Hoplite
There are many rituals that bring about the end of the world. The oldest of which involves a soldier.
After many years as a hoplite, on of the generals came to me and said (and I'm translating here) "You have been selected, oh soldier, to go to the top of Olympus and bring about the end of the world."
I've never been a complainer in the classical sense. Some one says, " The end of the world," I naturally think it's a terrible idea. There's a lot to like about the world. But I said "for the Glory of Greece," or some such nonsense. I was much, much younger then.
I was instructed on what needed to be done should I reach the top of Mt. Olympus and by the end of that day after receiving many blessings from the higher ups and big-wigs and grand-high poobas I went on my way.
The first thing I noticed was the gathered throng of people on either side of the path the I walked. They were not pleased. Indeed, they appeared to be quite terrified. They tore at their hair and beat their chests and howled for me not to go on with my mission. Some offered me things. Fine weapons, vases and foods. Some offered their daughters, their sons, themselves. All of them removing clothing, and trying to be alluring despite their terror.
I didn't stop moving forward, but I respectfully declined the more coherent of their offers and walked on toward the mountain.
I wandered out of the city and walked toward the mountain of the Gods.
I encountered a great beast.Ordinarily when see someone write something like that and it's a reference to a great beast, it's usually something far more common and misinterpreted, but I swear to you as I am still standing it was a great bird with a snakes neck that went all the way to it's bird-head, and it had a great plume of feathers and stood about three feet taller than I did. It was like an ostrich, but it's neck wasn't so flimsy and as thick around as a man's arm.
"Warrior!" It said. I swear, it talked. Things were different back then.
"Aye, great beast, I am a warrior," I said, like it meant something. Looking back it didn't.
"Do not end the world, warrior! Do not end the world!" it said. It wailed this, as though it were pleading for the life it's only offspring. It knelt before then and lay it's head on one side at my feet.
"Oh, beast," I said, "Don't trouble yourself so with me and my affairs, I am just a man and cannot bring about the end of the world."
The great beast lifted it's head and blinked at me, turned it's head to one side, as birds do and said "You will not end the world?"
All I said was "Probably not, but don't spread the word yet, or they might send someone else who will."
The great beast nodded it's head trotted away.
I continued for some time, and as night fell I set up a small camp.
Not soon after I had started a fire, a very, very old man and a very, very large wolf came from the shadows into the light of my camp.
The old man untied a basket he had on his back and placed it on it's side in front him, and he sat on it. The wolf sat down next to him, crossed it's front paws and snorted as it looked at me.
"Are you the warrior sent to bring about the end of the world?" the old man asked. His face was gnarled and pock marked and he had no eyes; indeed all he had were the empty sockets.
"I am, sir." I said.
"Please do not," He said softly and sighed. He leaned forward then, and then collapsed off of his basket. I went over to him and held my hand over his nose, and he was no longer breathing. The great wolf got up to sit on it's hind quarters and howled a terrible lonely howl up into the night.
Across the country side, for many, many miles, I heard the sad and a lonely noise echoed for nearly an hour.
The great wolf took the man's body gently in it's mouth, and carried it back into the shadows as the howling continued.
I slept fitfully, and dreamed of the great bird beast, and the wolf, whose man had died just after he had asked me not to end the world. I heard the sad, lonely howls even as I slept.
As the sun rose in the morning I looked to see Mt. Olympus off in the distance. It stretched high into the clouds, and it cast a great shadow across the fields as the rising sun shown on it.
It was more impressive back then. I've been back since and it's much smaller, and there's nothing there anymore.
It took until the sun was golden again and setting in the west before I reached the bottom of the mountain.
A maiden came up to me then and said "Warrior are you. . "
"Not anymore," I said and marched up the mountain.
The wind became shrill and cold, and there came a downpour of rain, but as I continued it became a fine gray mist. I moved onward until I came upon what could only have been the hall of gods, mostly because it was at the top of Mt. Olympus, and it was the most intricate of structures as man couldn't imagine if he tried for one hundred years.
I tried. It took me until the 1800's before I thought of something as grand.
The priests had given me an oil to awaken the carytid on the left side of the entrance and it would bring about the end of the world. I looked at the two figures that bore the arch of the entrance to a great building of polished marble, gold and glass. The one on the right held he arch with both hands, but the other had only one arm directly above its head and in it's other hand it bore a large, heavy sword of bright metal. I really didn't see that as encouraging.
I threw the oil down the side of the mountain and then put my back to the armed carytid, and looked where he would have walked, should he have come to life. Sure enough, there was a long hallway of green tile and gold columns, with soft white light at the end. I followed the potential path of the would-be animated statue down the hall, where flowers unseen before and since grew in great, carved onyx pots that hung from the ceiling. Each one gave off thick, rich aroma, completely unknown and somehow like smelling a secret.
When I arrived in the room I found a bathing pool, and a long chair. Lying on it, with her bronzed smooth back to me, was indeed a goddess. She turned her head over her shoulder, and with a profound sadness asked "Warrior, have you come to end the world?"
"No, oh goddess," I said solemnly.
She. Smiled.
It was like the sun after walking all night in darkness. It was like a blessing, a lifted curse and making love all at the same time. It was a smile from which all other smiles came from.
"Wise, oh warrior," she said, "Come closer to me." She turned toward me, and I saw her bronzed skin, her body was strong but feminine. "I will grant you a wish."
I knelt before the goddess then, which ever one she was, and asked her "I never want the world to end." I said.
"Are you certain?" She said.
"No." I said.
"Kiss me then, and the world will live as long as you."
I stood up then, and kissed the lips of a goddess.
