A tall wooden tower stands outside New Roseburg. It is conspicuous enough that people from a distance can see its phantom.
The tall thing makes people want to try it. Some children even tried to climb it. However, they noticed that there was grease on their hands and left in tears.
A batch of fat collected from captured seals and minke whales was refined into oil. It could have been used as lamp oil and refined into soap, and it became an excellent fuel for burning during this holiday season.
Various animal fats are boiled into liquid form and sprinkled on the wooden tower. Due to the high temperature, the fat hardens and forms a layer, even sticking to the charcoal at the base.
A large pile of hay is piled up, and on the night of the sacrifice, Rurik himself will light the haystack, and then the entire wooden tower.
Can you quickly create a fire tower just like this?
Rurik secretly prepared some special operations.
Two large sacks contained smelly white powder. Mortals didn't know what it meant. They only knew that these things were obtained from deliberately fermented dung.
It is soil saltpeter. The saltpetre that could be used as fertilizer was sprinkled on that haystack. Now, as long as a tiny spark is likely to cause the haystack to burst into flames.
Rurik wanted to give the onlookers a splendid viewing experience, and secondly, he also systematically tested whether the saltpetre derived from manure worked well.
Preparations for the festival are coming to an end, and people who have gone hunting in distant areas are returning with their prey to "celebrate the New Year." For a time the ice fishermen disappeared, and the forest trappers gathered in the city. They returned with supplies, and the city's market became more noisy, with cries one after another.
Look! Hunters selling squirrel skins are everywhere, and even tough squirrel meat is sold at a lower price.
In some areas outside the city, especially on the coastal sandbanks, open-air BBQ stalls have been set up. Some families even brought their families and set up tents, just to participate in the grand ceremony up close and even see the burning of the towering wooden tower.
A news is circulating that the so-called king will perform a miracle, and the fire tower will appear a pillar of flames shooting straight into the sky, just like Jörmungandr is breathing fire. The giant python Jörmungandr is said to be a terrifying sea monster, and some people even saw it emerging from the sea and breathing fire. I don’t know where this statement spread. In short, Viking people from all walks of life have the same memory. They believe that the fire-breathing Jörmungandr really exists. (The eruption of a volcano in Iceland was seen by a group of fishermen fishing in a distant place)
Of course, it is impossible for Jormungandr to appear in New Roseburg. Odin will not condone the appearance of such a terrifying monster.
So when the prince mentioned this giant monster, this year's fire tower must be gorgeous.
This is the reason why a large number of temporary tents have been gathered on the coastal sandbank. The cold wind from the north can sweep across this open land. The north wind is like a knife, but no one wants to leave.
Today is the shortest day of the year. In my hometown of Roseburg, it has fallen into "day without daylight", while the cities of Ironburg and Narvik further north have simply fallen into complete polar night.
Although the New Roseburg dimension is lower, today's daylight is pitifully short.
What is pleasant is that the sky has been clear and clear in the past few days. It is precisely the cold wind that keeps blowing that makes the sky cloudless.
Now it can be said that the moon is sparse and the sky is clear and clear. The moon hanging high in the sky is so bright that it even dims the emerald green aurora.
Before the ceremony was over, some smart people found the positions of the Pleiades and the Big Dipper, and observed their current positions to determine the current time. This method can be used in the polar night. In a sense, the astrolabe in the sky forms a virtual clock, and the Pleiades and the Big Dipper can be used as the hands of the clock. Of course, among the Vikings, such iconic stars were symbolized by the Valkyries.
Rumia was making final preparations at the great temple in the city.
Even if he is pregnant now, the majesty and nobility of the high priest cannot be lost! What’s more, this year’s situation is really special!
For one girl, this year's Hanukkah sacrifice is the beginning of her fortune.
Among the many lower-level priestesses, a tiny figure stood out.
She is Velika, who is only four years old. Before she was born, her destiny in this life was determined - the hereditary high priest of the principality.
Even though a four-year-old girl lives a pampered life, she is still weak, even walking clumsily and speaking with milky milk. But now that she has learned to run, she should fulfill her destiny.
Velika hasn't seen her biological mother for a while. She obeys her mother's words. How curious is her mother's current dress that looks like a reindeer?
Rumia also arranged her big braids with the help of lower-level priests. As the saying goes, psychic braids should not be lost, so all the priestesses wore the same big braids. Her long black hair reaches her waist, and is tied into a whip that looks like a cable and can be easily coiled around her head. The fact is that the uniform hairstyle of the temple priests attracted some women who went to the temple to worship the gods to imitate it. Their blond hair does not need to be straight down, but is often tied on the head and fixed with wooden branches to form a garland-like hairdo.
Four-year-old Vilia also had her hair tied up in braids. Seeing that her mother had no time to take care of herself, her curiosity drove her little body to embrace the ancestral antlered helmet of the Russians with both hands.
The antlered helmet was placed on the table, but she suddenly took it off. The heavy helmet fell, knocking the poor child down.
The sound attracted Rumia's side glance, and she saw her daughter sitting on the ground holding her helmet, her eyes wide and aggrieved as if she was about to cry.
