按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
s； wailing and calling upon Isis。 The custom has been already explained as a lamen for the corn…spirit slain under the sickle。 Amongst the epithets by which Isis is designated in the inscriptions are Creatress of green things； Green goddess； whose green colour is like unto the greenness of the earth； Lady of Bread； Lady of Beer； Lady of Abundance。 According to Brugsch she is not only the creatress of the fresh verdure of vegetation which covers the earth； but is actually the green corn…field itself； which is personified as a goddess。 This is confirmed by her epithet Sochit or Sochet； meaning a corn…field； a sense which the word still retains in Coptic。 The Greeks conceived of Isis as a corn…goddess； for they identified her with Demeter。 In a Greek epigram she is described as she who has given birth to the fruits of the earth； and the mother of the ears of corn； and in a hymn composed in her honour she speaks of herself as queen of the wheat…field； and is described as charged with the care of the fruitful furrow's wheat…rich path。 Accordingly； Greek or Roman artists often represented her with ears of corn on her head or in her hand。
Such； we may suppose； was Isis in the olden time； a rustic Corn…Mother adored with uncouth rites by Egyptian swains。 But the homely features of the clownish goddess could hardly be traced in the refined； the saintly form which； spiritualised by ages of religious evolution； she presented to her worshippers of after days as the true wife； the tender mother； the beneficent queen of nature； encircled with the nimbus of moral purity； of immemorial and mysterious sanctity。 Thus chastened and transfigured she won many hearts far beyond the boundaries of her native land。 In that welter of religions which accompanied the decline of national life in antiquity her worship was one of the most popular at Rome and throughout the empire。 Some of the Roman emperors themselves were openly addicted to it。 And however the religion of Isis may； like any other； have been often worn as a cloak by men and women of loose life； her rites appear on the whole to have been honourably distinguished by a dignity and composure； a solemnity and decorum； well fitted to soothe the troubled mind； to ease the burdened heart。 They appealed therefore to gentle spirits； and above all to women； whom the bloody and licentious rites of other Oriental goddesses only shocked and repelled。 We need not wonder； then； that in a period of decadence； when traditional faiths were shaken； when systems clashed； when men's minds were disquieted； when the fabric of empire itself； once deemed eternal； began to show ominous rents and fissures； the serene figure of Isis with her spiritual calm； her gracious promise of immortality； should have appeared to many like a star in a stormy sky； and should have roused in their breasts a rapture of devotion not unlike that which was paid in the Middle Ages to the Virgin Mary。 Indeed her stately ritual； with its shaven and tonsured priests； its matins and vespers； its tinkling music； its baptism and aspersions of holy water； its solemn processions； its jewelled images of the Mother of God； presented many points of similarity to the pomps and ceremonies of Catholicism。 The resemblance need not be purely accidental。 Ancient Egypt may have contributed its share to the gorgeous symbolism of the Catholic Church as well as to the pale abstractions of her theology。 Certainly in art the figure of Isis suckling the infant Horus is so like that of the Madonna and child that it has sometimes received the adoration of ignorant Christians。 And to Isis in her later character of patroness of mariners the Virgin Mary perhaps owes her beautiful epithet of Stella Maris； Star of the Sea； under which she is adored by tempest…tossed sailors。 The attributes of a marine deity may have been bestowed on Isis by the sea…faring Greeks of Alexandria。 They are quite foreign to her original character and to the habits of the Egyptians； who had no love of the sea。 On this hypothesis Sirius； the bright star of Isis； which on July mornings rises from the glassy waves of the eastern Mediterranean； a harbinger of halcyon weather to mariners； was the true Stella Maris； the Star of the Sea。
Chapter 42。 Osiris and the Sun。
OSIRIS has been sometimes interpreted as the sun…god； and in modern times this view has been held by so many distinguished writers that it deserves a brief examination。 If we enquire on what evidence Osiris has been identified with the sun or the sun…god； it will be found on analysis to be minute in quantity and dubious； where it is not absolutely worthless； in quality。 The diligent Jablonski； the first modern scholar to collect and sift the testimony of classical writers on Egyptian religion； says that it can be shown in many ways that Osiris is the sun； and that he could produce a cloud of witnesses to prove it； but that it is needless to do so； since no learned man is ignorant of the fact。 Of the ancient writers whom he condescends to quote； the only two who expressly identify Osiris with the sun are Diodorus and Macrobius。 But little weight can be attached to their evidence； for the statement of Diodorus is vague and rhetorical； and the reasons which Macrobius； one of the fathers of solar mythology； assigns for the identification are exceedingly slight。
The ground upon which some modern writers seem chiefly to rely for the identification of Osiris with the sun is that the story of his death fits better with the solar phenomena than with any other in nature。 It may readily be admitted that the daily appearance and disappearance of the sun might very naturally be expressed by a myth of his death and resurrection； and writers who regard Osiris as the sun are careful to indicate that it is the diurnal； and not the annual； course of the sun to which they understand the myth to apply。 Thus Renouf； who identified Osiris with the sun； admitted that the Egyptian sun could not with any show of reason be described as dead in winter。 But if his daily death was the theme of the legend； why was it celebrated by an annual ceremony？ This fact alone seems fatal to the interpretation of the myth as descriptive of sunset and sunrise。 Again； though the sun may be said to die daily； in what sense can he be said to be torn in pieces？
In the course of our enquiry it has； I trust； been made clear that there is another natural phenomenon to which the conception of death and resurrection is as applicable as to sunset and sunrise； and which； as a matter of fact； has been so conceived and represented in folk…custom。 That phenomenon is the annual growth and decay of vegetation。 A strong reason for interpreting the death of Osiris as the decay of vegetation rather than as the sunset is to be found in the general； though not unanimous； voice of antiquity； which classed together the worship and myths of Osiris； Adonis； Attis； Dionysus； and Demeter； as religions of essentially the same type。 The consensus of ancient opinion on this subject seems too great to be rejected as a mere fancy。 So closely did the rites of Osiris resemble those of Adonis at Byblus that some of the people of Byblus themselves maintained that it was Osiris and not Adonis whose de