ersion of the legend wine replaces the beer and is made out of
"the blood of those who formerly fought against the gods," _cf._
Plutarch, De Iside (ed. Parthey) 6.]

[193: It is still the custom in many places, and among them especially
the regions near the headwaters of the Nile itself, to regard the king
or rain-maker as the impersonation of the life-giving properties of
water and the source of all fertility. When his own vitality shows signs
of failing he is killed, so as not to endanger the fruitfulness of the
community by allowing one who is weak in life-giving powers to control
its destinies. Much of the evidence relating to these matters has been
collected by Sir James Frazer in "The Dying God," 1911, who quotes from
Dr. Seligman the following account of the Dinka "Osiris":

"While the mighty spirit Lerpiu is supposed to be embodied in the
rain-maker, it is also thought to inhabit a certain hut which serves as
a shrine. In front of the hut stands a post to which are fastened the
horns of many bullocks that have been sacrificed to Lerpiu; and in the
hut is kept a very sacred spear which bears the name of Lerpiu and is
said to have fallen from heaven six generations ago. As fallen stars are
also called Lerpiu, we may suspect that an intimate connexion is
supposed to exist between meteorites and the spirit which animates the
rain-maker" (Frazer, _op. cit._, p. 32). Here then we have a house of
the dead inhabited by Lerpiu, who can also enter the body of the
rain-maker and animate him, as well as the ancient spear and the falling
stars, which are also animate forms of the same god, who obviously is
the homologue of Osiris, and is identified with the spear and the
falling stars.

In spring when the April moon is a few days old bullocks are sacrificed
to Lerpiu. "Two bullocks are led twice round the shrine and afterwards
tied by the rain-maker to the post in front of it. Then the drums beat
and the people, old and young, men and women, dance round the shrine and
sing, while the beasts are being sacrificed, 'Lerpiu, our ancestor, we
have brought you a sacrifice. Be pleased to cause rain to fall.' The
blood of the bullocks is collected in a gourd, boiled in a pot on the
fire, and eaten by the old and important people of the clan. The horns
of the animals are attached to the post in front of the shrine" (pp. 32
and 33).]

[194: In Northern Nigeria an official who bore the title of Killer of
the Elephant throttled the