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Copyright 8-30-2005 F. John Kluth, Kent Ohio.
This story is illustrated. Click on the links to see the pictures.
1. Hyacinth is sold into slavery in Thebes, Egypt.
Hyacinth had a bad day at school. Her English teacher had caught her at a moment of inattention and she had made a stupid statement about grammar. In math class she was totally bored by a presentation about business math. As she was leaving school some boys had made some silly comments about her red hair and pigtails. They had even included some oink-oink noises. As she was passing the art gallery on her way home a big truck hit a puddle and sprayed her with muddy water. When she got home she was a mess. All afternoon and evening she worked on a paper for her history class on slavery in the American South. And at supper she had to endure an insufferable grilling by her father on what she was learning in school. By the time it was bedtime it was all she could do to shed her clothes and fall into bed exhausted. She quickly fell into a deep sleep.
Late in the night Hyacinth became aware of a cool breeze caressing her body and glowing light coming from the base of her bed. When she looked toward the light she saw a radiant young lady standing at the base of her bed. On her head was a glowing crown and on her body was a diaphanous gown. The gown was almost totally transparent and revealed almost every detail of the beautiful body underneath. In her hand she was holding a lyre. Hyacinth realized that this could be an angel but she was more likely a goddess because she had sexual charactistics that were compelling in their appearance. Angels are sexless but gods and goddesses have sexual characteristics. The goddess began to speak to Hyacinth, "I have come to speak to you on Apollo's behalf. One of his priestesses is in trouble and needs your help. Your help will be important down through the ages and Apollo will favor you in the future. This quest will seem dangerous because it is exciting. But Apollo knows that you will do well and learn from your experience. Please prepare yourself or a journey through time."
"What do I need to do to prepare?" Said Hyacinth. "Not much" was the answer. "You cannot take anything with you. Just jump on my back and we will be off." Hyacinth, without a stitch of clothes, got out of bed and onto the goddesses' back and they were off.
The next awareness Hyacinth had she was standing in sanctuary next to a wide river. Unfortunately she was nude with her hands bound behind her back. A collar was around her neck and an old crone was leading her. Fortunately the crone spoke a language that she understood, ancient Greek. She spoke, "don’t you worry my pretty. You will not be in my company very long. I have arranged a new home for you that will be very profitable for me. But before you go you need to take a bath. I want you as pretty and sweet as possible."
Hyacinth twiddles her toes in the Nile.
Hyacinth did not realize it but she still had some mud on her from her encounter with the puddle earlier. Hyacinth knew she was in a sanctuary because around her were some of those half animal-half man statues standing at the edge of the court. The court ended in a wide stairs that went right into the clear water of the river. Hyacinth was led down the stairs to the water and she continued until she was totally immersed. The old crone insisted that she dunk her head and that she did. She repeated that until she came out clean. Hyacinth was led dripping out of the water. There was no need to dry her off because she would dry quickly walking to her new home. With that she directed Hyacinth out into what seemed a public highway. At first Hyacinth had no problem with this because no one was one the road. But she quickly realized that the road would soon be crowded and she would be on display. Ahead of her she could see tall buildings and monuments that would be part of a big community. Pretty soon a number of people could be seen coming the other way. There were pedestrians, farmers with their two wheeled carts drawn by various animals. There were soldiers, and there were a few sedan chairs. The people they passed were pretty lightly dressed because the weather was warm. Behind the sedan chairs there were often nude young people just like Hyacinth. These were like likely slaves as was Hyacinth just now. Many stared not because she was nude but because her hair was red and in braids. No one else looked like this. Hyacinth's skin was not quite white but it was fairly light with pink highlights. Even her pubic hair was a neatly trimmed red patch. Her weight was good so all in all she was a very handsome nude. Most of the people she saw were pretty dark skinned and some were very black. Most of the people dressed in garb that Hyacinth recognized as ancient Egyptian.
As they got into the city the streets were lined with one building after another with a door in the middle. Hyacinth could see that within the building was another door that opened into a garden. Finally they came to a square with a busy market place. There were a lot of vendors with tents and many goods. At the edge of the square was a large building with a high gate in front. They headed right for the gate where the crone began talking to a guard. Very soon a dignified official came out and looked Hyacinth over. Finally he smiled and gave a bag of money to the old crone. He took Hyacinth by the leash attached to her collar and led her into the temple. 2. There she witnessed two young priestesses perform a ceremony. When Hyacinth arrived at the temple a great ceremony was in process. A procession was coming in from the street led by two young girls not too different in age from Hyacinth. They wore diaphanous gowns that were semi-transparent, but not nearly so transparent as the goddesses that had come to visit Hyacinth a little earlier. Like the goddess they wore crowns but they lacked the glow of the goddess. But they still looked graceful and dignified. Behind the girls were nude dancers and musicians and behind them were people carrying trays of food and leading sheep and goats. Finally there was a group of people carrying palm leaves. The procession moved through the temple to the altar in the far eastern part of the temple. The two girls climbed the stairs to just in front of the altar while the dancing girls moved to the side. The two girls turned to face the rest of the procession and the crowd that had gathered in the Temple. Each of the gifts was carried up the stairs and the girls took them and placed then on the altar.
