Buzzards, Hawks and Ravens

(Account of Six Friend’s Life in the “Dark” Age)

by

Ruwen Rouhs 

Chapter 5.1

The Midsummer Night Princes

- Mystery of the Big Wheel -

It was late Sunday afternoon. Bastian rushed into the house, waving his peers good-bye. He was soaked with sweat, but happy, having passed the qualifications in fighting as a part of the training for the initiation. He hurried up the stairs to their small room, in search of Ruwen. "Hey little brother, where are you hiding? Have you forgotten our plan? You promised to hike with me to the Big Wheel." Bastian was on top of the world. "Guess who the best in fighting was? I was! You have to congratulate me!" But Ruwen didn't move. "Don't be so glum, bro! It's a wonderful day! Come on, little brother!"

Bastian had turned sixteen in May. A growth spurt had increased his height to 6ft 1in. His blond hair had darkened slightly and he was sporting his first whiskers. He was an eye-catcher and every girl got itchy just thinking of him. Ruwen was not jealous of Bastian's strength, nor of his reputation as the best looking youngster of the village. He liked to be the inconspicuous one of the TIB's, the Two Inseparable Brothers, as the villagers called the two. He preferred to stand out in skills and knowledge. But now something was coming up that could possibly alter their closeness, and abruptly; the rite of passage. Bastian would go through the initiation rite together with six other boys and six girls of his age and soon belong with the adults, while Ruwen would still be ranking among the kids.

At the age of 16 every boy and every girl of the small village, as in many other villages around, had to go through the rite of passage to be formally admitted to adulthood. The initiation rite was neither a bloody nor a humiliating event. It was a period of education, culminating in a mystical, ritualistic ceremony and a big festivity involving all the villagers. 

Since midwinter the youngsters to be initiated had been introduced to the tasks of adults. The education of the boys was mostly public, while the one for the girls took place more secretly. Spying on the girls, especially by boys, was punished severely.

Together with his peers, Bastian was instructed by the elders in how to defend the small community against intruders and robbers. They had to improve their skills in attack and defense, with blades and daggers, truncheons and lances, as well as with bow and arrows. They also had to learn how to care for and improve the fortifications of the village; how to slip out the village, unseen by besiegers; to sneak up on the enemy under cover during the day, or in the deep night; and to communicate with signs or natural sounds and not with words. It was a hard training but Bastian found it to his liking.

"Hey buddy, don't be so upset. It's not my fault I am sixteen and you are only fourteen. I would prefer to be initiated together with you, you know that! Come on, bro."

However, Ruwen pretended not to hear Bastian and kept on reading a book while sitting on the bed.

Bastian sneaked up to Ruwen from behind and tickled him. When the tickling attack didn't show the expected result and Ruwen's face stayed gloomy, Bastian embraced him softly from behind. But Ruwen continued to read on stubbornly. Then Bastian turned him around and fondled him like a baby.

Softly, he repeated, "Please Ruwen, don't stay so glum. In two years you will belong with the big ones too, and in the meantime, nothing will change between us! Let’s hurry up, the Big Wheel is waiting."

Ruwen had been downcast since Bastian's birthday and got more downcast the closer the special midsummer night came, and with it the rite of passage ceremony. Bastian’s soft embrace relaxed Ruwen's tension. How could he be upset with Bastian, his dear blood brother? He smiled and then broke free of Bastian, "Let's start! We have to leave right now, because nobody should visit that haunted place on a night like tonight; the night of the new moon. The Wyrd Sisters might cast a spell over us two and we may turn to stone if they catch us in the dark at the Big Wheel."

The Big Wheel (sketch)

Coming out of the shadowy wooded gulch, Ruwen and Bastian arrived at the oval clearing of the Big Wheel. The Big Wheel was a mysterious labyrinth, a relict from pagan times. The clearing was immersed in the golden light of the afternoon sun. High trees, like elms, poplars and alders, surrounded the clearing like pillars and merged with the dense beech grove at the foot of a bare hill. The labyrinth was located at the other end of the clearing. The centre of the clearing was occupied by a big table-like dark rock with a polished flat top. In the foreground a spring emerged in a deep fountain, which fed its clear waters to the creek in the gulch.

"Oh, Bastian, what a peaceful friendly place this is. I like it here. It's not a place to be scared off! What did you tell me earlier? Did you want to scare me?"

"No! The elders told me that! This is a mysterious place. Everyone says it's a haunted place! They told us dozens of the dark legends about this place!"

"Really, or are you putting me on?"

