ThesubjectofReligiousOriginsisafascinatingone，asthegreatmultitudeofbooksuponit，publishedinlateyears，tendstoshow。Indeedthegreatdifficultyto-dayindealingwiththesubject，liesintheverymassofthematerialtohand——andthatnotonlyonaccountofthelaborinvolvedinsortingthematerial，butbecausetheabundanceitselfoffactsopensuptemptationtoastudentinthisdepartmentofAnthropology(ashappensalsoinotherbranchesofgeneralScience)torushintoohastilywithwhatseemsaplausibletheory。Themorefacts，statistics，andsoforth，thereareavailableinanyinvestigation，theeasieritistopickoutaconsiderablenumberwhichwillfitagiventheory。Theotherfactsbeingneglectedorignored，theviewsputforwardenjoyforatimeagreatvogue。Theninevitably，andatalatertime，neworneglectedfactsaltertheoutlook，andanewperspectiveisestablished。
ThereisalsointhesemattersofScience(thoughmanyscientificmenwoulddoubtlessdenythis)agreatdealof“Fashion“。SuchhasbeennotoriouslythecaseinPoliticalEconomy，Medicine，Geology，andeveninsuchdefinitestudiesasPhysicsandChemistry。Inacomparativelyrecentscience，likethatwithwhichwearenowconcerned，onewouldnaturallyexpectvariations。Ahundredandfiftyyearsago，andsincethetimeofRousseau，the“NobleSavage“wasextremelypopular；andhelingersstillinthestorybooksofourchildren。Thenthereactionfromthisextremeviewsetin，andoflateyearsithasbeenthepopularcue(largely，itmustbesaid，among“armchair“
travelersandexplorers)torepresentthereligiousritesandcustomsofprimitivefolkasasenselessmassofsuperstitions，andtheearlymanasquitedevoidofdecentfeelingandintelligence。Again，whenthestudyofreligiousoriginsfirstbeganinmoderntimestobeseriouslytakenup——sayintheearlierpartoflastcentury——
therewasagreatboominSungods。EverydivinityinthePantheonwasanimpersonationoftheSun——unlessindeed(iffeminine)oftheMoon。Apollowasasungod，ofcourse；Herculeswasasungod；Samsonwasasungod；
IndraandKrishna，andevenChrist，thesame。
C。F。DupuisinFrance(OriginedetouslesCultes，1795)，F。NorkinGermany(BiblischeMythologie，1842)，RichardTaylorinEngland(TheDevil\'sPulpit，[1]1830)，wereamongthefirstinmoderntimestoputforwardthisview。AlittlelaterthePHALLICexplanationofeverythingcameintofashion。Thedeitieswereallpolitenamesfortheorgansandpowersofprocreation。R。P。Knight(AncientArtandMythology，1818)andDr。ThomasInman(AncientFaithsandAncientNames，1868)popularizedthisideainEngland；sodidNorkinGermany。ThenagaintherewasaperiodofwhatissometimescalledEuhemerism——thetheorythatthegodsandgoddesseshadactuallyoncebeenmenandwomen，historicalcharactersroundwhomahaloofromanceandremotenesshadgathered。Laterstill，aschoolhasarisenwhichthinkslittleofsungods，andpaysmoreattentiontoEarthandNaturespirits，tognomesanddemonsandvegetation-sprites，andtotheprocessesofMagicbywhichthese(soitwassupposed)
couldbeenlistedinman\'sserviceiffriendly，orexorcisedifhostile。
[1]Thisextraordinarybook，thoughcarelesslycomposedandcontainingmanyunprovenstatements，wasonthewholeontherightlines。Butitraisedastormofopposition——themoresobecauseitsauthorwasaclergyman！Hewasejectedfromtheministry，ofcourse，andwassenttoprisontwice。
ItiseasytoseeofcoursethatthereissometruthinALLtheseexplanations；butnaturallyeachschoolforthetimebeingmakesthemostofitsowncontention。Mr。
J。M。Robertson(PaganChristsandChristianityandMythology)，whohasdonesuchfineworkinthisfield，[1]
relieschieflyonthesolarandastronomicalorigins，thoughhedoesnotaltogetherdenytheothers；Dr。Frazer，ontheotherhand——whosegreatwork，TheGoldenBough，isamonumentalcollectionofprimitivecustoms，andwillbeaninexhaustiblequarryforallfuturestudents——isapparentlyverylittleconcernedwiththeoriesabouttheSunandthestars，butconcentrateshisattentiononthecollectionofinnumerabledetails[2]ofrites，chieflymagical，connectedwithfoodandvegetation。Stilllaterwriters，likeS。Reinach，JaneHarrisonandE。A。Crowley，beingmainlyoccupiedwithcustomsofveryprimitivepeoples，likethePelasgianGreeksortheAustralianaborigines，haveconfinedthemselves(necessarily)evenmoretoMagicandWitchcraft。
[1]Ifonlyhedidnotwastesomuchtime，andsoneedlessly，inslaughteringopponents！
[2]Tosuchadegree，indeed，thatsometimestheconnectingclueoftheargumentseemstobelost。
MeanwhiletheChristianChurchfromthesespeculationshaskeptitselfseverelyapart——asofcourserepresentingauniqueanddivinerevelationlittleconcernedorinterestedinsuchheathenisms；andmoreover(inthiscountryatanyrate)hasmanagedtopersuadethegeneralpublicofitsowndivineuniquenesstosuchadegreethatfewpeople，evennowadays，realizethatithassprungfromjustthesamerootasPaganism，andthatitsharesbyfarthemostpartofitsdoctrinesandriteswiththelatter。Tillquitelatelyitwasthought(inBritain)thatonlysecularistsandunfashionablepeopletookanyinterestinsungods；andwhileitwastruethatlearnedprofessorsmightpointtoabeliefinMagicasoneofthefirstsourcesofReligion，itwaseasyinreplytosaythatthisobviouslyhadnothingtodowithChristianity！TheSecularists，too，ratherspoilttheircasebyassuming，intheirwrathagainsttheChurch，thatallpriestssincethebeginningoftheworldhavebeenfraudsandcharlatans，andthatalltheritesofreligionweremerelydevil\'sdevicesinventedbythemforthepurposeofpreyinguponthesuperstitionsoftheignorant，totheirownenrichment。They(theSecularists)
overleapedthemselvesbygrosslyexaggeratingathingthatnodoubtispartiallytrue。
Thusthesubjectofreligiousoriginsissomewhatcomplex，andyieldsmanyaspectsforconsideration。Itisonly，Ithink，bykeepingabroadcourseandadmittingcontributionstothetruthfromvarioussides，thatvaluableresultscanbeobtained。Itisabsurdtosupposethatinthisoranyotherscienceneatsystemscanbefoundwhichwillcoverallthefacts。NatureandHistorydonotdealinsuchthings，orsupplythemforasoptoMan\'svanity。
Itisclearthattherehavebeenthreemainlines，sofar，alongwhichhumanspeculationandstudyhaverun。OneconnectingreligiousritesandobservationswiththemovementsoftheSunandtheplanetsinthesky，andleadingtotheinventionofandbeliefinOlympianandremotegodsdwellinginheavenandrulingtheEarthfromadistance；
