登陆注册
5561700000106

第106章

Thus, if I am right, the same ancient pair of deities was variously known among the Greek and Italian peoples as Zeus and Dione, Jupiter and Juno, or Dianus (Janus) and Diana (Jana), the names of the divinities being identical in substance, though varying in form with the dialect of the particular tribe which worshipped them. At first, when the peoples dwelt near each other, the difference between the deities would be hardly more than one of name; in other words, it would be almost purely dialectical. But the gradual dispersion of the tribes, and their consequent isolation from each other, would favour the growth of divergent modes of conceiving and worshipping the gods whom they had carried with them from their old home, so that in time discrepancies of myth and ritual would tend to spring up and thereby to convert a nominal into a real distinction between the divinities. Accordingly when, with the slow progress of culture, the long period of barbarism and separation was passing away, and the rising political power of a single strong community had begun to draw or hammer its weaker neighbours into a nation, the confluent peoples would throw their gods, like their dialects, into a common stock; and thus it might come about that the same ancient deities, which their forefathers had worshipped together before the dispersion, would now be so disguised by the accumulated effect of dialectical and religious divergencies that their original identity might fail to be recognised, and they would take their places side by side as independent divinities in the national pantheon.

This duplication of deities, the result of the final fusion of kindred tribes who had long lived apart, would account for the appearance of Janus beside Jupiter, and of Diana or Jana beside Juno in the Roman religion. At least this appears to be a more probable theory than the opinion, which has found favour with some modern scholars, that Janus was originally nothing but the god of doors. That a deity of his dignity and importance, whom the Romans revered as a god of gods and the father of his people, should have started in life as a humble, though doubtless respectable, doorkeeper appears very unlikely. So lofty an end hardly consorts with so lowly a beginning. It is more probable that the door (janua) got its name from Janus than that he got his name from it. This view is strengthened by a consideration of the word janua itself. The regular word for door is the same in all the languages of the Aryan family from India to Ireland. It is dur in Sanscrit, thura in Greek, tür in German, door in English, dorus in old Irish, and foris in Latin. Yet besides this ordinary name for door, which the Latins shared with all their Aryan brethren, they had also the name janua, to which there is no corresponding term in any Indo-European speech. The word has the appearance of being an adjectival form derived from the noun Janus. I conjecture that it may have been customary to set up an image or symbol of Janus at the principal door of the house in order to place the entrance under the protection of the great god. A door thus guarded might be known as a janua foris, that is, a Januan door, and the phrase might in time be abridged into janua, the noun foris being understood but not expressed.

From this to the use of janua to designate a door in general, whether guarded by an image of Janus or not, would be an easy and natural transition.

同类推荐
  • 徧行堂集

    徧行堂集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 观音玄义记

    观音玄义记

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 佛说戒消灾经

    佛说戒消灾经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 玉豁子丹经指要

    玉豁子丹经指要

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 太上说西斗记名护身妙经

    太上说西斗记名护身妙经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 笑意暖暖

    笑意暖暖

    千容雨转过身,准备离开。可刚抬脚,便被一股劲拽住了长裙后摆,整个人往前趔趄。千容雨赶紧拽住胸口的那点布料,堪堪防止走光危机。澹台宋!千容雨愤恨地转头,往回看去,如刀子一般狠厉的眸光朝着澹台宋射去。后者却若无其事地松开踩住她裙摆的脚尖,面色如常。幽黑的眸子静静地回望她,仿佛此事与他无关。“你......”千容雨咬牙切齿。这个人怎么能这么厚脸皮!澹台宋(理直气壮ing):“还不走吗?想继续被拍?”总的来说,就是人前天使、人后宅女的过气歌手千容雨和人前人后都本色面瘫的大势演员澹台宋的美丽爱情故事……
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • NPC的贫穷物语

    NPC的贫穷物语

    新书《诡秘仙境》——作为一个死于贫穷的代练,安澪在星河时代公测前进入了游戏世界,变成了自己预创建的角色。她是系统预定的隐藏大BOSS,是信仰科学科学的死灵法师,真女(男)人就该召唤亡灵大军,率领星际舰队去征服这星辰大海!
  • 追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    追妻无门:女boss不好惹

    青涩蜕变,如今她是能独当一面的女boss,爱了冷泽聿七年,也同样花了七年时间去忘记他。以为是陌路,他突然向他表白,扬言要娶她,她只当他是脑子抽风,他的殷勤她也全都无视。他帮她查她父母的死因,赶走身边情敌,解释当初拒绝她的告别,和故意对她冷漠都是无奈之举。突然爆出她父母的死居然和冷家有丝毫联系,还莫名跳出个公爵未婚夫,扬言要与她履行婚约。峰回路转,破镜还能重圆吗? PS:我又开新文了,每逢假期必书荒,新文《有你的世界遇到爱》,喜欢我的文的朋友可以来看看,这是重生类现言,对这个题材感兴趣的一定要收藏起来。
  • 凰医帝临七神