What happened next sort of horrified Hyacinth and made her stomach queasy. For each of the animals that came up the girls took a knife off the altar and slit their throats. They gathered the blood from the animal and placed it in an urn on the altar. The animal was then carried out to the back of the temple where a fire was waiting. The animals were then cut up and roasted. Finally the girls raised their hands to the sky and chanted some words. At this point most of the crowd fell to their knees. Some even rushed up to kiss the hem of the girls. The official who held Hyacinth pointed at the girls and shook his head yes. Everybody seemed happy with what the girls had done and said. 3. She was delivered to the two priestesses as their servant.
At this point the crowd started to mill around and the official took Hyacinth up to where the two girls were standing. He showed Hyacinth to the girls and then handed her leash to them. They seemed awfully happy to get her. She stayed with them while they chatted with a number of people. She felt pretty silly nude in such a group of dignified and well-dressed people but she had little choice. She was even jostled by a number of people passing by. But every once in a while they seemed to step aside and show her off. Of course Hyacinth blushed each time. Not only did her cheeks turn red but her nipples swelled and her belly and butt got a red spot. This delighted the viewers and that made the two girls happier. Finally the two girls were given food from the slaughtered animals and from the offerings on the altar. Hyacinth was given similar food. Her hands were freed so she could eat it but they left the collar and leash in place. It was sort of like shish kebob on flat bread. They were given a glass of wine so they sat down and ate the food. 4. One of the girls tried to teach her to speak Egyptian.
After the food was eaten the girls got up and lead Hyacinth out of the temple. They were actually leading her down the same road that she had used to come to the temple. As they walked one of the girls would point at things and make a sound. Hyacinth thought she was trying to teach her the language. When she tried to repeat the sounds the girl seemed to encourage her. After a while she thought she had learned some of the Egyptian words.
5.They took her to bathe with them in a secluded spot in the Nile.
They actually came to the sanctuary where Hyacinth began her adventure. There the girls removed their gowns and entered the water with Hyacinth. It seems they wanted a bath after their ceremony.
6. While they are bathing they are taken captive by the Phoenicians.
When the girls dunked themselves they looked to the sanctuary and were horrified to see a group of men standing between themselves and their clothes. When they came close to the shore the men grabbed them and collared all three. Of course Hyacinth still had a collar so her status did not change. Unfortunately the other two girls were slaves also. None of the girls recognized the language of the grabbers so no one really knew what was happening. Next their hands were bound and stripped and the girls were tied in a chain of three and led out into the road but away from the city. A short way down the road they were led to the gangplank of a waiting ship. On the deck of the ship were plank seats on which a number of other nude people sat. They were seated on the planks and fastened securely so they could not get away. Within a short time the seats were full and the ship set sail.
First they sailed down river on the Nile. With the wind from the west they were able to go quite fast. They were not stopped by anyone and they were able to sail directly into the sea. Hyacinth was unlucky being fair skinned, as she was the only fair-skinned slave. She was able to spend most of the time in the shade of the sail or she would have gotten sun burnt. Also the salt sea spray felt good on her skin so she felt OK. When the ship pulled up on a barren strip of beach the twenty or so captives were allowed to get off. This they did by walking down the plank and into the surf. They walked in a line because they were tied together by the neck. They sat down on the sand in a line and there they stayed. The crew then built a fire and cooked some food. While the food was being prepared the crew danced and sang. Each of the captives was given some of the food and drink. It was similar to the food at the temple, meat and vegetables on flat bread, but it was coarse and did not taste nearly so good. Each captive was allowed to sleep on the sand if they could make themselves comfortable enough. Because of her red hair and light skin Hyacinth stood out like a jewel among stones.
Hyacinth was able to sleep and was somewhat refreshed when she awoke the next morning even though she was surprised she was not back in her bed at home. She still had the collar around her neck and the sailors were milling about. They had to pull the ship out to sea before the captives could be loaded. Once this was done the captives had to walk through the surf and up the gangplank to their seats. They were in for another day of sailing, this time over the open sea. Hyacinth was at a loss because she could not communicate with either the priestesses, the other captives, or the sailors, so she really did not know what was going on. She traded hand motions of consolations with the priestesses and some of the other captives. Hyacinth, at least was not as upset as most. Most of the captives seemed dazed and unresponsive. The priestesses were in good spirits in spite of their obvious reduction in status. Hyacinth wondered if this had anything to do with their religious upbringing.