thesecondconnectingreligionwiththechangesoftheseason，ontheEarthandwithsuchpracticalthingsasthegrowthofvegetationandfood，andleadingtoormingledwithavaguebeliefinearth-spiritsandmagicalmethodsofinfluencingsuchspirits；andthethirdconnectingreligionwithman\'sownbodyandthetremendousforceofsexresidinginit——emblemofundyinglifeandallfertilityandpower。Itisclearalso——andallinvestigationconfirmsit——thatthesecond-mentionedphaseofreligionaroseonthewholeBEFOREthefirst-mentioned——thatis，thatmennaturallythoughtabouttheverypracticalquestionsoffoodandvegetation，andthemagicalorothermethodsofencouragingthesame，beforetheyworriedthemselvesabouttheheavenlybodiesandthelawsofTHEIR
movements，oraboutthesinisterorfavorableinfluencesthestarsmightexert。Andagainitisextremelyprobablethatthethird-mentionedaspect——thatwhichconnectedreligionwiththeprocreativedesiresandphenomenaofhumanphysiology——reallycameFIRST。Thesedesiresandphysiologicalphenomenamusthaveloomedlargeontheprimitivemindlongbeforethechangesoftheseasonsoroftheskyhadbeenatalldefinitelyobservedorconsidered。Thuswefinditprobablethat，inordertounderstandthesequenceoftheactualandhistoricalphasesofreligiousworship，wemustapproximatelyreversetheorderabove-giveninwhichtheyhavebeenSTUDIED，andconcludethatingeneralthePhalliccultscamefirst，thecultofMagicandthepropitiationofearth-divinitiesandspiritscamesecond，andonlylastcamethebeliefindefiniteGod-figuresresidinginheaven。
Atthebaseofthewholeprocessbywhichdivinitiesanddemonswerecreated，andritesfortheirpropitiationandplacationestablished，layFear——fearstimulatingtheimaginationtofantasticactivity。PrimusinorbedeosfecitTimor。Andfear，asweshallsee，onlybecameamentalstimulusatthetimeof，orafter，theevolutionofself-consciousness。Beforethattime，intheperiodofSIMPLEconsciousness，whenthehumanmindresembledthatoftheanimals，fearindeedexisted，butitsnaturewasmorethatofamechanicalprotectiveinstinct。TherebeingnofigureorimageofSELFintheanimalmind，therewerecorrespondinglynofiguresorimagesofbeingswhomightthreatenordestroythatself。SoitwasthattheimaginativepoweroffearbeganwithSelf-consciousness，andfromthatimaginativepowerwasunrolledthewholepanoramaofthegodsandritesandcreedsofReligiondownthecenturies。
TheimmenseforceanddominationofFearinthefirstself-consciousstagesofthehumanmindisathingwhichcanhardlybeexaggerated，andwhichisevendifficultforsomeofusmodernstorealize。ButnaturallyassoonasManbegantothinkabouthimself——afrailphantomandwaifinthemidstoftremendousforcesofwhosenatureandmodeofoperationhewasentirelyignorant——hewasBESETwithterrors；dangersloomeduponhimonallsides。
Evento-dayitisnoticedbydoctorsthatoneofthechiefobstaclestothecureofillnessamongsomeblackornativeracesissheersuperstitiousterror；andThanatomaniaistherecognizedwordforastateofmind(“obsessionofdeath“)whichwilloftencauseasavagetoperishfromamerescratchhardlytobecalledawound。Thenaturaldefenceagainstthisstateofmindwasthecreationofanenormousnumberoftaboos——suchaswefindamongallracesandoneveryconceivablesubject——andthesetaboosconstitutedpracticallyagreatbodyofwarningswhichregulatedthelivesandthoughtsofthecommunity，andultimately，aftertheyhadbeenweededoutandtosomedegreesimplified，hardeneddownintoverystringentCustomsandLaws。Suchtaboosnaturallyinthebeginningtendedtoincludetheavoidancenotonlyofactswhichmightreasonablybeconsidereddangerous，liketouchingacorpse，butalsothingsmuchmoreremoteandfancifulintheirrelationtodanger，likemerelylookingatamother-
in-law，orpassingalightning-strucktree；and(whatisespeciallytobenoticed)theytendedtoincludeactswhichofferedanyspecialPLEASUREortemptation——likesexormarriageortheenjoymentofameal。Taboossurroundedthesethingstoo，andthepsychologicalconnectioniseasytodivine:butIshalldealwiththisgeneralsubjectlater。
Itmaybeguessedthatsocomplexasystemofregulationsmadelifeanythingbuteasytoearlypeoples；but，preposterousandunreasonableassomeofthetabooswere，theyundoubtedlyhadtheeffectofcompellingthegrowthofself-control。Feardoesnotseemaveryworthymotive，butinthebeginningitcurbedtheviolenceofthepurelyanimalpassions，andintroducedorderandrestraintamongthem。Simultaneouslyitbecameitself，throughthegradualincreaseofknowledgeandobservation，transmutedandetherealizedintosomethingmorelikewonderandaweand(whenthegodsroseabovethehorizon)intoreverence。
Anyhowweseemtoperceivethatfromtheearlybeginnings(intheStoneAge)ofself-consciousnessinMantherehasbeenagradualdevelopment——fromcrasssuperstition，senselessandaccidental，torudimentaryobservation，andsotobeliefinMagic；thencetoAnimismandpersonificationofnature-powersinmoreorlesshumanform，asearth-divinitiesorsky-godsorembodimentsofthetribe；andtoplacationofthesepowersbyriteslikeSacrificeandtheEucharist，whichintheirturnbecamethefoundationofMorality。Graphicrepresentationsmadefortheencouragementoffertility——asonthewallsofBushmen\'srock-dwellingsortheceilingsofthecavernsofAltamira——
becamethenurseofpictorialArt；observationsofplantsoroftheweatherorthestars，carriedonbytribalmedicine-menforpurposesofwitchcraftorprophecy，suppliedsomeofthematerialofScience；andhumanityemergedbyfalteringandhesitatingstepsontheborderlandofthosefinerperceptionsandreasoningswhicharesupposedtobecharacteristicofCivilization。
Theprocessoftheevolutionofreligiousritesandceremonieshasinitsmainoutlinesbeenthesameallovertheworld，asthereaderwillpresentlysee——andthiswhetherinconnectionwiththenumerouscreedsofPaganismorthesupposedlyuniquecaseofChristianity；andnowthecontinuityandcloseintermixtureofthesegreatstreamscannolongerbedenied——norISitindeeddeniedbythosewhohavereallystudiedthesubject。ItisseenthatreligiousevolutionthroughtheageshasbeenpracticallyOnething——thattherehasbeeninfactaWorld-
religion，thoughwithvariousphasesandbranches。
Andsointhepresentdayanewproblemarises，namelyhowtoaccountfortheappearanceofthisgreatPhenomenon，withitsorderlyphasesofevolution，anditsownspontaneous[1]
growthsinallcornersoftheglobe——thisphenomenonwhichhashadsuchastrangeswayovertheheartsofmen，whichhasattractedthemwithsoweirdacharm，whichhasdrawnouttheirdevotion，loveandtenderness，whichhasconsoledtheminsorrowandaffliction，andyetwhichhasstainedtheirhistorywithsuchhorriblesacrificesandpersecutionsandcruelties。Whathasbeentheinstigatingcauseofit?
