Villa had been waiting for the right moment, the right moment to announce the start of the sacrifice.
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 locals do not give them any special emotions. But the wise men of some tribes learned that they could use the movements of the seven stars to estimate how long the night would fall and how long it would be until the sun rose. They also used the position of Sirius to tell time.
In the eyes of a wise man, this is as random as clearly distinguishing between morning glow and sunset glow.
Finally, the stars were in the right place.
Vilia deliberately opened her arms slowly. 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.
In a low voice, she shouted, "Everyone... everyone! Kneel down..."
The order was as contagious as a cancer. For a moment, she was the only old man in the entire venue, barely standing in the posture of a forest saint, her old face facing the aurora in the sky.
Together with the leader Otto, all the priests, and more than 7,000 residents of the tribe, 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. Isn’t he also kneeling?
The whole 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 his tribe's eulogies were as old as the 870th anniversary of the birth of the saint revered by the Romans.
The long eulogy is full of awkward vocabulary, which makes it difficult for ordinary people in the tribe to understand it.
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 of the words are not 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.
When Vilia finally finished reciting the words, she felt that her neck would be broken by the heavy antler helmet. In order for the ceremony to go smoothly, she must endure it!
She slowly lowered her head and gave a low command, and everyone slowly stood up.
"Rurik!" she called slowly.
"I am here."
"Now is the time for you to show off." After saying that, she motioned to Bona to return the steel sword to its owner, and then motioned to Otto to bring the five deer over.
The steel sword was stuck in the snow, and the deer was fetched for Otto.
Three strong warriors forced a deer to the ground. The deer was so frightened that it frantically tried to break free, but the three men worked together to hold it down. Otto quickly tied up the limbs of the deer with a hemp rope, forcing it to lie on its side on the ground, neighing sadly.
The other deer did the same thing, 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!" After some inner self-abuse, Rurik calmed down 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 the 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 on 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 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 regained his composure, and pointed his bloody sword at the other helpless deer.
Sadly these deer have suffered the most complete domestication at the hands of the Sami people. The Sami people raise deer just for food, including Rumia, who has witnessed too many killings of deer. Rumia didn't feel terrible, she just felt that the deer that belonged to her family was so hastily executed by them, and that she was executed by her own little master.
With the first success, Rurik's next work was smooth sailing.
The deer blood dyed the snow red. They gave death to the leader's son and Otto's well-wisher. Rurik, with a bloody face, completed the proof of his strength in front of the Ti tribe and the guests.
The sacrifice went well. The deer that was used as a sacrifice was the property of the priests. The deer skin was immediately peeled off by the leader and others. The deer meat, also known as an important sacrifice, was piled on the snow.
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 his 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 go back to your homes to drink, and you can light bonfires on any road. You can celebrate to your heart's content and welcome the first one." 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 meat regardless of the consequences.
In a short time, less than a hundred people were left on the still brightly lit altar.
Rurik's face was still stained with blood, and his leather coat stained with deer blood had to be thoroughly cleaned. His mother Niya did not criticize her son for soiling his clothes, but only affirmed her son's strength.
It's all 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 blade was wiped off by the snow, and it shone coldly under the aurora.
If anyone is in a bad mood right 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 your ass with my boots." .”
"Okay...I...I'm leaving."
Rumia squeezed her eyes hard, and Rurik noticed that a few drops of sparkling substance splashed from her eyes.
She's not in a good mood!
I'm in a 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 that was unique to men, and it was a feeling of freedom as a master.
After the big festival, the celebrations for ordinary people begin!
Those known as the barbaric Varangians, both male and female, dance under the aurora and stars, making Hanukkah seem like a carnival.
People expressed 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 what the adults were saying and laughing. They pulled burning sticks from the fire and added more dry branches to build their 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. As the king of this group of children, Rurik followed the crowd and threw branches into the flames.
Is this what everyone calls firewood?
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 Rurik's heroic act of 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, his eyes unable to 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 emotions, 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 some men will not be able to hoard so much wealth in their lifetime. Yes, for some so-called peaceful people who accumulate wealth in traditional ways such as farming on barren land or simply fishing, it is foreseeable that they will probably live in poverty for a lifetime.
If you step out of the barren land and steal the wealth of other wealthy people, you will risk your life and become rich overnight.
"Do you want to get it? Of course you do!" Rurik said deliberately, and then paused for breath. "So you have to fight for it yourself! You will eventually get a sword like this, even better than it. Prerequisite It’s you who 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 what is the reality? For a long time, my heart has been too young and sometimes even naive, and I am naturally indecisive. Although there are some adults' business intrigues, I still lack the strength.
He paid special attention to Otto's instructions at the altar. A leader needs to be kind, but must be ruthless on critical occasions.
After washing his face well with deer blood, Rurik felt like he had grown up in an instant.
He must be determined to truly be a leader. He must target these children and cannot inspire them with any friendship or some spread of oracles. To deal with this group of guys is to give them orders and order them to execute them. Those who do not perform well will be whipped. Of course, if they do well, they 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 did not 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 absolutely 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.
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, boys are willing to find someone who is older and more powerful than themselves as a playmate and respect them as their big brother. 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.
"All of you! Kneel down!"
