Читать книгу Son of the Star, born of the Mountain Alexander the Great - Сергей Соловьев - Страница 4

The young man walked alone, as he was commanded.. On foot, as a petitioner, and carried his uncomplicated load on himself, as well as a message for a priestess who would meet him at the Sacred Trail. He liked his native land, it was springtime, and Crete was always particularly beautiful at this time, with many streams, beautiful forests and fields, the road did not seem dull. The son of the archon was thinking about what he had to learn, and how long he would linger for the dedication.: “I hope not for fifty years, as Epimenides… Although, who knows, and my father swore for me. “The young man imagined how he would go into the cave, they would prepare his cell, he would read Homer’s chants, and fall asleep by fifty, no, sixty, or even seventy years. Then he will wake up, but his mother and father won’t (even scary to think), he has a beard up to his knees, and his name is to take damage from some city, or to expel the plague, or the Council will send him to the North, to Elisha’s homeland with gifts, and maybe Ullis himself will help him in his travels… And he will meet the mistress of the Mountain, Beautiful Elicia, solve three riddles, and she will leave him with him. “Dreaming, the young man stumbled and fell on his palms, slightly scratching them, but managed to turn his face away from the stone, not just because his teacher trained. At home, the Teacher tells about the secrets of science, and the tutor teaches me to wield a weapon. “I will soon become an ephebes and dedicate my hair Ull. “Approaching the plateau of Nida, where the idea trail begins, he gazed at the view of the mountainous plain below the plateau, the area covered with bushes and trees seemed magnificent, but he turned and walked along the path overgrown with bushes on either side. There were beautiful flowers and poppies, just unusually red here. Well, where the flowers are, there are bees, but not one stung the young man, they just flew around him with a clear interest. Moving so, the young man moved to his goal, and near the huge cave throat, the adept finally saw the priestess, his mentor. She was a beautiful girl of twenty, with uncovered hair, as befitted a priestess, in a white dress and gray cloak, with a hairpin at her left shoulder. Nearh approached her and called out:

– Hello to you. I came according to the father’s vow and the order of the priestess Latona of our city, Lato. I am the son of the archon, Nearh, must pass the tests and initiations. “I am ready, madam,” the young man said bravely, almost not stammering with excitement.

– Already? Only appeared already and the feat amiss? – the girl replied, in a poetic way, taken aback by surprise by the young man, who did not know what to answer to the girl. Usually, Nearhs didn’t get into his pocket for a word, but here, it seemed, the speech he had spoken about himself wiped out of his memory so many times, and he blushed painfully, and squeezed out of himself:

– I was instructed by the priestess before the path to the ideological sanctuary, I came alone and without a servant, as it should.

– I see.. – she answered meticulously, – Brought with me food? Wooden bucket with you? You can get drunk in the creek. You will spend the night in a cave, and in the morning I will come and instruct you, except for me there will be three more teachers, I will introduce you to them. – the girl said this, and smiled, and the smile painted her extraordinary face.

– What is your name, lady? – The novice asked, trying to smile as cheekily as possible.

– Kallifena, – she answered, -Come on, I will show you your dwelling.”

They descended to the cave of the Idea cave along a wooden staircase, on special ledges were lamps made of clay, came up to a niche in the rock, where there was a pile of straw, a bed for a young Cretan, next to a simple clay amphora, covered with a lid, in a special stand and a lamp with oil. The young man threw his bag with a blanket, a new holiday chiton, put a bow and arrows next to it, and Homer’s hymns, recorded on linen, parchment was expensive.

– Sing, drink a cup of an amphora infusion, but not more than one, otherwise you will die. Tell about the visions. Wake up at dawn, teachers will come to you. – she finished in a stern voice, holding her hands in front of her, and looked from the young man to his simple bed.

– Thank you, Kallifena, – Nearh said, turning to the priestess.

– No for that yet. Do not be afraid of dreams and visions, they can be real.

