The holiday has always been fixed on December 28, because for areas with lower dimensions, the sun only shows one side during the day and then sets quickly.
The Franks celebrated Christmas three days before. Their major festivals were so close to each other that the Danes didn't think much about it.
The Ross tribe is located just on the edge of the Arctic Circle. On December 28, they could almost only see the sun's rays of rays near the horizon.
The most important event of Hanukkah for each tribe is that all tribesmen gather at the large stone boat-shaped altars they have built. The priests light a large number of oil lamps, slaughter sacrifices and pray to God. If Aurora comes, the gathered people will kneel down.
Rather, it seems that this is the only time when prayer can best gain God’s understanding.
The great sacrifice of the Ross tribe was brought forward one day. When the sun barely peeked over the horizon on the 27th was about to set, all the residents of the tribe, as well as all the guests, used the soap purchased from the priest to wash themselves thoroughly and dressed in their best clothes.
He took off his clothes, took a few bites of dried meat, and walked towards the huge stone ship altar on the edge of the Roseburg settlement.
Under the dim light, a large number of wriggling black shadows suddenly appeared on the snow-covered land!
After a while, a large number of torches began to replace the evening glow.
After a while, a large amount of fire suddenly appeared in the snow-covered oak forest, and the bonfire used to illuminate the sacrificial venue had been lit!
At this time, the aging Vilia was also making final preparations.
With the help of the lower-level priests, she put on her thick clothes. She couldn't help but look at the clean antlered helmet she had used for decades and swallowed hard.
She prayed silently: "When I can no longer wear it, it will be my death. If I must die, let me die on the altar, under the light of Aurora!"
Suddenly, Bona hurried over: "High Priest, the dog star Sirius is almost here, let's go quickly."
Vilia's heart sank, and she turned around and said, "I'm about to leave! Come on, Bona, help me hold my antlered helmet."
The cold and silent fjord suddenly became starlit, and the cold world was warmed by a bonfire.
When Villa, supported by lower-level priests, slowly walked to the tribe's stone boat altar, more than 4,000 people had gathered here at this moment!
There are more than 7,000 Ross tribe members and guests. No matter which family or tribe they belong to, Hanukkah is the same everywhere.
This time during the sacrifice, Rurik followed closely behind his mother as usual and blended into the huge crowd.
Those married Novgorod women were all pregnant, and their slightly swollen bellies were covered by thick leather clothes.
When they got married, they naturally became new Rus. They once again participated in major tribal activities. In the huge crowd, everyone was lamenting the Varyag people's strength in numbers, and also targeted those who insisted on carrying iron.
The awe of the men wearing helmets, bucklers on their backs, and axes at their waists.
This is the case for Peravina. She is already giving birth to a new life. As an expectant mother, she needs a sense of security the most. Her husband is a Varyag, and what makes Arik very similar to other Varyag youths is his physical strength.
Looking at the body, the person is fully armed, as if he is not going to the altar, but to fight on the battlefield.
The wealthy warriors of the tribe were more than happy to wear their regalia on the day of the great festival, that is, their own armor and formidable weapons.
For Rumia, her feelings were even stronger, and she couldn't help but think of that terrifying night.
The murderers are all here! I am among the murderers, just like a poor deer, becoming the hunter's food at any time.
"There are so many people and I'm afraid of getting separated from you. I'm afraid." Rumia, who was still wearing thick clothes and hanging her silver jewelry on her clothes, tightly grabbed Rurik's sleeves. She insisted on showing off her silver jewelry on purpose.
, this way, just like those terrible warriors, they show that they are servants with a master.
Rurik could understand the girl's fear.
"Don't worry, it's just a sacrifice. Hold on to me, no one will hurt you."
Thousands of people gathered in a forest clearing full of bonfires, and soon residents of the entire tribe would gather here. Herdsmen like Rumia, who were accustomed to living in the open world, experienced the crowding of people. This was the first time.
Facing them, can the deer herder have a chance to win?
It seems that all the deer herders cannot defeat the Varyags even if they unite. No one in the world can defeat them.
This year's Hanukkah sacrifice is no different from previous years.
