Rise of Rurik

Chapter 690 The Red Tower

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The wooden tower burned to ashes the next day, and the last relic was collected by Rurik himself.

Rurik was clearly collecting the last bones for his wife and concubine Mary, and a wooden box carried the last remains. In a secluded spot on the shores of Lake Ilmen, Rurik built a tomb to bury her.

This area is also marked out, and it will be used as a noble cemetery.

Neither Otto nor Nia made any loud noises. They took advantage of Mary's death to tell their son what happened to them.

"Novgorod is a good place, we will be buried here, and many people say it is buried here. People will die, my soul will go to Asgard, and my body will be buried in ashes here. Graveyard. Lay a stone tablet for me, and let the descendants know of their ancestors."

The cemetery is the link between the settlers and their ancestors. Even if the priests and priests describe a wonderful soul destination, maybe it exists, but the living people always hope to face their ancestors. As a result, the marble coffin lid was engraved with the relief of the deceased. By doing so, the nobles let descendants know what their ancestors looked like.

This is not idolatry, and even a Frankish die-hard like Eskil wouldn't say a word about it.

Because the "Sabotage of Icons" movement in Europe is over.

Otto is very old, and the old warrior doesn't die, he just slowly withers and grows old. Rurik guessed that Otto might have wished to die in a battle, an idea that was doomed to fail.

Many old people will die in the coming years. A group of old guys from Rus settled in Novgorod this winter and will die here in the future.

Use stone to erect a monument to an old soldier, and hire skilled sculptors to make busts for him. It is thought that this form of tombstone should also become a Slavic feature, just as the inhabitants of this place did it more than a thousand years later.

The winter solstice of the Julian calendar finally arrived, and before it came, a high tower was erected in a wasteland by the lake. The snow was cleared, and the pine and fir towers were tall and conical in shape.

It has ten stikas, four stories high, with a fairly regular rectangular base, six in length and width.

Rurik made it by hiring local, readily available labor, as did the local Slavs.

In the past winter solstice "Vulcan Festival", they would not build such a huge tower. First, it was unnecessary, and second, it was too expensive.

The Varyag people, mainly Rus, decided to settle down and built a grand tower in the first winter. Then the flames it ignited could warm the people and even melt the snow in a large area, like a small sun.

Building the tower is rewarded with salt and silver coins, and the tower is quickly built under the drive of practical interests.

Once the wooden frame was erected, a mass of grease-laden pine branches was piled up, creating a flammable building.

However, it takes a process to make it burn as a whole. When it turns into a fire tower, it is also the most critical moment of sacrifice.

The sun is starting to get stingy, and the days have been shortening rapidly in recent days, and anyone can really feel it.

The Julian calendar has not been revised to the Gregorian calendar, so the winter solstice has been postponed to December 28th.

With the current calendar, this date will continue to be pushed back. But every year, it still has a tremor for more than ten hours before and after.

It is much better than the hometown of Roseburg, and there are many advantages to not having a polar night, but Rurik decided to make good use of this winter.

Rurik chose a woodcut, and convened a group of people to establish the etiquette standards for this year's sacrifice.

The priests and goddesses of White Tree Manor were invited and sat in front of Rurik uneasily. They wanted to say something, and they were worried that their rhetoric about the ceremony would make Prince Ross angry.

Rurik also made arrangements. Seeing that the local priest was dumbfounded, he took the initiative to ask: "How many ceremonies are there in your grand sacrifice? Don't be afraid, tell the truth, I am ruling here and I am very interested in your ceremonies."

There was a bald male priest who dared to hum: "It's just a big circle around the fire tower,

Sing some songs. Kill a few more animals and throw them into the fire. That's how we used to be. "

"That's it? It's that simple?" Rurik felt that the man was perfunctory.

"My lord, we... that's what we did, what else could we do?"

Rurik scratched his head and asked the goddesses who were good at smearing their faces with chalky mud to explain. But seeing these goddesses whining non-stop, Rurik didn't understand.

