Villa has been waiting for the right time and must announce the start of the sacrifice at the right time.
She endured the pain in her neck and looked up at the stars from time to time. She paid special attention to the position of the Big Dipper.
The European world of Greece and Rome gave the Big Dipper a mythological role as the seven daughters of the chief god.
In Northern Europe, the local people did not give them any special emotions. But the wise men of some tribes learned some news that they could estimate how long the night would fall and how long it would be until the sun rose through the movement of the seven stars. They
It is also used to judge the time based on the position of Sirius.
In the eyes of a wise man, this is as random as clearly distinguishing between morning glow and sunset glow.
Finally, the stars arrived in the right position.
Vilia deliberately opened her arms slowly, and her strange behavior caused thousands of people to whisper to each other, making the entire altar extremely noisy. Thousands of people instantly lost their voices!
A pair of eyes were fixed on the woman in the deer-horned helmet, eagerly watching it enter the stone boat and approach the territory full of oil lamp flames.
She ordered loudly in a low voice: "Everyone... everyone! Kneel down..."
The order was contagious like a cancer. For a moment, she was the only old man in the entire venue, standing reluctantly like a forest saint, with her old face facing the aurora in the sky.
Together with the leader Otto, all the priests, and more than 7,000 residents, they all knelt on the ground, waiting for the prayers from the high priest.
Rurik and Rumia were kneeling in the stone ship altar, their knees pressed against the snow through the animal skins.
Rurik could feel that Rumia was not willing to kneel down abruptly, but as long as she looked at the solemn and solemn scene around her, how could a servant like her stand still? Look at the leader himself, wasn't he also kneeling?
The entire ceremony actually didn't take long, and the most important thing was the high priest's chanting and the handling of the victims.
Vilia knew the Hanukkah prayers by heart, as did her successor Bona.
The eulogies may come from very ancient times; Villa even believed that the eulogies of his tribe were as old as the 870th year of the birth of the saint revered by the Romans.
The long eulogy is full of awkward vocabulary, which is really difficult for ordinary people in the tribe to understand.
Yes, "eulogy" is a language only used by priests, and many words are different from spoken language in daily life.
It is indeed very different, and many words are not from Old Norse at all, but words borrowed directly from Latin long ago.
Latin, the mother of European destruction, although Latin itself borrowed a large number of words from ancient Greece, after all, these hundreds of thousands of words radiated outward from the Apennine Peninsula through the influence of the Roman Empire.
Vilia finally finished reciting the words, and she felt that her neck was about to be broken by the heavy antlered helmet. She had to endure it for the success of the ceremony!
She slowly lowered her head and gave instructions in a low voice, and everyone slowly stood up.
"Rurik!" she called slowly.
"I am here."
"Now is the time for you to show off." After saying this, she motioned to Bona to return the steel sword to its owner, and then motioned to Otto to bring all five deer over.
The steel sword was stuck in the snow, and the deer was brought for Otto.
Three strong warriors forced a deer to the ground. The deer was frightened and tried to break free, but the three men worked together to hold it down. Otto quickly tied up the deer with a hemp rope.
The deer's limbs forced it to lie on its side on the ground, neighing sadly.
The other deer followed the same method, and soon they became victims that Rurik could successfully execute.
"Child, now is the time for you to harvest their lives. Don't worry, you just need to pierce the deer's neck with your sword." Otto ordered with a slight breath.
"I..." Rurik's heart was beating fast. He couldn't help but glance at Rumia from the corner of his eye and noticed the sadness in the girl's expression.
But the deer must be executed!
If the leader's successor, who has high hopes, behaves cowardly at this time, then everything will be over!
It is true that Rurik has never personally killed an animal larger than a mouse, and now he actually wants to...
"Hundan, are you a man? If you are a man, be brave! If it's not a thousand years from now, the weak will be servants of bandits!" Rurik calmed down after some inner self-abuse, and bent down to pull out the knife.
Steel sword.
Holding his breath and holding a sharp knife, he walked towards the deer whose neck was being grabbed by his father.
Otto showed an encouraging smile: "Do it now, cut your neck and let the deer's blood flow into this altar."
"OK."
Rurik slowly knelt down with a sullen face. He noticed the deer's desolate eyes illuminated by the firelight, and a trace of compassion arose spontaneously.
kindness?