The girl left and Nearh saw how she was already climbing the stairs, it wasn’t so good without her, the priestess was beautifully built, beautiful, and the archon’s son became interesting not only as a mentor or a keeper of secrets, so he sighed heavily and opened his bag There were several flat cakes, honey, cheese, flint, a hair comb, a spare string, a wooden scoop, a new beautiful clothes, bandages and medicinal herbs. He took out a ladle, poured there a decoction of amphora and drank the infusion. He sat for a bit, but did not die, as he secretly feared (who knows what the witches had on his mind), looked at his hand, did not seem to shake, grinned at his fears, ate a cake with honey and some cheese, got out, drank from the stream, scored water in a scoop at night, and looked around. In the distance was a small house, an ordinary earthen hut with a reed roof, apparently serving as a refuge for the priests of God. He promised himself that he would go there the next night without fail. When he returned, undressed and wrapped himself in his veil, he thought about home, father and mother, brothers and sisters, and wished that everything would be fine with them. Especially nothing dreamed of, only the hometown of Lato, the wine-colored sea. Soon dawn came, he fell asleep, got up, went to the stream to wash, got dressed and ate, even read a little of Homer, his beautiful chants. Soon a man came a little above average height, strong but not powerful physique, about thirty years old, without a beard with long dark hair, about which he led two horses, a bay suit, and not so much breed.

– Hello, Nearh, I am a teacher of military skills, at the temple, with me you will become a skilled rider, spearman, shooter, swordsman, you can even outrun Fidipid if he were alive. My name is Diokles.

“Hello, teacher,” said the young man after seeing the mentor, a tall and strong Cretan.

– Sit down on a horse, we will drive along the path where we will study, and you will run every day, morning and evening. – the teacher said.

They rode alongside a trot, and Diokles showed how to change the horse’s gait, how not to injure it, and so that it wouldn’t be able to drive the horse, Nearch learned a lot of new things for himself. They dismounted, and, taking wooden swords and undressing, began to dance to the pyrrhus, and then fence them with a shield and without a shield, with a dagger and a sword. Some racks. with a sword, blows and biases, he saw on the ancient seals, depicting a warrior with long hair, striking his enemies with a deft attack.

– Remember Nearh, fencing with a sword on a horse and on foot, is different, especially when you try to put a gift on the infantryman. Not in vain Athenians from a horse act only with darts, and the sword is in extreme cases. – taught his experienced fighter. One evening Diokles came to him with a long pipe in a precious wooden case with loops of silver.

“The disciple went, the sky is clear,” said the tutor, and impatiently began to push him forward, they rose from the cave, upward, the sky was clear, the stars shone around, and the moon hung full.

“Sit on the stone,” the teacher ordered him, and he opened the elongated casket and took out the receiver, stretched out the narrower end, and stretched it to the young man, he carefully took the device in his hand.

“Look at the phone on the moon,” said an agitated voice. Nearh did not believe his eyes. Diokl approached him and adjusted the smaller pipe and the youth’s eye, and the image became clear, he saw dark dips on the moon.

“Now find Mars,” the tutor added, and he pointed it in the sky, the student put the phone in there, saw the red planet as a small circle, not as a star, and two points nearby.

“Thank you teacher,” Nearhs mumbled in shock, “and our masters are great, I saw glass with jewelers, but that…

“You don’t need to tell anyone, student,” said Diocles clearly, hiding the phone in the chest. “And now it’s time to sleep,” and patting him on the shoulder in farewell, went to sleep in a small house, and Nearhh was still looking at the night sky. And only much later he was able to come down and fall asleep.