"Forget it." Rurik waved his hand, "It looks like you don't want to preside over the ceremony. It just so happens that I intend to preside over it myself. As long as you continue to cooperate with me, you can continue to enjoy special treatment."

Since White Tree Manor is a traditional large commune of the Slavs, the small group of priests, goddesses and pharmacists in it are the people who are supported by the people. This situation is very natural, but they have not yet been able to compete for the dominion of the manor.

Then the monarch who holds the theocracy, military power, financial power and other powers of the Principality of Rus in one body is a dimensional blow to the local Slavic priests.

The local priests and goddess are very wise to express unconditional servants, respect the princes as high priests, and things will be easier to handle.

Rurik nodded, and turned his face to the wives and concubines of a group of generals, mainly Noren, who would part-time low-level priests, who were sitting in a precarious position.

"Noren, as we arranged, I want you to play."

"Yes, as long as it is the tune you explained, my sisters and I can play it." She said firmly.

"Not just playing, but singing."

"Which one is it?"

"That's it. Rossia Vith Svietaheimr (Rossia Our Holy Home)."

Noren nodded: "Anything else?"

"Of course, there is only this one. It represents our Duchy of Ross. Others play the flute, only you. Your singing is the most beautiful, and it can directly touch everyone's heart."

"All right."

Ross had a song that represented her will, or the will of all Ross people. Rurik was not a musician, but he naturally moved a well-known melody.

The melody originally belonged to Ross, and the beginning was the standard classic tongue strumming, which succinctly shouted Ross out.

As for the lyrics, Rurik made some magic changes to deal with the current situation. Therefore, it is also divided into two dialects of Norse Rus and Slavic Ilmen.

Singing and playing music is an important part of the ceremony, and Noren will show his skills to the fullest here.

It’s just that the instruments are too limited. The only eagle bone flutes and skin drums can form a classic medieval music performance model. Rurik currently only has these two instruments in his hands.

As for the harp, its volume is limited, and it is not suitable for public performance. Not to mention, the Principality of Ross does not have one in stock.

His wives and concubines can be priests, and most of the ceremonies are done in the way of Rosberg's hometown.

The ceremony is also logically divided into two parts, the first is the traditional Viking ceremony, and the second is the "fire tower circle" of the Slavs.

The local priest made a move to "give up the treatment", and Rurik consciously got a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Through this ceremony, he wants to get in touch with the local Slavs on the spiritual level.

He is convinced that anyone is willing to take the initiative to accept novel things. If they just circle around the fire tower, is this kind of ritual really lively and not entertaining enough?

Any sacrificial activity is a gathering opportunity that everyone likes, and it essentially becomes an entertainment act.

Then make it truly entertaining! New music and songs must be delivered to the hearts of the people through this Winter Solstice rally.

Rurik successfully arranged the ceremonial regulations, and the boat-shaped altar built on the wooden stakes in front of the wooden tower was also built.

Rus people have to talk about pomp when they come, and it is precisely because the Rus prince has the financial resources to talk about pomp!

Rurik had learned that the Danish boss Hafgen, who had been killed by himself, publicly beheaded 111 slaves to Odin before deciding to take revenge on the new kingdom of Sweden.

Human sacrifice was done in the Principality of Rus in the ancient tribal era, but apparently it has not been done in the following decades, at least the "memorial board" left by the deceased Veria was not described in the sacrifice records.

I think this kind of thing has to do with the fact that the Rus people couldn't get slaves for a long time. Now that the Rus people have stepped out of the cramped fjords, and a strange principality is rising, it is no longer necessary to plunder slaves, or there are smarter methods that are not in vain.

Five cows were chosen as sacrifices, and Rurik bought these aged cows for money, and the owner was happy to sell the cows. The cow is old and unable to produce milk and calves. It is fate to be slaughtered, and it is also suitable to make sacrifices now.

In addition to the old cow as a sacrifice, there were fifty chickens killed in the last few days, and a hundred sea bass that were frozen hard.