    凰医帝临七神

    (原名《焚尽七神:狂傲女帝》)前世,她贵为巅峰女帝,一夕之间局势逆转,沦为废材之质。魂灵双修,医毒无双,血脉觉醒,一御万兽。天现异象,凰命之女,自此归来,天下乱之。这一次,所有欺她辱她之人必杀之!他自上界而来,怀有目的,却因她动摇内心深处坚定的道义。“你曾说,你向仰我,你想像我一样,步入光明,是我对不起你,又让你重新回到黑暗。”“你都不在了,你让我一个人,怎么像向仰你?!”爱与不爱,从来都是我们自己的事,与他人无关。带走了所有的光明与信仰。
  • 妖孽乞丐

    妖孽乞丐

    前世,她是苏氏企业的执行总裁,亦是黑道上所有人闻之色变的风月阁主事---苏少,手下有着世界排名前七的杀手,横扫整个黑道为人阴狠残暴,冷血无情就在21岁生日时,被自己的亲叔叔暗算,死于一场爆炸当她的灵魂得以穿越,依附在一个不满十三岁的乞丐身上,她的人生又将发生怎样翻天覆地的变化?这世,她是明月王朝一名枉死的乞丐地牢重生,右手被废,被江湖上赫赫有名的医圣--无涯子收为关门弟子,一身医术尽数传与她重生后的她,波澜不惊,淡漠冷血,风华绝代,眼神凌厉如浩瀚深渊扑朔迷离的身世,冷漠淡然的处事态度,体内那股足以毁天灭地的能量让她成为两国皇室的头号公敌却在不经意间揭晓她的真实身份——皓月国的七公主!体内拥有半尺神功的天下主宰者!这世的她,又将带给这片大陆怎样的腥风血雨?!人物简介:女主苏格:男装时清冷卓然,一身白衣飘渺如谪仙,三千发丝仅用一根银白的发带束于脑后,俊美邪佞,浑身上下散发着拒人于千里之外的冷漠,手执一把银白长剑,煮酒天下女装时妖娆媚惑,额头一簇盛开的殷红紫薇更显她神圣不可侵犯,恍如九天玄女,眉目清冷,疏离淡漠柳君陌:面容邪肆俊美,一双眸子若千年不化的寒冰,冰寒刺骨。身怀绝世武功,创立天下第一杀手阁只为找寻心目中的无忧,与苏格相遇在武林大会前一晚的树林里,两人见面总是打斗居多,以为两人是死对头,后知道苏格的身份,才知道她就是自己苦苦找寻的那个人。。。墨枫:神秘莫测的明月国二皇子,总是一身黑衣加身,遮住容貌身形,武功深不可测,是天下第一情报组织飞鸟阁的阁主,也是青龙山庄的效力对象,为了维持两国的友好,与其说是居住,不如说是从小就被监禁在皓月,是个真正的武学天才,与苏格相遇在武林大会,被擂台上的那抹白色身影吸引墨离:皓月国温雅清润的五皇子,面容也是生得俊美无双,文武全才,从小便体弱多病,被送去凌霄阁救治,后来成为凌霄阁阁主,旧疾也被医圣治好,与苏格相识在他十五岁的时候,是苏格的亲生哥哥,后被苏格逼迫着坐上龙位,一统天下!云清:天山掌门无极最小的关门弟子,亦是明月的四皇子,真名墨阳,一袭红袍加身,长相妖娆绝色,是只倾城的狐狸,与苏格相遇在武林大会,前晚,被苏格一招击败,后在武林大会又被苏格所救无涯子:消失江湖三十年的医圣,一身轻功出神入化,医术亦是,是苏格的师父
  • 顺权方便经

    顺权方便经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 水月洞天之万界剑君

    水月洞天之万界剑君

    一朝穿越入水月,枯颜尽去换稚颜。机缘所至明剑理,拔剑可战一切敌。世界设定:水月洞天为主世界,紧接着穿越的世界为乌龙闯情关,斗破,宝莲灯,遮天,长生界,西游记,西游后传,洪荒。
  • 我真的不适合当人

    我真的不适合当人

    我真的不适合当人……我真的不适合当人,我真的不适合当人!
  • 白鹿原纪事

    白鹿原纪事

    我的生活场就是白鹿原。——陈忠实《白鹿原纪事》是陈忠实“闭关”乡下潜心写作时期创作的作品,他立足于自己的生活场白鹿原,用本色的地方语言描绘了白鹿原上发生的故事,刻画出一系列个性鲜明的人物形象,反映出白鹿原地区的人情风貌。“马罗大叔”正直强悍表象背后的温情柔软让人感动落泪;“鬼秧子乐叔”的狡黠虚伪却因曾经动荡的社会背景而显得可爱睿智;逼迫长工“黑娃”舔碗的“黄掌柜”绝非周扒皮似的刻薄地主,而是用夸张滑稽的“陋习”告诉我们勤俭致富的道理;……每一个人物都入木三分,从不同的侧面反映出白鹿原人的精神内核。