Then they usually fought, practicing cunning blows and exits, all from pankration. In the evening Kallifena came, and began to instruct him in the knowledge of hymns, read logograph lists of geography where the edge of the earth was, the boy was wondering, because he was the son of a navigator, did not know much of what she read to him. So his teaching was held day after day, he became much stronger, began to shoot better with a bow, although every Cretan archer, like the navigator, handled the sword quite well. At night, every time he drank a cup of infusion, but nothing has happened to him so far. Two months of intense training and exercises took place, and so one day, following in succession, as usual, Nearh was finishing his dinner at a stream of cheese, cakes, honey, dried grapes and a cup of infusion, it was time to go to sleep at home, to the cave, counting Already her home, he already wanted to sleep, stretched before going to bed a couple of times, and at the bushes on the path, saw a kingfisher sitting on the branches and looking at him attentively, a lizard rustled through the ground, circling around a dozen bees that were not humming angry, and did not try to sting him, with the sacred r Oors suddenly began to crawl after-hour, very thick fog, driving him to a cozy cave, and the adept hurried to take refuge in his shelter, where he felt quite comfortable on the straw, covered with a raincoat and a blanket, and quickly fell asleep. At first nothing dreamed of, but there was a heavy oblivion, then a white-marbled face flashed and an ashen scythe, and then a girlish figure appeared, very tall, much taller than Nearh and the face was covered with a hooded raincoat thrown over the body.

– Is that what you are called Nearh? – Immediately, without delay, the sleeping maid said, “Have you come to pass the tests?” she spoke to him in a deep, low voice. – And I was going to sleep here for seventy years! – she laughed merrily, so that in an emotional outburst she took the cloak over the floor, with difficulty breathing, continued,

Néarch also became cold, and could not move his hand or foot, as if he were icy.

– Oh, the mood immediately lifted.. You are intended to help the Chosen One, I must show you Top and Bottom, World of Gods, Tree of the World, Sacred Source. Come, take me by the hand, and do not let go, otherwise you will be lost, and I will not save. – said the maiden of dreams. Gather courage, with a stiff hand, the adept took Elicia’s right hand with his left hand, and the world spun before his eyes, this unimaginable feeling lasted for almost a minute, the young man would wake up, but it was impossible, and then, something implicit seemed to try to release his hand the envoy, immediately earned himself quite a divine headset, and I must say very weighty, and the maid whispered: “Don’t you dare, not only will you die, disappear without a trace” – Nearh opened his half-closed eyes, tried to look around. Under it was a stony ground, with some growing bushes, with pale flowers that smelled hardly, but very nice, everything was implicitly and indistinct around, as if thick with thick smoke, and this smoke did not dissipate. Several steps passed, and in front of them the immense table of a gigantic tree fell out of the mist, and only at a barely visible height could one guess in the haze of a branch covered with huge leaves. The sky was gray, everything was hidden by clouds, and the sun was not visible, there was also no wind at all. The place is uncomfortable, the young man thought, he looked back at the maiden, but he still didn’t see the face, only the blinding darkness under the hood. -We are at the place of choice, this is the World Tree. I live here, and Brother Ulls as well.

“It’s dark here,” Nearh said, “and where is he?”

– I will not answer your question.

“You are not ready, so you see it so far,” answered Elicia. -Look, here’s the creek and the well near the Tree. – she said these words.

And he saw the light, and the fog cleared, and he saw the most beautiful meadows covered with flowers, there was a wonderful scent of flowers in the air, butterflies fluttered, and sometimes they circled around the goddess, creating just a spiral of aerial flowers, the sky was dazzlingly blue, the sun shone, but There were two lionesses lying across the tree, looking attentively at the Cretan, and even further, previously taken just for boulders, griffins with golden manes and wings were sitting, sometimes opening their beak, but not announcing the surroundings with their legendary scream that kills all mortals. A golden chain twisted around the tree, one end of it reached the sky itself, where it was lost in the clouds, and the other descended to the ground, curled among the huge roots, roots, or rather tufts of roots, there were three, and looking below, he experienced an incomparable the horror – the Cretan saw the infinitely coiling rings of the Great Gray Worm, or the Serpent, or the Dragon, the Great Kronos Himself, or Python, whatever you call it, everything is one. It is through his rings that the souls of people slide into the realm of the Dead over the Ice Bridge. A source of water was knocked out of the ground next to the roots, and right there was a well, and Elicia called everything, so her words were imprinted in the memory, and they could not be forgotten, the maiden called him Urd, and the fact that this is a source of living water.