"I swear to God, no! Do you see the old tree in the centre of the labyrinth of stones and shrubbery? That old crooked elm tree is older than the village, older than the country. The tree has been growing here since the dawn of the time. People call it ‘Yggdrasil, the world tree’."

"Oh come on. A tree may live 500 years, maybe a thousand years, but I have never heard of tree as old as the world! You are kidding!"

"No, I am not! It's not the tree alone. It's the Three Grey Women, the Wyrd Sisters; the three Norns who are sitting underneath the roots of the tree, weaving the threads of destiny. Didn't Aliah tell you of the Wyrd Sisters, and caring for the world tree, the Yggdrasil, by watering it with the water from the nearby well?"

"Sure she did, and she frightened me with that story! Is that wellspring over there the Urdborn? We just drank its water! It is refreshing! So what is that scary about this place?"

"Be careful! Do not provoke the Norns! People say that in the dark nights of the new moon the oldest Norn, Uro, crouches in the branches of Yggdrasil and lurks for lovers. She brings luck to the loyal and doom for the infidel."

*.*.*

Since times immemorial, the Big Wheel had been the destination of pilgrims coming from far away. It was used for fortune telling. A pilgrim seeking advice had to follow a traditional ceremony. At full moon he had to enter the main entrance of the labyrinth and start dancing with closed eyes. He had to spin faster and faster till his head started swimming. Then the Wyrd Sisters would guide him onto one of the three paths leading into the labyrinth itself and to the tree itself, or to the path out. If the Big Wheel spit the pilgrim out, he had to hurry home to prevent disaster. If he stumbled into the middle path leading only a short distance to the World Tree, he could expect good health for the rest of his life. The lucky one was guided by the Sisters onto one of the other two paths. The path to the left ran in a single turn around the outer edge of the labyrinth and then into the labyrinth and up to the tree. The pilgrim had to feel his way in reverse along the whole course till he touched the Yggdrasil. It was seen as a forecast of good luck and good health, if he succeeded. The third path was the longest. It wound in nine loops through the labyrinth with a sharp turn at the end of every loop. The pilgrim could expect a lucky life from there on, and the fulfillment of all his wishes, if he succeeded in finding his way to the tree with closed eyes, and despite the many sharp turns.

But the Big Wheel was only one of the mysteries in this place. The second one was the huge dark-grey stone in front of the Big Wheel. The rock was of a strange material, a variety of stone not found in this region. Folks called the rock ‘Altar’ not only because of its table-like shape with its smooth and polished top, but also for a rumor only told to others secretly. According to this story, in old times, virgins were sacrificed by wizards to avert disaster for the country. Even nowadays, desperate folk came there in secret to sacrifice doves or chickens in order to obtain help from the Norns.

The third mystery was the wellspring flowing out of the deep, dark fountain. It was called Urdborn. Its cool water was believed to have healing power. People carried it home to store it for emergencies and a remedy for severe diseases. Old hags whispered to each other that the well water even had rejuvenating power.

For uncounted years, the Big Wheel, the Altar and the Urdborn had their place in the hearts of the villagers. This place with the three mysterious objects were abhorred by the clergymen, because the clearing was not only a site of mysteries, but also the place for joyful celebration of the midsummer night, and, even more important, the location of the rite of passage ceremony for the girls and boys of the village. The church hated these pagan traditions. Clergymen had tried to execrate the place, and to annihilate it, for a long time now, but without success. About 50 years ago a parish priest piled up logs around the Yggdrasil tree for a pyre and lit it. However the Norns took revenge and punished him. From out of the blue dark clouds surrounding the crown of the Yggdrasil, lighting and thunderbolts filled the air, rain came down in torrents and extinguished the flames. The priest fled the site of his defeat, but the Wyrd Sisters were merciless and killed him with a fierce bolt. The next morning only his charred bones were found at the foot of the Altar.

Ruwen and Sebastian advanced to the Big Wheel cautiously. The labyrinth was confined by low hazel bushes, small elders and blackberries. Its entrance was nearly overgrown by dog roses. The big thorny bush was in full bloom and covered with pink flowers. Bastian broke through the thorns carelessly dragging along a reluctant Ruwen.

"Are you afraid the Norns are waiting for you? Do you think they like fresh boy meat for dinner? I was here last year and I am still alive!"

"Don't make fun of the Norns! Aliah told me they are powerful ghosts and sometimes very resentful. They don't like to be disturbed. Please, be reverential because we may need their sympathy." Closing his eyes, Ruwen said a quick prayer, asking the Norns’ forgiveness for intruding into their realm.

