pagan and christian creeds-第15部分

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t　these　things；　with　their　set　and　angular　outlines；　have　served　in　the　past　and　will　serve　in　the　future　as　stepping…stones　towards　another　kind　of　knowledge　of　which　at　present　we　only　dream；　and　will　lead　us　on　to　a　renewed　power　of　perception　which　again　will　not　be　the　laborious　product　of　thought　but　a　direct　and　instantaneous　intuition　like　that　of　the　animals　and　the　angels。


To　return　to　our　Tree。　Though　primitive　man　did　not　speculate　in　modern　style　on　these　things；　I　yet　have　no　reasonable　doubt　that　he　felt　（and　FEELS；　in　those　cases　where　we　can　still　trace　the　workings　of　his　mind）　his　essential　relationship　to　the　creatures　of　the　forest　more　intimately；　if　less　analytically；　than　we　do　to…day。　If　the　animals　with　all　their　wonderful　gifts　are　（as　we　readily　admit）　a　veritable　part　of　Natureso　that　they　live　and　move　and　have　their　being　more　or　less　submerged　in　the　spirit　of　the　great　world　around　themthen　Man；　when　he　first　began　to　differentiate　himself　from　them；　must　for　a　long　time　have　remained　in　this　SUBconscious　unity；　becoming　only　distinctly　CONSCIOUS　of　it　when　he　was　already　beginning　to　lose　it。　That　early　dawn　of　distinct　consciousness　corresponded　to　the　period　of　belief　in　Magic。　In　that　first　mystic　illumination　almost　every　object　was　invested　with　a　halo　of　mystery　or　terror　or　adoration。　Things　were　either　tabu；　in　which　case　they　were　dangerous；　and　often　not　to　be　touched　or　even　looked　uponor　they　were　overflowing　with　magic　grace　and　influence；　in　which　case　they　were　holy；　and　any　rite　which　released　their　influence　was　also　holy。　William　Blake；　that　modern　prophetic　child；　beheld　a　Tree　full　of　angels；　the　Central　Australian　native　believes　bushes　to　be　the　abode　of　spirits　which　leap　into　the　bodies　of　passing　women　and　are　the　cause　of　the　conception　of　children；　Moses　saw　in　the　desert　a　bush　（perhaps　the　mimosa）　like　a　flame　of　fire；　with　Jehovah　dwelling　in　the　midst　of　it；　and　he　put　off　his　shoes　for　he　felt　that　the　place　was　holy；　Osiris　was　at　times　regarded　as　a　Tree…spirit＇1＇；　and　in　inscriptions　is　referred　to　as　〃the　solitary　one　in　the　acacia〃　which　reminds　us　curiously　of　the　〃burning　bush。〃　The　same　is　true　of　others　of　the　gods；　in　the　old　Norse　mythology　Ygdrasil　was　the　great　branching　World…Ash；　abode　of　the　soul　of　the　universe；　the　Peepul　or　Bo…tree　in　India　is　very　sacred　and　must　on　no　account　be　cut　down；　seeing　that　gods　and　spirits　dwell　among　its　branches。　It　is　of　the　nature　of　an　Aspen；　and　of　little　or　no　practical　use；＇2＇　but　so　holy　that　the　poorest　peasant　will　not　disturb　it。　The　Burmese　believe　the　things　of　nature；　but　especially　the　trees；　to　be　the　abode　of　spirits。　〃To　the　Burman　of　to…day；　not　less　than　to　the　Greek　of　long　ago；　all　nature　is　alive。　The　forest　and　the　river　and　the　mountains　are　full　of　spirits；　whom　the　Burmans　call　Nats。　There　are　all　kinds　of　Nats；　good　and　bad；　great　and　little；　male　and　female；　now　living　round　about　us。　Some　of　them　live　in　the　trees；　especially　in　the　huge　figtree　that　shades　half…　an…acre　without　the　village；　or　among　the　fern…like　fronds　of　the　tamarind。〃＇3＇