“I saw the Golden chain of Homer, as he wrote: “I did not touch the Golden chain, “said the young man with sadness in his voice,

“Do not be sad, sailor,” said the Virgin, “if I allowed you to touch her, you would have a different fate.”

– So it is a good place, my fields, beautiful meadows and flowers, can see the souls of those who did not do evil, and what the souls of those who did evil see here have you already seen- Wet Drizzle, good people see the Champs Elysees,

– So what am I angry? Nearh asked, and I will suffer forever without birds singing, the beauty of flowers and the blue sky?

– You are shown in part how my world looks, but you have not died, and you cannot be here, and you see it with my eyes through my will.

– Why can’t I see you in reality?

– It is impossible, I can be among people only when I will be embodied in human essence, or only in a dream, and seem to be chosen.

“What are you looking at my back there?” He would have sworn that she was laughing if darkness could laugh. – Are you looking for my wings under a raincoat? With the wings did not work, you excuse me, navigator.

– So you were born on Earth, like a man, madam?

– And not once. But I will not say the rest, I will prepare you for the trials. You will have to guess the three riddles that Kallifena will give you, and remember that cunning is not forbidden, and then you will be cleansed with the ichor wine,

– What is ichor?

– The blood of the gods, I’ll show you, suddenly a fiery dagger flashed in her hand from nowhere, and she ran them around her wrist, Nearh frowned at the expectation of someone else’s pain, the pain of a girl, but the darkness instead of Elicia’s face was impenetrable, and then, from under the knife flowed jet of clear liquid. The son of the archon could not take his eyes off the current drops, which flowed down to the ground in a narrow stream, and had already twitched to stop, not blood, but something else…

– You have no scars, Nearh? asked goddess.

“On her forearm,” and without a word, she put her wrist to his forearm, and the recent wound that ichor ran on her eyes turned pale and the scar disappeared completely, and then touched the palm of his shoulder.

– What are you frowning? Look more fun! It does not hurt me, although I will not hide it pleasantly when they are worried about you. This is a memory for me, you will remember that it was not quite a dream.

Nearch began to wake up, but he could not open his eyes, it became noticeably colder in the cave, spasms held down the muscles, as if they had become copper, the body was filled with a feeling of no fear, no, something alien, nearby, and at the same time completely different, implicit and unclear. Finally, this thing left the cave, and Nearh could open his eyes, it was already light, and he ran to wash, and the gnomon showed the hour. Kallifen came, brought cakes and honey, a fresh towel, quickly flashed her eyes over the shoulders and arms of Nearh, then her pupils widened incredibly, as if she saw something important, but she gave no sign, not even a hint.

“Sit Notarh,” she said in an unusual and unusual, tender voice, and showed her to sit down on a folding chair, and he immediately tensed, feeling the hint,

– Did that good tonight? – asked the priestess and carefully looked into the eyes of the adept, not looking up.

“Not bad,” he said.

“Dreams must have been a good dream?” The priestess asked again.

– Interesting, said Nearh illegible, munching on a cake with honey, -And you cook well, I did not think that the priestesses are such masters.

– Eat on health, soon you will be going to go on the road.

– Already? I did not pass the test?

– Where are you, a hearty hand burned? she said, clutching at his right hand tenaciously, and showing him the burn from Elicia’s yesterday’s touch.

“And how, the goddess revealed her face to you?” – the young man slid an eye on his shoulder, and noticed a scar, rather a red spot in the form of a chicken’s foot, or a trident, only a very small one, which he did not notice yesterday.

Nearh attempted to break free, but in vain, despite the small stature, the priestess had a great strength, and the jerk of the initiate was vain,

“I was not honored with something.” Answered the young sailor.