I won't waste too much time describing it, but sky-diving is about half way there.
After many years as a hoplite, on of the generals came to me and said (and I'm translating here) "You have been selected, oh soldier, to go to the top of Olympus and bring about the end of the world."
I've never been a complainer in the classical sense. Some one says, " The end of the world," I naturally think it's a terrible idea. There's a lot to like about the world. But I said "for the Glory of Greece," or some such nonsense. I was much, much younger then.
I was instructed on what needed to be done should I reach the top of Mt. Olympus and by the end of that day after receiving many blessings from the higher ups and big-wigs and grand-high poobas I went on my way.
The first thing I noticed was the gathered throng of people on either side of the path the I walked. They were not pleased. Indeed, they appeared to be quite terrified. They tore at their hair and beat their chests and howled for me not to go on with my mission. Some offered me things. Fine weapons, vases and foods. Some offered their daughters, their sons, themselves. All of them removing clothing, and trying to be alluring despite their terror.
I didn't stop moving forward, but I respectfully declined the more coherent of their offers and walked on toward the mountain.
I wandered out of the city and walked toward the mountain of the Gods.
I encountered a great beast.Ordinarily when see someone write something like that and it's a reference to a great beast, it's usually something far more common and misinterpreted, but I swear to you as I am still standing it was a great bird with a snakes neck that went all the way to it's bird-head, and it had a great plume of feathers and stood about three feet taller than I did. It was like an ostrich, but it's neck wasn't so flimsy and as thick around as a man's arm.
"Warrior!" It said. I swear, it talked. Things were different back then.
"Aye, great beast, I am a warrior," I said, like it meant something. Looking back it didn't.
"Do not end the world, warrior! Do not end the world!" it said. It wailed this, as though it were pleading for the life it's only offspring. It knelt before then and lay it's head on one side at my feet.
"Oh, beast," I said, "Don't trouble yourself so with me and my affairs, I am just a man and cannot bring about the end of the world."
The great beast lifted it's head and blinked at me, turned it's head to one side, as birds do and said "You will not end the world?"
All I said was "Probably not, but don't spread the word yet, or they might send someone else who will."
The great beast nodded it's head trotted away.
I continued for some time, and as night fell I set up a small camp.
Not soon after I had started a fire, a very, very old man and a very, very large wolf came from the shadows into the light of my camp.
The old man untied a basket he had on his back and placed it on it's side in front him, and he sat on it. The wolf sat down next to him, crossed it's front paws and snorted as it looked at me.
"Are you the warrior sent to bring about the end of the world?" the old man asked. His face was gnarled and pock marked and he had no eyes; indeed all he had were the empty sockets.
"I am, sir." I said.
"Please do not," He said softly and sighed. He leaned forward then, and then collapsed off of his basket. I went over to him and held my hand over his nose, and he was no longer breathing. The great wolf got up to sit on it's hind quarters and howled a terrible lonely howl up into the night.
Across the country side, for many, many miles, I heard the sad and a lonely noise echoed for nearly an hour.
The great wolf took the man's body gently in it's mouth, and carried it back into the shadows as the howling continued.
I slept fitfully, and dreamed of the great bird beast, and the wolf, whose man had died just after he had asked me not to end the world. I heard the sad, lonely howls even as I slept.
As the sun rose in the morning I looked to see Mt. Olympus off in the distance. It stretched high into the clouds, and it cast a great shadow across the fields as the rising sun shown on it.
It was more impressive back then. I've been back since and it's much smaller, and there's nothing there anymore.
It took until the sun was golden again and setting in the west before I reached the bottom of the mountain.
A maiden came up to me then and said "Warrior are you. . "
"Not anymore," I said and marched up the mountain.
The wind became shrill and cold, and there came a downpour of rain, but as I continued it became a fine gray mist. I moved onward until I came upon what could only have been the hall of gods, mostly because it was at the top of Mt. Olympus, and it was the most intricate of structures as man couldn't imagine if he tried for one hundred years.
I tried. It took me until the 1800's before I thought of something as grand.
The priests had given me an oil to awaken the carytid on the left side of the entrance and it would bring about the end of the world. I looked at the two figures that bore the arch of the entrance to a great building of polished marble, gold and glass. The one on the right held he arch with both hands, but the other had only one arm directly above its head and in it's other hand it bore a large, heavy sword of bright metal. I really didn't see that as encouraging.
I threw the oil down the side of the mountain and then put my back to the armed carytid, and looked where he would have walked, should he have come to life. Sure enough, there was a long hallway of green tile and gold columns, with soft white light at the end. I followed the potential path of the would-be animated statue down the hall, where flowers unseen before and since grew in great, carved onyx pots that hung from the ceiling. Each one gave off thick, rich aroma, completely unknown and somehow like smelling a secret.
When I arrived in the room I found a bathing pool, and a long chair. Lying on it, with her bronzed smooth back to me, was indeed a goddess. She turned her head over her shoulder, and with a profound sadness asked "Warrior, have you come to end the world?"
"No, oh goddess," I said solemnly.
She. Smiled.
It was like the sun after walking all night in darkness. It was like a blessing, a lifted curse and making love all at the same time. It was a smile from which all other smiles came from.
"Wise, oh warrior," she said, "Come closer to me." She turned toward me, and I saw her bronzed skin, her body was strong but feminine. "I will grant you a wish."
I knelt before the goddess then, which ever one she was, and asked her "I never want the world to end." I said.
"Are you certain?" She said.
"No." I said.
"Kiss me then, and the world will live as long as you."
I stood up then, and kissed the lips of a goddess.
I won't waste too much time describing it, but sky-diving is about half way there.
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