December Free Fiction: Advent Story: Thear Collection: Genevieve: 939 words
“Solstice,” Genevieve started, trying not to meet anyone's eyes, “shortest day, longest night, on this day winter begins.” Her attempts failed because she found herself staring into her mother Delyth's eyes and could see the pride filling them, which did make her feel slightly better. “With the fading of autumn a new year commences. Look back on what's been, bid the old year farewell, give thanks for what it has gifted you with.”
Genevieve always remembered the last winter solstice she had spent with her father when she heard those words. It was hard not to, even though she had been five at the time, and soon after they had left their home village. One of the priests of Herne had found out that the family, on Delyth's side, had connections with the Uisdro and the sect of Hecate, so they had no choice but to run for their lives. She glanced at her two older sisters, Róisín and Báirbre, who had left much more behind than Genevieve had because they were eight and nine years older than her.
Genevieve turned to face the altar. Throughout the autumn the equinox candle had been kept alight by the children of North Square and she used that to light the solstice candle, which would be kept burning until the spring equinox. Carefully, she blew out the equinox candle, before passing it to Róisín's eldest daughter, who had been chosen to keep the remains.
“From now until the equinox the days slowly grow,” she continued, turning back to face the people surrounding her, “plan for what's coming, take time to prepare.”
The sect of Hecate had been preparing for Thear changing for a very long time, which was why North Square even existed. Genevieve was grateful that it did exist, because she dreaded to think what might have happened to her mother, sisters or herself if it hadn't. In the years since they had arrived other people had also run from families and priests who had found out that they were mixed blood in some way. There were Dorma, Uisdro and Tein-Igni people in North Square, as well as people who had been in the sect of Hecate, and had lived in the town, all their life.
“Hecate, first deity of Thear, first of North Square, I give thanks for your help this year, in planning for what is to come, for creating a town where all people can come to live in safety, and in writing a balanced history of Thear for all of us to learn from.”
Murmurs went around the group surrounding Genevieve as everyone gave thanks to Hecate for anything she had done for them during the year that had passed. No other winter solstice ritual in the country would mention Hecate. Then the ritual was a collective thing, so the words were chosen by the sect of Hecate as a group, which meant that the words were slightly different to those of any other winter solstice ritual that was going on around the country.
“Herne, second deity of Thear, first of the Dorma, I give thanks for your help this year.” Genevieve's feelings about Herne had changed much in the time she had been in North Square, because she had always felt he was very overbearing when she was a child, which was what the priests of Herne were aiming for. “ Epona, fifth deity of Thear, second of the Dorma, I give thanks for your help this year. Dorma deities, thank you for the practicality of your people, for the wonderful harvest we had, and the trees that grow well outside the town.”
Genevieve allowed everyone time to say their own thanks before she continued, “Poseidon, third deity of Thear, first of the Uisdro, I give thanks for your help this year. Persephone, sixth deity of Thear, second of the Uisdro, I give thanks for your help this year. Uisdro deities, thank you for the foresight of your people, the wonderful fish was have eaten, and the water we have to drink.”
Again everyone murmured their own thanks. “Bast, fourth deity of Thear, first of the Tein-Igni, I give thanks for your help this year. Anubis, seventh deity of Thear, second of the Tein-Igni, I give thanks for your help this year. Tein-Igni deities, thank you for the knowledge of your people, the fire we have that is keeping us warm on this cold day, and the wonderful seeds your people have brought with them.”
Patiently Genevieve waited once more for everyone to say their own thanks and her eyes met those of the only other priest in North Square, a Tein-Igni priest of Loki, who smiled at her. “Loki, eight deity of Thear, who does not belong to any race and attempts to join them all, I give thanks for your help this year.” Finally came the deity who had given up her place for Persephone and those very few people knew had even risen. “Galene, once deity of the Uisdro, I give thanks for help in years previous. Artemis, ninth deity of Thear, first of the mixed races; Eir, tenth deity of Thear, second of the mixed races; and Thoth, eleventh deity of Thear, third of the mixed races, I give thanks for your help this year. Everyone in North Square connects with you as we are all mixed race and we thank you for rising in order to give us deities to call our own, who have not been used by one of the races, and giving us all a true feeling of connection.”
