Post by sweetlarma on Mar 23, 2008 14:19:44 GMT -5
Role as Counsellors:
Quote:
The Forkbeard looked at me, and grinned. “It was set so high,” said he, “out of the reach of custom and law, against the protests of the rune-priests and his own men, that none, in his belief, could pay it.”
Quote:
Svein Blue Tooth had not been much pleased on the fields of the contests, on his purple-draped dais, when Ivar Fork-beard had announced his identity.
“Seize him and heat oil!” had been the first cry of the Blue Tooth.
“Your oath! Your oath!” had cried the horrified, startled rune-priests.
“Seize him!” screamed the Blue Tooth, but his men had, forcibly, restrained him, they glaring at Ivar Forkbeard with ill-disguised disapproval.
“You tricked me!” cried out the Blue Tooth.
“Yes,” adrnitted the Forkbeard. “It is true.”
Svein Blue Tooth, held in the arms of his men, struggled to unsheath his great sword of blued steel.
The high rune-priest of the thing interposed himself be-tween the violent Blue Tooth and the Forkbeard, who was, innocently, regarding cloud formations.
The rune-priest held up the heavy, golden ring of Thor, the temple ring itself, stained in- the blood of the sacrificial ox. “On this ring you have sworn!” he cried.
On sacrifices and councils:
Quote:
We saw thralls, too, in the crowd, and rune-priests, with long hair, in white robes, a spiral ring of gold on their left arms, about their waist a bag of omens chips, pieces of wood soaked in the blood of the sacrificial bosk, slain to open the thing; these chips are thrown like dice, sometimes several times, and are then read by the priests; the thing-temple, in which the ring of the temple is kept, is made of wood; nearby, in a grove, hung from poles, were bodies of six verr; in past days, it is my understanding, there might have been decided, however, a generation ago, by one of the rare meetings of the high council of rune-priests, attended by the high rune-priests of each district, that thralls should no longer be sacrificed; this was not defended, however, on grounds of the advance of civilization, or such, but rather on the grounds that thralls, like urts and tiny six-toed tharlarion, were not objects worthy of sacrifice; there had been a famine and many thralls had been sacrificed; in spite of this the famine had not abated for more than four growing seasons; this period, too, incidentally, was noted for the large number of raids to the south, often involving entire fleets from Torvaldsland; it had been further speculated that the gods had no need of thralls, or, if they did, they might supply this need themselves, or make this need known through suitable signs; no signs, however, luckily for thralls, were forthcoming; this was taken as a vindication of the judgement of the high council of rune-priests; after the council, the status of rune-priests had risen in Torvaldsland; this may also have had something to do with the fact that the famine, finally, after four seasons, abated; the status of the thrall, correspondingly, however, such as it was, declined; he was now regarded as much in the same category with the urts that one clubs in the Sa-Tarna sheds, or are pursued by small pet sleen, kept there for that purpose, or with the tiny, six-toed rock tharlarion of southern Torvaldsland, favored for their legs and tails, which are speared by children. If the thrall had been nothing in Torvaldsland before, he was now less than nothing; his status was now, in effect, that of the southern, male work slave, found often in the quarries and mines, and, chained, on the great farms.
Status in the North:
Quote:
It stood on the small hill, sloping above the assembly field. This hill was set with stones, rather in the manner of terraces. On these stones, set in semicircular lines, like ter-races, stood high men and minor jarls, and rune-priests, and the guard of Svein Blue Tooth. Just below the top of the small hill, cut into the hill, there was a level, stone-paved platform, some twelve feet by twelve feet in dimension.
Ring of Thor:
Quote:
The great ring of the temple of Thor, stained in the blood of the sacrificial ox, was brought. It was held in the hands of the high rune-priest of the thing. Svein Blue Tooth grasped it in both hands. “I swear upon you the peace of the thing,” said he, “and I make this oath of peace, for the time of the thing, mine own as well.”
Feast Season of Odin
Quote:
Religious rune stones are repainted by rune-priests on the vigil of the fest-season of Odin, which on Gor, takes place in the fall. If the stones were not tended either by farmers on whose lands they lie, or by villagers in whose locales they lie, or by rune-priests, in a few years, the paint would be gone, leaving only the plain stone. The most famous rune stone in the north is that on Einar’s Skerry, which marks the northland’s southern border.
