imals then clearly the feast takes on a holy and solemn character。 It becomes a sacrament of unityof the unity of all with the tribe； and with each other。 Self…interests and self… consciousness are for the time submerged； and the common life asserts itself； but here again we see that a custom like this would not come into being as a deliberate rite UNTIL self…consciousness and the divisions consequent thereon had grown to be an obvious evil。 The herd… animals （cows； sheep； and so forth） do not have Eucharists； simply because they are sensible enough to feed along the same pastures without quarrelling over the richest tufts of grass。
When the flesh partaken of （either actually or symbolically） is not that of a divinized animal； but the flesh of a human…formed godas in the mysteries of Dionysus or Osiris or Christthen we are led to suspect （and of course this theory is widely held and supported） that the rites date from a very far…back period when a human being； as representative of the tribe； was actually slain； dismembered and partly devoured； though as time went on； the rite gradually became glossed over and mitigated into a love…communion through the sharing of bread and wine。
It is curious anyhow that the dismemberment or division into fragments of the body of a god （as in the case of Dionysus； Osiris； Attis； Praj