Goddess noted you,” added Kallifen, and stroked this place, a burn with some kind of respect, and already looked at the young man, almost as an equal. – Wear a chiton with sleeves that others would not see, and here’s your first memory present that passed the test, and she handed him a twisted silver bracelet, with two spirals facing each other. – By this bracelet, another initiate will recognize you wear it on your shoulder. How, the head is not spinning, you feel normal?
“Not bad,” Nearh lied. He still lacked a girl to complain!
“By the evening I will bring the medicine, rest today, and tomorrow we will begin a new way – she finished her speech, gave the provisions, and went to her house.” Still, it was pleasant to look at her, despite that she was a priestess, and she was very beautiful and intelligent, and very strong, as it turned out. The instructor climbed along the path with a charming gait, her raincoat, fine work from a good canvas was thrown over the chiton, the wind slightly lifted it at each step, the sun’s rays fell on her dark red hair, and they glittered with gold, not copper, and not paid attention, or pretended not to pay attention to the admiring glances of the student.
Nearh barely looked away from the beauty, ate breakfast, collected provisions for lunch, which would be removed in the vessel before noon, looked at the gnomon, there was still plenty of time, and got ready to read Herodotus. Although what is there? Now he himself was almost like Aristei, he thought, and grinned. He looked again at the burn and the bracelet on his shoulder, and went into the cave, he felt very badly, his head was spinning cruelly, he had ache and crown and the back of his head. Reaching the bed, he tried to read, but fell asleep, and this time he only dreamed of his family. Kallifena woke him, shaking him hard on the shoulder.
– Stand up, you will be initiated into the sacraments. Leave everything here, you’ll be back soon. You hope you slept well, feel better after yesterday, to see the goddess a terrible work, but in the morning the green was just like spring grass. They came from the temple of the priestess, I alone can not hold the sacrament, next to the house is a small cave, now we are going there. – she said all this when she was walking next to Nearh, showing him the way.
They didn’t go so long, they didn’t enter the priestess’s house, but walked around the path, they saw the required small cave immediately, because of the turn, it appeared as if from nowhere, three priestesses stood next to each other, and two musicians with pipes were burning, although the sun was still shining and it was light.
“Greetings, Nearh, having traveled to the Kingdom of the gods, take off your clothes, and be ready for the sacrament,” Latona’s attendants told him, “You are an initiate, but you need another rite. Hastily, he threw off his chiton and sandals, remaining naked, though he was trying to undress in front of women, but he reassured himself that this was necessary, and besides that he looked good. Then the flute began to play at a frantic pace, Nearh immediately recognized the pyrrhic, so that the fatigue immediately passed, because this music leads into battle, and the warriors do not feel tired by the weight of the weapon. The priestesses walked from the sides and in front of him, and the musicians walked behind them, not slowing down, so it was as if a military system, and he was a recruit who followed the banners at the show, and after going a little, appeared on the threshold of the cave, lit by torches. Further, in the depths there was a lenos, an oval-shaped marble sarcophagus decorated with reliefs with episodes of Dionysus’s life. It is a pity there is no time to consider, but Nearh considered lion goals, and Dionysus with a tirse, holding Ariadne’s hand. The room was lit by four bronze lamps, which were cast in the form of lionesses, standing on their hind legs, resting on a pillar, into which the illuminated oil was poured. The procession stopped, but the melody did not stop playing, and the high priestess began to hold a speech:
“We brought a neophyte ready for cleansing and taking oaths. Let the blood of Dionysus purify him, in memory of the victim of Dionysus who created the world with his blood.” Blood to blood, Life to life.
She led him to a lenos full to the brim of red wine, and the Cretan man, taking hold of the edge of the snow-white marble side of the lenos, began to carefully sink into it, settling in it more comfortably, stretch his legs, and the wine covered him all the way to his neck, and then, The attendants quickly closed the lid of the Cretan sarcophagus lying in the holy wine. At this point, the young man was seriously frightened, but he didn’t even give a look, all the more it was pointless to complain, and even hidden with wine and marble, he heard the chants of the priestesses, literally he did not always understand the ancient words, but the meaning came to his mind in part. The priestesses asked Elicia to resurrect and cleanse the new minister of the gods, with the help of wine and divine ichor. The hymns went on for a long time, but they didn’t gasp yet, it still lasted about two hours. Finally, the lid was lifted, he began to rise from his marble abode, wine flowed from him, and a towel was served to him, then he was offered to plunge into a clay bath, which he did, washing away the traces of wine, dried himself dry, the priestess gave him new clothes, with embroidered the meander on the edge, the upcoming singers continued to sing the hymns of Apollo and Elicia, the flutists no longer deduced their bellicose rhythms, and the music was replaced by the sounds of the lyre, solemn and quiet, triumphant, important for the proclamation of the victory of the twin gods over the dying iem.
Initiation of the Nearchs ended, and the main priestess approached him, and handed him a ring with a double helix sign, and another with an image of the left swastika.
“You have gone through initiation, dedication, now you are one of us, and if later, when everything is over, your ministry, we will be glad to see you return. The priestesses decided not to give you a different name besides the one that the priestess from Lato gave you, you remain Nearh, “she said, looking into his eyes,
The young man smiled, thinking how he would return home, his mother would prepare a treat, everyone would be very happy. But the mistress continued:
– Now you still have tests, Diokles and Kallifena, they taught you a lot, but it is necessary for you. By the way, they are already waiting for you, “she said in a stern voice.” All the best for you, hierophant.
“Thank you, madam,” answered the young man, and went to his companions.
Kallifena smiled at him, Diokles greeted him with a handshake.
– How did everything go? It is always interesting to me, I am only a mentor.
– Normally, it was.. – but noticing the teacher’s strict look, Nearh slightly changed the answer, – Interestingly. – and grinned, out of the corner of her eye looked at the reaction of Kallifena, and she quite smiled and her curls no longer trembled with irritation.
– Now, a dinner in honor of the dedication, then we return, and you will answer the riddles. – and she smiled a little mysteriously, and she looked at the archon’s son almost as an equal.
The tables were covered in the tent, and all were given a solemn silver dish – cups and dishes. Twenty people were present, and twenty boxes took dinner. At first, the main priestess and Diokles lit the fire of Apollo with an incendiary glass – such a curiosity Nearh saw for the first time, only heard, and lit wax candles in honor of Ulla and Elicia.
“Light pleases the gods of light, she said, they don’t need blood,” the priestess said in a solemn voice.
We will drink in honor of the gods of the twins, and they all followed her and drank the wine from the bowls poured from the common vessel, as a sign of community. The cups were not simple, such a young man saw only in the images, in the form of a swan – the head and neck were the handle of the vessel, and the cup was also oblong
