The Rise of Rurik

The ceremony requires witnesses. After Arik woke up, he ran to his uncle's house without hesitation and picked up the sleeping Rurik.

"Oh! What are you doing, brother? It's just dawn. I have to wait for the sun to rise before going to the hillside."

Arik shook his head: "I know about you. I will teach you fighting skills in the future. Now I need your help."

Otto, who was sleeping on the side of the animal skin, was awakened by the noise. He slowly started to see the appearance of his elder nephew in a hurry, and Peravina standing cautiously behind his nephew.

"Arik? Is it urgent for your brother?"

"Yes! About that ceremony, I need witnesses."

Otto understood when Arik mentioned it.

He got up quickly, grabbed a piece of salted venison from the clay pot and stuffed it into his mouth. At the same time, he put on a deerskin coat and wrapped it in a cowhide bag.

He chewed desperately, then swallowed, and quickly said: "Nia, I'm going to do the burial ceremony, and you should prepare breakfast first. I'll come as soon as I go."

For breakfast this day, all the newlyweds are doing some ceremonies. They are actually part of the wedding.

Those small families and their immediate relatives do these things without the presence of a priest to authenticate.

Only at the official wedding, the tribesmen will gather at the stone boat altar on a large scale.

Arik is Otto's nephew. In the burial ceremony of the sword this morning, he took his son Rurik and participated as a witness.

Otto is the leader after all, and soon his close friends have become Arik's witnesses.

A simple and short ritual was suddenly made into a big show.

Just in front of Ogier's grave, Arik and his wife Peravina bowed to one knee.

Next, Arik dug a long pit with a bronze shovel reflecting the golden light. Finally, Peravina used both hands to pound the confined soil, and dig the wide bladed iron sword that had been assaulted and polished to be shiny. It came out, and finally returned to Arik.

Rurik held his father's big rough hand, just a glance, only to see tears gushing from the corner of the father's eyes with wide eyes.

"Dad, you are crying."

"Ah! Yeah." Otto tried to control his emotions, holding back all the tears. "Rurik, in the year you were born, your uncle died in battle. Remember, those Danes who live in Gotland made these. We have enemies with them. Finally, your brother has grown up. He has the right to revenge."

Rurik's mood is a bit complicated: "We...we must go for revenge?"

"It was the Danes who provoked the war against our southern allies, and we are also part of the League of Malaren Children..." Otto subconsciously touched his son's little face, "In the future, our alliance may launch a counterattack against them. Remember, A good leader must not betray the alliance, but must represent the Ross people to show bravery in the alliance. You must remember that if cowardice is a betrayal, the result of betrayal will be sanctions. Therefore, we must avenge Gotland. ."

Rurik listened silently. At this moment, he knew very well that the tribe was part of the Sweden Malaren tribe alliance. My father spoke very seriously, so as the leader, my father will lead his own warriors and allies to form an allied army to fight the Danes?

This is all inevitable! This is their way of life.

A ceremony is over, and one more day, tomorrow night, when the clouds are gone, the Aurora of fluorite and the bright moonlight illuminate the sky, witnessed by the Valkyrie, the Ross tribe's largest collective wedding ceremony in decades get on.

The appointed day has finally arrived!

The sun in the winter gradually sank into the horizon, and the stars began to become the protagonists of the sky.

The time is too early, leaving enough time for the newcomers and priests.

"Check many things, take my antler helmet, let's go."

Priest Veria left her long house of priests with a cane with a hoarse voice. Behind her were dozens of lower priests.

Those priests carrying wooden boxes or holding pottery altars, or even some other ritual vessels.

They wore small antler helmets on their ceremonial heads, and only one of Veria's most trusted priestess named Bona held the largest antler helmet in her arms.

Undoubtedly, this Bona is the successor chosen by Veria.

The priests took solemn steps, and they soon met a group of people holding torches. The leader was the leader Otto himself.