© K A Jones 2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. This entry was originally posted at http://kajones-writing.dreamwidth.org/41926.html. It currently has
comments.
Genevieve always remembered the last winter solstice she had spent with her father when she heard those words. It was hard not to, even though she had been five at the time, and soon after they had left their home village. One of the priests of Herne had found out that the family, on Delyth's side, had connections with the Uisdro and the sect of Hecate, so they had no choice but to run for their lives. She glanced at her two older sisters, Róisín and Báirbre, who had left much more behind than Genevieve had because they were eight and nine years older than her.
Genevieve turned to face the altar. Throughout the autumn the equinox candle had been kept alight by the children of North Square and she used that to light the solstice candle, which would be kept burning until the spring equinox. Carefully, she blew out the equinox candle, before passing it to Róisín's eldest daughter, who had been chosen to keep the remains.
“From now until the equinox the days slowly grow,” she continued, turning back to face the people surrounding her, “plan for what's coming, take time to prepare.”
The sect of Hecate had been preparing for Thear changing for a very long time, which was why North Square even existed. Genevieve was grateful that it did exist, because she dreaded to think what might have happened to her mother, sisters or herself if it hadn't. In the years since they had arrived other people had also run from families and priests who had found out that they were mixed blood in some way. There were Dorma, Uisdro and Tein-Igni people in North Square, as well as people who had been in the sect of Hecate, and had lived in the town, all their life.
“Hecate, first deity of Thear, first of North Square, I give thanks for your help this year, in planning for what is to come, for creating a town where all people can come to live in safety, and in writing a balanced history of Thear for all of us to learn from.”
Murmurs went around the group surrounding Genevieve as everyone gave thanks to Hecate for anything she had done for them during the year that had passed. No other winter solstice ritual in the country would mention Hecate. Then the ritual was a collective thing, so the words were chosen by the sect of Hecate as a group, which meant that the words were slightly different to those of any other winter solstice ritual that was going on around the country.
“Herne, second deity of Thear, first of the Dorma, I give thanks for your help this year.” Genevieve's feelings about Herne had changed much in the time she had been in North Square, because she had always felt he was very overbearing when she was a child, which was what the priests of Herne were aiming for. “ Epona, fifth deity of Thear, second of the Dorma, I give thanks for your help this year. Dorma deities, thank you for the practicality of your people, for the wonderful harvest we had, and the trees that grow well outside the town.”
Genevieve allowed everyone time to say their own thanks before she continued, “Poseidon, third deity of Thear, first of the Uisdro, I give thanks for your help this year. Persephone, sixth deity of Thear, second of the Uisdro, I give thanks for your help this year. Uisdro deities, thank you for the foresight of your people, the wonderful fish was have eaten, and the water we have to drink.”
Again everyone murmured their own thanks. “Bast, fourth deity of Thear, first of the Tein-Igni, I give thanks for your help this year. Anubis, seventh deity of Thear, second of the Tein-Igni, I give thanks for your help this year. Tein-Igni deities, thank you for the knowledge of your people, the fire we have that is keeping us warm on this cold day, and the wonderful seeds your people have brought with them.”
Patiently Genevieve waited once more for everyone to say their own thanks and her eyes met those of the only other priest in North Square, a Tein-Igni priest of Loki, who smiled at her. “Loki, eight deity of Thear, who does not belong to any race and attempts to join them all, I give thanks for your help this year.” Finally came the deity who had given up her place for Persephone and those very few people knew had even risen. “Galene, once deity of the Uisdro, I give thanks for help in years previous. Artemis, ninth deity of Thear, first of the mixed races; Eir, tenth deity of Thear, second of the mixed races; and Thoth, eleventh deity of Thear, third of the mixed races, I give thanks for your help this year. Everyone in North Square connects with you as we are all mixed race and we thank you for rising in order to give us deities to call our own, who have not been used by one of the races, and giving us all a true feeling of connection.”
© K A Jones 2011
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. This entry was originally posted at http://kajones-writing.dreamwidth.org/41926.html. It currently has
comments.