f faces on the same plate； and so superposing their images on one another； he produces a so…called 〃composite〃 photograph or image。 Thus； in the photographic sphere； the portraits of a lot of members of the same family superposed upon one another may produce a composite image or ideal of that family type； or the portraits of a number of Aztecs or of a number of Apache Indians the ideals respectively of the Aztec or of the Apache types。 And so in the mental sphere of each member of a tribe the many images of the well…known Warriors or Priests or wise and gracious Women of that tribe did inevitably combine at last to composite figures of gods and goddesseson whom the enthusiasm and adoration of the tribe was concentrated。＇1＇ Miss Harrison has ingeniously suggested how the leading figures in the magic rituals of the pastbeing the figures on which all eyes would be concentrated； and whose importance would be imprinted on every mindlent themselves to this process。 The suffering Victim； bound and scourged and crucified； recurring year after year as the centre…figure of a thousand ritual processions； would at last be dramatized and idealized in the great race…consciousness into the form of a Suffering Goda Jesus Christ or a Dionysus or Osirisdismembered or crucified for the salvation of mankind。 The Priest or Medicine…Manor rather the succession of Priests or Medicine…Menwhose figures would recur again and again as leaders and ordainers of the ceremonies； would be glorified at last into the composite… image of a God in whom were concentrated all magic powers。 〃Recent researches；〃 says Gilbert Murray； 〃have shown us in abundance the early Greek medicine…chiefs making thunder and lightning and rain。〃 Here is the germ of a Zeus or a Jupiter。 The particular medicine…man may fail； that does not so much matter； he is only the individual representative of the glorified and composite being who exists in the mind of the tribe （just as a present…day King may be unworthy； but is surrounded all the same by the agelong glamour of Royalty）。 〃The real ； tremendous； infallible； is somewhere far away； hidden in clouds perhaps； on the summit of some inaccessible mountain。 If the mountain is once climbed the god will move to the upper sky。 The medicine…chief meanwhile stays on earth； still influential。 He has some connection with the great god more intimate than that of other men 。 。 。 he knows the rules for approaching him and making prayers to him。〃＇2＇ Thus did the Medicine…man； or Priest； or Magician （for these are but three names for one figure） represent one step in the evolution of the god。
＇1＇ See The Art of Creation； ch。 viii； 〃The Gods as Apparitions of the Race…Life。〃
＇2＇ The Four Stages； p。 140。
And farther back still in the evolutionary process we may trace （as in chapter iv above） the divinization or deification of four…footed animals and birds and snakes and trees and the like； from the personification of the collective emotion of the tribe towards these creatures。 For people whose chief food was bear…meat； for instance； whose totem was a bear； and who believed themselves descended from an ursine ancestor； there would grow up in the tribal mind an image surrounded by a halo of emotions emotions of hungry desire； of reverence； fear； gratitude and so forthan image of a divine Bear in whom they lived and moved and had their being。 For another tribe or group in whose yearly ritual a Bull or a Lamb or a Kangaroo played a leading part there would in the same way spring tip the image of a holy bull； a divine lamb； or a sacred kangaroo。 Another group again might come to worship a Serpent as its presiding genius； or a particular kind of Tree； simply because these objects were and had been for centuries prominent factors in its yearly and seasonal Magic。 As Reinach and others suggest； it was the Taboo （bred by Fear） which by first forbidding contact with the totem…animal or priest or magician…chief gradually invested him with Awe and Divinity。
According to this theory the godthe full…grown god in human shape； dwelling apart and beyond the earthdid not come first； but was a late and more finished product of evolution。 He grew up by degrees and out of the preceding animal…worships and totem…systems。 And this theory is much supported and corroborated by the fact that in a vast number of early cults the gods are represented by human figures with animal heads。 The Egyptian religion was full of such divinitiesthe jackal…headed Anubis； the ram…headed Ammon； the bull…fronted Osiris； or Muth； queen of darkness； clad in a vulture's skin； Minos and the Minotaur in Crete； in Greece； Athena with an owl's head； or Herakles masked in the hide and jaws of a monstrous lion。 What could be more obvious than that； following on the tribal worship of any totem…animal； the priest or medicine…man or actual king in leading the magic ritual should don the skin and head of that animal； and wear the same as a kind of maskthis partly in order to appear to the people as the true representative of the totem； and partly also in order to obtain from the skin the magic virtues and mana of the beast； which he could then duly impart to the crowd？ Zeus； it must be remembered； wears the aegis； or goat…skinsaid to be the hide of the goat Amaltheia who suckled him in his infancy； there are a number of legends which connected the Arcadian Artemis with the worship of the bear； Apollo with the wolf； and so forth。 And； most curious as showing similarity of rites between the Old and New Worlds； there are found plenty of examples of the wearing of beast…masks in religious processions among the native tribes of both North and South America。 In the Atlas of Spix and Martius （who travelled together in the Amazonian forests about 1820） there is an understanding and characteristic picture of the men （and some women） of the tribe of the Tecunas moving in procession through the woods mostly naked； except for wearing animal heads and masks the masks representing Cranes of various kinds； Ducks； the Opossum； the Jaguar； the Parrot； etc。； probably symbolic of their respective clans。
By some such process as this； it may fairly be supposed； the forms of the Gods were slowly exhaled from the actual figures of men and women； of youths and girls； who year after year took part in the ancient rituals。 Just as the Queen of the May or Father Christmas with us are idealized forms derived from the many happy maidens or white…bearded old men who took leading parts in the May or December mummings and thus gained their apotheosis in our literature and traditionso doubtless Zeus with his thunderbolts and arrows of lightning is the idealization into Heaven of the Priestly rain…maker and storm…controller； Ares the god of War； the similar idealization of the leading warrior in the ritual war…dance preceding an attack on a neighboring tribe； and Mercury of the foot…running Messenger whose swiftness in those days （devoid of steam or electricity） was so precious a tribal possession。
And here it must be remembered that this explanation of the genesis of the gods only applies to the SHAPES and FIGURES of the various deities。 It does not apply to the genesis of the widespread belief in spirits or a Great Spirit generally； that； as I think will become clear； has quite another source。 Some people have jeered at the 'animistic' or 'anthropomorphic' tendency of primitive man in his contemplation of the forces of Nature or his imaginations of religion and the gods。 With a kind of superior pity they speak of 〃the poor Indian whose untutored mind sees God in clouds and hears him in the wind。〃 But I must confess that to me the 〃poor Indian〃 seems on the whole to show more good sense than his critics； and to have aimed his rude arrows at the philosophic mark more successfully than a vast number of his learned and scientific successors。 A consideration of what we have said above would show that early people felt their unity with Nature so deeply and intimately thatlike the animals themselves they did not think consciously or theorize about it。 It was just their life to belike the beasts of the field and the trees of the foresta part of the whole flux of things； non…differentiated so to speak。 What more natural or indeed more logically correct than for them to assume （when they first began to think or differentiate themselves） that these other creatures； these birds； beasts and plants； and even the sun and moon； were of the same blood as themselves； their first cousins； so to speak； and having the same interior nature？ What more reasonable （if indeed they credited THEMSELVES with having some kind of soul or spirit） than to credit these other creatures with a similar soul or spirit？ Im Thurn； speaking of the Guiana Indians； says that for them 〃the whole world swarms with beings。〃 Surely this could not be taken to indicate an untutored mindunless indeed a mind untutored in the nonsense of the Schoolsbut rather a very directly perceptive mind。 And again what more reasonable （seeing that these people themselves were in the animal stage of evolution） than that they should pay great reverence to some ideal animalfirst cousin or ancestorwho played an important part in their tribal existence； and make of this animal a totem emblem and a symbol of their common life？
And； further still； what more natural than that when the tribe passed to some degree beyond the animal stage and began to realize a life more intelligent and emotionalmore specially human in factthan that of the beasts of the field； that it should then in its rituals and ceremonies throw off the beast…mask and pay reverence to the interior and more human spirit。 Rising to a more enlightened consciousness of its own intimate quality； and still deeply penetrated with the sense of its kinship to external nature； it would inevitably and perfectly logically credit the latter with an inner life and intelligence； more distinctly human than before。 Its religion in fact would become MORE 'anthropomorphic' instead of less so； and one sees that this is a process that is inevitable； and inevitable notwithstanding a certain parenthesis in the process； due to obvious elements in our 'Civilization' and to the temporary and fallacious domination of a leaden…eyed so…called 'Science。' Ac