This is an animal offering, there is also a sack of oatmeal as a food offering, and a special offering of a roll of patterned cloth.

The local Slavs have never seen this kind of sacrifice, and Rurik also knows that doing this is a wasteful act, and he feels it is necessary to do it on special days.

Everything is ready!

The people of the entire White Tree Manor walked out of their homes, walked out of the Novgorod wooden city walls that sheltered them, formed a mighty army of torches, and approached the shore of Lake Ilmen along the frozen Volkhov River.

A giant cone-shaped wooden tower stands in front of you, and the soft light of the setting sun turns it orange-red.

It's a giant red tower!

The Slavs all like red, and the Slavs of Krivich do it even more outrageous. The blood, flames, and sunset are red, so the name of the Krivic people is derived from this.

This group of Ilmen Slavs also called themselves Slavines, the so-called "honored ones", and now they are starting to call themselves Neo-Russians again.

Now the merger means strength. The Slavic people of White Tree Manor, who have been tasting the sweetness for several years, not only accept Varyag's winter solstice ceremony, but also look forward to seeing the world.

Rurik has released news, the so-called sacrifices used in the ceremony, and some necessary and fresh procedures...

Thousands of people gathered by the lake, very thick and furry. They stood in the snow with extremely thick leather boots, stomping it into ice.

Otto was holding two-year-old Velika, and Nia was holding Regraf, who was only ten days old. Young children must participate in this ceremony. Because he is not only a ceremony, but also the spiritual sustenance of the Rus.

Bonfires were lit in many areas, illuminating the entire venue. When the moon rises again, the snowy world has become clearly visible.

Rurik has been waiting for the time, it is best to start the ceremony at midnight, but unfortunately he can't determine the time through the Big Dipper very well.

It doesn't matter, when the moon rises high enough that the sacrifice begins.

The basic plan of Novgorod City is indeed White Tree Manor, and she has indeed become a city in various senses. Now, due to the first batch of permanent residents of Varyag, the population has swelled to 7,000 people.

Seven thousand pairs of eyes saw a fantastic team.

Rurik was white and furry, followed by a group of girls in plain clothes and covered in gems (stained glass). The girls play the flute or drum, and the sound of music is very beautiful.

They are none other than the prince's wife and concubines! Regus' youngest daughter, Svetlana, is also here, and she's actually playing the flute!

Alas? The governor's sister, the youngest daughter of Rigus, she actually became a priest! Is this a priest? ! Without the chalk-painted face, they intervene in the ritual like fairies.

Indeed, Rurik could not feel the slightest sense of sanctity from the local group of priests with their faces painted in chalk and mud. The devil knows why they are doing this and making themselves ugly.

Since it is a sacrificial ceremony, any priests who participate in it must at least keep clean.

Behind them are some people who are pulling cattle and pushing and pulling two-wheeled vehicles. Cattle and vehicles loaded with goods are sacrifices.

The group deliberately slowed down and walked into the wooden boat altar very ostentatiously.

It was wonderful that there was no wind tonight, oil lamps were lit on each stake, and Rurik stepped into it.

Noren led the other girls into the altar and began to play the ballads.

The crowd, which had been roaring at the beginning, was miraculously silent almost instantly. This is not the power of music, but their reverence for the gods.

Even a fool can see the current situation, and the official ceremony has begun.

Noren has a melodious voice and a three-dimensional face with blonde hair. She is the most typical Viking, like an elf born in ice and snow.

The song "Ross Our Holy Home" was sung loudly by her, and the accompaniment of the flute and drums further enhanced the atmosphere.

The Norse ballads were largely incomprehensible to the natives, until Noren began to sing in Slavic.

Those who only thought the melody was beautiful and interesting immediately straightened their bodies, and the scene that was supposed to be quiet momentarily became restless.

People with sullen faces began to smile, and even those who were standing far away could only hear a rough idea, and some key lyrics were still heard.