Boulders and small shrubs confined the three sandy paths leading from the entrance of the labyrinth to the tree in its center. The short path in the middle went straight to the old Elm tree. The path to the right swung at the edge of the Wheel into a single right turn, back to the entrance and from there to the tree. It was much shorter than the path to the left, which meandered in nine loops through the labyrinth till it approached the Yggdrasil tree. At the midsummer night ceremony, the two winners of a game of chance would compete. One aspirant to the honor of being the Midsummer Night Prince had to take the route to the right, while his challenger had to take the left.

Bastian and Ruwen first walked the shorter way, counting about two hundred steps till they reached the tree; than the longer one, counting more than one thousand steps.

Bastian recited the ceremony’s instructions, "Take the right path and go in reverse to find your luck!"

"Bastian, that's not an easy task in the dark of the night. You have to be careful not to trip. If you flounder, you have lost. At the initiation you will lose the honor of the Midsummer Night Prince to your challenger."

"I will outrun him, despite having to walk in reverse, and him able run the whole distance straight ahead; because he has to take the left course and that is more than five times longer and has many sharp turns."

"I challenge you! Let's start!" and Ruwen counted, "One, two and three, Go!!!!!"

Running the track in reverse was more difficult than Bastian had expected. He was pretty slow, but having the longer legs he approached the tree while Ruwen had only covered about two thirds of the distance.

"I will win the run against every challenger!"

"Are you dreaming? You have to draw the Sun-Stone first, in the game of chance, to become an aspirant for the honor of Midsummer Night Prince! You will need a lot of god fortune, because you will have six competitors in the game of chance! And, even then, you will be challenged by one of the others, for the race."

"I know, but I am the darling of fortune! Remember, I got you seven years ago and now I will get the Sun-Stone! I have to get it!"

Still out of breath, Bastian commanded, "Let’s try again, Ruwen. I have to know the track by heart; I have to know how to race the track even in total darkness."

They raced the tracks two more times. Bastian got faster and faster, but so did Ruwen. In every race, Bastian was the first to reach the goal, "Nobody will beat me, anyone can challenge me!"

The boys left the labyrinth exhausted and soaked with sweat. On their way out a thorn scratched Bastian's left cheek and the deep cut started bleeding heavily.

"That's the revenge of the Norns, because we disturbed their midday sleep!"

Bastian's face went pale. He bowed to the tree three times and murmured, "Please forgive me noble Norns. I didn't intend to disturb your rest!"

Bastian was tired from the practices in the morning, and exhausted from the three races through the maze. At the Altar he caressed its polished surface, "It's so smooth! I’ve never before touched a rock as smooth as this one. It's hot from the sun. Do you think the Norns will mind if I take a nap on top of Altar stone?" He didn't wait for Ruwen to answer, and curled up on the smooth surface.

Ruwen went to the wellspring, immersed his head in the cool water and started drinking like someone dying with thirst. Coming back, he joined Bastian on top of the Altar.

The croaking of ravens broke into Bastian's deep sleep and he awoke with a start. It was close to sundown and a cool, humid draft from the gulch filled the clearing. He looked around. No ravens were there, neither in the branches of Yggdrasil, nor in the trees surrounding the clearing. He shook Ruwen out of his dreams, "Hey, little bro wake up. Did you hear the raven croaking just now?"

Ruwen shuddered and then shook his head, "No, I was deep in sleep. No croaking disturbed the peaceful silence."

"But the ravens were calling to us!"

"You were dreaming, Bastian, surely. No black birds are around! Look, the sun is almost down; we have to hurry! It's getting scary; Uro will lurk for infidel lovers soon."

"Why are you afraid of Uro, little bro? I am loyal to you; I will be loyal to you forever! This visit to the Big Wheel will bring us good luck. I am sure about it, because I will love you for ever!"

"I am loyal to you too, Bastian! …… It's getting dark; please hold my hand now!"

*.*.*

The midsummer night celebration, with the rite of passage ceremony, was the most important event of the village. The festivities began in the evening of the day of St. John the Baptist, in late June and lasted till the break of dawn the following morning. The main event was the mystical game of chance for the young boys taking part in the initiation. The winner of the game and challenge became the Midsummer Night Prince. He would be the ruler of all festivities during the next twelve months. This honour made him the most popular youngster of the village and the dream boy of all the girls. But these pleasures and advantages were balanced by the burden of taking over the responsibility for the safety of the village.