No! Not now!
He held the deer's neck with his left hand and touched the place where the deer's pulse was strong. The edge of the steel sword in his right hand penetrated directly into that place. The whole process was decisive.
In an instant, deer blood sprayed across his face. The warm and bloody deer blood did not bring fear to Rurik.
The deer was struggling violently, and its blood was still flowing out. Thousands of people witnessed Rurik's blood-covered face.
The quiet crowd instantly burst into loud cheers. The reason was very simple. The leader's only seven-year-old son had personally dedicated a deer to Odin. This was an excellent tribute, and it was also a much larger body than Rurik.
Tribute!
Executing a deer is not a scary thing, but what about a racing heart?
Rurik calmed himself down, and pointed his bloody sword at another helpless and dazed deer.
These deer are sad. They have been domesticated in the most complete way in the hands of the Sami people. The Sami people raise deer just for food, including Rumia. She has witnessed too many scenes of killing deer. Rumia does not
I feel terrible, because I feel that the deer that originally belonged to my family was so hastily executed by them, and it was executed by my own little master.
With the first success, Rurik's next work was smooth sailing.
The snow was dyed red with deer blood. They were the leader's son, Otto's well-wisher, and Rurik, with a bloody look on his face, completed the proof of his strength in front of all the tribesmen and guests.
The sacrifice went well. The deer that was sacrificed was the property of the priests. The deer skin was immediately peeled off by the leader and others. The deer meat was piled on the snow as an important sacrifice.
The position of the stars has moved, and the sacrificial activities have come to an end.
Now, Vilia could finally take off the antlered helmet that was about to break her neck. She looked at all the tribesmen and guests who were watching, solemnly announced the end of the Hanukkah festival, and solemnly announced: "Now, you can return to your homes.
Drink freely and light bonfires on any road. Celebrate to your heart’s content and welcome the first sunrise.”
Everyone burst out with astonishing roars, and they began to leave the altar one after another, rushing to their homes to drink all the ale they had stored, and gnawing on the reserved dried meat regardless of the consequences.
In a short time, less than a hundred people were left at the altar, which was still brightly lit.
The blood on Rurik's face was still there, and his leather coat stained with deer blood also had to be cleaned thoroughly. His mother Niya did not blame her son for being careless in soiling his clothes, but only affirmed her son's strength.
Everything is over. The five deer will soon become a meal for the priests, and the five furs will be processed into clothes. The deer blood on the sword blade is wiped off by the snow, and it shines coldly under the aurora.
If anyone is in a bad mood now, it's poor Rumia.
"Let's go, my child, we have to go back to our home." Otto comforted his son.
"Okay, I have to change out of this dress."
"Take your servant with you." After that, Otto sternly urged Rumia, who was looking at the deer skins piled randomly on the snow in a daze: "Servant, follow us, or I will kick you with my boots.
butt."
"Okay...I...I'm going."
Rumia squeezed her eyes hard, and Rurik noticed that a few drops of shiny things splashed from her eyes.
She's not in a good mood!
I'm in a pretty good mood.
Executing the deer was approved by his parents and tribesmen. Although he was a little nervous, Rurik now only had a strong sense of success unique to men, a feeling of pleasure as a master.
After the big festival, the celebrations for ordinary people begin!
Those known as the barbaric Varangians, both men and women, danced under the aurora and stars, making Hanukkah seem like a carnival.
People vented their excitement, including children, who were more than happy to throw branches at the burning pyre to make the flames stronger.
The children are actually just playing with fire. After all, they are so bored in the winter that they even lack toys.
What’s so fun about fire?
Rurik had no choice at all. He was surrounded by his large group of subordinates and walked towards the fire. The children didn't care about the adults' talking and laughing. They pulled out burning sticks from the fire and added more
Dry branches and build your own bonfire.
When his little face was sore from the flames, a trace of joy suddenly came to his mind.
The feeling of warmth, even the feeling of being burned, is so happy. Rurik, as the king of this group of children, followed the trend and threw branches into the flames.
Is this what everyone calls the flames of fire?
If he hadn't been playing with fire here with a group of children, he would have continued to wait at home, and even got drunk by his father Otto.
The good ones among the children saw with their own eyes the heroic act of Rurik killing the reindeer, and how he looked covered in blood.