The mother came over in a hurry, bent down and picked up the helmet, but this move made Velika burst into tears.
"What's going on? I heard the child crying as soon as I came in."
Rurik's arrival was too coincidental. When he first came in, he saw his precious daughter covering her face and crying. Rumia, who was already holding a huge antlered helmet, was embarrassed.
"What's wrong?! Why is this perfectly good child crying?"
Hearing that her father was coming, Villa immediately cried out in a milky voice: "Give me back--"
"Give it back to you? Okay, okay, I'll give it to you." Rumia looked at her helmet hurriedly, and then put it directly on her daughter's little head with a hint of anger.
For a moment, Vilia stopped crying!
This move really surprised Rurik, Rumia, and even the other lower-level priests present.
In other words, Rurik is more happy.
At least Vilia held the giant helmet on her head with both hands and giggled, as if it belonged to her.
"Lumia, it seems that she can't wait to be the high priest. She... fully accepts her destiny."
Rumia was overjoyed by Rurik's words, but she still took the antlered helmet back and warned her daughter: "It will be yours from now on, at least not now. You have to participate in the ceremony in person tonight, and promise me not to be afraid." No crying allowed."
"Um!"
"Don't scream when you see your father killing a deer. Don't scream when a wooden tower is on fire."
"Um!"
…
The young mother personally taught her ignorant daughter orally, and Rurik looked on with surprise and felt extremely happy in his heart. He was very happy to see this funny and heartwarming scene, but the memorial ceremony that would follow was destined to be too exciting.
The wives and concubines brought by Rurik must all join the priesthood as junior priests, and his daughter Velika is the youngest priest. She is too young, so this year's ceremony is just a mere appearance. As she grows older, she will gradually become the high priest's natural deputy.
The stars are changing, the constellations are drifting to their proper positions, and the sacrifices will begin as soon as the positions are completed.
The Great Sacrifice held on the Winter Solstice in 837 AD was the most grand sacrificial event since the founding of New Roseburg, and was also the first sacrificial event after the completion of the "Crystal Great Temple, Valhalla on Earth".
The main place of worship is of course the open-air stone boat altar near the sandbank at the mouth of the Neva River, with its towering wooden tower.
The sacrificial activities started from the big temple, and the priests walked to the altar outside the city in the form of a torch parade.
Everyone was looking forward to a grand platoon, and Rurik gave everyone a splendid display.
Look! All the towers on the walls of New Roseburg were lit with turpentine torches, and Harvest Square was crowded with people. A large number of people held torches high, making the world already brightly illuminated by the moon and lasers even brighter.
Looking at those cavalry units, the Pechenegs, including Kagan, also participated in the Hanukkah Festival in the Principality of Rus as riders. From Kagan's point of view, today is the Kalajin Festival of the prairie people.
One hundred and thirty horsemen all held torches high, and they were dressed as standard Russian warriors. Even the horses were wrapped in a layer of white cloth stitched with blue stripes.
Of course, there is something special about the appearance of cavalry. They escort the walking priest team to the altar. The so-called escort is to show their nobility. Idealistically, they should show the principal's brand new cavalry regiment to the patrolling Valkyries.
All the soldiers of the Principality of Ross in the city put on their own uniforms, and they spontaneously gathered for an armed parade that was very appropriate for the occasion.
The sacrifice began at Harvest Square, where thousands of torches gathered into brilliant light and shadow. One of the torches, a fire dragon, began to walk on Nevsky Prospekt, heading straight for the west gate of the city.
Rurik was riding a tall Turkic horse, and Rumia, who was wearing a deer-antlered helmet, was sitting sideways on the front of the saddle.
Svetlana, Nolen, Carlotta and the other wives and concubines who were walking on foot were so envious that she was treated like a high priest.
I am envious because now I am a low-level priest wearing plain clothes. Thanks to the woolen coat and leather coat underneath, I am not shivering.
A cheerful girl struggled to catch up with the team. Velika could no longer care about her fatigue and trotted happily on the snowy road.
Many people accompanying him noticed this cute little guy, and it was no secret that they underestimated Velika's identity.
At least the grown-up Vilia will serve as the high priest, and any criticism of the choice of high priest will disappear. After all, Rumia herself was born as a slave. She was appointed by the late high priest and was the first domestic slave of the prince, so she has her current status. Her identity is inherently incapable of completely convincing the public, but Vilia is completely different. . This innocent girl is the princess of the principality. She will be a great priest in the future.
Ten deer were led as sacrifices, and finally the deer were placed in the stone boat altar outside the city.
Regarding the smooth flow of Hanukkah sacrifices, the principality has retained written instructions since the tribal times, but now it is simply copied onto paper. In theory, as long as Rurik is willing, printing and mass production can be implemented immediately. This is the official document called the "Ritual Code of Hanukkah Sacrifice", which is to be preserved from generation to generation, and its wood-engraved version directly becomes one of the sacred relics of the principality.
According to tradition, Rumia led the middle and lower-level priests to perform an ethereal "Nordic chant", during which the sound of drums and horns was added to enhance the sacred feeling.
