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 immediately became an excellent combustion aid during this holiday season.
A variety of 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. 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 contain smelly white powder. Mortals don’t know what it means. They only know that these things are obtained from deliberately fermented dung.
It is soil saltpeter. The saltpetre that could be used as fertilizer was sprinkled on the haystack. Now, as long as a tiny spark is likely to cause the haystack to explode.
Rurik wanted to give the onlookers a gorgeous viewing experience, and secondly, it also systematically tested whether the saltpetre derived from manure worked well.
The preparations for the festival are coming to an end, and people who have gone hunting in distant areas are also 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 simply took their families and set up tents, just to participate in the grand ceremony up close, and even see the The burning of a tall wooden tower.
A news is circulating that the so-called king will show a miracle, and the fire tower will appear a pillar of flame 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 the Icelandic volcano was seen by a group of fishermen fishing in a distant place)
Of course it is impossible for Jormungandr to appear in New Rossburg. Odin will not condone the appearance of such a terrible monster.
Then the prince mentioned this giant monster, so 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 in Ellon further north,Fort and the port of Narvik simply fell into complete polar night.
Although the dimension of New Roseburg is lower, today’s daylight is pitifully short.
What is pleasant is that the sky has been clear and clear in recent 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.
Without time for the sacrifice, 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 Valkyrie.
Rumia is making final preparations at the great temple in the city.
Even if you are 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. Her destiny in this life was determined before she was born - the hereditary high priest of the principality.
Even if 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.
Vilika hasn’t seen her biological mother for a while. She obeys her mother’s words, but is she curious about 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 on 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 wore braids. Seeing that her mother had no time to care about 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 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. The embarrassment of Rumia wearing a huge antlered helmet.
“What’s wrong?! Why is such a good child crying?"
Hearing the arrival of his father, Villa immediately cried in a milky voice: "Give it back to me——"
"Give it back to you ? Okay, okay, I'll give it to you. "Rumia hurriedly looked at her helmet and put it directly on her daughter's head with a hint of anger.
For a moment, Vilia stopped crying!
This move really surprised Rurik, Lumia, and even the other lower-level priests present.
Or at least it was more joy for Rurik.
At least. Ya held the giant helmet on her head with both hands and giggled, as if it belonged to her.
"Rumia, it seems that she can't wait to be the high priest. She... fully accepts her fate. "
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 attend the ceremony in person tonight and promise me not to be afraid or cry. ”
“Well! ”
“Don’t scream when you see your father killing a deer. You can't scream when you see a wooden tower on fire. ”
“Well! "
......
The young mother personally taught her ignorant daughter verbally. Rurik looked on and was surprised. He felt very happy in his heart. He was very happy to see this funny and heartwarming story. The scene is that the memorial ceremony that will take place is destined to be too exciting.
The wives and concubines brought by Rurik must all participate in the priesthood as junior priests. His daughter Velika is the youngest priest. She is too young. Now, this year's ceremony is just a show. As she grows older, she will gradually become the high priest's natural deputy.
The stars are changing, and the constellations are drifting to their proper positions. The sacrifice began immediately after the station was completed.
The great sacrifice on the winter solstice in 837 AD was the most grand sacrifice since the founding of New Roseburg, and it was also the first after the completion of the "Crystal Great Temple of Valhalla on Earth". The first sacrifice.
The main sacrifice site is the open-air stone boat altar near the estuary of the Neva River, and the towering wooden tower is the starting point for the sacrifice. Starting from the Great Temple, the priests walked to the altar outside the city in a torchlight procession.
Everyone was looking forward to a grand ceremony, and Rurik gave everyone a splendid spectacle.
Look! All the towers on the walls of New Roseburg are lit with turpentine torches, Harvest Square is full of people, and a large number of people hold torches high, making the world already illuminated by the moon and lasers even brighter.
And. Looking at those cavalry units, the Pechenegs, including Kagan, also participated in the Hanukkah of the Principality of Ross. From Kagan's perspective, today is the Karakin Festival of the steppe people.
One hundred and thirty cavalrymen all held torches high, and they were dressed like standard Russian warriors. Even the horses were wrapped in a layer of white cloth stitched with blue patterns.
The cavalrymen were of course very particular about their appearance.Escorting the walking team of priests to the altar, the so-called escort is a demonstration of one's nobility. Idealistically, it is better to show the principality's 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, and a fire dragon made of one of the torches 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-antler helmet, was sitting sideways on the front of the saddle.
She was classified as a high priest and received such treatment. Svetlana, Nolen, and Carlotta, who were walking on foot, were really envious of her.
I am envious. Now that I am a low-level priest, I am dressed in 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.
It is no secret that many people accompanying him noticed this cute little guy and underestimated Velika’s identity.
At least the grown-up Vilia will serve as the high priest, and any criticisms about 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.
The ten deer as sacrifices were led, and finally the deer were placed in the stone boat altar outside the city.
As for the smooth flow of Hanukkah sacrifices, the principality has retained written instructions since the tribal era, 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 "Code of Ceremony for Hanukkah Sacrifice". It is to be preserved from generation to generation, and its carved wooden 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.
The sacrifices on the grassland are more about the priests performing the divine dance, and then having a divine connection with Tengri. The gods and humans announce that the weather will be good and the cattle and sheep will be prosperous next year. 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 are staring at the dagger held by Rurik.
Look! Ten stags were brought down one by one.
This is really a reserved part of the ceremony. The sacrifices are slaughtered by the prince himself, so that he can communicate with Odin most conveniently.
Deer livers were dug out one after another. Rumia held up a deer liver with her own hands and let the deer's 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 set 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.
My daughter's reckless behavior was very inappropriate, but now Rurik couldn't get angry in public.
But looking at her daughter's serious face, it seemed that she knew what she was doing.
For a moment, Rurik shuddered.
Velica calmly smiled and muttered: "Fire tower. Give me the torch."
"To 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, I want to make a fire."
My daughter is stubborn, but Liuli Ke Shi 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?"
"Okay."
Under the watchful eyes of everyone, the situation developed into the prince holding a torch holding the principal of the principality in hand. Princess Hands.
Standing in front of the haystack, Rurik knew that he threw the torch over and the explosion started immediately.
Vilica was simply picked up by him, and the father and daughter held the same torch.
"Are you ready?"
"Yeah."
"Now, let's throw!"
Rurikfa With a strong force, Villa's little hand gently let go of the torch. It was Rurik who threw the torch with great force, and saw 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 a haystack bursting into flames, 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 branches began to burn, and soonSmoke and dust rose 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 is getting thicker and thicker, but...
What is that? !
It’s a fierce flame! It's Jörmungandr's breath of fire!
No. 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, and a wide area was illuminated by this burning object comparable to the sun. Translucent, the light is back.
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, and threw the deer over at the risk of being scalded to death. He hurried to the distance and jumped 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 miracle of the prince.
Everyone saw a pillar of flame that was similar to the fire tower itself, and the entire fire tower was also burning violently.
It is destined to burn for a long time. In this case, everyone will revel 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 838 AD!