Raja Rus is singing the praises of this land! Although the prince is an outsider, the prince does not want to be an outsider!

The young prince of Rus promised everyone that Novgorod would be better.

Rurik showed his will through a series of ballads and music, which were far better than the short folk songs of the locals, with melodious melody and profound meaning of the lyrics.

It's like a concert, it's Noren's home!

Rurik noticed that his wife and concubine really enjoyed this much-anticipated scene, and at this moment she was a singer.

There was a limit to her voice, and Rurik didn't want the canary to break her voice.

When the music stopped, Rurik opened his arms and drew his sword high.

The most important offering was brought to the altar, and he cut the ox's throat cleanly.

The blood of five cows melted into the land, and they gradually quieted and cooled.

The atmosphere of joy became suffocated again. The Slavic people saw the young prince slaughter the cow in person. That method was really sophisticated!

"Pull the cow to the wooden tower and prepare to set it on fire!" Rurik stretched out his hand full of cow's blood and ordered his men to hurry up.

The cow carcasses were still hot, and some cows were not dead. The cow was pulled under the tower, and other sacrifices were simply thrown into the tower.

The finale finale is now!

It was at this time that the local priests and goddesses, covered in chalky mud, appeared.

Rurik shouted a Viking prayer at the altar, and now these Slavic priests shouted some words.

However, the eyes of the people were sharp, and the local priests were muttering. As a result, the people were also chatting non-stop, making the whole scene chaotic. This was not the case in the past, when local priests shouted prayers, the people were kept quiet.

Rurik was very satisfied with all this, he knew that he had become the focal point of the whole ceremony, and the high torch caught everyone's attention.

The torch was thrown into the wooden tower. It was just a small flame at first, and it was slowly becoming violent...

The fire burned more and more, and Rurik, who was in the vicinity, consciously felt the power of the sun, the night was illuminated, and the people who approached were sweating, their faces were burning hot, and many people took off their thick clothes and retreated spontaneously. .

A red fire tower was born, the largest torch ever built on the shores of Lake Ilmen!

The manors around the lake were celebrating the festival, and they all noticed a red-hot sky in the north.

Rurik chose to be on the riverside, which is a little far from the city, and he just wanted to let others take a good look at this fire tower.

His plan has indeed achieved the expected results. The farms not far away can see it most clearly. It is a huge flame, which must be the incarnation of Peron!

Has the god Peron descended? It must be so. But the god Peron was actually in the northernmost part of the lake, and the flame war god actually chose Novgorod! Just because Raja Ross is there?

Some farm people began to chew their tongues: Prince Rus has been recognized by God Peron, and he will be punished by God just for violating the will of the prince.

Over there, the Varyags and the Slavs have officially started a substantial party!

Six or seven thousand people gathered together and circled around the flaming giant tower. They roared as they turned, and concentric circles appeared one after another. Everyone enjoyed the hot and dry feeling that this harsh winter should not have, as if the midsummer was coming...

In such a warm atmosphere, the Rus people went crazy, and children of all ages followed the adults and shouted in circles, including the infant children.

They have their own plans, and the Slavs hope to continue to be blessed by the power of the god Peron, so that there will be no disaster in the future. The Rus were also spinning in circles, each keen to look up at the sky for signs of the Valkyrie's parade.

This crazy joy didn't end until the second night, because the fire tower naturally collapsed and turned into scorched earth after burning.

Rurik slept all night in the tent in the snow. Many people had spontaneously walked back to the city on horse-drawn sleighs, and he could not walk.

The sun on the winter solstice is meaningful, and most of the Rus people did not leave. They are here waiting for the wonderful sunrise of the glacial lake. Many people actually saw the sun on the winter solstice for the first time.

This was also a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and Rurik stood up to measure the shadows, and his wife and concubines immediately recorded the data.

The precise latitude of Novgorod was calculated directly by Rurik, which has great military significance. Just this kind of festivity as completely submerged in the festival.

Welcome to 835 AD!

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