The onlookers maintained an absolute tacit understanding. They spontaneously shut up and scolded the naughty children to keep quiet.
Neither Kagan nor Ragnar had ever seen such a sacrificial scene.
Sacrifices on the grassland are more about priests performing divine dances, and then having a divine connection with Tengger. The gods and humans declare that the next year will be good and prosperous for cattle and sheep. Afterwards, people eat, drink, sing and dance during the Kalajin Festival.
The Hanukkah that Ragnar experienced in his lost hometown had a routine similar to that of the Russians, but the liveliness and variety of the rituals were unrivaled by the Russians.
The Pechenegs and Danes opened their eyes and watched what would happen next.
Thousands of eyes were staring at the dagger held by Rurik.
Look! Ten stags were brought down one by one.
This move is really a reserved part of the ceremony, and the sacrifices are slaughtered by the prince himself, so that he can communicate with Odin most conveniently.
The deer livers were dug out one after another. Rumia held up a deer liver with her own hands and let the deer blood drip on her face, announcing the omen of "good luck".
As soon as she finished speaking, Rurik put away his dagger and raised a torch.
In this situation, the scene that everyone is looking forward to is now, the prince is going to light the fire!
Rurik knew that everyone was paying attention to him, but his daughter Vilia, who he had ordered to keep calm, suddenly ran over and grabbed his pants.
His daughter's reckless behavior was very inappropriate, but Rurik couldn't get angry in public now.
But looking at her daughter's serious face, it seemed that she knew what she was doing.
For a moment, Rurik shuddered.
Velika calmly smiled and muttered: "Fire Tower. Give me the torch."
"For you? Why?" Rurik asked softly.
"You said it, and my mother said it, I will be the future high priest. This is my first time, and I want to make a fire."
The daughter's attitude was stubborn, but Rurik knew that he had added a lot of violent materials to the haystack, and the entire giant tower was piled with charcoal and poured with oil. It was already a dangerous "powder keg." ,
If Villa throws the torch unreliably, he must not hurt himself, which is contrary to the omen of good luck.
"How about we come together?"
"good."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the situation developed into the prince holding the torch holding the hand of the princess of the principality.
Standing in front of the haystack, Rurik knew that he threw the torch over and the explosion started immediately.
Velika was simply picked up by him, and the father and daughter held the same torch.
"Are you ready?"
"Um."
"Now, let's throw!"
Rurik exerted great force, and Vilya's little hand easily let go of the torch. It was Rurik who threw the torch with great force, only to see it contact the haystack with added materials, and the expected explosion occurred decisively.
The earth salt started to burn, and the dry reeds that had been piled up deliberately fluffy instantly burst into flames. What everyone saw was a fireball appearing out of nothing in an instant, and the entire haystack burned.
Rurik could feel the heat wave from the explosion. He subconsciously covered his daughter's face in his arms, while he squinted to watch the birth of the fireball.
People roared and cheered!
Just like the explosion of haystacks, the quiet people released their pent-up emotions instantly. People from all over the city came to participate in the grand event. More than 5,000 people roared at the same time, and the sound waves even shook a lot of snow.
The haystack turned into a fireball. The flames encountered dry charcoal and grease, and the combustion was rapidly expanding.
The rosin-rich tree branches began to burn, sending plumes of smoke into the sky. The onlookers were not choked to tears, because the hollow structure of the wooden tower that Rurik deliberately made actually became a chimney, or a blast furnace. Indeed, the temperature in the core area of the lower layer is enough to burn bronze.
The gray smoke became thicker and thicker, but...
what is that? !
It's a fierce flame! It's Jörmungandr's breath of fire!
Not really. That is the fire tower that everyone has been waiting for.
People watched the burning of the wooden tower with great interest. The initial smoke and dust had been dispersed by the flames. A giant torch stood outside New Roseburg. A wide area was illuminated by this burning object that was comparable to the sun. The light actually returned.
The cheering people began to retreat. Even so, the brave warrior wiped his face with snow, rushed to the fire tower with the sacrificial deer carcass, risked being scalded to death, threw the deer over, and then hurried to the distance and jumped Go into the snow to cool down.
The snow in a large area is melting, and people are evacuating to safe areas in joy, including but not limited to the complete evacuation of the priests from the Stone Ship Altar.
It is like the sun, with deadly heat and a sense of security. It touched everyone's heart. Everyone was inexplicably excited when they saw fire. Now this giant torch directly aroused everyone's excitement.
Ragnar and Kagan were stunned. They didn't expect that the Russians actually liked this kind of grand ceremony. Looking at the pillar of fire rushing into the sky, the two of them didn't understand the chimney effect, so they really thought it was the prince's miracle.
Everyone saw a pillar of flame that was similar to the fire tower itself, and the entire fire tower was also burning fiercely.
It is destined to burn for a long time. In this case, everyone will party as long as it burns.
The festive carnival begins with the flames of the fire tower.
In this way, the Principality of Rus ushered in the dawn of AD 838!