Rurik gathered with the families of his father's close associates, and everyone paid special attention to the strong men carrying the wooden boats.
Father Otto appears!
"Brothers, work harder!" Otto gave an order, and more than thirty people forcibly carried a ship without a mast.
Under the light of the torches held by the subordinate priests, they forcibly carried the wooden boat into the altar and slowly lowered it in front of the high priest Vilia.
Otto took a deep breath, walked a certain distance with the string and put it down in the new river. It should be the job of young people.
As the leader, even though Otto was very old, he had to do this forcefully.
He must insist, just like the priest Vilia, who almost died wearing a huge antlered helmet.
Yes, Vilia is now on crutches. She wears a heavy leather jacket to keep warm and cover her shaky legs.
The antlered helmet was too heavy, and wearing it on her head really showed a strong sense of seriousness and mystery.
Later, five top quality reindeer were brought over.
They are well-domesticated reindeer, and their eyes reveal indifference as they stare blankly at the surging crowds, listening to the noise of the humans around them.
They don't seem to know that their end is approaching.
The residents couldn't help but discuss the grandness of this sacrifice, and many began to recall the great harvest from previous hunting operations.
Others discussed the servants of the leader's son.
How could a mere humble servant be given silver jewelry inlaid with precious stones by Rurik? Also, this servant's clothes were better than those of ordinary girls in the tribe.
Rumia heard others commenting on her, and a sense of danger arose, and she subconsciously held on to Rurik's leather jacket even tighter.
But her eyes quickly focused on the deer.
Deer! They are all my deer!
Mom, dad, and younger brothers and sisters, you
Everything is dreamy and unbelievable. Although I am well fed and clothed and comfortable now, all my relatives were killed by these Varangians. The tragedy happened not long ago.
The deer on the altar are witnesses to the tragedy, but these witnesses will soon be given death by the Varyags to sacrifice their Odin.
The Varangians are celebrating their grand festival!
The sacrifice is about to begin!
Rumia tried her best to remain silent, and her tears turned into traces reflected by the bonfire.
After resting, Otto approached Priest Vilia and said respectfully: All the sacrifices have arrived, can we start?"
"No, wait a moment."
"High Priest, your sacred deer helmet is too heavy. Maybe we need to start and finish quickly."
Villa was a little unhappy. She slowly raised her head and looked at the sky, and said calmly: "The position of the stars is not right yet. Aurora is not particularly bright now, so we have to wait. You don't have to worry about me, leader."
"All right"
"Chief, please prepare yourself first, if you can." Suddenly, Villa thought of something. "Chief, bring your son and that servant."
"Them? This"
"Go quickly!"
Otto didn't know the rationale for Villia's sudden whim for a while. He approached the crowd and quickly pulled out Rurik and Rumia.
The situation became extremely unexpected, and Rurik really couldn't understand whether he was old enough to have to participate in the ceremony in person.
The sudden change made the waiting crowd very strange, and pairs of eyes stared at the two small figures standing in front of the priest.
"Grandma, why are we?" Rurik asked strangely.
Vilia had a serious look on her face, and she ordered in a thick voice: "Now, kneel down!"
Her voice had a strong sense of oppression, and without thinking at all, Rurik dragged Rumia to his knees.
"Rurik, hand over your sword now and give it to me."
Rurik, who had regained his composure, did not rush to draw his sword, but hurriedly asked: "My sword? Why?"
"Silly boy!" she snapped. "This is the first sword made with Odin's wisdom. Our tribe has received Odin's wisdom, and we must take this opportunity to express our gratitude."
"So that's it."
Rurik obediently presented his steel sword, and Vilya held it in his hand, looking at the cold light of its blade, he was filled with admiration.
"Grandma, after us"
"You cut the deer's neck!" Villa suddenly shouted.
"Ah? What am I going to do?"
"Didn't you hear clearly?" Vilia continued the low command, "Children blessed by Odin, I thought about it, this year's ceremony requires your personal participation. You have to use this sword to execute all the sacrifices. Wait a moment
During the ceremony, I will communicate with Valhalla on behalf of the tribe, and you must personally deliver the sacrifice to Odin."