At their current age, almost all of them are afraid of killing deer. If someone can do it, he must be a ruthless person.
After throwing away an unknown amount of dry firewood, the bald Fisk approached Rurik cautiously and couldn't help but stare at the sword in his waist: "My leader, I really want to see your divine sword."
"Really? Then I'll show you."
Without thinking much, Rurik drew out his dagger, held the hilt and showed it to his "general" Fisk.
Under the firelight, the sword body reflected a strong cold light.
It is truly the most perfect existence. The sword body is smooth, the blade is straight and full of murderous intent, and the terrifying tip seems to be able to pierce all armor.
"What do you think?" Rurik asked deliberately, "Do you want to get it?"
This sentence immediately aroused Fisk's desire, and more than a hundred children rushed over screaming.
"I...I want one too! I heard that you, the leader, gave Odin's wisdom to the blacksmith."
"But you have no money." Rurik said bluntly.
"Yes!" Fisk lowered his head silently, his arrogance gone. He muttered silently: "My father died in the war, and he didn't give me much property."
"A long time ago, you couldn't afford it." Rurik said with a regretful smile, "Fisk, how much do you think this sword is worth?"
"Maybe three silver coins? Or...it looks like ten silver coins."
"Oh, Fisk, you really underestimate this sword. Are you so stupid that you think Odin's wisdom is only worth ten silver coins?!"
Rurik's words suddenly made Fisk feel a sense of blasphemy, so he subconsciously stepped back and asked in a low voice: "Is it twenty?"
"At least fifty! Fisk!"
"So much?!" Fifty silver coins, I am afraid that some men will not be able to hoard so much wealth in their lifetime. Yes, it is aimed at some so-called peace factions who farm on barren land or simply fish.
If you accumulate wealth in the traditional way, you can predict that you will probably be poor for a lifetime.
If you step out of a barren land to steal the wealth of other wealthy people, you are risking your life to become rich overnight.
"Do you want to get it? Of course you do!" Rurik said deliberately, and then paused: "So you have to fight for it yourself! You will eventually get a sword like this, even better than it.
The premise is that you must be loyal to me."
Since killing the deer, Rurik has truly become a man. When he stood on the altar with the deer's blood flowing and raised his steel sword and received the admiration of thousands of tribesmen, he felt that he had truly grown up.
Rurik has always boasted that he is an old guy with a mentality of almost forty years old, but in reality? His heart has always been too young and sometimes even naive, and he is naturally indecisive. Although some adults are plotting in business,
He still lacks strength.
He paid special attention to Otto's instructions at the altar. A leader needs to be kind, but must be ruthless in critical situations.
After washing his face well with deer blood, Rurik felt like he had grown up in an instant.
He is determined to truly become a leader. He must target these children and cannot inspire them with any friendship or some popular oracles. To deal with these guys, he just needs to give them orders and order them to execute them. If they do not execute them well,
Just crack the whip. Of course, if you do well, you will be given certain benefits.
Rurik slightly looked up at the bald boy in front of him: "Now, as Odin's blessing, I order you to kneel down!"
Fisk didn't hesitate at all. He knelt down on one knee like an ordinary warrior meeting his leader, with his left arm supporting his left knee and his right hand supporting the snow.
At this moment, Rurik could be completely sure that his performance at the altar had conquered too many people.
The boys in the tribe are very simple. In their lives, they hear heroic deeds one after another, as well as some legends about wealth.
Boys are always ignored by adults. They are eager to prove themselves and long for a leader who belongs to boys.
This leader is Rurik!
Looking at Fisk's dry scalp and the man's respectful look, Rurik asked sharply: "Fisk, you will get wealth by following me. Are you willing to obey my orders and serve me?"
"I do."
"What? What did you say? You're talking like a weak woman. Say it louder!"
"I do!" Fisk shouted loudly.
Fisk, who is almost ten years old, is the oldest of all the boys and the one with the strongest physical fitness.
In any era, a boy is willing to find someone who is older and more powerful than himself as a playmate and respect him as his big brother. This is because doing so is very beneficial to the boy himself.
What Rurik gave Fisk was not a sense of security, but a promise of wealth and status.
He breathed a long sigh of relief and glanced at all the boys whose eyes were trembling with excitement.