The Rite of Spring: The Princess

The Rite of Spring: Fragment 10

The Princess
in which Aonan celebrates a ritual to which she was not invited

My savage friend, having conveyed my out of the mountains and onto the plain, informed me that he wished to visit a local market to dispose of the leather and bones he had recovered from the corpse of the dragon. He said that if I would be patient whilst he attended his business, he would then accompany me to the City. I asked how long this delay would be, and he replied that he could not see it exceeding a week. After due consideration, I felt that my Clan, and its requirement for expedition, outweighed the benefit which I should undoubtedly have from his company and guidance; consequently, I announced my intention to proceed upon my way immediately. My companion responded to this announcement in an ungracious manner, but nevertheless was most careful to ascertain that I was adequately provided with wherewithal for the journey, and gave me numerous practical gifts, and clear directions, to ease my passage.

I at once set off westward. The country there is not unlike many parts of the steppe outwith the rim. The soil was sandy, well drained and rather arid, so that the vegetation consisted mainly in grass, fresh and green at this early season, scrubby thickets then bright with blossom, and aromatic herbs. Here and there small copses of tall pine trees dotted the gently rolling landscape. I walked steadily all through that day, seeing nothing but the wild creatures of the open heath. I rested the night in a copse, and in the morning continued. After the middle of this second day, I started to see herds of horses, and, towards sundown, a nomad's encampment.

My earlier experience of these nomads was such that I did not deem it advisable to approach their camp. Their practices and morals seemed to me to be debased in the extreme, and it saddened me that Linnain, despite the inherent decency which I perceived within him, should apparently know no better than to respond to the advances of such creatures. I know that men even of the Noble Clan will give their seed to women of no honour, but I had somehow come to think that Lin was an exception to this deplorable rule. The women of the Yachorach appeared to me to share their favours without the least discretion, and I concluded that this being the case, their camps could not be a safe place for a young woman of virtue. Bearing this in mind I deemed it prudent to avoid the encampment, and traveled onward until I found another copse, somewhat larger than that of the previous night, where I made camp close to a pleasant grove, and prepared myself for sleep.

I cannot have been asleep very long when I was awoken by the sound of many people moving in the wood. I peered out from under my bush, and saw that the glade was alight with fires. I saw that there were thirty or forty young women in the grove. They were most indecorously clad, for they wore only skirts, and had nothing at all above the waist. They were running about gathering wood for the seven fires which were burning, spaced out around the grove in a ring. There was very little chatter, but now and again an unseemly giggle. Soon they had exhausted the wood in the clearing, and were coming further and further into the trees to collect more. One came within an arms length of me. I realised that if I stayed where I was I must be seen.

This made me somewhat apprehensive, as I guessed that they were preparing for a festival somewhat like those of the debauched Iachaorachaorusduadh, and I knew that the penalty for intruding on such a festival uninvited was death.

I determined to make off by way of the trees, and so go upon my way. But then I heard further movement behind me in the wood. There was only one thing to do - I must emulate these young women. If I pretended to search for firewood, but actually remained in the shadow of the trees, it seemed most unlikely that I should be noticed as a stranger. So, with an uneasy conscience, I removed my blouse and my bodice, concealing these together with my other possessions in a hollow under a root. Thus disguised, I walked through the trees, from time to time stooping as though to collect a stick. Indeed, I did gather a few, for verisimilitude. The chill of the night air on my bare skin reminded me forcibly of the extreme impropriety of my exposure, but I felt that to do otherwise was to risk detection, which would be greatly worse.

I encountered one of the young women, who, without a word, handed me a leather flask. Not wishing to attract attention, I took a drink from it. I found it contained an intoxicating liquor. I handed the flask back to the woman, who had made no attempt to conceal herself from me, and, still without a word, she ran off. Shortly after that, I saw six women advance into the grove, carrying an object like a high, padded table - I took this to be a practice horse such as young men use for vaulting. I surmised that what I was to witness was no more than a display of acrobatics, and this made me feel less uneasy.

I was somewhat relieved to note that these newcomers were dressed in simple but modest garments, white in colour. They placed their burden in the middle of the grove, close to a rocky outcrop from which a clear spring splashed into a pool.

