Ancestor Blot Festival

In the center of the town, at dawn, many people were gathered around a small platform.

The platform was adorned with some statues; in front, there were two cauldrons, while in the center of the platform was a large iron pot and the table that Einar had made using tensegrity.

Max, dressed in a white robe that had some animal skins on it, felt a bit strange when Helmi put a deer skull on his head.

"Oddly enough, it doesn't weigh too much, but how do I look?"

Helmi bit her lip and brought her face closer to Max's and then gave him a kiss. "You look great, although tomorrow I would like to see you dressed in your scaled armor."

Max held Helmi's chin. "I can make an exception, and tonight I can surprise you and Kassia."

Helmi smiled and very carefully took from her dress a small wooden box in which was black paint.

Very carefully, she used his finger to start painting some symbols on Einar's forehead.

When she finished drawing on his forehead, she began to draw a straight line from the left ear to the right ear.

After finishing, Helmi gave her a small box to Einar. "As my husband and herald of Odin, I would like you to paint my face too."

Max took the box and began to paint Helmi's face with some patterns he had learned yesterday with his father-in-law.

When Helmi felt that Einar had finished, she took him by the hand and led him to the small house where Kassia was.

Upon arrival, Max was perplexed to see Kassia's beautiful but straightforward clothes, which enhance her mature figure.

Quite calmly, Max walked over to Kassia and caressed her cheek. "Kassia, you look so beautiful today."

Kassia just gave Max a little blow to the chest. "You also look very imposing in the clothes of a Godi.

But I guess you came to paint my face right. "

Using the small box Helmi had given him, Max nodded and began to paint Kassia's face.

Using a few different patterns, it didn't take long for him to paint Kassia's face entirely.

Once he finished painting Kassia's face, he put his hand around Kassi's waist and gave her a big kiss.

When he separated his lips from Kassia's, he looked at her with affection. "You're ready; I think I should leave you with Helmi because I don't know if Asgot is looking for me."

Kassia took Einar by the shoulders and kissed him. "See you on the platform."

Asgot, who was looking for Einar, was happy to see him leave a house, so he walked to where he was. "Son, it's time to start with the Ancestor Blot."

Max, who was having a hard time walking, heard his father-in-law, so he turned his head and gave him a forced smile.

All the village assembled members were glad to see Einar dressed in the same way as the Godi Asgot.

Max walked to the platform's end and raised his hands; this signal made everyone present silent.

In one of his hands, Max held a small wooden hammer with which he made a few small movements and then used a little bell in his other hand.

After ringing it three times, Asgot, who was waiting for the signal, walked towards Einar and received the two objects, which he placed on the table.

After taking a horn and a jug containing a green liquor from the table, these two objects were given to Einar.

When Max took the jar, and the horn looked at the people while shouting, "Today, I would like to invite all the ancestors of our tribe to this Blot that was made for them."

Max started pouring the liquor on the horn.

"I put this libation on the horn so that the ancestors accompany us and with them their blessings."

Some slaves walked through the crowd delivering horns that were filled with the green liquor among the people.

"I would like to honor all our ancestors no matter how good or bad they have done because it is thanks to them that we are in this place.

If we don't know where we come from, it will be very difficult to know where we have to go.

So I took this horn and raised it to honor all of our ancestors and those who are no longer with us. "

Max held the horn in both hands and held it in front of him. "I will honor the memory of all our ancestors by taking this libation and drinking it.

I ask them to continue to bless our tribe. "

Using his hands, he began to drink from the horn leaving only a little less than half of the liquor in the horn; everyone present following Einar's example also drank the liquor from his horns.

Laura and Daven only looked with some sadness because, as children, they had only been given a little honey with water.

When Max finished, he walked to the table from where he took a paper piece, which he lit using a candle.

With the burning paper, he walked to one of the cauldrons and ignited the contents inside it.

To the surprise of the crowd, the fire that came out of the cauldron was green; the slaves who followed the Christian faith only knelt down begging their god for the pagans to be punished.

Aila, unlike her fellow Christians, only smiled and wondered if she should give up her forced vows of being a nun.

When lighting the second cauldron with a green flame, Max began to shout, "We must remember that our ancestors are people we must never forget.

Whether in images or texts, we must never forget our origin and the ways in which they faced the problems.

That is why to honor them, I am going to pour the remainder of the libation onto the earth that the gods gave us in gratitude. "

Max took the horn and poured the contents on the ground; after this, Kassia and Helmi went up on the small platform who were bringing a sheep.

When they arrived in front of Einar, he took the sheep and, using a golden dagger, cut the neck of the animal while Kassia and Helmi used a jug to collect the blood.

"I also gave the blood of this animal to the ancestors as a tribute for the blessings they have given us and will give us in the future."

Kassia handed her Jug ​​of blood to Max while Helmi stepped off the platform and gave it to the Thing members so they could drink from it.

When Max received the Jug he drank half of the Jug with blood, and the rest he handed to Kassia for her to finish drinking.

"Having concluded this ritual and with the permission of the ancestors, I would like to start the feast."

Kassia at that time used the bell three times to signal the end of the event.

While Max, Asgot, and Kassia were getting off, some slaves led by Eskol climbed onto the platform and used the table to begin butchering the body of the sheep.

Sven proudly got up from the chair he was in and walked over to his son for a big hug.

"Congratulations, Einar, you managed to make the ceremony even more majestic than it already was.

I knew you would make it, now you just have to enjoy the event because tomorrow we will go north in search of bears. "

Max nodded and took Kassia's hand as he walked over to where Helmi was standing.