Indian Antiquary Vol 20

Author(s): John Faithfull Fleet, Richard Carnac Temple
Publisher: Swati Publications

Page 54

46
THE INDIAN ANTIQUARY.
(JANUARY, 1891.
classical antiquity: then we may fairly infer that to slay his predecessor ?, and second, why at a remoter age the same motives gave birth to !
before he slew him had he to pluck the the priesthood of Nemi. Such an inference, in Golden Bough?" default of direct evidence as to how the priesthood did actually arise, can never amount to demon.
Going into details Mr. Frazer begins by asking stration. But it will be more or less probable
the questions: - "why was the priest called according to the degree of completeness with King of the Wood P why was his office spoken which it fultils the conditions indicated above."
of as a kingdom P" In answer he first shews that In order to follow Mr. Frazer through his two
a-royal title with priestly duties was common in
Italy and Greece, and then that all over the pri. volumes, it is necessary to explain the story of
mitive world king and priest are functionaries the Arician priests in some detail. The legend
combined in the same personage, often as the he works upon is that the worship of Diana at Nemi was instituted by Orestes, who, after killing
man god, whose duties lie chiefly in the per Thoas, king of the Tauric Chersonese (the
formance of sympathetic magic. The under. Crimea), fled with his sister to Italy, bringing with
lying principle of this class of magio is what in
medicine is called homeopathy, i. e. that like him the image of the Tauric Diana. As to the
cures or, more strictly, produces like, leading to ritual in her honour it is said that every stranger
the world-wide practice of sticking injurious who landed on the shore was sacrificed on her altar.
articles into an effigy in order to injure the person In its new home this was modified by making the
in whose likeness it is made, and to a thousand rule that if a run-away slave could manage to
allied customs. This arose from the belief of break off a bough-called the Golden Bough
primitive man that he could rule the elements, of a certain tree from the grove at Nemi, he was
which, however ludicrous it may be to us, is to all entitled to fight, and, if he could, to slay, the priest,
savages a self-evident truth. and in the latter case to reign in his stead as Rex Nomorensis, the King of the Wood. The The nature-compelling king-priest, then, rule was observed at any rate down to the days is merely a man god endowed with more than of Caligula.
usual supernatural power, because to the savage The object of the worship of Diana at anyone can perform certain of the nature.com.
pelling charms; but there is, and always bas been, Nemi' was to procure the birth of children or an easy delivery, and fire was the main substance
another kind of man-god, - he in whom a
divinity is permanently or temporarily used in the ritual. At the annual festival the
lodged. The two are, however, much mixed up in whole grove was lighted with torohee, the day was
the ideas of primitive man in his various stages kept by rites at every domestic hearth, and holy
of development, before the conception of the fire was perpetually kept up at her shrine.
gods as beings controlling the foroes of nature The offerings were representations of women
outside mankind has become developed, and it is carrying children and of actual delivery, and always difficult in practice to dissociate the worker lighted torches.
of magic from the divine man. For practical At the annual festival young people were purposes both are gods in human form. The purified, dogs were crowned, and the feast "con. medicine-man is the type of the former, and the sisted of young kid, wine and oakes served inspired or possessed individual and the miracle. up piping hot on platters of leaves."
worker, of the latter : possession indicating The losser divinities of the grove were
temporary incarnation, and miracle-working Egoria and Virbius. Egeria was the nymph
permanent incarnation, of the divinity. of a neighbouring cascade. Virbius was identi.
Manifestations of possession are familiar to all fied with Hippolytus, who was killed by his horses
students of folklore in the forms of devil-dancing, on the sea-shore of the Saronic Gulf and brought
divination, oracle-speaking, ecstasy, second-sight, to life again by Æsculapius to please Diana, who
and so on. Those of permanent incarnation are carried him off to Nemi. Hence horses were
much more interesting. The supreme lamas of excluded from the grove and sanctuary. Virbius
Tibet and the female rulers of Tibetan monas was also identified with the sun, and it was un.
teries will occur to most of our readers in this lawful to touch his image. He had a special
connection ; but the idea is widespread through priest, the flamen virbialie.
out savage life, and men, who are gods, exist all Such are the points of this curious cult, and over the world. Some are merely prieste, and the questions Mr. Frazer has specially set him. some kinge as well. The Emperor of China is the self to answer are "first, why had the priest great living example of the latter class,