Quote:
The Forkbeard looked at me, and grinned. “It was set so high,” said he, “out of the reach of custom and law, against the protests of the rune-priests and his own men, that none, in his belief, could pay it.”
Quote:
Svein Blue Tooth had not been much pleased on the fields of the contests, on his purple-draped dais, when Ivar Fork-beard had announced his identity.
“Seize him and heat oil!” had been the first cry of the Blue Tooth.
“Your oath! Your oath!” had cried the horrified, startled rune-priests.
“Seize him!” screamed the Blue Tooth, but his men had, forcibly, restrained him, they glaring at Ivar Forkbeard with ill-disguised disapproval.
“You tricked me!” cried out the Blue Tooth.
“Yes,” adrnitted the Forkbeard. “It is true.”
Svein Blue Tooth, held in the arms of his men, struggled to unsheath his great sword of blued steel.
The high rune-priest of the thing interposed himself be-tween the violent Blue Tooth and the Forkbeard, who was, innocently, regarding cloud formations.
The rune-priest held up the heavy, golden ring of Thor, the temple ring itself, stained in- the blood of the sacrificial ox. “On this ring you have sworn!” he cried.
On sacrifices and councils:
Quote:
We saw thralls, too, in the crowd, and rune-priests, with long hair, in white robes, a spiral ring of gold on their left arms, about their waist a bag of omens chips, pieces of wood soaked in the blood of the sacrificial bosk, slain to open the thing; these chips are thrown like dice, sometimes several times, and are then read by the priests; the thing-temple, in which the ring of the temple is kept, is made of wood; nearby, in a grove, hung from poles, were bodies of six verr; in past days, it is my understanding, there might have been decided, however, a generation ago, by one of the rare meetings of the high council of rune-priests, attended by the high rune-priests of each district, that thralls should no longer be sacrificed; this was not defended, however, on grounds of the advance of civilization, or such, but rather on the grounds that thralls, like urts and tiny six-toed tharlarion, were not objects worthy of sacrifice; there had been a famine and many thralls had been sacrificed; in spite of this the famine had not abated for more than four growing seasons; this period, too, incidentally, was noted for the large number of raids to the south, often involving entire fleets from Torvaldsland; it had been further speculated that the gods had no need of thralls, or, if they did, they might supply this need themselves, or make this need known through suitable signs; no signs, however, luckily for thralls, were forthcoming; this was taken as a vindication of the judgement of the high council of rune-priests; after the council, the status of rune-priests had risen in Torvaldsland; this may also have had something to do with the fact that the famine, finally, after four seasons, abated; the status of the thrall, correspondingly, however, such as it was, declined; he was now regarded as much in the same category with the urts that one clubs in the Sa-Tarna sheds, or are pursued by small pet sleen, kept there for that purpose, or with the tiny, six-toed rock tharlarion of southern Torvaldsland, favored for their legs and tails, which are speared by children. If the thrall had been nothing in Torvaldsland before, he was now less than nothing; his status was now, in effect, that of the southern, male work slave, found often in the quarries and mines, and, chained, on the great farms.
Status in the North:
Quote:
It stood on the small hill, sloping above the assembly field. This hill was set with stones, rather in the manner of terraces. On these stones, set in semicircular lines, like ter-races, stood high men and minor jarls, and rune-priests, and the guard of Svein Blue Tooth. Just below the top of the small hill, cut into the hill, there was a level, stone-paved platform, some twelve feet by twelve feet in dimension.
Ring of Thor:
Quote:
The great ring of the temple of Thor, stained in the blood of the sacrificial ox, was brought. It was held in the hands of the high rune-priest of the thing. Svein Blue Tooth grasped it in both hands. “I swear upon you the peace of the thing,” said he, “and I make this oath of peace, for the time of the thing, mine own as well.”
Feast Season of Odin
Quote:
Religious rune stones are repainted by rune-priests on the vigil of the fest-season of Odin, which on Gor, takes place in the fall. If the stones were not tended either by farmers on whose lands they lie, or by villagers in whose locales they lie, or by rune-priests, in a few years, the paint would be gone, leaving only the plain stone. The most famous rune stone in the north is that on Einar’s Skerry, which marks the northland’s southern border.