[1]Forthequestionofspontaneityseechap。xandelsewhere。
TheanswerwhichIproposetothisquestion，andwhichisdevelopedtosomeextentinthefollowingchapters，isapsychologicalone。Itisthatthephenomenonproceedsfrom，andisanecessaryaccompanimentof，thegrowthofhumanConsciousnessitself——itsgrowth，namely，throughthethreegreatstagesofitsunfoldment。Thesestagesare(1)thatofthesimpleoranimalconsciousness，(2)thatofSELF-consciousness，and(3)thatofathirdstageofconsciousnesswhichhasnotasyetbeeneffectivelynamed，butwhoseindicationsandprecursivesignswehereandthereperceiveintheritesandpropheciesandmysteriesoftheearlyreligions，andinthepoetryandartandliteraturegenerallyofthelatercivilizations。ThoughIdonotexpectorwishtocatchNatureandHistoryinthecarefulnetofaphrase，yetIthinkthatinthesequencefromtheabove-mentionedfirststagetothesecond，andthenagaininthesequencefromthesecondtothethird，therewillbefoundahelpfulexplanationoftheritesandaspirationsofhumanreligion。Itisthisidea，illustratedbydetailsofceremonialandsoforth，whichformsthemainthesisofthepresentbook。Inthissequenceofgrowth，Christianityentersasanepisode，butnomorethananepisode。
Itdoesnotamounttoadisruptionordislocationofevolution。
Ifitdid，orifitstoodasanuniqueorunclassifiablephenomenon(assomeofitsvotariescontend)，thiswouldseemtobeamisfortune——asitwouldobviouslyrobusofatanyrateonepromiseofprogressinthefuture。AndthepromiseofsomethingbetterthanPaganismandbetterthanChristianityisveryprecious。Itissurelytimethatitshouldbefulfilled。
Thetracing，therefore，ofthepartthathumanself-
consciousnesshasplayed，psychologically，intheevolutionofreligion，runslikeathreadthroughthefollowingchapters，andseeksillustrationinavarietyofdetails。Theideahasbeenrepeatedunderdifferentaspects；sometimes，possibly，ithasbeenrepeatedtoooften；butdifferentaspectsinsuchacasedohelp，asinastereoscope，togivesoliditytothethingseen。ThoughtheworshipofSun-godsanddivinefiguresintheskycamecomparativelylateinreligiousevolution，1haveputthissubjectearlyinthebook(chaptersiiandiii)，partlybecause(asIhavealreadyexplained)itwasthephasefirststudiedinmoderntimes，andthereforeistheonemostfamiliartopresent-
dayreaders，andpartlybecauseitsastronomicaldatagivegreatdefinitenessand“proveability“toit，inrebuttaltothecommonaccusationthatthewholestudyofreligiousoriginsistoovagueanduncertaintohavemuchvalue。
GoingbackwardsinTime，thetwonextchapters(ivandv)
dealwithTotem-sacramentsandMagic，perhapstheearliestformsofreligion。Andthesefourleadon(inchaptersvitoxi)totheconsiderationofritesandcreedscommontoPaganismandChristianity。XIIandxiiidealespeciallywiththeevolutionofChristianityitself；xivandxvexplaintheinnerMeaningofthewholeprocessfromthebeginning；
andxviandxviilooktotheFuture。
TheappendixonthedoctrinesoftheUpanishadsmay，Ihope，servetogiveanidea，intimateeventhoughinadequate，ofthethirdStage——thatwhichfollowsonthestageofself-consciousness；andtoportraythementalattitudeswhicharecharacteristicofthatstage。Hereinthisthirdstage，itwouldseem，onecomesupontherealFACTSoftheinnerlife——incontradistinctiontothefanciesandfigmentsofthesecondstage；andsoonereachesthefinalpointofconjunctionbetweenScienceandReligion。
II。SOLARMYTHSANDCHRISTIANFESTIVALS
Totheordinarypublic——notwithstandingtheimmenseamountofworkwhichhasoflatebeendoneonthissubject——
theconnectionbetweenPaganismandChristianitystillseemsratherremote。IndeedthecommonnotionisthatChristianitywasreallyamiraculousinterpositionintoanddislocationoftheoldorderoftheworld；andthatthepagangods(asinMilton\'sHymnontheNativity)fledawayindismaybeforethesignoftheCross，andatthesoundofthenameofJesus。DoubtlessthiswasaviewmuchencouragedbytheearlyChurchitself——ifonlytoenhanceitsownauthorityandimportance；yet，asiswellknowntoeverystudent，itisquitemisleadingandcontrarytofact。ThemainChristiandoctrinesandfestivals，besidesagreatmassofaffiliatedlegendandceremonial，arereallyquitedirectlyderivedfrom，andrelatedto，precedingNatureworships；andithasonlybeenbyagooddealofdeliberatemystificationandfalsificationthatthisderivationhasbeenkeptoutofsight。
IntheseNature-worshipstheremaybediscernedthreefairlyindependentstreamsofreligiousorquasi-religiousenthusiasm:(1)thatconnectedwiththephenomenaoftheheavens，themovementsoftheSun，planetsandstars，andtheaweandwondermenttheyexcited；(2)thatconnectedwiththeseasonsandtheveryimportantmatterofthegrowthofvegetationandfoodontheEarth；and(3)
thatconnectedwiththemysteriesofSexandreproduction。
Itisobviousthatthesethreestreamswouldmingleandinterfusewitheachotheragooddeal；butasfarastheywereseparablethefirstwouldtendtocreateSolarheroesandSun-myths；thesecondVegetation-godsandpersonificationsofNatureandtheearth-life；whilethethirdwouldthrowitsglamourovertheothertwoandcontributetotheprojectionofdeitiesordemonsworshippedwithallsortsofsexualandphallicrites。Allthreesystemsofcoursehavetheirspecialritesandtimesandceremonies；
but，as，Isay，theritesandceremoniesofonesystemwouldrarelybefoundpureandunmixedwiththose。belongingtothetwoothers。Thewholesubjectisaverylargeone；butforreasonsgivenintheIntroductionIshallinthisandthefollowingchapter——whilenotignoringphases(2)and(3)——laymoststressonphase(1)
ofthequestionbeforeus。
AtthetimeofthelifeorrecordedappearanceofJesusofNazareth，andforsomecenturiesbefore，theMediterraneanandneighboringworldhadbeenthesceneofavastnumberofpagancreedsandrituals。TherewereTempleswithoutenddedicatedtogodslikeApolloorDionysusamongtheGreeks，HerculesamongtheRomans，MithraamongthePersians，AdonisandAttisinSyriaandPhrygia，OsirisandIsisandHorusinEgypt，BaalandAstarteamongtheBabyloniansandCarthaginians，andsoforth。Societies，largeorsmall，unitedbelieversandthedevoutintheserviceorceremonialsconnectedwiththeirrespectivedeities，andinthecreedswhichtheyconfessedconcerningthesedeities。Andanextraordinarilyinterestingfact，forus，isthatnotwithstandinggreatgeographicaldistancesandracialdifferencesbetweentheadherentsofthesevariouscults，aswellasdifferencesinthedetailsoftheirservices，thegeneraloutlinesoftheircreedsandceremonialswere——ifnotidentical——somarkedlysimilaraswefindthem。
Icannotofcoursegoatlengthintothesedifferentcults，butImaysayroughlythatofallornearlyallthedeitiesabove-mentioneditwassaidandbelievedthat:
(1)TheywerebornonorverynearourChristmasDay。
(2)TheywerebornofaVirgin-Mother。
(3)AndinaCaveorUndergroundChamber。
(4)TheyledalifeoftoilforMankind。
(5)AndwerecalledbythenamesofLight-bringer，Healer，Mediator，Savior，Deliverer。
(6)TheywerehowevervanquishedbythePowersofDarkness。
(7)AnddescendedintoHellortheUnderworld。
(8)Theyroseagainfromthedead，andbecamethepioneersofmankindtotheHeavenlyworld。
(9)TheyfoundedCommunionsofSaints，andChurchesintowhichdiscipleswerereceivedbyBaptism。
(10)AndtheywerecommemoratedbyEucharisticmeals。
Letmegiveafewbriefexamples。
Mithrawasborninacave，andonthe25thDecember。[1]
HewasbornofaVirgin。[2]Hetraveledfarandwideasateacherandilluminatorofmen。HeslewtheBull(symbolofthegrossEarthwhichthesunlightfructifies)。
