertilises　nature　must　herself　be　fertile；　and　to　be　that　she　must　necessarily　have　a　male　consort。　On　this　view；　Hippolytus　was　the　consort　of　Artemis　at　Troezen；　and　the　shorn　tresses　offered　to　him　by　the　Troezenian　youths　and　maidens　before　marriage　were　designed　to　strengthen　his　union　with　the　goddess；　and　so　to　promote　the　fruitfulness　of　the　earth；　of　cattle；　and　of　mankind。　It　is　some　confirmation　of　this　view　that　within　the　precinct　of　Hippolytus　at　Troezen　there　were　worshipped　two　female　powers　named　Damia　and　Auxesia；　whose　connexion　with　the　fertility　of　the　ground　is　unquestionable。　When　Epidaurus　suffered　from　a　dearth；　the　people；　in　obedience　to　an　oracle；　carved　images　of　Damia　and　Auxesia　out　of　sacred　olive　wood；　and　no　sooner　had　they　done　so　and　set　them　up　than　the　earth　bore　fruit　again。　Moreover；　at　Troezen　itself；　and　apparently　within　the　precinct　of　Hippolytus；　a　curious　festival　of　stone…throwing　was　held　in　honour　of　these　maidens；　as　the　Troezenians　called　them；　and　it　is　easy　to　show　that　similar　customs　have　been　practised　in　many　lands　for　the　express　purpose　of　ensuring　good　crops。　In　the　story　of　the　tragic　death　of　the　youthful　Hippolytus　we　may　discern　an　analogy　with　similar　tales　of　other　fair　but　mortal　youths　who　paid　with　their　lives　for　the　brief　rapture　of　the　love　of　an　immortal　goddess。　These　hapless　lovers　were　probably　not　always　mere　myths；　and　the　legends　which　traced　their　spilt　blood　in　the　purple　bloom　of　the　violet；　the　scarlet　stain　of　the　anemone；　or　the　crimson　flush　of　the　rose　were　no　idle　poetic　emblems　of　youth　and　beauty　fleeting　as　the　summer　flowers。　Such　fables　contain　a　deeper　philosophy　of　the　relation　of　the　life　of　man　to　the　life　of　naturea　sad　philosophy　which　gave　birth　to　a　tragic　practice。　What　that　philosophy　and　that　practice　were；　we　shall　learn　later　on。

3。　Recapitulation

WE　can　now　perhaps　understand　why　the　ancients　identified　Hippolytus；　t