FOOTNOTES: 

[7] Chapter XII:  “Periodicity in Nature.”

[8] Ibid.

[9] De Ser.  Num. 17.

[10] Frazer, Adonis, Attis, and Osiris,^3 p. 200.

[11] Quoted by Dr. Frazer, The Golden Bough,^2 p. 203.

[12] E.K.  Chambers, The Mediaeval Stage, I, p. 169.

[13] The Golden Bough,^2 p. 205.

[14] The Golden Bough,^2 p. 213.

[15] Resumed from Dr. Frazer, Golden Bough,^2 II, p. 104.

[16] De Is. et Os., p. 367.

[17] De Aug.  Scient., III, 4.

[18] J.C.  Lawson, Modern Greek Folk-lore and Ancient Religion, p. 573.

CHAPTER IV

THE SPRING FESTIVAL IN GREECE

The tragedies of AEschylus, Sophocles, and Euripides were performed at Athens at a festival known as the Great Dionysia.  This took place early in April, so that the time itself makes us suspect that its ceremonies were connected with the spring.  But we have more certain evidence.  Aristotle, in his treatise on the Art of Poetry, raises the question of the origin of the drama.  He was not specially interested in primitive ritual; beast dances and spring mummeries might even have seemed to him mere savagery, the lowest form of “imitation;” but he divined that a structure so complex as Greek tragedy must have arisen out of a simpler form; he saw, or felt, in fact, that art had in some way risen out of ritual, and he has left us a memorable statement.

In describing the “Carrying-out of Summer” we saw that the element of real drama, real impersonation, began with the leaders of the band, with the Queen of the May, and with the “Death” or the “Winter.”  Great is our delight when we find that for Greek drama Aristotle[19] divined a like beginning.  He says: 

     “Tragedy—­as also Comedy—­was at first mere improvisation—­the one
     (tragedy) originated with the leaders of the Dithyramb.”

The further question faces us:  What was the Dithyramb?  We shall find to our joy that this obscure-sounding Dithyramb, though before Aristotle’s time it had taken literary form, was in origin a festival closely akin to those we have just been discussing.  The Dithyramb was, to begin with, a spring ritual; and when Aristotle tells us tragedy arose out of the Dithyramb, he gives us, though perhaps half unconsciously, a clear instance of a splendid art that arose from the simplest of rites; he plants our theory of the connection of art with ritual firmly with its feet on historical ground.

* * * * *

When we use the word “dithyrambic” we certainly do not ordinarily think of spring.  We say a style is “dithyrambic” when it is unmeasured, too ornate, impassioned, flowery.  The Greeks themselves had forgotten that the word Dithyramb meant a leaping, inspired dance.  But they had not forgotten on what occasion that dance was danced.  Pindar wrote a Dithyramb for the Dionysiac festival at Athens, and his song is full of springtime and flowers.  He bids all the gods come to Athens to dance flower-crowned.