“The 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 in shape, imitating the body of a bird. Then various foods were served, but some, mostly fruits, cheeses, and biscuits, drank to the health of Nearh and his mentors, the main priestess. Soon the dinner was over, and the hero of the occasion went to a cave, and it was a young man, and his teachers in a small house nearby, the priestesses and the servants of the temple in carts left for Lato. The day was uneasy, it was already dusk, the sun was setting, the sky was darkening from dazzling blue, a slight breeze arose, and it was a little cold, the young man lit a clay lamp, hurriedly threw off the donated chiton with beautiful embroidery, dressed in a simple one, churned up his pile of fresh hay and laid the old one cloak and prepared a new one to cover himself, undressed again, but suddenly he heard upstairs, on the stairs, a creak, as if someone was going down the stairs, hearing this, Nearh hurriedly pulled out a hidden dagger (just in case) and went to see who then at nightfall brought? After walking a few steps, and standing around the corner, he looked closer and in the gathering twilight he saw the light Kallifen figure wrapped in a raincoat, so that only her pretty face was visible.

“Did anyone get ready to attack you, brave warrior,” she asked with a laugh, “I decided to visit you, check how you feel after initiation, whether you have a soft bed,” she said, going up to the young man, taking him hand, and looked into his eyes carefully and with warmth.

“You have beautiful eyes, gray, you are a very beautiful boy,” the priestess said warmly.

– Let’s go to. she said with a deep breathing, leading him to the bed, he noticed that there was a small suma in her hand. She sat down on his bed, and invited her to sit beside her. Nearh carefully, without looking up, looked at the beauty who came to visit him, on her beautiful face, on the curls of hair that fell on her shoulders. She gently laid her hand on his shoulder, touching the scar, and said

“And the goddess did not notice me, she did not deserve to know,” she said in a hurt voice, “but then I met you.” – and put her hand on his thigh, so that the heat engulfed the young man, and then putting her hand on the back of his head, kissed him, and did not come off for a long time, and with her other hand threw off her raincoat, remaining naked. Nearh studied her in love with small eyes, with beautiful, long curly hair, reaching her buttocks, slightly stocky, with beautiful, strong hips and small legs and a round chest, was just charming. Kallifen took out a small amphora from the bag, and a sheet that she had put on the old Nearhs raincoat and a small pillow for herself, and raised her eyes to the initiate:

“Come here, my little one,” she said, drawing to herself, and the world was gone for Nearh. The night passed, as Nearh would say later, being a wise experience, in orgiastic vigils, but in the morning they fell asleep. The young man woke up first, and the lady who had devoted him all night to the mysteries of love, was still sleeping on her pillow, with her hair scattered, wrapped in a blanket, he carefully crawled out from under her raincoat, and ran off to wash, and dressed, she heard his actions and became waking up the priestess, first yawned, then stretching opened her eyes,

“Good morning,” Nearh said, and kissed her on the lips, she wrapped her arms around him, kissed her back, touching his body with her bare breasts.

“I have to go,” she smiled at him, said the girl, “I think so, you passed the next test, she laughed, patting his hair.

– What kind? I thought you liked

– Love is pleasing to Elicia, and you are pleasing to her, reproachfully shaking her finger and putting on her chiton, told Kallifens, – And I like you, but I had to instruct you in love, so that your life would be complete, what would be for live. Remember, the spiritual path is the path of Apollo, and the path of Dionysus is sensual.

– And Elicia?

“Also sacrificial, that’s how it is, my glorious one,” she sat down, stretching her legs and putting on sandals. “I have to go, we’ll meet in the afternoon,” she said, and standing on tiptoes, kissed him.

He ate, and soon his mentor came, and how it was nothing, she began to teach him, showing the techniques of writing, and the next day appointed tests.

“You will guess riddles, and only three,” she said,

– Difficult? – asked the young man

– For whom, as with a shrug, the priestess answered,

– You can handle it. Probably, – she said, taking his hand and looked with love in his eyes. For Nearh the night before the ordeals was difficult, he tried to search for possible riddles with Homer and Herodotus, trying to gain the wisdom of the ancients, everything was useless, but in the middle of the night a beneficent dream overcame him. The next morning, waking up, he quickly washed and dressed in an old outfit, then thought that the day was solemn, put on a chiton with a meander, not forgetting the bracelet on his hand. Wearing sandals, saw Kallifena on the slope, waving his hand invitingly to him, and he went, almost ran to meet his fate, and almost, yes, almost, did not worry. The young man entered the house, divided into several partitions, stood in the middle of the table, and behind him in the chairs decorated with rich carvings sat Kallifena and Diokles, an unknown priestess, a woman of thirty, with dark curled hair, in a beautiful dark green dress and a raincoat, with a hairpin in the form of a lioness of pure gold, and on its slender neck hung a golden necklace, in the form of wings of birds, which are closed together.

