Blood Sacrifice Ritual

Odin, the highest god worshipped by the Vikings.

He was the leader of the Aesir, a deity of the same standing as Zeus in Greek mythology according to later Norse myths.

Odin held dominion over kingship, wisdom, prophecy, magic, healing, poetry, war, and death. Yet to the Vikings, what mattered most was his divine authority over war. Thus, this god was universally, deeply, and widely worshipped as a god of war.

Because Odin also governed kingship, he was the source of legitimacy for kings and tribal leaders. Sacrifices to Odin were often the grandest and most solemn, symbolizing the divine bestowal of a family's right to rule.

"Blood Eagle Ritual. I demand that a blood sacrifice to Odin be held, and that Prince Gawain prove his courage during this ritual."

A tribal chieftain spoke through gritted teeth, and everyone present froze.

They had not expected anyone to make such a demand of King Lot. But upon recognizing the man's face, they immediately understood. He was Anderson, a tribal king from Denmark. With over ten thousand people and his allies, his tribe was enough to rival King Lot's.

Without question, the Blood Eagle Ritual was indeed the most exalted sacrifice offered to Odin. Yet it was generally used on traitors and slaves.

Even when it was used to settle disputes between tribes, it was enough to send ordinary warriors and lesser princes.

But Gawain was King Lot's prince!

He was the earl Denmark would send to Iceland, Denmark's viceroy, and King Lot's heir. He was not comparable to an ordinary prince.

The son of any tribal chief in Northern Europe could be called a prince. Add the sons of the chief's uncles, brothers, and sisters, and the number of princes became astronomical.

For example, King Lot's court had over a hundred queens and over a hundred princes.

Yet King Lot had only one heir: Gawain. Making Gawain take part in the blood sacrifice was undoubtedly a grave insult to King Lot.

At King Lot's court, nobles watched him dine and discovered that he ate nearly half a pig at every meal. His astonishing appetite, immense desires, healthy and powerful body, and the fertility blessed by the goddess queen always made people believe that his title of "Son of Odin" was no empty claim. Odin had truly fathered this half-human, half-god hero with a mortal woman. Everyone willingly submitted to him, seeing him as the incarnation of Odin, the chief god.

The Odin of this age had a hundred sons. Even if Gawain had been born to the first queen and lawful wife, if he died, then he died.

After Balder, the radiant son Odin had with the goddess queen Frigg and the heir to the royal house, died, had not a son Odin fathered with a lover ultimately become the heir?

A living heir was naturally an heir. Once dead, he was no longer one.

Lightning flashed and thunder roared outside the castle, while torrential rain hammered down beyond its walls. Yet inside, there was utter silence. None of the nobles dared speak, much less provoke the king.

A king elected through the tribal alliance assembly could be a figurehead or an arbiter who resolved disputes among the tribes, but never the sovereign of all tribes. Yet with this power, King Lot seemed to be gathering the once scattered Viking Kingdom into a whole.

He was powerful, but equally brutal.

"Only the brave may be chosen as our king. Just as my father once naturally supported Your Majesty, if your son wishes to become king—even a co-ruler—he must prove his courage to us! A king, a tribal chief, is a warrior favored by Odin, and a greater king should be Odin's son, a warrior like Thor!"

After Anderson finished speaking, he let out a breath. He had said all that needed to be said.

Before a sovereign like King Lot, the only forces capable of checking the king were the intangible gods or the tribal alliance assembly. The tribal chieftains had already been tamed by King Lot, so tradition was now the only restraint Anderson could use against his power. He believed that, under the banner of righteousness, someone would be willing to speak in his support.

Lot had become king because of this tradition, so he could not overturn the tradition that had made him king.

If he did not want the Viking Kingdom to fall apart, he had to follow the rules and revere its customs.

"You are right, Anderson!"

King Lot descended the steps from his throne one by one. His expression did not change at all, calm as the sea. Yet beneath that calm, only those closest to him knew the fury he was suppressing.

Chief Anderson smiled. But before he could say another word, King Lot seized a battle axe from a soldier and chopped it straight at his head.

The huge head rolled across the ground. Everyone watched in panic, while shock remained in Anderson's eyes. Then he felt his body suddenly grow light, and his head was forever separated from it.

"Oh, gods!"

The nobles cried out and rose to their feet in unison. The warriors from Anderson's tribe in particular drew their battle axes. His sudden death made most of the tribal chieftains feel the grief of a rabbit mourning a dead fox.