The fires were now burning brightly, and the light from them penetrated a considerable distance among the open pine trunks, so that I could no longer effectively hide there. I should have moved further into the trees, but that a drumming started all about, and I feared that if I walked away I would come upon the drummers and be revealed as an intruder. Also, one of the women caught my arm and said that it was time to start the dance.

We formed a circle around the outside of the circle of fires, and began a primitive dance which consisted of a few shuffling steps one way, a few the other, a few steps backwards out of the circle, and then turn around to face the trees and a few steps back in. This proceeded for some time. We also sang a repetitive chant, calling on the God to bring fertility to the mares. In the light of the fires, I observed that I was quite the darkest skinned of those present, and hoped that this would not be remarked. Now I saw that another woman had entered the circle. She wore a harness over her face and arms, which held a gold bit in her mouth; and a skirt. She was tall, slender, and very pale. Her hair, which was long, and of the colour of maple leaves in autumn, was bound back so that it resembled the tail of a horse, and I concluded that she represented the mare.

She started to dance around the circle, following a complicated and graceful pattern. Her dress and dance were quite shockingly bold. I have said that she wore a harness and a skirt; I should perhaps make it clear that this was, in fact, quite all that she wore. Furthermore, the straps of the harness were no more than half a thumb in width, and were so disposed as to leave quite bare all those parts of the upper torso that it most vital always to conceal.

Similarly, her skirt was made of some very fine material such as is used for veils; it concealed very little. It had small metal ornaments sewn into the hem, and her dance included many spins and twirls which lifted it into a horizontal disk about her waist. As she danced around the circle, she stopped before every young woman in turn. The young woman would then join her in her pattern for a few steps, and I saw to my horror that this involved just such a twirl. However, I consoled myself that this was exclusively a female ritual, and steeled myself to conform.

When the harnessed woman had completed the circle, she danced back into the centre. There was a change in the drum-beat, and the women in white reappeared leading a milk-white stallion. I saw that the stallion's fore-feet were enclosed in large padded coverings. Our dance was now simplified. We danced the few steps left and the few steps right, but no longer turned to face outwards, so that we could watch everything that happened in the centre of the glade.

The harnessed woman danced before the stallion, making most suggestive gestures. The beat changed again, and she made a final twirl in front of the vaulting horse, in the process of which she divested herself entirely of her skirt, so that all her charms were laid quite bare to the watching circle. I saw with some shock that the stallion appeared to be stimulated.

Then the most horrifying thing of all happened. It was so shocking that at first I thought I must be dreaming - that such a horrible thing could not possibly happen even among these depraved people. However, I must report what I saw. The harnessed woman jumped up onto the vaulting horse and laid herself down upon it, with her legs spread very wide, so that her generative aperture was entirely exposed. The others, who were each holding a rope attached to the stallion's bridle, led him up to her and caused him to mount upon her.

The beat quickened again, keeping time with the thrusting of the stallion's haunches, and the chant became frenzied. The stallion collapsed out of the woman, and stood trembling. Two of the acolytes let go of their ropes, and went out of the circle, returning bearing objects which I could not immediately identify in the flickering light. Then the harnessed woman got up off the platform, moving languorously, with the horse's ejaculate glistening on her inner thighs. She stroked the stallion's head, as one pets a favourite horse who has just won a race. Then she took a knife from one of her attendants, and, as the other held a bronze cauldron to catch the blood, cut the animal's throat.

I assumed that this must be the climax of the grisly ceremony, but the beat and the chant continued at a frenzied rate. I saw that we were to revert to our original step. But there was a new element; as we stepped backwards back into the circle, women were bowing forward at the waist, and - to my horror - throwing their skirts up at the back! It seemed impossible to leave now, so that I was obliged to emulate this shocking behaviour. But worse was to follow. Two of the white clad celebrants came around the circle, one bearing the cauldron, and the other a horse-tail. They would stop before each woman in turn.

