DIOSCURI (CASTOR) (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
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come_sailaway2022-09-15 07:34 pm
mikraitios) wrote in come_sailaway2022-09-15 07:34 pm
鬼KYOKAN
Who: Castor, Pollux, and maybe you?
When: September 16
Where: At the edge of the shoreline on the beach
Summary: A sacrifice for Jenny!
Warnings: It's an animal sacrifice but the actual thing isn't like, graphic.
Once the preparations are complete in the mid-afternoon, Castor and Pollux will gather anyone who's interested in attending and begin the sacrifice. As royalty among humans and ancient gods themselves, they are willing to offer a gracious demonstration of how to pay your respects to the gods, beginning with a prayer, but anyone who decides to stay is encouraged to participate—whether by talking with one another or tossing seeds during the ritual, anything so that they could be considered involved themselves.
Once anybody who stops by is ready and quieted down, they will lift their arms to the sky to call upon "Jenny" — a goddess of storms. Just imagine it goes something loosely along the lines of: "We, the Dioscuri, know of your search— while we hope that today's offering pleases you, know that we will reunite you with your brothers. In return, we ask that when we quit this voyage, you offer us, the passengers, your shelter alongside them as we return to where we should be."
Only the ones who don't piss her off is kind of an unsaid implication, but really, it seems like a fair enough trade, right?
The star of the show is a local boar that the two of them brought down together. Next to the makeshift altar, it can be found dressed up in what looks like a very fluffy pink silk scarf, which is tied in a ribbon around it's belly. Once it has agreed to the sacrifice, it's cooked over the open fire, and a certain amount is set aside especially for Jenny—the rest, though? Once the meat has finished cooking, it's distributed among everyone else in attendance, as well as any mangos and other foodstuffs that the guests might have their eyes on. No matter what you decide to accept, you're told that it should be finished by evening.
And when the feast is complete, everyone is invited to participate in games. Whether it's sprint races, jumping competitions, spear throwing, or... frisbee because proper discus' probably aren't available here and Castor sure as hell isn't letting a human touch his, everyone is encouraged to take part and enjoy themselves. (Including if anybody would like to make their own top-levels too!)
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I'm sorry, I must have frightened you. We hunt an animal to offer, Brother thought a boar would do well. We'll clean it before dressing it in ribbons so that it's presentable, and offer it at an altar to the Goddess we wish to respect.
( her hand lightly pats shi qingxuan's now, making sure that he listens to her rather than allowing his mind to drift off to other things. it's not that it's his fault for the misunderstanding, but pollux is able to talk about these things so easily that it appears normal to her, but for an outsider who hasn't been to greece, it's probably confusing. it's the same act and blessing that has been given to the dioscuri and other gods, so they had believed they could do the same for jenny as it's something both of them also enjoyed. )
Those who don't participate directly in killing the animal can still take part by tossing barley seeds so that they are more than just an observer. The animal participates willingly, and agrees to be part of the sacrifice before it can proceed. As I said: humans, immortals and animals are all invited to join; sing, dance, pray. It's a party that we can all enjoy, and then we all sit down and eat— immortals sharing stories with humans, and the laughter that comes from it. It's a beautiful sight.
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It does relax him and ease his fears. It's not the first time he's heard of animal sacrifices (or human sacrifices, for that matter, aha...), though it's not been a practice for several years at this point, and never at a Temple of Wind and Water. Still, it's much better than what he had been thinking. He breathes a sigh of relief. ]
So it's like that. You had me scared for a second there, I thought you were planning to offer your life up to that Goddess Jenny! Thank goodness that's not the case... If it's a boar, that isn't so bad.
[ Shi Qingxuan isn't sure how they plan to find a boar intelligent enough to give consent to such a thing - unless they have some ability to communicate that he's not aware of - but he has faith in his friends to figure that part out themselves. ]
I don't plan on participating in the killing - I'll leave that part up to you - but I'll join in your other plans. The rest of it sounds pretty fun, ahaha.
[ Even if the killing is a bit...much...for him... But, he's all thin arms and pale skin, someone who can't even run very well on his own two legs; as far as physical activity goes, butchering is far beyond his skill level. ]
Is this the way things are done at your own temples?
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( or at all for that matter. besides, her life isn't exactly just hers, it's a life that she shares with her brother. while she does want to reassure the other that her life isn't so easy to take, she's unable to speak on the technicalities of the hows and whys. with a hand pressed to her chest over her heart, she hopes that what she says so far will be enough to keep the other's thoughts at bay of thinking she'd do something so drastic. even then, her brother would fight against it as she's already gave up her life once— the feeling of that moment is unforgettable, and no matter the pain that she felt, she manages to keep a smile on her face. )
And you shouldn't worry about what you can't do, there's always something that you can do.
( that means they'll have to find something, if shi qingxuan would rather not coat his hands in blood, then pollux can find something else. there's dressing up the altar, hunting other animals for the feast afterward, and even obtaining wood to keep the fire going. she wonders how well the other is at his hand, a discus match doesn't sound so bad either as long as jenny is given a show, a meal, and the happiness of those who are involved in the ceremony. )
As for our temple, yes, this is how the humans showed respect to us! ( it's always different depending on the god. ) Animal sacrifice and libations are ones that I enjoy the most, but there are other rituals humans tend to attempt that I'm not too fond of. Since you seem uncomfortable with the former, you must be familiar with the latter?
