(urth) Soldier of Sidon writeup

[David Stockhoff]

Expanding on my comments of yesterday (apologies if they were 
long-winded), because I find the topic fascinating and relevant to the 
Christian syncretistic theme.

Marc goes on to quote Herodotus about the Scythians' human sacrifices to 
Ares:
">[62] … [I]n Ares’ case things are different. In every district, within 
each province, a sanctuary has been constructed to Ares. … Bundles of 
sticks are piled together into a block about three stades by three 
stades wide, but not so high off the ground. … Each year they add a 
hundred and fifty cart-loads of sticks, to make up for the subsidence 
caused by the winter’s storms. On top of this structure the inhabitants 
of each district plan an ancient iron *akinakes* [a small, straight 
sword of Scythia and Persia], which is taken to represent Ares. The 
festival takes place once a year, and at it they offer this *akinakes* 
more domestic animals and horses as sacrificial victims than all the 
other gods receive. They also sacrifice prisoners of war to this 
*akinakes*, though the method is different from when domestic animals 
are the victims. One prisoner in every hundred is selected; they pour 
wine over the prisoners’ heads, cut their throats so that the blood 
spills into a jar, and then carry the jars up on to the pile of sticks 
and pour the blood over the *akinakes*. While the jars are being taken 
up there, something else is happening down below, by the side of the 
sanctuary: they cut off the right arms of all the slaughtered men – the 
whole arm, from shoulder to hand – and hurl them into the air. Then they 
sacrifice all the rest of the victims and leave. The arms are left lying 
wherever they fall, detached from the corpses. (255)"

One can't help but notice that there are really only two slight but very 
deliberate---and almost illogical---differences between the sacrifices 
of animals and these humans. I say "illogical" because it seems easier 
to simply kill the victim directly with the sacred sword, as Elric would 
wield Stormbringer. But:
(1) Wine is poured on the victim's head. Maybe this is in token exchange 
for the blood? Is wine then a kind of blood equivalent, with life symbolism?
(2) The victim's drained blood is applied to the iron sword rather than 
the reverse.

So what is so important about this overly complicated means of getting 
blood in contact with the iron sword? Truly, this is hardly a "different 
method" at all. The victims are slashed at the throat and drained as in 
any animal sacrifice. It is plainly important that this part of the 
normal cult ritual be maintained; it may satisfy unknown requirements, 
it may be the oldest part of the ritual, it may have a specific magic 
effect, or all of these.

But the description also suggests that the victims' throats are *not 
*cut with iron blades, because that would logically interfere with the 
most sacred, symbolic, and difficult part of the ritual: applying the 
blood to the sword. Especially if iron has its own magical significance, 
you'd want to keep it away from the blood. Whatever value the blood 
carries must reach the sword intact, as though iron interferes with it 
in a way that stone and bronze do not. And since the soul departs the 
body long before the blood reaches the sword, you have to wonder if this 
segregation also serves some sort of hygienic purpose regarding the spirit.

We can conclude from this that if the Scythians actually  performed 
these sacrifices, the ritual use of an iron sword was grafted onto older 
rituals involving animals and stone or bronze blades. For Wolfe, the 
Great Mother has good reason to disdain iron blades. But Herodotus shows 
her distaste is not for violence or the worship of Ares. *Even Ares 
doesn't want the blood of men killed with iron.

*For some reason, iron must be kept away from all sacrificial victims 
for all the gods. And this seems to hold for the bog people too.

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