＇1＇　The　Golden　Bough；　iv；　339。

＇2＇　Though　the　sap　is　said　to　contain　caoutchouc。

＇3＇　The　Soul　of　a　People；　by　H。　Fielding　（1902）；　p。　250。


There　are　also　in　India　and　elsewhere　popular　rites　of　MARRIAGE　of　women　（and　men）　to　Trees；　which　suggest　that　trees　were　regarded　as　very　near　akin　to　human　beings！　The　Golden　Bough＇1＇　mentions　many　of　these；　including　the　idea　that　some　trees　are　male　and　others　female。　The　well…known　Assyrian　emblem　of　a　Pine　cone　being　presented　by　a　priest　to　a　Palm…tree　is　supposed　by　E。　B。　Tylor　to　symbolize　fertilizationthe　Pine　cone　being　masculine　and　the　Palm　feminine。　The　ceremony　of　the　god　Krishna's　marriage　to　a　Basil　plant　is　still　celebrated　in　India　down　to　the　present　day；　and　certain　trees　are　clasped　and　hugged　by　pregnant　womenthe　idea　no　doubt　being　that　they　bestow　fertility　on　those　who　embrace　them。　In　other　cases　apparently　it　is　the　trees　which　are　benefited；　since　it　is　said　that　men　sometimes　go　naked　into　the　Clove　plantations　at　night　in　order　by　a　sort　of　sexual　intercourse　to　fertilize　them。＇2＇

＇1＇　Vol。　i；　p。　40；　Vol。　iii；　pp。　24　sq。

＇2＇　Ibid。；　vol。　ii；　p。　98。


One　might　go　on　multiplying　examples　in　this　direction　quite　indefinitely。　There　is　no　end　to　them。　They　all　indicatewhat　was　instinctively　felt　by　early　man；　and　is　perfectly　obvious　to　all　to…day　who　are　not　blinded　by　〃civilization〃　（and　Herbert　Spencer！）　that　the　world　outside　us　is　really　most　deeply　akin　to　ourselves；　that　it　is　not　dead　and　senseless　but　intensely　alive　and　instinct　with　feeling　and　intelligence　resembling　our　own。　It　is　this　perception；　this　conviction　of　our　essential　unity　with　the　whole　of　creation；　which　lay　from　the　first　at　the　base　of　all　Religion；　yet　at　first；　as　I　have　said；　was　hardly　a　conscious　perception。　Only　later；　when　it　gradually　became　more　conscious；　did　it　evolve　itself　into　the　definite　forms　of　the　gods　and　the　creedsbut　of　that　process　I　will　speak　more　in　detail　presently。

The　Tree　therefore　was　a　most　intimate　presence　to　the　Man。　It　grew　in　the　very　midst　of　his　Garden　of　Eden。　It　had　a　magical　virtue；　which　his　tentative　science　could　only　explain　by　chance　analogies　and　assimilations。　Attractive　and　beloved　and　worshipped　by　reason　of　its　many　gifts　to　mankindits　grateful　shelter；　its　abounding　fruits；　its　timber；　and　other　invaluable　productswhy　should　it　not　become　the　natural　emblem　of　the　female；　to　whom　through　sex　man's　worship　is　ever　drawn？　If　the　Snake　has　an　unmistakable　resemblance　to　the　male　organ　in　its　active　state；　the　foliage　of　the　tree　or　bush　is　equally　remindful　of　the　female。　What　more　clear　than　that　the　conjunction　of　Tree　and　Serpent　is　the　fulfilment　in　nature　of　that　sex…mystery　which　is　so　potent　in　the　life　of　man　and　the　animals？　and　that　the　magic　ritual　most　obviously　fitted　to　induce　fertility　in　the　tribe　or　the　herds　（or　even　the　crops）　is　to　set　up　an　image　of　the　Tree　and　the　Serpent　combined；　and　for　all　the　tribe…folk　in　common　to　worship　and　pay　it　reverence。　In　the　Bible　with　more　or　less　veiled　sexual　significance　we　have　this　combination　in　the　Eden…garden；　and　again　in　the　brazen　Serpent　and　Pole　which　Moses　set　up　in　the　wilderness　（as　a　cure　for　the　fiery　serpents　of　lust）；　illustrations　of　the　same　are　said　to　be　found　in　the　temples　of　Egypt　and　of　South　India；　and　even　in　the　ancient　temples　of　Central　America。＇1＇　In　the　myth　of　Hercules　the　golden　apples　of　the　Hesperides　garden　are　guarded　by　a　dragon。　The　Etruscans；　the　Persians　and　the　Babylonians　had　also　legends　of　the　Fall　of　man　through　a　serpent　tempting　him　to　taste　of　the　fruit　of　a　holy　Tree。　And　De　Gubernatis；＇2＇　pointing　out　the　phallic　meaning　of　these　stories；　says　〃the　legends　concerning　the　tree　of　golden　apples　or　figs　which　yields　honey　or　ambrosia；　guarded　by　dragons；　in　which　the　life；　the　fortune；　the　glory；　the　strength　and　the　riches　of　the　hero　have　their　beginning；　are　numerous　among　every　people　of　Aryan　origin：　in　India；　Persia；　Russia；　Poland；　Sweden；　Germany；　Greece　and　Italy。〃