7.When they are taken to the boats they are separated.
The trip across the open sea was very uneventful. The wind blew from the same direction so the ship did not even have to tack. Oars were available but the sailors never used them. Finally land was sighted with a beach and other ships. This ship pulled aground with the others and the captives were unloaded into the surf. When they got onshore there were a number of other captives. What happened next was an exchange. One of the priestesses in Hyacinth's group left for another ship and in addition to a number of dark skinned exchanges another white girl was added. Hyacinth was happy with the new girl because she spoke ancient Greek. In fact she had been a slave in a port city and so spoke a number of languages. She was even able to understand what the sailors said.
8. One priestess is bound for Libya while the other one with Hyacinth are bound for Greece.
The new white slave was named Timarete. According to what she had heard the sailors say the other priestess was bound for Africa while they were bound for Sybota in Greece. There they would be sold at a slave market by auction and there was no way of knowing what would happen next. The sailors were particularly happy that they had a red head because she alone would make them all rich. Hyacinth swelled with pride because she new she was valuable, but she wished some of her friends back home knew it too. She also wondered if she would be able to take advantage of this situation. So far on this trip she was not sure of her goal but she felt strongly that it related to one of the priestesses. Since the one priestess was separated from her she sort of assumed her challenge remained with the other one. She also thought that the one going to Africa was not going to have near as much trouble since she spoke a language that was common there. So Hyacinth assumed that her role was to help the priestess with her to get along in Greece.
Neither Hyacinth nor the priestess had been a slave very long but Timarete only remembered being a slave. Her first master was horrible and beat her if anything was wrong. His children liked to play tricks on her in such a way that she was bound to make a mistake. The result was that he would beat her and his children would laugh and laugh. Her second master was even worse. He wanted her to be a prostitute. The other prostitutes prevented pregnancy by performing oral and anal sex. But when she did that she got sick to her stomach and threw up. Genital sex was different but no better. She was really afraid of it because she was sure her master would kill her if she got pregnant. The result was that when she performed genital sex her vagina clamped down on the male penis. This was very painful to the man and made it hard to disengage. The last customer she had she clamped down for over an hour. Her master was so mad he beat her and kicked her. She then showed Hyacinth the bruises that she still had. Now Timarete was not a bad looking girl. She had a good figure and features. But with the bruises, dirt on her body, and scruffy black hair she was a mess. Hyacinth knew she could perform a miracle on her but she did not now when she should do it. Because Timarete had lived in a port city she had learned many languages.
Hyacinth did not worry further about Timarete because she knew she could help her later and she needed her help now. She wanted Timarete to talk to the priestess and find out as much as she could. She explained to Timarete that her own welfare depended on it. Here is what Timarete found out. Her name meant 'Bright one' in Greek and she was a priestess in Thebes Egypt. She has been dedicated to the temple just after birth and she had always been there. But she knew her parents and they visited her regularly and were very proud of her. The priests and priestesses of the temple had schooled her and she was very precocious. Even at her young age she was a full-fledged priestess of Ammon and could lead many different ceremonies in the temple. She also knew many spells, potions, and incantations. She could read signs and prophesy. She thought this recent capture was an act of a deity that would bring her to a new calling. She did not think she would be a slave very long. From that time on Hyacinth called her Electra because that was her name in Greek.
The captives were loaded into the boats and off they sailed to Sybota on the west coast of Greece. Hyacinth was less bored because through Timarete she could talk to a lot more of the captives. Of course the other captives were jealous of Hyacinth and the attention she got. After all the sailors did not want to waste their investment. But unlike the Egyptian priestess she was neither aloof nor haughty. Most of the captives were young and female like Hyacinth. The males were just little boys.
While they sailed along the Greek coast they passed a number of communities some large and some small. When they got to Sybota they were able to pull up to a dock rather than having to beach the ship. The captives were unloaded and immediately marched to the slave market nearby. The dock was crowded and there were plenty of gawkers to study the slaves, especially Hyacinth. Hyacinth heard lots of silly comments about her skin and hair. Some said she was a demoted goddess and others remarked how fiery she would be in bed. Fortunately the sailors did not let anyone near her and the trip to the auction proceeded without interruption.
9. When they arrived in Greece the two girls are sold to the household of a wealthy landholder in Thesprotia near the site of the cult of Dodona in Epirus.