– What do they call you, young man? she asked

“I am called Nearh,” he answered, “at the behest of the priestess Leto, our city.”

“You have passed the cleansing, now you have to initiate, but first, you have to guess three riddles, according to the order of Ulla. So, let’s begin.

She put a difficult wooden table three figurines of silver: Aphrodite, Artemis and Athens. Aphrodite was depicted naked, emerging from a pearl, Artemis with a bow behind her back and with a bear next to her, Athena with a shield in her hand.

“Tell me, neophyte, what these figurines mean, their meaning and meaning,” she said triumphantly and leaned back in her chair,

Nearh began to think, his choice was almost like that of Paris with a golden apple, and there are three goddesses before him, and the choice is true, not so cruel, he recalled the dream of Elicia and the Champs-Elysées, recalled the lessons of Kallifeny, Artemis of Ephesus, and spoke:

– This is all one goddess, the twin of Apollo-Ull, the great Elicia. All one in one person, and this is only its embodiment, rather emanations.

“You answered wisely, and your answer is correct,” said the priestess in a stern voice. “Next question: What is the meaning of the Path of Dionysus and the Path of Apollo?”

– It is simple, Nearh answered, and unwittingly smiled, remembering the night of love with a beautiful girl and her teachings, -The path of Dionysus is the knowledge of the world through feelings, and the path of Apollo is the knowledge of the world through the mind, the spiritual path. The symbol of Apollo is Meander, and Dionysus is a bunch of grapes and curly ivy.

– And Elissia, what are her symbols? – asked another question

“The greatest one, at every Hellenic temple, is, Palmetta, crowning the frieze, as the hope of resurrection,” Nearh readily answered.

“You are one of us, Nearh, the elder priestess spoke in a warm voice, and if in the eyes of all Hellas there is any Cretan sorcerer, then where destiny leads you, you will know the covenants of the gods in the eyes of the ignorant. You are now Couretes, a guardian of God, a coribant, knowing the divine institutions. Take it as a sign of community, and wear it with honor, and handed the young man a ring with a picture of the left swastika.

– I congratulate you, said Diokles, – now not a boy, but the last initiation, smoking, koribant, a wise man, – seriously, though with some kind of squint, he said, “I taught you to kill you with a spear, try to do what Honor, now you have become a courier, a warrior of God.

“You must not cut your hair,” Kallifen sternly remarked. “Remember the instructions, and it’s time for you to go, and I will see you off.”

Nearh went to collect his simple belongings, removed his bed, in fact a pile of straw, and took his old raincoat, and a bag with scrolls. When he returned, a giggle was waiting for them, Kallifen was sitting in a carriage, and on the goats was an elderly temple attendant, Diokles remained at the priest’s house, as always strong reliable,

“Goodbye, guy, and let the luck be with you,” he said to the hierophant, “and follow the correct stand, don’t turn the brush when you strike, and watch the walking, in short, Nearh, don’t let yourself be killed.” And if something goes wrong, I’m always glad to see you here, the assistant will not bother me, he repeated, shaking his shoulders, and he accidentally raised the sleeve of the chiton, and changed his face, turned pale, not from fear, the navigator knew that Mentor is not scare, but by surprise, and pain for the student,

“I didn’t know that everything happened so,” and threw a quick glance at the wagon, but the priestess got distracted and didn’t hear them, “The chosen goddess,” he said already very quietly, “Pray for us,” he repeated, and put his fist to his forehead and bowed easily, – Be careful and do not tell anyone about the sign. Farewell and be happy if it works out, – he said, and Nearhar was already getting into the carriage, the driver pulled the reins, and the travelers set off.