The Golden Bough: A Study in Comparative Religion

Adonis was a Greek god born of an incestuous union between Cinyras and his daughter, Myrrha. Driven away by her murderous father, Myrrha had already metamorphosed into the myrrh tree when she gave birth to Adonis. Adonis was loved by both Persephone, goddess of the underworld, and Aphrodite, goddess of love. To settle the dispute between the two goddesses, Zeus decreed that Adonis should spend a part of the year under the ground with Persephone and a part on the earth’s surface with Aphrodite. Adonis was gored by a wild boar whilst out hunting and bled to death in Aphrodite’s arms. In some versions of the story, he was resurrected after Aphrodite pleaded with Zeus.

The Golden Bough argues that Adonis embodies the spirit of vegetation and fertility, symbolically dying, being born again with the crops, and disappearing underground during the cold seasons to re-emerge with the spring. It examines how kings in Phoenicia, Jerusalem, and Cyprus assumed the persona of Adonis and were held accountable for natural phenomena, sometimes becoming sacrificial victims as a consequence. Adonis’ relationship with the promiscuous Aphrodite is seen to lie at the root of the traditions of sacred prostitution in Cyprus.

Book 2 describes the tradition of planting gardens of Adonis in shallow pots, which meant that the plants could only prosper for a short time.