Chapter 29: Will we still be us in the future?

The elders of the tribe praised Otto's actions, which will bring new development to the tribe.

The young people of the tribe can't wait for spring to come early, so that the poor young men in the tribe can follow the leader Otto to Novgorod to try to find their partner.

The addition of thirty Sveg women from Novgorod to the tribe conjured up a wonderful picture of the future for most people.

If anyone is worried about the future, it is the extremely small number of tribal priests.

Because, the Ross tribe, like other Vikings, their great god is Odin.

Those Novgorod people do not believe in Odin, but believe in other lower-level gods, such as river gods, mountain gods, marsh gods, and even sea gods.

In the Eastern European world and extreme Northern Europe where the Frankish Empire and the Eastern Roman Empire had a vacuum, local residents believed that all things had animism.

Whether they are Viking tribes or Slavic tribes, after all, they live in a more difficult environment, so they are naturally full of awe of everything in the world.

So the mountains and rivers are all given a mysterious cloak, as if they have their own protector.

Two different ethnic groups have different creator gods in their legends, but in this regard, the Vikings' beliefs are probably more legendary. In fact, their belief in Odin, Thor and Loki, the three major beliefs of Valhalla, is the core of their "combat culture".

If they no longer believe in Valhalla, the Viking values ​​that view death in battle as a virtue will inevitably disintegrate.

The men of the Ross tribe all believe in Valhalla. The environment is such that even if some people have doubts, they cannot reveal their doubts.

So does the most convincing old priest Vilia believe all this?

Of course she believes it! Especially with the achievements of leader Otto over the years, and the increasingly different traits that Rurik is now beginning to show, she becomes more and more determined to Valhalla.

But she did have her doubts, especially that Odin would not go out of his way to interfere in mortal matters. Even Odin's envoys, the Valkyries, will only inspect and patrol Tianyu in winter.

Vilia cannot show any behavior that questions her faith. She must maintain the cultivation of a pious person, because thousands of Rus people need this faith that can unite each other.

Except for those Novgorod women who came from afar.

Maybe times are really going to change!

In a sense, Priest Vilia is the first realistic female leader of the Ross tribe. If she were not a woman, she would most likely become the true leader of the tribe.

She is very smart. By mastering knowledge, controlling history, and cooperating with the leader, when the leader is away, the tribe still maintains peace and quiet under her supervision. Unlike some Siya tribes in the south, where the leader went on an expedition for many days and could not point to the backyard.There will definitely be a fire.

But those Novgorod women married into the tribe, and the young people admired the beauty of those women, and marveled that they only had to run to the hillside and spend some effort to search and dig out some amber rough stones, and brought them to the tribe. In Novgorod, you can easily embrace the beauty.

Welia can feel the collective psychological changes among the tribesmen after this autumn. I am afraid that the power of the group cannot be changed by herself, and it is impossible for Vilia to issue any instructions to prohibit intermarriage between her tribe and Novgorod. Once you say something wrong, you will be opposed by your tribe, or even abandoned.

In the foreseeable future, those Novgorod women will have mixed descendants. As mothers of their children, they will not only teach the mixed-race Rus boys the Novgorod language, but also Teach them about Novgorod’s mountain gods, water gods, and so on.

As a result, the result of long-term intermarriage is destined to be two ethnic groups, one among you and one among me.

Originally, the Ross tribe broke away from the Siiya people sixty years ago and went to the northern mountains to expel the locals from occupying the area. The relative isolation of the environment has made the relationship between the Ross tribe and the southern Siiya people increasingly diluted. .

Gradually, the Rus tribe has integrated into the Novgorod bloodline. Perhaps a hundred years later, the Siyan people in the south will no longer recognize the Rus tribe as their relatives.

But that will be a long time ago!

Welia has no choice. Her tribe doesn’t understand it at all, and they are unwilling to understand the history of the tribe. Moreover, she is the only one among the tribe now. She was the one who moved north from the Ross tribe more than 60 years ago. Those who have experienced it.

