月崇拝と太陰暦世界の多くの地域では、月(男性とみなされている)が全ての子供の真の父親であると考えられてきた*。(* 注:マオリ族の国では,次のように言われている。「月は、全女性の永遠の夫、あるいは本当の夫である。我々の祖先や長老の理解(知識)によれば、男女の結婚(man and wife 夫婦となるための結婚)はまったく重要な事柄ではない(a matter of no moment)。月こそ、其の夫である。」 類似した考え(物の見方)は、世界の大部分の地域に存在してきた。これは、明らかに、父性が知られなかった段階から父性の重要性が完全に認められる(段階)までの過渡期を示すものである。ブリフォールト,前掲書,p.37 所載)
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Chapter IV: Phallic Worship, Asceticism and SinIn many parts of the world it has been thought that the moon (regarded as masculine) is the true father of all children. (note 3: In the Maori State "the moon is the permanent husband or true husband of all women. According to the knowledge of our ancestors and elders, the marriage of man and wife is a matter of no moment: the moon is the true husband." Similar views have existed in most parts of the world, and obviously represent a transition from the stage where paternity was unknown to the complete recognition of its importance. Briffault, loc. cit., p. 37.)This view is, of course, connected with moon worship. There has been a curious conflict, not directly relevant to our present subject, between lunar and solar priesthoods and lunar and solar calendars. The calendar has at all times played an important part in religion. In England down to the eighteenth century and in Russia down to the Revolution of 1917, an inaccurate calendar was perpetuated owing to the feeling that the Gregorian calendar was papistical. Similarly, the very inaccurate lunar calendars were everywhere advocated by priests devoted to the worship of the moon, and the victory of the solar calendar was slow and partial. In Egypt this conflict was at one time a source of civil war. One may suppose that it was connected with a grammatical dispute as to the gender of the word "moon", which has remained masculine in German down to the present day. Both sun worship and moon worship have left their traces in Christianity, since Christ's birth occurred at the winter solstice, while his resurrection occurred at the Paschal full-moon. Although it is rash to attribute any degree of rationality to primitive civilization, it is nevertheless difficult to resist the conclusion that the victory of the sun worshippers, wherever it occurred, was due to the patent fact that the sun has more influence than the moon over the crops. Accordingly Saturnalia generally occurred in the spring. |