You will recall from my description that the form of the dance required us to back into the circle with our skirts raised, and then to straighten up and turn into the circle again. As the woman before whom she was standing straightened, the celebrant with the horse tail would dip it into the cauldron, and slap it across her breasts, thus anointing them with warm blood. In due course, this happened to me. I could feel the warm sticky stuff trickling down my cleavage and belly. The whole affair was at once horrifying and hypnotic. As each new movement occurred, I found that I could not bring myself to believe it, and yet could not break away from the fascination of it.

When the anointers had completed the circle once, they started around a second time, again stopping in front of each woman in turn. This time, however, I could not see them doing anything. Each time I turned and straightened up, they appeared to be simply standing watching. I awaited their inspection of myself with embarrassment and shame, of course, that they should gaze upon parts of my body which should never be exposed, but with little active trepidation. I was quite unprepared for what happened.

Using the horsetail switch, the celebrants anointed my most private parts with warm blood.

Of course, I started and called out. However, I do not think that I drew undue attention to myself, for when I straightened up they just stared at me and moved on. I struggled to get my breath back under control and continue dancing as if nothing untoward had transpired. I realise now that I should have broken away from the event much earlier, but at the time I confess that I congratulated myself upon my aplomb. I realised that if ever it should be guessed that I had even witnessed such events I would be much disdained, but comforted myself that I had done well to preserve my life and honour in such unexpected and dreadful circumstances.

Once they had completed the circle with the horsetail for the second time, a new phase started. The women in white again left the glade, and returned leading - I could not at first see what they were leading. Three upright creatures. As they came fully into the firelight, I realised that they were men. Each wore a hood made from the skin from the head of a horse. The mane of the horse hung down their backs. About their necks each wore a collar, to which were attached the ropes by which they were led. Otherwise, they were wholly naked. Their hands were bound behind them. From the manner in which they stumbled, and tugged at their ropes, I surmised that the hoods were not provided with apertures for vision.

The men were led up to the harnessed woman as she stood by the spring. Drawing water, she knelt, and bathed the generative members of each first in clean water, then in warm blood, and then again in clean water.

It was next stage in the ceremony that involved something that I could not participate in, so that I realised that I must flee even at risk to my life. The harnessed woman, still naked but for her straps, started to dance around the circle with the her six acolytes and the three masked men. Their dance was suggestive of the movement of horses. After they had been doing this for some time, they stopped before the young woman to my right. We all backed out of the circle, and the harnessed woman danced out between myself and the other. Then we turned, threw up our skirts, and started to back in. I saw the harnessed woman take my neighbour by the head, so that she could not straighten, and appear to guide her back. I craned my head to see what the purpose of this was, and saw that one of the young men was standing there. One of those who held his lead ropes now knelt with his generative organ horizontal in her hand.

The harnessed woman guided my neighbour back so that she became impaled upon this. The woman continued to hold her. The acolytes who had lead the man now knealt on either side of him. Each with one hand held my neighbour by a thigh and with the other, the youth's buttock, repeatedly thrusting them together. We danced to the left, so that my hands almost brushed the acolyte's arm.

I could see the glistening of mucus on the stem of the member as it was thrust and withdrawn. We danced to the right. I could see the young man's pale buttocks thrusting rhythmically. We backed out of the circle. I bowed, throwing my skirt up, watching the harnessed woman from the corner of my eye. I would like to say that I was preparing to run, but to be honest I do not know that this is so.

However, to my relief, she simply continued to hold my neighbour, allowing her to straighten up as the rest of us did. Then she kissed her, mouth to mouth - which must have been awkward with the bit - and, with her companions, danced away again round the circle.

Whilst they were repeating this disgusting procedure with another woman on the other side of the circle, I took my opportunity just as the moment came in the dance to start backwards into the circle, when everyone on the near side had their skirts over their heads, and simply walked forward instead of back, not straightening up until I was well into the trees. To my surprise, it took great resolution to do this. My body was so habituated to the hypnotic quality of the dance, and the horrid fascination of the proceedings, that I had literally to tear myself away from an event from which you would expect any decent person to flee.

I pressed myself against a tree trunk to conceal my silhouette, and stopped to consider what I should do next. No outcry had been raised; it appeared that my absconding had not been noticed. The dance continued, and I saw that although the movement of the harnessed woman and her companions around the circle appeared random, it was in fact quite ordered, and my flight had been not a moment too soon.