HisgreatfestivalswerethewintersolsticeandtheSpringequinox(ChristmasandEaster)。Hehadtwelvecompanionsordisciples(thetwelvemonths)。Hewasburiedinatomb，fromwhichhoweverheroseagain；andhisresurrectionwascelebratedyearlywithgreatrejoicings。HewascalledSaviorandMediator，andsometimesfiguredasaLamb；andsacramentalfeastsinremembranceofhimwereheldbyhisfollowers。Thislegendisapparentlypartlyastronomicalandpartlyvegetational；andthesamemaybesaidofthefollowingaboutOsiris。
[1]ThebirthfeastofMithrawasheldinRomeonthe8thdaybeforetheKalendsofJanuary，beingalsothedayoftheCircassiangames，whichweresacredtotheSun。(SeeF。Nork，DerMystagog，Leipzig。)
[2]Thisatanyratewasreportedbyhislaterdisciples(seeRobertson\'sPaganChrists，p。338)。
Osiriswasborn(Plutarchtellsus)onthe361stdayoftheyear，saythe27thDecember。Hetoo，likeMithraandDionysus，wasagreattraveler。AsKingofEgypthetaughtmencivilarts，and“tamedthembymusicandgentleness，notbyforceofarms“；[1]hewasthediscovererofcornandwine。ButhewasbetrayedbyTyphon，thepowerofdarkness，andslainanddismembered。“Thishappened，“
saysPlutarch，“onthe17thofthemonthAthyr，whenthesunentersintotheScorpion“(thesignoftheZodiacwhichindicatestheoncomingofWinter)。Hisbodywasplacedinabox，butafterwards，onthe19th，cameagaintolife，and，asinthecultsofMithra，Dionysus，Adonisandothers，sointhecultofOsiris，animageplacedinacoffinwasbroughtoutbeforetheworshipersandsalutedwithgladcriesof“Osirisisrisen。”[1]“Hissufferings，hisdeathandhisresurrectionwereenactedyearbyyearinagreatmystery-playatAbydos。”[2]
[1]SeePlutarchonIsisandOsiris。
[2]AncientArtandRitual，byJaneE。Harrison，chap。i。
ThetwofollowinglegendshavemoredistinctlythecharacterofVegetationmyths。
AdonisorTammuz，theSyriangodofvegetation，wasaverybeautifulyouth，bornofaVirgin(Nature)，andsobeautifulthatVenusandProserpine(thegoddessesoftheUpperandUnderworlds)bothfellinlovewithhim。
Toreconciletheirclaimsitwasagreedthatheshouldspendhalftheyear(summer)intheupperworld，andthewinterhalfwithProserpinebelow。Hewaskilledbyaboar(Typhon)intheautumn。Andeveryyearthemaidens“weptforAdonis“(seeEzekielviii。14)。Inthespringafestivalofhisresurrectionwasheld——thewomensetouttoseekhim，andhavingfoundthesupposedcorpseplacedit(awoodenimage)inacoffinorhollowtree，andperformedwildritesandlamentations，followedbyevenwilderrejoicingsoverhissupposedresurrection。AtAphacaintheNorthofSyria，andhalfwaybetweenByblusandBaalbec，therewasafamousgroveandtempleofAstarte，nearwhichwasawildromanticgorgefulloftrees，thebirthplaceofacertainriverAdonis——thewaterrushingfromaCavern，underloftycliffs。Here(itwassaid)everyyeartheyouthAdoniswasagainwoundedtodeath，andtheriverranredwithhisblood，[1]whilethescarletanemonebloomedamongthecedarsandwalnuts。
[1]Adiscolorationcausedbyredearthwashedbyrainfromthemountains，andwhichhasbeenobservedbymoderntravelers。ForthewholestoryofAdonisandofAttisseeFrazer\'sGoldenBough，partiv。
ThestoryofAttisisverysimilar。HewasafairyoungshepherdorherdsmanofPhrygia，belovedbyCybele(orDemeter)，theMotherofthegods。HewasbornofaVirgin——Nana——whoconceivedbyputtingaripealmondorpomegranateinherbosom。Hedied，eitherkilledbyaboar，thesymbolofwinter，likeAdonis，orself-castrated(likehisownpriests)；andhebledtodeathatthefootofapinetree(thepineandpine-conebeingsymbolsoffertility)。
Thesacrificeofhisbloodrenewedthefertilityoftheearth，andintheritualcelebrationofhisdeathandresurrectionhisimagewasfastenedtothetrunkofapine-
tree(comparetheCrucifixion)。ButIshallreturntothislegendpresently。TheworshipofAttisbecameverywidespreadandmuchhonored，andwasultimatelyincorporatedwiththeestablishedreligionatRomesomewhereaboutthecommencementofourEra。
Thefollowingtwolegends(dealingwithHerculesandwithKrishna)haverathermoreofthecharacterofthesolar，andlessofthevegetationalmythaboutthem。Bothheroeswereregardedasgreatbenefactorsofhumanity；buttheformermoreonthematerialplane，andthelatteronthespiritual。
HerculesorHeracleswas，likeotherSun-godsandbenefactorsofmankind，agreatTraveler。Hewasknowninmanylands，andeverywherehewasinvokedasSaviour。
HewasmiraculouslyconceivedfromadivineFather；eveninthecradlehestrangledtwoserpentssenttodestroyhim。
Hismanylaborsforthegoodoftheworldwereultimatelyepitomizedintotwelve，symbolizedbythesignsoftheZodiac。
HeslewtheNemxanLionandtheHydra(offspringofTyphon)andtheBoar。HeovercametheCretanBull，andcleanedouttheStablesofAugeas；heconqueredDeathand，descendingintoHades，broughtCerberusthenceandascendedintoHeaven。Onallsideshewasfollowedbythegratitudeandtheprayersofmortals。
AstoKrishna，theIndiangod，thepointsofagreementwiththegeneraldivinecareerindicatedabovearetoosalienttobeoverlooked，andtoonumeroustobefullyrecorded。
HealsowasbornofaVirgin(Devaki)andinaCave，[1]
andhisbirthannouncedbyaStar。Itwassoughttodestroyhim，andforthatpurposeamassacreofinfantswasordered。
Everywhereheperformedmiracles，raisingthedead，healinglepers，andthedeafandtheblind，andchampioningthepoorandoppressed。Hehadabeloveddisciple，Arjuna，(cf。
John)beforewhomhewastransfigured。[2]Hisdeathisdifferentlyrelated——asbeingshotbyanarrow，orcrucifiedonatree。Hedescendedintohell；androseagainfromthedead，ascendingintoheaveninthesightofmanypeople。
Hewillreturnatthelastdaytobethejudgeofthequickandthedead。
[1]Cox\'sMythsoftheAryanNations，p。107。
[2]BhagavatGita，ch。xi。
Sucharesomeofthelegendsconcerningthepaganandpre-Christiandeities——onlybrieflysketchednow，inorderthatwemaygetsomethinglikeatrueperspectiveofthewholesubject；buttomostofthem，andmoreindetail，Ishallreturnastheargumentproceeds。
Whatwechieflynoticesofararetwopoints；ontheonehandthegeneralsimilarityofthesestorieswiththatofJesusChrist；ontheothertheiranalogywiththeyearlyphenomenaofNatureasillustratedbythecourseoftheSuninheavenandthechangesofVegetationontheearth。
(1)ThesimilarityoftheseancientpaganlegendsandbeliefswithChristiantraditionswasindeedsogreatthatitexcitedtheattentionandtheundisguisedwrathoftheearlyChristianfathers。Theyfeltnodoubtaboutthesimilarity，butnotknowinghowtoexplainitfellbackupontheinnocenttheorythattheDevil——inordertoconfoundtheChristians——had，CENTURIESBEFORE，causedthepaganstoadoptcertainbeliefsandpractices！(Verycrafty，wemaysay，oftheDevil，butalsoveryinnocentoftheFatherstobelieveit！)JustinMartyrforinstancedescribes[1]theinstitutionoftheLord\'sSupperasnarratedintheGospels，andthengoesontosay:“WhichthewickeddevilshaveIMITATEDinthemysteriesofMithra，commandingthesamethingtobedone。For，thatbreadandacupofwaterareplacedwithcertainincantationsinthemysticritesofonewhoisbeinginitiatedyoueitherknoworcanlearn。”Tertullianalsosays[2]that“thedevilbythemysteriesofhisidolsimitateseventhemainpartofthedivinemysteries。”……“Hebaptizeshisworshippersinwaterandmakesthembelievethatthispurifiesthemfromtheircrimes。”……“Mithrasetshismarkontheforeheadofhissoldiers；hecelebratestheoblationofbread；
heoffersanimageoftheresurrection，andpresentsatoncethecrownandthesword；helimitshischiefpriesttoasinglemarriage；heevenhashisvirginsandascetics。”[3]
Cortez，too，itwillberememberedcomplainedthattheDevilhadpositivelytaughttotheMexicansthesamethingswhichGodhadtaughttoChristendom。
[1]IApol。c。66。
[2]DePraescriptioneHereticorum，c。40；DeBapt。c。3；DeCorona，c。15。
[3]ForreferencetoboththeseexamplesseeJ。M。Robertson\'sPaganChrists，pp。321，322。
