193. Steinhenge斯坦亨格 rite-ruins
On the Strawberry Plain in Kringland, stand the ruins of an ancient culture, which are called Steinhenge. The people of this culture, the Welts, had a priestly class called the Kruids. The rubble that stands there today is the site of an ancient astronomical observatory. It is the place where rites and rituals were performed.
The structure is formed of large rough stone slabs that were hewn from a nearby quarry and rolled over rugged terrain to the site. They were roughly fit together and cemented with a rubbery substance to form vertical and horizontal structures in a circular arrangement that was aligned to the rudimentary rotations of the heavenly bodies.
The Welts knew that petty rivalry between members of the ruling class could ruin their society. So they designed a ritual to dispel such rivalry. First, the two rivals were forced to memorize by rote the lines involved in the two roles of the rivalry ritual. Next, a rooster was to be procured. Either a roaming rooster or a roosting rooster would do. Then the two rivals were to enter the Steinhenge structure carrying rods and rotate around the center slab where the live rooster had been placed. After that, they were to let out a robust roar and beat the rooster to death. Finally, if the two rivals at this point in the routine had expelled their contentions, they could roast the rooster and enjoy it as compatriots. Otherwise, they were to stay there and rotate around the rooster until it was rotten and then eat it. This could sometimes take days.
As in most ancient civilizations, rituals were often used to solve disputes. Steinhenge played an important role in this in the Weltic culture.
rite n.仪式
ritual n.典礼,宗教仪式adj.典礼的,宗教仪式的
rival vt. 比得上,与…相匹敌adj.竞争的n.竞争者,对手
rivalry n.竞争,敌对状态
roam vi.漫游,漫步
roar n.吼声,轰鸣
roast vt.烤,烘
robust adj.强壮的,健壮的,粗野的
rod n.杆,枝,棒,棍
role n.角色,任务
roll v. 滚动n.卷
roost n.栖息处,鸟巢,鸡棚v.栖息
rooster n.公鸡
rotate v.循环,轮流,(使)旋转
rotation n.旋转
rote n.死记硬背,生搬硬套
rotten adj.腐烂的
rough adj.粗糙的,不平的
roughly adv.概略地,大致地
routine n.常规,惯例adj.常规的
rubbery adj.橡胶似的,有弹力的
rubble n.(一堆)碎石,瓦砾
rudimentary adj.基本的,初步的,发展未完全的
rugged adj.高低不平的,崎岖的
ruin v.破坏,毁灭
ruins n废墟,遗迹 |