The preparations for the game of chance began on the Sunday before St. John's day. The maidens, still pre-adolescent girls, had to prepare the lots for the game. This year six virgins and seven lads had to pass the initiation and therefore thirteen lots were necessary. At dawn the maidens went down to the river and collected thirteen slim pebbles, six light colored for the girls and seven dark colored for the lads. The light and dark pebbles were paired according their size. The first pair was marked with a moon, the second with a star, the third with the sign for the earth, the fourth with the one for water, the fifth with the one for wind and the sixth with the one for fire. One dark pebble was set aside and adorned with a golden sun. This pebble was the Sun-Stone. On St. John's day, the six light colored pebbles were placed in a white wicker basket and the seven dark ones in a dark wicker basket, from which each of the contestants had to select a pebble with blindfolded eyes. The boy who was lucky enough to draw the Sun-Stone was the winner of the first part of the mystical game for the honor of the Midsummer Night Prince.

While the maidens prepared the lots the male candidates practiced their duties and obligation of adults all morning and half the afternoon, under the supervision of the elders. As a farewell to boyhood and to celebrate the end of the instruction period, the seven boys had planned a game of hide and seek. The tradition was that the end of this game was celebrated on a small island in the river, with a heavy beer bash.

That morning, Ruwen and Bastian had agreed to meet secretly, during the hide and seek, at their special swimming spot. Bastian eluded his peers and arrived at their favorite hiding place, while Ruwen was still upriver, diving for clams, in the hope of finding a big shiny pearl he could use to cure pains of the heart. After a short swim, Bastian was dozing on the riverbank in the shade of dense willow shrubs. At sixteen he was strong as a young bear, but slim and lithe. The blond hairs of his scalp were bleached by the sun. He had hardly any body hair with exception of a blond trail running down from his navel to the reddish bush of his pubes.

Ruwen, lithe and supple like a cat, climbed out of the river, snuck up on Bastian and crouched over his sleeping friend. Cold water dripping from Ruwen's black hair ripped Bastian out of his dreams. He swore, then asked, "Do you think I will be the next prince? I really want to be. I just dreamed I am the chosen one!"

"Your chances are one in seven, as I told you before. Even if you are the winner of the first part of the chance game you have to be successful two more times! Are you prepared for the tests? Do not be overconfident. You need more than luck; you have to gain the approval of the Norns!"

"I can't prepare for the second round, but I have practiced for the race through the labyrinth. I have trained walking in reverse with closed eyes, every day since last Sunday. I even practiced in the pitch-black barn. I can do it. But how can I get the approval of the Norns?"

Ruwen was smiling. Bastian was two years older than he, but still more of a child. Looking into his still dreaming eyes, he warned him, "You must pay respect to the Norns! Ask them for help wholeheartedly! Being the prince is a big honor, big boy. You have to take the new responsibilities serious. There will be no more playing around in the night with me; you have to be on guard all the time."

"I am prepared to take the responsibilities, but don't forget the fun that's also waiting. The girls are already hot for me now. As the prince I will have chances with every girl!"

"Sure you will! But are you sure about girls? Do you really long for girls?" Ruwen glanced down to Bastian's crotch and his already hard prick, "What do you want girls for, anyway?" and he started humping his blood brother. Their pricks touched; they started grinding, at first slowly but then more and more feverishly. Bastian's eyes blue eyes focused on Ruwen's dark-brown ones. The boys smiled at each other. Their eyes darkened, closed and then both spunked up at the same time.

Ruwen giggled, "Dear Bastian, we shouldn't call each other blood brothers; a more fitting name would be spunk brothers, because we exchanged our blood only once!"

A short time later, they heard loud voices call out, "Bastian, where are you? Where are you hiding? Don't you want to join our beer bash?"

"Oh damn, I forgot about the others!" The two boys jumped into the river to wash away the semen, swiftly.

"Look Bastian, even the fish like our spunk, they just nibbled it from my belly!"

*.*.*

AUTHOR NOTE

I would like to express a special thank to Anthony and Paul for doing a great job by correcting all the wrong expressions and especially to B. who revised the language used by a non native English writer.

Comments, reviews, questions and complaints are welcomed. Please send them to ruwenrouhs@hotmail.de or use the feedback form. And I would like to add, thanks for reading.

Copyright Notice - Copyright © 2007

The author copyrights this story and retains all rights. This work may not be duplicated in any form – physical, electronic, audio, or otherwise – without the author's expressed permission. All applicable copyright laws apply.

Ruwen Rouhs