JustinMartyragain，intheDialoguewithTryphosaysthattheBirthintheStablewastheprototype(！)ofthebirthofMithraintheCaveofZoroastrianism；andboaststhatChristwasbornwhentheSuntakesitsbirthintheAugeanStable，[1]comingasasecondHerculestocleanseafoulworld；andSt。Augustinesays“weholdthis(Christmas)dayholy，notlikethepagansbecauseofthebirthoftheSun，butbecauseofthebirthofhimwhomadeit。”ThereareplentyofotherinstancesintheEarlyFathersoftheirindignantascriptionofthesesimilaritiestotheworkofdevils；butweneednotdwelloverthem。ThereisnoneedforUStobeindignant。OnthecontrarywecannowseethattheseanimadversionsoftheChristianwritersaretheevidenceofhowandtowhatextentinthespreadofChristianityovertheworldithadbecomefusedwiththePagancultspreviouslyexisting。
[1]TheZodiacalsignofCapricornus，iii。)。
ItwasnottilltheyearA。D。530orso——fivecenturiesafterthesupposedbirthofChrist——thataScythianMonk，DionysiusExiguus，anabbotandastronomerofRome，wascommissionedtofixthedayandtheyearofthatbirth。
Aniceproblem，consideringthehistoricalscienceoftheperiod！Foryearheassignedthedatewhichwenowadopt，[2]
andfordayandmonthheadoptedthe25thDecember——adatewhichhadbeeninpopularusesinceabout350B。C。，andtheverydate，withinadayortwo，ofthesupposedbirthofthepreviousSungods。[3]Fromthatfactalonewemayfairlyconcludethatbytheyear530
orearliertheexistingNature-worshipshadbecomelargelyfusedintoChristianity。InfactthedatesofthemainpaganreligiousfestivalshadbythattimebecomesopopularthatChristianitywasOBLIGEDtoaccommodateitselftothem。[1]
[1]As，forinstance，thefestivalofJohntheBaptistinJunetooktheplaceofthepaganmidsummerfestivalofwaterandbathing；theAssumptionoftheVirgininAugusttheplaceofthatofDianainthesamemonth；andthefestivalofAllSoulsearlyinNovember，thatoftheworld-widepaganfeastsofthedeadandtheirghostsatthesameseason。
[2]SeeEncycl。Brit。art。“Chronology。”
[3]“Thereishoweveradifficultyinacceptingthe25thDecemberastherealdateoftheNativity，DecemberbeingtheheightoftherainyseasoninJudaea，whenneitherflocksnorshepherdscouldhavebeenatnightinthefieldsofBethlehem“(！)。Encycl。
Brit。art。“ChristmasDay。”AccordingtoHastings\'sEncyclopaedia，art。“Christmas，““UsenersaysthattheFeastoftheNativitywasheldoriginallyonthe6thJanuary(theEpiphany)，butin353-4thePopeLiberiusdisplacedittothe25thDecember……butthereisnoevidenceofaFeastoftheNativitytakingplaceatall，beforethefourthcenturyA。D。”Itwasnottill534A。D。thatChristmasDayandEpiphanywerereckonedbythelaw-courtsasdiesnon。
Thisbringsustothesecondpointmentionedafewpagesback——theanalogybetweentheChristianfestivalsandtheyearlyphenomenaofNatureintheSunandtheVegetation。
LetustakeChristmasDayfirst。Mithra，aswehaveseen，wasreportedtohavebeenbornonthe25thDecember(whichintheJulianCalendarwasreckonedasthedayoftheWinterSolsticeANDoftheNativityoftheSun)；
Plutarchsays(IsisandOsiris，c。12)thatOsiriswasbornonthe361stdayoftheyear，whenaVoicerangoutproclaimingtheLordofAll。Horus，hesays，wasbornonthe362ndday。Apolloonthesame。
Whywasallthis?WhydidtheDruidsatYuleTidelightroaringfires?WhywasthecocksupposedtocrowallChristmasEve(“Thebirdofdawningsingethallnightlong“)?WhywasApollobornwithonlyonehair(theyoungSunwithonlyonefeebleray)?WhydidSamson(namederivedfromShemesh，thesun)loseallhisstrengthwhenhelosthishair?Whyweresomanyofthesegods——Mithra，Apollo，Krishna，Jesus，andothers，bornincavesorundergroundchambers?[1]Why，attheEasterEvefestivaloftheHolySepulchreatJerusalemisalightbroughtfromthegraveandcommunicatedtothecandlesofthousandswhowaitoutside，andwhorushforthrejoicingtocarrythenewgloryovertheworld?[2]Whyindeed?
exceptthatolderthanallhistoryandallwrittenrecordshasbeenthefearandwondermentofthechildrenofmenoverthefailureoftheSun\'sstrengthinAutumn——thedecayoftheirGod；andtheanxietylestbyanymeansheshouldnotreviveorreappear?
[1]Thissamelegendofgods(oridols)beingbornincaveshas，curiouslyenough，beenreportedfromMexico，Guatemala，theAntilles，andotherplacesinCentralAmerica。SeeC。F。P。vonMartius，EtknographieAmerika，etc。(Leipzig，1867)，vol。i，p。
758。
[2]ComparetheAztecceremonialoflightingaholyfireandcommunicatingittothemultitudefromthewoundedbreastofahumanvictim，celebratedevery52yearsattheendofonecycleandthebeginningofanother——theconstellationofthePleiadesbeingintheZenith(Prescott\'sConquestofMexico，Bk。I，ch。
4)。
ThinkforamomentofatimefarbackwhentherewereabsolutelyNOAlmanacsorCalendars，eithernicelyprintedorotherwise，whenallthattimidmortalscouldseewasthattheirgreatsourceofLightandWarmthwasdailyfailing，dailysinkinglowerinthesky。Aseveryonenowknowsthereareaboutthreeweeksatthefagendoftheyearwhenthedaysareattheirshortestandthereisverylittlechange。Whatwashappening?Evidentlythegodhadfallenuponeviltimes。Typhon，theprinceofdarkness，hadbetrayedhim；Delilah，thequeenofNight，hadshornhishair；thedreadfulBoarhadwoundedhim；
HerculeswasstrugglingwithDeathitself；hehadfallenundertheinfluenceofthosemalignconstellations——theSerpentandtheScorpion。Wouldthegodgrowweakerandweaker，andfinallysuccumb，orwouldheconquerafterall?Wecanimaginetheanxietywithwhichthoseearlymenandwomenwatchedforthefirstindicationofalengtheningday；andtheuniversaljoywhenthePriest(therepresentativeofprimitivescience)havingmadesomesimpleobservations，announcedfromtheTemplestepsthatthedayWASlengthening——thattheSunwasreallybornagaintoanewandgloriouscareer。[1]
[1]ItwassuchthingsasthesewhichdoubtlessgavethePriesthooditspower。
Letuslookattheelementaryscienceofthosedaysalittlecloser。HowwithoutAlmanacsorCalendarscouldtheday，orprobableday，oftheSun\'srebirthbefixed?
GooutnextChristmasEvening，andatmidnightyouwillseethebrightestofthefixedstars，Sirius，blazinginthesouthernsky——nothoweverduesouthfromyou，butsomewhattotheleftoftheMeridianline。Somethreethousandyearsago(owingtothePrecessionoftheEquinoxes)thatstaratthewintersolsticedidnotstandatmidnightwhereyounowseeit，butalmostexactlyONthemeridianline。
ThecomingofSiriusthereforetothemeridianatmidnightbecamethesignandassuranceoftheSunhavingreachedtheverylowestpointofhiscourse，andthereforeofhavingarrivedatthemomentofhisre-birth。WherethenwastheSunatthatmoment?Obviouslyintheunderworldbeneathourfeet。Whateverviewstheancientsmayhavehadabouttheshapeoftheearth，itwasevidenttothemassofpeoplethattheSungod，afterilluminatingtheworldduringtheday，plungeddownintheWest，andremainedthereduringthehoursofdarknessinsomecavernundertheearth。HereherestedandafterbathinginthegreatoceanrenewedhisgarmentsbeforereappearingintheEastnextmorning。
Butinthislongnightofhisgreatestwinterweakness，whenalltheworldwashopingandprayingfortherenewalofhisstrength，itisevidentthatthenewbirthwouldcome——ifitcameatall——atmidnight。Thisthenwasthesacredhourwhenintheunderworld(theStableortheCaveorwhateveritmightbecalled)thechildwasbornwhowasdestinedtobetheSaviorofmen。AtthatmomentSiriusstoodonthesouthernmeridian(andinmoresouthernlandsthanoursthiswouldbemorenearlyoverhead)；andthatstar——thereislittledoubt——istheStarintheEastmentionedintheGospels。
Totheright，asthesupposedobserverlooksatSiriusonthemidnightofChristmasEve，standsthemagnificentOrion，themightyhunter。Therearethreestarsinhisbeltwhich，asiswellknown，lieinastraightlinepointingtoSirius。TheyarenotsobrightasSirius，buttheyaresufficientlybrighttoattractattention。AlongtraditiongivesthemthenameoftheThreeKings。Dupuis[1]says:
