pagan and christian creeds- 第30部分

＇1＇　Book　IV；　ch。　6；　Section　7。

＇2＇　See　also　Winwood　Reade's　Savage　Africa；　ch。　xviii；　in　which　he　speaks　of　the　〃gorilla　dance；〃　before　hunting　gorillas；　as　a　〃religious　festival。〃


Or　there　were　dances　belonging　to　the　ceremonies　of　Initiationdances　both　by　the　initiators　and　the　initiated。　Jane　E。　Harrison　in　Themis　（p。　24）　says；　〃Instruction　among　savage　peoples　is　always　imparted　in　more　or　less　mimetic　dances。　At　initiation　you　learn　certain　dances　which　confer　on　you　definite　social　status。　When　a　man　is　too　old　to　dance；　he　hands　over　his　dance　to　another　and　a　younger；　and　he　then　among　some　tribes　ceases　to　exist　socially。　。　。　。　The　dances　taught　to　boys　at　initiation　are　frequently　if　not　always　ARMED　dances。　These　are　not　necessarily　warlike。　The　accoutrement　of　spear　and　shield　was　in　part　decorative；　in　part　a　provision　for　making　the　necessary　hubbub。〃　（Here　Miss　Harrison　reproduces　a　photograph　of　an　Initiation　dance　among　the　Akikuyu　of　British　East　Africa。）　The　Initiation…　dances　blend　insensibly　and　naturally　with　the　Mystery　and　Religion　dances；　for　indeed　initiation　was　for　the　most　part　an　instruction　in　the　mysteries　and　social　rites　of　the　Tribe。　They　were　the　expression　of　things　which　would　be　hard　even　for　us；　and　which　for　rude　folk　would　be　impossible；　to　put　into　definite　words。　Hence　arose　the　expressionwhose　meaning　has　been　much　discussed　by　the　learned〃to　dance　out　（）　a　mystery。〃＇1＇　Lucian；　in　a　much…quoted　passage；＇2＇　observes：　〃You　cannot　find　a　single　ancient　mystery　in　which　there　is　not　dancing　。　。　。　and　this　much　all　men　know；　that　most　people　say　of　the　revealers　of　the　mysteries　that　they　'dance　them　out。'　〃　Andrew　Lang；　commenting　on　this　passage；＇3＇　continues：　〃Clement　of　Alexandria　uses　the　same　term　when　speaking　of　his　own　'appalling　revelations。'　So　closely　connected　are　mysteries　with　dancing　among　savages　that　when　Mr。　Orpen　asked　Qing；　the　Bushman　hunter；　about　some　doctrines　in　which　Qing　was　not　initiated；　he　said：　'Only　the　initiated　men　of　that　dance　know　these　things。'　To　'dance'　this　or　that　means　to　be　acquainted　with　this　or　that　myth；　which　is　represented　in　a　dance　or　ballet　d'action。　So　widely　distributed　is　the　practice　that　Acosta　in　an　interesting　passage　mentions　it　as　familiar　to　the　people　of　Peru　before　and　after　the　Spanish　conquest。〃　＇And　we　may　say　that　when　the　'mysteries'　are　of　a　sexual　nature　it　can　easily　be　understood　that　to　'dance　them　out'　is　the　only　way　of　explaining　them！＇

＇1＇　Meaning　apparently　either　simply　to　represent；　or；　sometimes　to　DIVULGE；　a　mystery。

＇2＇