"Great priest, look." Otto pointed his hand: "The deer has been brought here. We can do business at any time."

"Just now! Let's go to the altar first!"

"Yes." Otto hooked his head slightly to show respect, then gestured to order his men to lead the deer.

Veria suddenly asked: "Those young couples should be there as soon as possible. When Aurora flashes, the ceremony will begin immediately."

"I have ordered them to go early."

Upon hearing this, Veria let out a sigh of satisfaction. She still exhorted one more sentence, "Remember, they must be present. Of course they can hold their own wedding ceremony at other times, but tonight's ceremony is very important to them. Valhalla will judge our actions, those Newly married couples who do not participate will be sanctioned by Odin."

"I fully understand!" Otto nodded deeply, "I will implement this matter seriously."

I am afraid, this is pure superstition, and it is also their belief.

Veria is full of awe for Odin and Valhalla. She imagines that after so many years of pious work, her life will eventually become vigorous, and her reverence for Odin will eventually be recognized, and then the soul will also be recognized after death. Will enter asgard, and finally parade in the night sky as the new Valkyrie, examining his beloved tribe.

For the young people and the ordinary people of the tribe, this night is really full of joy.

Only the priests maintained absolute vigilance, most afraid that some omissions would desecrate Odin.

But tonight the Ross tribe plunged into a sea of ​​joy.

A large number of bonfires were ignited on the snow covered hard soil road in Rossburg, and the singing and dancing tribes spontaneously lit torches soaked in pine oil.

They have been deliberately collecting pine oil, first as an adhesive leakproof agent in the crevices of ships, and second, to make torches.

The sky is full of stars, and the Rossburg Fjord is also full of stars.

Those newlyweds who are going to participate in the ceremony, under the thick fur coats they wear, are the simplest clothes of the tribe.

Tonight, Arik put on a plain linen tailored dress and a skirt without knees made of linen. His new wife, Peravina, dresses even more simply, that is, a long dress.

All newlyweds are dressed in a similar fashion. If it is summer, they can cope with this dressing, but in winter, if you no longer put on a thick fur coat, people will quickly get sick.

It is that, the ceremony requires these, forcing the newlyweds to dress absolutely plainly.

Before the priest came, more than a thousand people, hundreds of torches, and more than 20 bonfires were crowded near the stone boat altar. It illuminates the woods in this area. After all, the flames brought a certain warmth, which made the plainly dressed newlyweds feel much better.

Tonight, Arik did not become a little special because of his identity.

He and his wife Peravina, and even his immediate family members are waiting anxiously.

He waited for the priest and uncle, and looked up at the sky, looking forward to the appearance of Aurora.

Finally, when people started driving a fire dragon through the woods and approaching the stone boat, everyone knew that the priests had arrived.

The bonfire roasted everything near the altar so that it was comfortable, and it also brought enough light. Today is a big ceremony after all, Otto wore a full set of armor, and its copper skinned wooden shield to strengthen the defense reflected golden light. The same is true for the warriors behind him, as if about to step into the battlefield, the heroic spirit brought onlookers cheers.

As Veria, wearing an exaggerated antler helmet, entered the altar with a cane, her amazing image brought a huge shock to the ignorant, and the boiling crowd quickly fell silent.

Veria first looked up at the sky, a smile appeared on the corner of his mouth.

With her rich experience, she concluded that Aurora is about to flash and will remain for a long time tonight.

She suddenly said to Otto, "Boss, you ask everyone to step back, and then gather all the newlyweds. I want to count first."

Otto can give orders to his people vigorously with his vigorous and vicissitudes of voice.

Everyone knows it, no matter how high or low, Nia also took the hand of Rurik, who was monographing "Watching the Big Show" and drinking honey water. As the crowd retreated, they knelt down on one knee afterwards. Everyone is like this.

Only those newlyweds approached the stone boat altar, waiting for the priest's personal review.