Was this really necessary?

Anderson's tribe was a great tribe of ten thousand people. In strength and scale, it was scarcely inferior to King Lot's northern tribe. Yet he had been killed just like that, like a dog cut down by its master.

The tense atmosphere instantly swept through the entire castle hall. King Lot's sons all drew their swords, while Gawain alone remained seated with a smile, still sampling the mashed potatoes on his table without the slightest concern for the situation. The queens cried out in alarm.

A shrill scream suddenly rang through the hall. At that tense moment, everyone turned toward its source.

It was a beautiful young woman. Her clothing and markings showed that she came from the same tribe as Anderson. Since she had come here, she might even have been royalty. Most likely, she was Anderson's daughter.

The bloodlines of kings elected through the tribal alliance assembly could often be traced back to Odin. Every tribal chief was a descendant of Odin and regarded as royalty.

The young woman fell to her knees and wailed at the severed head bleeding on the ground. Her cries were heart-wrenching, moving all who heard them.

She crawled on the ground with both arms like a snake, making strange movements as though she had gone mad after losing a loved one. She looked eerie and terrifying.

Yet the priestess conducting the sacrifice on the platform noticed something was wrong and cried out, "That is the gesture of a curse."

The priestess's words put everyone around her on guard. Viking curses had always been formidable—not because they were especially likely to come true, but because they often harmed innocent bystanders.

Everyone fled away. King Lot's warriors were about to step forward and stop her, but Anderson's fiercely loyal warriors blocked their way.

"I curse you. I curse you, King Lot! As king of the Vikings and son of Odin, you have treated your people with such injustice. I curse you never to die on the battlefield. You will spend your life upon a sickbed, suffering in pain. Your wife and children will scatter, your castle will turn to ashes, your tribe will slaughter one another, and your children will die by your own hand. Your enemies will gain prosperity and flourish, while you watch yourself die amid stench and agony..."

The young woman uttered a piercing curse, speaking the most dreadful words in a voice as sweet as silver bells. "Thor, today is your day. You are in the heavens, and this assembly, opened under your witness—please wield your power and bear witness to this curse!"

After speaking, the girl sliced open her palm with a dagger. Red blood dripped onto the ground. Then she picked up her father's head and hurled it straight at King Lot's sons.

King Lot's sons hurriedly dodged the head that was still spurting blood. Only Gawain remained where he was, and red blood splashed across his face and white clothes.

Today was Thursday, Thor's day, which was why the assembly had been held on this day. Not only did thunder and storms fill the sky, but it also meant that the assembly was protected by Thor.

There was no doubt this was King Lot's crime.

"Seize her."

King Lot casually waved a hand. More Viking warriors surged forward, disarmed Anderson's warriors, and grabbed the girl by the hair before pinning her to the ground.

"Anderson's proposal was excellent. I agree to it. But that has nothing to do with his arranging for a witch to use magic in an attempt to harm me. This is the king's judgment!"

King Lot spoke indifferently, stating his reason for killing Anderson. Faced with such a far-fetched explanation, the nobles could only accept it.

What else could they do? Start a war outright?

"Why did you not dodge, Gawain?" King Lot returned the battle axe and asked casually.

"Blood boils for one's ancestors, and humiliation coexists with glory. How could a descendant of Odin fear blood? Whether it is light or darkness, he bears it all alone. For the god of light is Odin's son, and so is the god of darkness."

Gawain spoke calmly. Anderson had sought to harm him, and King Lot had killed the man to protect him. As a son, he had no right to criticize his father; as a prince, he could not fault the way he had handled it.

In this martial land of Northern Europe, strength alone was not enough. Without sufficient ruthlessness, one could not stand firm.

"Go. Those resentful people will surely send the finest warriors of their tribes. I will send your brothers as well, but in the end, victory will depend on you. This is Odin's glory!"

King Lot spoke solemnly, patted his shoulder, and then told him to choose a weapon.

Anderson's princess glared at King Lot and Gawain with hatred. Under the pressure of this curse, she too had no choice but to agree to take part in the blood sacrifice.

Odin was the god of war. To Viking warriors, even his authority over kingship did not compare to his domain as a god of war.

Even a king could not gain Odin's favor unless he died on the battlefield.

Thus, a grand war was the finest sacrifice to Odin.

Starting wars at will was undoubtedly foolish. Yet to please Odin, slaves and warriors could be armed and made to slaughter each other. So long as neither side cried out, even the slaves of the losing side could enter Odin's Valhalla, while traitors could be forgiven and have all their sins erased.