Today's young boys are eager for wealth, eager to fight, and even more eager for beautiful and virtuous wives.

Their thoughts are very simple. They don't care too much about whether the Ross tribe continues to develop or whether it is pure. They only hope to pursue their own happiness with the great leader.

At the meeting between Otto and the elder priests, Viglia told Otto, the leader who claimed to have made great achievements, exactly what he was worried about.

What she got was Otto's outright opposition.

“Let’s not talk about ourselves first. I see that some people in Novgorod have new intentions. They are eager to cooperate with us for a longer period of time. There is no future for us here. Is it our problem? We don’t know much about our past, so why should we worry about the future? Our children always long for a happier life.”

The oil lamp in the long room with the priest’s spire suddenly started to pulse. , the hearts of the people in the room are also being touched.

Villa was silent for a moment.

She paused for a while and then said: "Otto, you have seen those records. They are the records of our tribe. They represent our clear past."

Otto Shaking his head: "It only means that we are from the south and have the same ancestor as our allies. But what about the older ones? We don't know. Even..."

Otto made up his mind.God, said extremely bold words: "Since we came here from the south to build Fort Ross, do we have to stay here forever? In fact, you and I both understand that it is too cold here and we cannot leave for the time being, but our children We, they may leave. Maybe our ancestors were in more southern areas, and so were our allies. Since we have moved before, we can continue to move in the future.

It is already difficult for us to simply survive here, so why bother with something?”

Some of the elders of the tribe are just older. . In fact, Otto was also very old. He lived to be fifty years old and made many achievements as leader.

Here, the two most powerful "old men" in the tribe questioned each other. Others really didn't have the courage to speak, so they had to continue to wait and see.

Villa thought for a moment in silence, feeling very uneasy inside.

What Otto said seems to be saying that the Ross tribe only needs to survive. As long as the tribe can live proudly, everything is fine.

"But our faith! Maybe...the only thing that can prove that we are us is the Valhalla we believe in." Villa's eyes were full of complex emotions, and he looked straight at With Otto.

"Hehe." Otto smiled softly: "Perhaps, the only thing that can prove us is that we are favored by Valhalla. No matter where we are, the Valkyrie will be in our tribe Choosing the best people to enter Valhalla as heroic spirits after their death will never change, even if our young people and those Novgorod women give birth to new warriors, the Valkyrie is also a fair choice. The brave ones among them are doing the same thing as before."

This makes Vilia very happy to hear: "If this is the case, it is best for your son to stay. Rick, you understand what you have done these days. You and I are old. The future belongs to these children. Rurik will become the new leader when he grows up. I hope our children will always respect Val. Hala, only in this way will the Valkyrie not leave us..."

Vilia paused again: "Those women are from Novgorod, yes. The people who pay us tribute are not us Rus! We must hold a wedding for all the couples on Frige Day, and do it late at night, under the light of Aurora. Believe me, this is the only way. Only then can those women be noticed by the wandering Valkyries, and only then can the children they give birth to be recognized."

Otto nodded with satisfaction: "I am worried about this matter, or do you want to. Very considerate, great priest.”

“You don’t have to worry about the rest.What you have to do is inform all the newlyweds of the steps of the ceremony, which you know very well. As for the sacrifices, this is a big ceremony. I have prepared five deer. Odin will definitely see them when they are offered like this. As for whether Odin will bring happiness or disaster, everything will depend on one year later. "

"This...how to say this. "Otto asked doubtfully?

"It's a very simple reason. Those women can give birth to children safely, which shows that Valhalla recognizes us. "

"Ah! I understand. I hope our measures will be recognized by them. "

"There is nothing else. "Villa said slowly: "After the wedding, I will personally educate Rurik. He is destined to be our future leader. He must be under our control at a young age while we are still alive. of all knowledge. I hope you will encourage him more when you go back! ”