( libations, she means. ) If not, I wouldn't mind hearing how humans worshipped you and other gods.
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He would rather not think on that anymore, so he dismisses the thought. ]
Of course—you invited me along, so how can I let myself just sit back and watch? There's plenty I can do beyond the messier work.
[ Like throwing barley and telling stories! He doesn't know the rest of what Pollux is thinking of, but he at least has a decent degree of confidence in himself beyond butchery and manual labor. It certainly sounds like a rather lively ceremony compared to what he's used to. He doesn't want to think about what sort of other rituals may take place that Pollux isn't - he can already recall stories he'd heard in the past - but the rituals Pollux does like, those sound pretty fun!
...the bloody act of sacrifices aside. He truly can't understand the joy in that one, but it's important to Pollux, and she's certain in the joyousness of it, so he won't stress that point. ]
Your rituals seem much more lively than the ones held at my temples. I'm actually a little jealous. There might be wine and food offered, and sometimes mortals hold grand ceremonies to honor the gods, putting on plays and holding feasts, but even I don't get to join in on the fun with them.
[ He frowns a little as he tilts his head, feeling it's actually a pity when he thinks about it. That must be a difference between the way a god who freely interacts in the mortal realm differs from one whose ability to do so is heavily restricted. Next time Brother dodges the Mid-Autumn Banquet, I'll take him to the mortal realm, and we'll celebrate down with the mortals and we'll eat with them, drink with them, and watch all our plays with them instead!
The thought comes to mind, and it's dashed just as quickly. All of that isn't actually possible for the "him" that exists here...
...But, that's not important! Shaking his head, he continues again. ]
Oh, but the most common offerings are food, gold, and incense. When one wants to show their gratitude to the Wind and Water Masters, that's what they offer. Of course, the food isn't something I can take and eat myself, but each incense stick burnt is another merit for our palace, and there are a lot of merchants among our believers, so sometimes they bring back rare treasures to offer as thanks, too. It's not all too different for other gods.
[ He pauses, another thought only now coming to him: ]
Though, there may be a martial god out there who also enjoys such sacrifices? Usually offerings suit the one being honored, like flowers for the Flower-Crowned Martial God, so there may be such a god in the heavenly realm who also enjoys animals as offerings.
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( there's an invisible line between gods and humans, and most gods lived in mount olympus where they walked as giants— titan height unlike the small, fragile humans below. the humans would wander the land to grow and nurture, offer their wisdom and expand their knowledge to live good lives. they would call upon a god for guidance, and if they gave an offering to a god, then they reciprocated by giving something back. )
It's not the killing that makes me happy, it's the sharing of a meal with everyone by coming together as a family. So having you join in on the fun would be an honor, I'm glad I can share this experience with you.
( it does sound lonely if one couldn't make it to their sacrifice, it almost seems rude not go show up. that'll make this one special, not only will it be for jenny, they'll also have the chance to connect with others if she does or doesn't come. the thought brings a pleasant smile to her face, especially the fact that shi qingxuan can be here to witness it.
as she listens, she perks up with a hand that rests on her friend's shoulder, it's the incense that stand out as they don't have those. nor would she say they brought gold to their offerings either, as the dioscuri had no need for it— she doesn't think of them as gods that promote wealth in riches. now for their safety, that is a different story. )
The long pieces of bone that come from the sacrifice, spices, and some fat -- other times wine -- are burned so that the smoke can reach Mount Olympus, and it invites us over. Humans would even use that smoke to read omens. Every sacrifice is different in its own way because of it.
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He can really ease into this more with Pollux explaining it, though. There is a distinct appeal here, and it isn't as though the idea of food offerings isn't at all strange. When she talks about it as everyone coming together to enjoy a feast as a family, how can Shi Qingxuan not be moved?
Compared to earlier, Shi Qingxuan seems more like his carefree self again. ]
Thank you for inviting me! Opportunities like this are rare for me, and sharing the experience with a friend is even better.
[ It's also a rare chance to learn more about her own realm and tastes as a goddess. He claps his hands together, suddenly having an idea. ]
In that case, the burning is also important here, isn't it? Since there's going to be a full feast anyway, there's no reason not to use the bones and the rest to send her an invitation with their smoke.
[ He kind of likes this idea... It feels a bit more personal than the incense burning he's used to. ]
If she can't come, do you think she'll at least respond back with an omen through the smoke as well...?
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( for some gods, it's a sign of being wanted, and others tend to love the attention— for pollux, she enjoyed anything as long as her brother was there with her, and her fondness of humans only doubled knowing she could be with them. to be thought of as someone close to them, a family member, or even a friend, it makes coming down worth it if a god didn't believe they felt as close as they should to their people. )
That's if she decides to answer, sometimes Father would choose to acknowledge or simply ignore. It's not as if he has to respond, but he's such a busy deity that he's unable to answer every call.
( would that mean her father is unable to multitask? no, it's just he's that wanted and so some others gain his attention more than others. there are humans that he's too busy assisting with his will to forge the world, or their fate into something that represents his might or he was too busy having those small competitions with hera to notice, but those are some of the reasons why a god wouldn't answer the call of a dinner. )
Don't worry, Qingxuan, this isn't about bringing her down or obtaining an answer, but... if she does respond, wouldn't that be lucky?