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, lets 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 its 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 priests house, as always strong reliable,
Goodbye, guy, and let the luck be with you, he said to the hierophant, and follow the correct stand, dont turn the brush when you strike, and watch the walking, in short, Nearh, dont let yourself be killed. And if something goes wrong, Im 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 didnt know that everything happened so, and threw a quick glance at the wagon, but the priestess got distracted and didnt 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.
Departure
The wagon was very shaky on the bumps, and the road was not at all very even, but Nearh settled down well on the mattresses, and he was almost conveniently, Kallifen also sat on pillows, and felt pretty good, but covered herself with a bedcloth so as not to attract other peoples eyes, and so that the dust would not clog up in the face and hair. The wagon was covered by an umbrella from the sun, so that its rays were fried not too mercilessly. Of course, we drove slowly, and watched the fields and gardens passing by, closer to the evening, we were going to stop at the inn. From time to time Kallifen spoke to her fellow traveler:
So your father Androtim means? My father knows your father, he also sits in the Council of Lato,
Here, Nearh, who nestled comfortably on the pillows, choked, imagining his fathers reaction to a new acquaintance, because he wasnt even an epheb, but Dad had a sharp temper, and with age he didnt become quieter. Niarchu more than once fell for having sailed on the boat alone, or for diving too deep, trying to find the ring of Minos in the famous Voulesmeni lake. He looked again at the priestess who smiled sweetly at him, sitting beside him, and he felt the warmth of her thigh through the fabric, already understanding what she was getting at, but he pretended to be uncomprehending.
Great, thats good. How can I not remember you at all? We would be familiar.
I was given very little to the temple, and I am rarely at home.
Sadly without relatives? Asked the young man, thinking of something else, that she is five years older than him, although she is very beautiful and intelligent, but knowing the critical order, and if she speaks to his mother, then they will marry him and will be ashamed that still stubborn and does not appreciate his happiness.
But I cook well, and I know how to do housekeeping, and we have seven of them very influential, she said carefully looking at the reaction of Nearh,
The young man liked the priestess very much, but did not like being forced to something. Although here, you will not change anything, so it was destined.
We spent the night in an inn, and even fleas were not there, which is strange. Little by little they were approaching their beloved city, and at the inn, next to the gate, Kallifen ordered to stop, and went into the room of the hostess to disguise herself. She came out of the already written beauty, in clothes costing a fortune, in a silk chiton, with the same silk coat, in beautiful sandals from embossed leather, ears were tied off with earrings in the form of snakes, gold beads around her neck, gold temporal on her head rings, hair, and laid down in a wave, Nearh could not take his eyes off the beauty.
Do you like, Nearh? He looked at him and smiled slyly.
You cant take your eyes off, the slightly lost young man replied. Why so?
I cannt your parents anyhow seem like a mess, what a girl said
They got into the wagon, and soon they were at the estate of Androtim, Archon Lato. The house was the same as it was before the departure of Nearh, with a narrow stone pavement and a ditch for water, a fence to the height of a man of rough stone, with ivy, easily overcoming it. Fruit trees grew above the fence, and the red tile roof was visible. The young man knocked on the gate with a bronze ring, almost immediately the oak door was opened to him by an oak door, but dressed festively. What happened? Thought to Nearh, I definitely did not inform my relatives when I returned. From the garden came the cry of the father: Who came?