“Orionatroisbellesetoilesverslemilieu，quisontdesecondegrandeuretposeesenlignedroite，l\'unepresdel\'autre，lepeuplelesappellelestroisrois。OndonneauxtroisroisMagislesnomsdeMagalat，Galgalat，Saraim；
etAthos，Satos，Paratoras。LesCatholiqueslesappellentGaspard，Melchior，etBalthasar。”Thelast-mentionedgroupofnamescomesintheCatholicCalendarinconnectionwiththefeastoftheEpiphany(6thJanuary)；andthename“TroisRois“iscommonlyto-daygiventothesestarsbytheFrenchandSwisspeasants。
[1]CharlesF。Dupuis(OriginedeTouslesCultes，Paris，1822)
wasoneoftheearliestmodernwritersonthesesubjects。
ImmediatelyafterMidnightthen，onthe25thDecember，theBelovedSon(orSun-god)isborn。Ifwegobackinthoughttotheperiod，somethreethousandyearsago，whenatthatmomentoftheheavenlybirthSirius，comingfromtheEast，didactuallystandontheMeridian，weshallcomeintotouchwithanothercuriousastronomicalcoincidence。
ForatthesamemomentweshallseetheZodiacalconstellationoftheVirginintheactofrising，andbecomingvisibleintheEastdividedthroughthemiddlebythelineofthehorizon。
TheconstellationVirgoisaY-shapedgroup，ofwhich，thestaratthefoot，isthewell-knownSpica，astarofthefirstmagnitude。Theotherprincipalstars，atthecentre，andandattheextremities，areofthesecondmagnitude。Thewholeresemblesmoreacupthanthehumanfigure；butwhenwerememberthesymbolicmeaningofthecup，thatseemstobeanobviousexplanationofthenameVirgo，whichtheconstellationhasbornesincetheearliesttimes。[Thethreestars，and，lieverynearlyontheEcliptic，thatis，theSun\'spath——afacttowhichweshallreturnpresently。]
AtthemomentthenwhenSirius，thestarfromtheEast，bycomingtotheMeridianatmidnightsignalledtheSun\'snewbirth，theVirginwasseenjustrisingontheEasternsky——thehorizonlinepassingthroughhercentre。AndmanypeoplethinkthatthisastronomicalfactistheexplanationoftheverywidespreadlegendoftheVirgin-birth。I
donotthinkthatitisthesoleexplanation——forindeedinallornearlyallthesecasestheacceptanceofamythseemstodependnotuponasingleargumentbutupontheconvergenceofanumberofmeaningsandreasonsinthesamesymbol。Butcertainlythefactmentionedaboveiscurious，anditsimportanceisaccentuatedbythefollowingconsiderations。
IntheTempleofDenderahinEgypt，andontheinsideofthedome，thereisorWASanelaboratecircularrepresentationoftheNorthernhemisphereoftheskyandtheZodiac。[1]HereVirgotheconstellationisrepresented，asinourstar-maps，byawomanwithaspikeofcorninherhand(Spica)。Butonthemarginclosebythereisanannotatingandexplicatoryfigure——afigureofIsiswiththeinfantHorusinherarms，andquiteresemblinginstyletheChristianMadonnaandChild，exceptthatsheissittingandthechildisonherknee。Thisseemstoshowthat——whateverothernationsmayhavedoneinassociatingVirgowithDemeter，Ceres，Diana[2]etc——theEgyptiansmadenodoubtoftheconstellation\'sconnectionwithIsisandHorus。ButitiswellknownasamatterofhistorythattheworshipofIsisandHorusdescendedintheearlyChristiancenturiestoAlexandria，whereittooktheformoftheworshipoftheVirginMaryandtheinfantSavior，andsopassedintotheEuropeanceremonial。WehavethereforetheVirginMaryconnectedbylinearsuccessionanddescentwiththatremoteZodiacalclusterinthesky！AlsoitmaybementionedthatontheArabianandPersianglobesofAbenezraandAbuazaraVirginandChildarefiguredinconnectionwiththesameconstellation。[3]
[1]CarefullydescribedandmappedbyDupuis，seeop。cit。
[2]Fortheharvest-festivalofDiana，theVirgin，andherparallelismwiththeVirginMary，seeTheGoldenBough，vol。i，14andii，121。
[3]SeeF。Nork，DerMystagog(Leipzig，1838)。
AcuriousconfirmationofthesameastronomicalconnectionisaffordedbytheRomanCatholicCalendar。ForifthisbeconsulteditwillbefoundthatthefestivaloftheAssumptionoftheVirginisplacedonthe15thAugust，whilethefestivaloftheBirthoftheVirginisdatedthe8thSeptember。I
havealreadypointedoutthatthestars，，andofVirgoarealmostexactlyontheEcliptic，orSun\'spaththroughthesky；andabriefreferencetotheZodiacalsignsandthestar-mapswillshowthattheSuneachyearentersthesignofVirgoaboutthefirst-mentioneddate，andleavesitabouttheseconddate。AtthepresentdaytheZodiacalsigns(owingtoprecession)haveshiftedsomedistancefromtheconstellationsofthesamename。
ButatthetimewhentheZodiacwasconstitutedandthesenamesweregiven，thefirstdateobviouslywouldsignalizetheactualdisappearanceoftheclusterVirgointheSun\'srays——i。e。theAssumptionoftheVirginintothegloryoftheGod——whiletheseconddatewouldsignalizethereappearanceoftheconstellationortheBirthoftheVirgin。TheChurchofNotreDameatParisissupposedtobeontheoriginalsiteofaTempleofIsis；anditissaid(butIhavenotbeenabletoverifythismyself)thatoneofthesideentrances——that，namely，ontheleftinenteringfromtheNorth(cloister)side——isfiguredwiththesignsoftheZodiacEXCEPTthatthesignVirgoisreplacedbythefigureoftheMadonnaandChild。
Sostrangeisthescriptureofthesky！InnumerablelegendsandcustomsconnecttherebirthoftheSunwithaVirginparturition。Dr。J。G。FrazerinhisPartIVofTheGoldenBough[1]says:“IfwemaytrusttheevidenceofanobscurescholiasttheGreeks[intheworshipofMithrasatRome]usedtocelebratethebirthoftheluminarybyamidnightservice，comingoutoftheinnershrinesandcrying，\'TheVirginhasbroughtforth！Thelightiswaxing！\'(。)“InElieReclus\'littlebookPrimitiveFolk[2]itissaidoftheEsquimauxthat“Onthelongestnightoftheyeartwoangakout(priests)，ofwhomoneisdisguisedasaWOMAN，gofromhuttohutextinguishingallthelights，rekindlingthemfromavestalflame，andcryingout，\'Fromthenewsuncomethanewlight！\'“
[1]BookII，ch。vi。
[2]IntheContemporaryScienceSeries，I。92。
Allthisabove-writtenontheSolarorAstronomicaloriginsofthemythsdoesnotofcourseimplythattheVegetationaloriginsmustbedeniedorignored。Theselatterweredoubtlesstheearliest，butthereisnoreason——
assaidintheIntroduction(ch。i)——whythetwoelementsshouldnottosomeextenthaverunsidebyside，orbeenfusedwitheachother。Infactitisquiteclearthattheymusthavedoneso；andtoseparatethemouttoorigidly，ortreatthemasantagonistic，isamistake。TheCaveorUnderworldinwhichtheNewYearisbornisnotonlytheplaceoftheSun\'swinterretirement，butalsothehiddenchamberbeneaththeEarthtowhichthedyingVegetationgoes，andfromwhichitre-arisesinSpring。TheamoursofAdoniswithVenusandProserpine，thelovelygoddessesoftheupperandunderworlds，orofAttiswithCybele，thebloomingEarth-mother，areobviousvegetation-symbols；buttheydonotexcludetheinterpretationthatAdonis(Adonai)mayalsofigureasaSun-god。TheZodiacalconstellationsofAriesandTaurus(towhichIshallreturnpresently)ruleinheavenjustwhentheLambandtheBullareinevidenceontheearth；andtheyearlysacrificeofthosetwoanimalsandofthegrowingCornforthegoodofmankindrunsparallelwiththedramaofthesky，asitaffectsnotonlythesaidconstellationsbutalsoVirgo(theEarth-motherwhobearsthesheafofcorninherhand)。
Ishallthereforecontinue(inthenextchapter)topointouttheseastronomicalreferences——whicharefullofsignificanceandpoetry；butwitharecommendationatthesametimetothereadernottoforgetthepoetryandsignificanceoftheterrestrialinterpretations。
BetweenChristmasDayandEasterthereareseveralminorfestivalsorholydays——suchasthe28thDecember(theMassacreoftheInnocents)，the6thJanuary(theEpiphany)，the2ndFebruary(Candlemas[1]Day)，theperiodofLent(GermanLenz，theSpring)，theAnnunciationoftheBlessedVirgin，andsoforth——whichhavebeencommonlycelebratedinthepagancultsbeforeChristianity，andinwhichelementsofStarandNatureworshipcanbetraced；buttodwellonallthesewouldtaketoolong；soletuspassatoncetotheperiodofEasteritself。