"this"
"Listen, this is your mission. You must participate in the future big festivals. And your servants." Vilia looked at Rumia who was kneeling on the ground and trembling.
"Rumia, servant of Odin's Blesser, raise your head!"
Rumia was startled at first, then quickly raised her head obediently.
"You have raised these deer, and now your master will sacrifice the deer to Odin. You have to help your master complete this sacrifice, do you understand?"
"I, I understand."
Wei Liya nodded with satisfaction and motioned for the two of them to get up.
These requests were very sudden. According to the plan, the work of killing the deer was still carried out by Otto himself.
After all, the leader himself represents the entire tribe.
Now that I think about it carefully, although the priest's decision was sudden, it actually made sense.
A big hand was placed on Rurik's shoulder, and Otto could already feel his son's nervousness.
Rurik, before time travel, he was an ordinary person who only ate meat. He had never even killed a chicken. His greatest achievement was to use a slingshot to blow the head of a house rat that ran into his house. Eliminate a group of rats.
He didn't think there was anything scary about the mouse at all. Seeing the mouse twitching before it died, a sense of joy at the success of the hunt came to his mind!
Large livestock?! This
More than a thousand years later, livestock and poultry breeding has been industrialized, and slaughtering work has been mechanized in meat plants.
Youdao is a gentleman far away from the kitchen. Occasionally seeing the video of the meat factory, ordinary people will at least react in their hearts. For this reason, the meat factories in various places have upgraded their equipment, so-called electric current electrocution of livestock and poultry, and then bloodletting.
The so-called ending of animal suffering by a few tens of millimeters is called humane.
Interestingly, thousands of years later, the descendants of the Varyags, who claim to be the most humanitarian and environmentally friendly people in the world, have their ancestors recognized as symbols of barbarism and brute force.
After all, livestock and poultry all have a bloody end, but this will not affect the pleasure of eating stewed meat and barbecue.
It’s crazy for a seven-year-old kid to personally execute a deer that is taller at the shoulders than the top of his head!
However, the original Varyag people are all like this.
The warrior would order his children to chop off the heads of fish, and then execute the caught rabbits or other small animals.
All boys were trained by their fathers to hunt and fish, and were able to skin the prey themselves, distinguish which animal livers could be eaten directly, and learn fire-making skills such as drilling wood to make fire. These are skills necessary for a man to survive.
Rurik is destined to learn these abilities, he is already seven years old after all!
Otto originally wanted to take it easy. Although his son was "Blessed by Odin", he had great ambitions. Otto sometimes felt that his son was kinder than other children.
Being kind to your friends is a good virtue. As a leader, will your subordinates feel that the leader is not strong enough and brave enough?
Suddenly Otto felt that the priest's decision had a deeper meaning.
Otto asked softly: "Rurik, are you afraid to tell me the truth?"
"I am indeed a little scared."
"Don't be afraid, kid. You are the future leader. Even if you are only seven years old, you must show your strength to others. Listen, a person who dares not kill a deer is a coward!"
"I'm still a little worried"
"Don't think too much, I will control the deer. When the time comes and you pierce the deer's neck with your sword, you will succeed. You can't be afraid of blood! Listen, there will be many terrible enemies in the future, and you need to chop them away.
Head! If you are not brave now, you are not a hunter, but a prey."
Rurik didn't want to say that he was afraid of seeing a lot of blood. This is really normal for normal people. Just like a new soldier, he might even wet his pants when he goes to the battlefield for the first time, but after more experience, he will no longer be afraid of his comrades.
body, not to mention blood and death.
This is true for soldiers of any era. Even those on long boats will be afraid and run away cowardly when faced with some obviously unfavorable battles.
Rurik gritted his teeth, nodded deeply, and tried to be very brave: "I will kill the deer, I will not hesitate."
Even so, Otto could still feel his son's worry.
This is not surprising, there are only a few born warriors. For example, in children's wrestling games, many children must be stepped on by the winner again and again before they can become brave.
This is the military operation led by Otto himself. He prefers to take strong men around thirty years old. One reason is that they have enough experience, are brave and even thirst for blood!