＇1＇　See　Ancient　Pagan　and　Modern　Christian　Symbolism；　by　Thomas　Inman　（Trubner；　1874）；　p。　55。

＇2＇　Zoological　Mythology；　vol。　ii；　pp。　410　sq。


Thus　we　see　the　natural…magic　tendency　of　the　human　mind　asserting　itself。　To　some　of　us　indeed　this　tendency　is　even　greater　in　the　case　of　the　Snake　than　in　that　of　the　Tree。　W。　H。　Hudson；　in　Far　Away　and　Long　Ago；　speaks　of　〃that　sense　of　something　supernatural　in　the　serpent；　which　appears　to　have　been　universal　among　peoples　in　a　primitive　state　of　culture；　and　still　survives　in　some　barbarous　or　semi…barbarous　countries。〃　The　fascination　of　the　Snakethe　fascination　of　its　mysteriously　gliding　movement；　of　its　vivid　energy；　its　glittering　eye；　its　intensity　of　life；　combined　with　its　fatal　dart　of　Deathis　a　thing　felt　even　more　by　women　than　by　menand　for　a　reason　（from　what　we　have　already　said）　not　far　to　seek。　It　was　the　Woman　who　in　the　story　of　the　Fall　was　the　first　to　listen　to　its　suggestions。　No　wonder　that；　as　Professor　Murray　says；＇1＇　the　Greeks　worshiped　a　gigantic　snake　（Meilichios）　the　lord　of　Death　and　Life；　with　ceremonies　of　appeasement；　and　sacrifices；　long　before　they　arrived　at　the　worship　of　Zeus　and　the　Olympian　gods。

＇1＇　Four　Stages　of　Greek　Religion；　p。　29。


Or　let　us　take　the　example　of　an　Ear　of　Corn。　Some　people　wonderhearing　nowadays　that　the　folk　of　old　used　to　worship　a　Corn…spirit　or　Corn…godwonder　that　any　human　beings　could　have　been　so　foolish。　But　probably　the　good　people　who　wonder　thus　have　never　REALLY　LOOKED　（with　their　town…dazed　eyes）　at　a　growing　spike　of　wheat。＇1＇　Of　all　the　wonderful　things　in　Nature　I　hardly　know　any　that　thrills　one　more　with　a　sense　of　wizardry　than　just　this　very　thingto　observe；　each　year；　this　disclosure　of　the　Ear　within　the　Bladefirst　a　swelling　of　the　sheath；　then　a　transparency　and　a　whitey…green　face　within　a　hooded　shroud；　and　then　the　perfect　spike　of　grain　disengaging　itself　and　spiring　upward　towards　the　sky〃the　resurrection　of　the　wheat　with　pale　visage　appearing　out　of　the　ground。〃

＇1＇　Even　the　thrice…learned　Dr。　Famel