[1]ThisfestivalofthePurificationoftheVirgincorrespondswiththeoldRomanfestivalofJunoFebruata(i。e。purified)
whichwasheldinthelastmonth(February)oftheRomanyear，andwhichincludedacandleprocessionofCeres，searchingforProserpine。(F。Nork，DerMystagog。)
III。THESYMBOLISMOFTHEZODIAC
TheVernalEquinoxhasallovertheancientworld，andfromtheearliesttimes，beenaperiodofrejoicingandoffestivalsinhonoroftheSungod。Itisneedlesstolaborapointwhichissowellknown。Everyoneunderstandsandappreciatesthejoyoffindingthatthelongdarknessisgivingway，thattheSunisgrowinginstrength，andthatthedaysarewinningavictoryoverthenights。Thebirdsandflowersreappear，andthepromiseofSpringisintheair。ButitmaybeworthwhiletogiveanelementaryexplanationoftheASTRONOMICALmeaningofthisperiod，becausethisisnotalwaysunderstood，andyetitisveryimportantinitsbearingontheritesandcreedsoftheearlyreligions。Thepriestswhowere，asIhavesaid，theearlystudentsandinquirers，hadworkedoutthisastronomicalside，andinthatwaywereabletofixdatesandtoframeforthebenefitofthepopulacemythsandlegends，whichwereinacertainsenseexplanationsoftheorderofNature，andakindof“popularscience。”
TheEquator，aseveryoneknows，isanimaginarylineorcirclegirdlingtheEarthhalf-waybetweentheNorthandSouthpoles。IfyouimagineatransparentEarthwithalightatitsverycentre，andalsoimaginetheSHADOW
ofthisequatoriallinetobethrownonthevastconcaveoftheSky，thisshadowwouldinastronomicalparlancecoincidewiththeEquatoroftheSky——forminganimaginarycirclehalf-waybetweentheNorthandSouthcelestialpoles。
TheEquator，then，maybepicturedascuttingacrosstheskyeitherbydayorbynight，andalwaysatthesameelevation——thatis，asseenfromanyoneplace。ButtheEcliptic(theotherimportantgreatcircleoftheheavens)
canonlybethoughtofasalinetraversingtheconstellationsastheyareseenatNIGHT。ItisinfacttheSun\'spathamongthefixedstars。For(reallyowingtotheEarth\'smotioninitsorbit)theSunappearstomoveroundtheheavensonceayear——travelling，alwaystotheleft，fromconstellationtoconstellation。TheexactpathofthesuniscalledtheEcliptic；andthebandofskyoneithersideoftheEclipticwhichmaybesupposedtoincludethesaidconstellationsiscalledtheZodiac。Howthen——
itwillofcoursebeasked——seeingthattheSunandtheStarscanneverbeseentogether——werethePriestsABLEtomapoutthepathoftheformeramongthelatter?Intothatquestionweneednotgo。Sufficienttosaythattheysucceeded；
andtheirsuccess——evenwiththeveryprimitiveinstrumentstheyhad——showsthattheirastronomicalknowledgeandacutenessofreasoningwereofnomeanorder。
ToreturntoourVernalEquinox。LetussupposethattheEquatorandEclipticofthesky，attheSpringseason，arerepresentedbytwolinesEq。andEcl。crossingeachotheratthepointP。TheSun，representedbythesmallcircle，ismovingslowlyandinitsannualcoursealongtheEcliptictotheleft。WhenitreachesthepointP(thedottedcircle)itstandsontheEquatorofthesky，andthenforadayortwo，beingneitherNorthnorSouth，itshinesonthetwoterrestrialhemispheresalike，anddayandnightareequal。BEFOREthattime，whenthesunislowdownintheheavens，nighthastheadvantage，andthedaysareshort；AFTERWARDS，whentheSunhastravelledmoretotheleft，thedaystriumphoverthenights。ItwillbeseenthenthatthispointPwheretheSun\'spathcrossestheEquatorisaverycriticalpoint。ItistheastronomicallocationofthetriumphoftheSungodandofthearrivalofSpring。
Howwasthislocationdefined?AmongwhatstarswastheSunmovingatthatcriticalmoment?(Forofcourseitwasunderstood，orsupposed，thattheSunwasdeeplyinfluencedbytheconstellationthroughwhichitwas，orappearedtobe，moving。)Itseemsthenthatattheperiodwhenthesequestionswereoccupyingmen\'sminds——sayaboutthreethousandyearsago——thepointwheretheEclipticcrossedtheEquatorwas，asamatteroffact，intheregionoftheconstellationAriesorthehe-
Lamb。ThetriumphoftheSungodwastherefore，andquitenaturally，ascribedtotheinfluenceofAries。THELAMB
BECAMETHESYMBOLOFTHERISENSAVIOR，ANDOFHISPASSAGE
FROMTHEUNDERWORLDINTOTHEHEIGHTOFHEAVEN。Atfirstsuchanexplanationsoundshazardous；butathousandtextsandreferencesconfirmit；anditisonlybytheaccumulationofevidenceinthesecasesthatthestudentbecomesconvincedofatheory\'scorrectness。Itmustalsoberemembered(whatIhavementionedbefore)thatthesemythsandlegendswerecommonlyadoptednotonlyforonestrictreasonbutbecausetheyrepresentedinageneralwaytheconvergenceofvarioussymbolsandinferences。
LetmeenumerateafewpointswithregardtotheVernalEquinox。IntheBiblethefestivaliscalledthePassover，anditssupposedinstitutionbyMosesisrelatedinExodus，ch。xii。Ineveryhouseahe-lambwastobeslain，anditsbloodtobesprinkledonthedoorpostsofthehouse。ThentheLordwouldpassoverandnotsmitethathouse。TheHebrewwordispasach，topass。[1]ThelambslainwascalledthePaschalLamb。Butwhatwasthatlamb?Evidentlynotanearthlylamb——(thoughcertainlytheearthlylambsonthehillsidesWEREjustthenreadytobekilledandeaten)——buttheheavenlyLamb，whichwasslainorsacrificedwhentheLord“passedover“theequatorandobliteratedtheconstellationAries。ThiswastheLambofGodwhichwasslaineachyear，and“Slainsincethefoundationoftheworld。”ThisperiodofthePassover(aboutthe25thMarch)wastobe[2]thebeginningofanewyear。ThesacrificeoftheLamb，anditsblood，weretobethepromiseofredemption。Thedoor-framesofthehouses——symbolsoftheentranceintoanewlife——weretobesprinkledwithblood。[3]Later，theimageryofthesavingpowerofthebloodoftheLambbecamemorepopular，morehighlycolored。(SeeSt。Paul\'sepistles，andtheearlyFathers。)Andwehavetheexpression“washedinthebloodoftheLamb“adoptedintotheChristianChurch。
[1]Itissaidthatpasachsometimesmeansnotsomuchtopassover，astohoveroverandsoprotect。Possiblybothmeaningsenterinhere。SeeIsaiahxxxi。5。
[2]SeeExodusxii。i。
[3]Itisevensaid(seeTheGoldenBough，vol。iii，185)thatthedoorwaysofhousesandtemplesinPeruwereattheSpringfestivaldaubedwithbloodofthefirst-bornchildren——commutedafterwardstothebloodofthesacredanimal，theLlama。AndastoMexico，Sahagun，thegreatSpanishmissionary，tellsusthatitwasacustomofthepeoplethereto“smeartheoutsideoftheirhousesanddoorswithblooddrawnfromtheirownearsandankles，inordertopropitiatethegodofHarvest“
(Kingsborough\'sMexicanAntiquities，vol。vi，p。235)。
InorderfullytounderstandthisextraordinaryexpressionanditsoriginwemustturnforamomenttotheworshipbothofMithra，thePersianSungod，andofAttistheSyriangod，asthrowinggreatlightontheChristiancultandceremonies。ItmustberememberedthatintheearlycenturiesofoureratheMithra-cultwasspreadoverthewholeWesternworld。IthasleftmanymonumentsofitselfhereinBritain。AtRometheworshipwasextremelypopular，anditmayalmostbesaidtohavebeenamatterofchancewhetherMithraismshouldoverwhelmChristianity，orwhethertheyoungerreligionbyadoptingmanyoftheritesoftheolderoneshouldestablishitself(asitdid)inthefaceofthelatter。
NowwehavealreadymentionedthatintheMithraculttheslayingofaBullbytheSungodoccupiesthesamesortofplaceastheslavingoftheLambintheChristiancult。IttookplaceattheVernalEquinoxandthebloodoftheBullacquiredinmen\'smindsamagicvirtue。
MithraismwasagreatlyolderreligionthanChristianity；