I was trapped, however. I could not move towards the clearing for fear of being seen, nor away from it for fear of encountering the unseen drummers. There was nothing I could do but wait. So I was obliged to watch the rest of the ceremony, which, as I say, had a certain horrid fascination. The manoeuvre which I have most recently described proved to be the last, and when each of the women in the circle had been serviced by one of the young men acting the part of stallions, the harnessed woman and her companions danced off into the trees. I had anticipated that the young men would be slaughtered in a final climax to this barbaric rite, but this was not done.

The drumming accelerated greatly, so that the young women in the circle threw themselves about to keep time with it, and one after another fell out with sheer exhaustion. When only a few were left dancing, the drumming came to a great crescendo and stopped abruptly, leaving an unearthly silence over the whole wood.

I remained where I was, trying my best not to shiver, because it was the coldest part of the night, and my upper parts were unclad. Also, the release of the frenzy and tension after my dreadful experience left me drained and weak. I feared to move, because I assumed that the drummers were still at their posts.

After a while the young women began to pick themselves up. They congregated in the centre of the glade, by the corpse of the stallion and the abandoned vaulting horse. To my amazement, they started to talk and joke in a most unconcerned manner, and I even saw some of them raise their skirts to compare - I must assume - the depositions of blood. When they had all recovered, they drifted out of the glade, going eastwards, towards the camp I had seen the previous day.

Even after they were gone I remained where I was for some considerable time, whilst the wood began to ring with the first carolling of songbirds. Eventually, fearing to be discovered thus dishevelled in the light of the coming day, I sought and recovered my belongings, corrected my apparel, and set off west across the heath, meditating on the appalling savagery of the people I had found, and on the narrowness of my escape.

About the middle of the morning, I descended into lower land where I followed a lane passing between irrigated fields. A ditch beside the lane carried the water along, with every so often a wind-powered machine which raised the water to the next level. As there was no-one about, and some convenient bushes, I was able to take advantage of the outflow from one such machine to remove the filth of the previous nights debauch from my person and garments. After a short rest, I continued on down the lane. I had eaten some of the provision which I had brought with me, but was eager to conserve it where possible, so I was pleased to come upon a settlement.

This comprised half a dozen large dwellings of mud brick, whitened with lime. An inordinate number of grubby infants tumbled naked in the yard, and I saw in all perhaps thirty adults in and around the buildings and surrounding orchards ('orchards' are coppices of trees, of like variety and age, cultivated artificially for the production of edible fruits). The dress of the people continued to distress me. My recent experience had somewhat modified my expectations of female attire, but even here women were going about their everyday tasks wearing only a loose bodice with no blouse over them, so that their arms were exposed to view.

However, they greeted me politely, and willingly provided me with some bread, and some dried apricots, which adequately satisfied my hunger. I asked them to direct me by the best route to the City, and they advised me to follow the lane down to where I would find a canal. There were barges, they said, which would rapidly convey me thither.

In this they proved correct. I had gone only a short distance beyond the settlement when I came upon the canal, an artificial watercourse some four or five manheights across, which, unlike a river, appeared to have little or no current. I found that a quay had been made where the lane terminated, and had waited there only a short while when a barge came in sight. The attitude of the barge operator seemed slightly odd, so that I was, for a moment, concerned that my ablutions had not been adequate. I asked him if he could convey me to the City at Her Gates. He replied

"to the City at Her Gates?", almost as though he had never heard of the place. I reaffirmed that that was indeed where I wished to go, and he then said that he could indeed convey me, and named a very modest fee, which I paid him. Then, being overcome with weariness - for I had had little sleep the preceding night - I sat myself down in the forepart of the vessel, leaned back against the hatchway. I watched the quiet steady movement of the horse, clopping gently along the towpath, and the quiet green water parting to make way for us. Unworried ducks herded their peeping children out of our path.

I thought of my people out beyond the Rim. I wondered how the war was progressing, and gave thanks to the All-Seeing God that I had thus far escaped that threat to my modesty which might have rendered me incapable of serving them. I raised a prayer for the wisdom of the Chieftain's Council in this difficult time, and for their good governance of the Clan.

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