The ritual Chief Anderson had demanded was an even grander blood sacrifice, jointly held by Viking warriors from both sides. Before King Lot was elected Viking king and became the arbiter of all tribes, such rituals were often used to resolve disputes.

The victor represented justice. This was Odin's judgment!

Gawain held King Lot's great axe, feeling its immense weight and the sharpness capable of cutting gold and jade. He knew it was in no way inferior to the Broken Steel Sword, Excalibur, that his mother had told him Arthur wielded.

Piles upon piles of bonfires, gathered in bronze basins, were arranged in the hall to form a square arena. Each side sent seven Viking warriors to participate in the blood sacrifice ritual.

"Father, no! Father, please! I do not want to go!"

Gawain heard someone begging, followed by a howl of agony. Then he saw a chieftain take a piece of charcoal from a brazier, press it to a young man's face, and gouge out his eye.

Huge stone slabs were pushed out one after another. They bore murals preserving Odin's image, and in those depictions, Odin had only one eye.

The blood sacrifice ritual often had several levels. There was bare-handed fighting, and there was mutual slaughter with weapons. The highest level was to gouge out one's own eye before fighting each other until only the finest warrior remained. The victor would receive Odin's blessing.

In myth, Odin had traded one of his eyes for wisdom. Those participating in the blood sacrifice could likewise exchange their eyes for Odin's blessing.

Gawain watched King Lot mercilessly gouge out one of his brothers' eyes with charcoal, and a question mark appeared on his forehead.

In Celtic mythology, kings were sacred and perfect. As warriors, those with mutilated limbs could not become kings. Thus, Nuada, king of the Tuatha Dé Danann, had lost an arm while fighting enemies and was forced to relinquish his throne. He only regained it after the god of medicine made him a prosthetic arm.

Norse mythology was completely different. Odin, the god of war, was one-eyed, while Tyr, the god of justice, had lost an arm. As warriors, this did not diminish their strength or prevent them from fulfilling their duties. Thus, in this solemn sacrificial ritual, King Lot mercilessly gouged out one eye from each of his sons.

"Gawain..." King Lot approached with charcoal in hand. Gawain looked at his aged father. Even by human standards, he was already very old, but his abundant vitality still made Gawain wonder whether he himself would live longer than the man.

"Bear it for a moment. It will soon be over. The ritual I took part in granted me Odin's blessing and gave me three times a human's lifespan. If you win, you will receive a similar blessing. Odin never mistreats brave warriors."

When facing Gawain, King Lot's tone had undoubtedly softened. He had many sons, and his affection had naturally thinned among so many of them. But Gawain was the son of his lawful wife, so he still held deep feelings for him.

After all, Gawain had been born to the woman he loved most.

"I do not need three times the lifespan, nor luck, nor anything else. I only ask that Odin return my eye after I win."

Gawain spoke sincerely, but this request was somewhat blasphemous. Everyone knew that if eyes could be returned, Odin would not have the appearance of a cripple.

King Lot lowered the charcoal in his hand, disappointment showing on his face.

In the blood sacrifice ritual, Odin's favor was of the utmost importance. The braver the warrior, the more likely he was to earn Odin's favor. In earlier rituals, warriors who dared gouge out their own eyes would undoubtedly receive Odin's divine power.

"My mother told me that once people become slaves, Jupiter takes away half of their excellence, even if they are heroes. Only free men can be called heroes. If someone is born into a family of heroes but lacks heroic spirit and is ugly in appearance, he cannot be called a hero either. Doing this will take away my strength!"

Gawain pleaded with King Lot. His mother bore the blood of the Pendragon family. Their family history clearly recorded that Brutus, the first king of Britain, was their ancestor. Brutus was the grandson of Aeneas, prince of Troy. Aeneas's mother was Venus, goddess of beauty, while his father was a human hero, a human king, and a member of Troy's royal house. His bloodline could be traced back to Jupiter, Zeus.

Slaves and the disabled could not be called heroes. No matter how noble their birth, Jupiter, Zeus, would strip away half of their human excellence, leaving them without wholeness of personhood.

"My child, this is Northern Europe. You will not need to wait for Zeus to take away half your excellence. Odin will take away your courage as punishment first," King Lot said in a deep voice. "I know Zeus's blood flows through your family, but Odin's blood flows through you as well. Before two gods of equal standing, you may choose only one."