butitsgenesiswassimilar。Infact，owingtothePrecessionoftheEquinoxes，thecrossing-placeoftheEclipticandEquatorwasdifferentatthetimeoftheestablishmentofMithra-worshipfromwhatitwasintheChristianperiod；
andtheSuninsteadofstandingintheHe-lamb，orAries，attheVernalEquinoxstood，abouttwothousandyearsearlier(asindicatedbythedottedlineinthediagram)，inthisveryconstellationoftheBull。[1]ThebullthereforebecamethesymbolofthetriumphantGod，andthesacrificeofthebullaholymystery。(NormustweoverlookheretheagriculturalappropriatenessofthebullastheemblemofSpring-plowingsandofservicetoman。)
[1]Withregardtothispoint，seeanarticleintheNineteenthCenturyforSeptember1900，byE。W。MaunderoftheGreenwichObservatoryon“TheOldestPictureBook“(theZodiac)。Mr。
MaundercalculatesthattheVernalEquinoxwasinthecentreoftheSignoftheBull5，000yearsago。[ItwouldthereforebeinthecentreofAries2，845yearsago——allowing2，155yearsforthetimeoccupiedinpassingfromoneSigntoanother。]AttheearlierperiodtheSummersolsticewasinthecentreofLeo，theAutumnalequinoxinthecentreofScorpio，andtheWintersolsticeinthecentreofAquarius——correspondingroughly，Mr。Maunderpointsout，tothepositionsofthefour“RoyalStars，“Aldebaran，Regulus，AntaresandFomalhaut。
ThesacrificeoftheBullbecametheimageofredemption。
Inacertainwell-knownMithra-sculptureorgroup，theSungodisrepresentedasplunginghisdaggerintoabull，whileascorpion，aserpent，andotheranimalsaresuckingthelatter\'sblood。FromonepointofviewthismaybetakenassymbolicoftheSunfertilizingthegrossEarthbyplunginghisraysintoitandsodrawingforthitsbloodforthesustenanceofallcreatures；whilefromanothermoreastronomicalaspectitsymbolizestheconquestoftheSunoverwinterinthemomentof“passingover“thesignoftheBull，andthedepletionofthegenerativepoweroftheBullbytheScorpion——whichofcourseistheautumnalsignoftheZodiacandheraldofwinter。OnesuchMithraicgroupwasfoundatOstia，wheretherewasalargesubterraneanTemple“totheinvinciblegodMithras。”
IntheworshipofAttistherewere(asIhavealreadyindicated)
manypointsofresemblancetotheChristiancult。Onthe22ndMarch(theVernalEquinox)apinetreewascutinthewoodsandbroughtintotheTempleofCybele。Itwastreatedalmostasadivinity，wasdeckedwithviolets，andtheeffigyofayoungmantiedtothestem(cf。theCrucifixion)。The24thwascalledthe“DayofBlood“；theHighPriestfirstdrewbloodfromhisownarms；andthentheothersgashedandslashedthemselves，andspatteredthealtarandthesacredtreewithblood；whilenovicesmadethemselveseunuchs“forthekingdomofheaven\'ssake。”Theeffigywasafterwardslaidinatomb。
Butwhennightfell，saysDr。Frazer，[1]sorrowwasturnedtojoy。Alightwasbrought，andthetombwasfoundtobeempty。Thenextday，the25th，wasthefestivaloftheResurrection；andendedincarnivalandlicense(theHilaria)。Further，saysDr。Frazer，thesemysteries“seemtohaveincludedasacramentalmealandabaptismofblood。”
[1]SeeAdonis，AttisandOsiris，PartIVofTheGoldenBough，byJ。G。Frazer，p。229。
“Inthebaptismthedevotee，crownedwithgoldandwreathedwithfillets，descendedintoapit，themouthofwhichwascoveredwithawoodengrating。Abull，adornedwithgarlandsofflowers，itsforeheadglitteringwithgoldleaf，wasthendrivenontothegratingandtherestabbedtodeathwithaconsecratedspear。Itshotreekingbloodpouredintorrentsthroughtheapertures，andwasreceivedwithdevouteagernessbytheworshiperoneverypartofhispersonandgarments，tillheemergedfromthepit，drenched，dripping，andscarletfromheadtofoot，toreceivethehomage，naytheadoration，ofhisfellows——asonewhohadbeenbornagaintoeternallifeandhadwashedawayhissinsinthebloodofthebull。”[1]AndFrazercontinuingsays:“Thatthebathofbloodderivedfromslaughterofthebull(tauro-bolium)wasbelievedtoregeneratethedevoteeforeternityisprovedbyaninscriptionfoundatRome，whichrecordsthatacertainSextiliusAgesilausAedesius，whodedicatedanaltartoAttisandthemotherofthegods(Cybele)wastauroboliocriobolioqueinaeternumrenatus。”[2]“IntheprocedureoftheTauroboliaandCriobolia，“saysMr。J。M。Robertson，[3]“whichgrewverypopularintheRomanworld，wehavetheliteralandoriginalmeaningofthephrase\'washedinthebloodofthelamb\'[4]；thedoctrinebeingthatresurrectionandeternallifeweresecuredbydrenchingorsprinklingwiththeactualbloodofasacrificialbullorram。”[5]ForthePOPULARITYoftheritewemayquoteFranzCumont，whosays:——“Cettedouchesacree(taurobolium)pareitavoireteadministreeenCappadocedansungrandnombredesanctuaires，etenparticulierdansceuxdeMalagrandediviniteindigene，etdansceux:deAnahita。”
[1]Seevol。i，pp。334ff。
[2]Adonis，AttisandOsiris，p。229。ReferencestoPrudentius，andtoFirmicusMaternus，Deerrore28。8。
[3]Thatis，“Bytheslaughterofthebullandtheslaughteroftherambornagainintoeternity。”
[4]PaganChrists，p。315。
[5]MysteresdeMithra，Bruxelles，1902，p。153。
WhetherMr。Robertsonisrightinascribingtothepriests(asheappearstodo)somaterialisticaviewofthepotencyoftheactualbloodis，Ishouldsay，doubtful。I
donotmyselfseethatthereisanyreasonforsupposingthatthepriestsofMithraorAttisregardedbaptismbybloodverydifferentlyfromthewayinwhichtheChristianChurchhasgenerallyregardedbaptismbywater——namely，asaSYMBOLofsomeinnerregeneration。TheremaycertainlyhavebeenalittlemoreoftheMAGICALviewandalittlelessofthesymbolic，intheolderreligions；butthedifferencewasprobablyonthewholemoreoneofdegreethanofessentialdisparity。Buthoweverthatmaybe，wecannotbutbestruckbytheextraordinaryanalogybetweenthetombstoneinscriptionsofthatperiod“bornagainintoeternitybythebloodoftheBullortheRam，“
andthecorrespondingtextsinourgraveyardsto-day。
F。Cumontinhiselaboratework，TextesetMonumentsrelatifsauxMysteresdeMithra(2vols。，Brussels，1899)givesagreatnumberoftextsandepitaphsofthesamecharacterasthatabove-quoted，andtheyarewellworthstudyingbythoseinterestedinthesubject。Cumont，itmaybenoted(vol。i，p。305)，thinksthatthestoryofMithraandtheslayingoftheBullmusthaveoriginatedamongsomepastoralpeopletowhomthebullwasthesourceofalllife。
TheBullinheaven——thesymbolofthetriumphantSungod——
andtheearthlybull，sacrificedforthegoodofhumanitywereoneandthesame；thegod，infact，SACRIFICEDHIMSELF
ORHISREPRESENTATIVE。AndMithrawastheherowhofirstwonthisconceptionofdivinityformankind——thoughofcourseitisinessencequitesimilartotheconceptionputforwardbytheChristianChurch。
AsillustratingthebeliefthattheBaptismbyBloodwasaccompaniedbyarealregenerationofthedevotee，Frazerquotesanancientwriter[1]whosaysthatforsometimeaftertheceremonythefictionofanewbirthwaskeptupbydietingthedevoteeonMILK，likeanew-bornbabe。
AnditisinterestinginthatconnectiontofindthateveninthepresentdayadietofABSOLUTELYNOTHINGBUTMILKforsixoreightweeksisbymanydoctorsrecommendedastheonlymeansofgettingridofdeep-seatedillnessesandenablingapatient\'sorganismtomakeacompletelynewstartinlife。
[1]Sallustiusphilosophus。SeeAdonis，AttisandOsiris，note，p。229。
“AtRome，“hefurthersays(p。230)，“thenewbirthandtheremissionofsinsbythesheddingofbull\'sbloodappeartohavebeencarriedoutaboveallatthesanctuaryofthePhrygianGoddess(Cybele)ontheVaticanHill，atornearthespotwherethegreatbasilicaofSt。Peter\'snowstands；
formanyinscriptionsrelatingtotheriteswerefoundwhenthechurchwasbeingenlargedin1608or1609。FromtheVaticanasacentre，“hecontinues，“thisbarbaroussystemofsuperstitionseemstohavespreadtootherpartsoftheRomanempire。InscriptionsfoundinGaulandGermanyprovethatprovincialsanctuariesmodelledtheirritualonthatoftheVatican。”