At the auction site the captives were arranged to either side of a stage. On the stage there were various kinds of loops and rings that the captives could be tied to. Above the stage was a bar that the leash around the slave’s neck could be tied. Since Hyacinth was the featured sale it was she that was placed on the stage for all to see. And her leash was tied to the bar. She was able to walk back and forth across the stage and the merchants encouraged her so she would show off her beautiful body. She actually possessed a trim athletic body and was not that voluptuous. Her breasts were developed and accented by pert nipples but she was young and they were not fully developed. Her butt cheeks were round and firm and they moved nicely while she walked. She was graceful and well poised and that is what made her so nice to look at. Of course Hyacinth was embarrassed by this display and colored up well in a way that just delighted the audience. Her cheeks were nicely red and also her nipples. She also developed nice spots on her butt. And when she turned and moved her arms the muscles in her back rippled in delightful patterns. In short her nude motion was like poetry. This was in contrast to the other slaves who were actually almost as pale as death.
Hyacinth auctioned as a Slave.
Among the visitors that came to preview the slave auction was a dignified man and his daughter. While the man looked carefully over the other slaves the daughter came up for a close look at Hyacinth. Hyacinth said "Hello" and the girl said, "Do you speak Greek?" "Yes." "Where do you come from?" Hyacinth thought it would be better not to tell the truth. "Athens. I was the daughter of a rich merchant and pirates captured me as I wandered on the beach. Now I do not have to go to school." "You went to school?" "Yes I studied philosophy, rhetoric, music, and geometry." "Are you a virgin?" "Yes in Athens I led a very secluded life." "Do you know anything about religious ceremonies?" To this Hyacinth replied, "Why do you want to know that?" "My father wants to donate a temple slave to the temple as thanks for the good things that have happened to us." Hyacinth thought about this and thought this might be her opportunity. "I would like to be a temple slave and I would be very good at it but you need to consider two other slaves with me. We will work as a team. To buy just one would be a waste of money but to buy the haughty Egyptian girl Elektra, Timarete and me would be a bargain. We will provide ceremonies together that all will enjoy." With that her father took the girl away. For the time they left the slave market. Hyacinth did not know if she said the right thing but she did what she could.
After a while the auction started. Hyacinth remained on display while a number of other slaves were sold. They started with slaves that were no so desirable and moved up. When they got to the Egyptian priestess she was sold, Hyacinth thought, to the man and his daughter. Since they had spent a lot of money she did not know if they could buy her too. The bidding for Hyacinth was fierce and the auctioneer asked Hyacinth to walk back and forth a number of times but finally the bidding ended and the man and his daughter had won. Hyacinth and her value brought gasps from the audience. Finally they brought her down and put her with the Egyptian. Later they bought Timarete too for a fraction of the price of the other two. Hyacinth had yet to work her miracle on Timarete.
Hyacinth told Timarete and Elektra that things were going well as they were together and they were to be given to a temple but she did not know where. The three girls were tied up and tied together with a rope around their necks and a leash given to the man and his daughter. The five of them started on the road out of Sybota. Hyacinth got a look at Sybota and the people of Sybota got a look at her. Many of the people stopped what they were doing to stare. But she ignored them. They began in the market area of the city with many vendors and craftsmen hawking their wares. Some even came out to show wares to the man but he just vaved them off. Near the Market many of the buildings were well built and large. Then they passed a number of large homes. The homes had a single entrance to a garden area. Often the women could be seen working wool. Many were spinning and some were weaving. The weaving seemed pretty intense. None of the looms were that large. The weaving seemed little better than basketweaving and the resulting pieces were small.
The party traveled on a road to the north of Sybota. Small houses gave way to houses with garden plots and then there were only fields. When night fell they stopped at an inn. Everyone ate pretty well but while the man and his daughter slept on a rope bed, the three slave girls had to sleep on the hard ground. It was chilly and Hyacinth and the Elektra developed goose bumps. It was warmer if they slept huddled together. The only problem was that Hyacinth thought she might catch lice from Timarete. Unlike on the ship they got more food in the morning before they hit the road. Later that day they arrived at their destination.
10. Hyacinth is picked to feed the snakes.
As soon as they arrived the man turned to the slave girls and released them from their bonds. He explained that the bonds would no longer be needed because everyone would know who they are. He also explained that the first thing to be done was to have Hyacinth feed the snakes. One of the reasons Hyacinth had been bought was to do this on this day. The welfare of the community depended upon this. With that he took the girls to a circular wall inclosing a number of large snakes. He then left the girls at the enclosure while he went to gather the community to witness this. Timarete explained to the Egyptian priestess what was to happen. Elektra was excited about this and told Timarete a number of things. She then started to dance in a very slow methodical way moving her hips and swaying side to side. Hyacinth immediately knew what she was talking about. She realized that the priestess was dancing like a snake charmer.
Timarete explained that the priestess had a lot of experience with snakes much more dangerous than these. These snakes just bite with small teeth and have no poison. When you dance as the priestess snakes become very happy and cooperative and will do what you want. This is a symbol to the people that things will go well in the community. The priestess would be able to make other predictions based on what the snakes do. This is a wonderful opportunity for us to demonstrate our value to the community. In fact she says we will put on a fine show if we all dance together. We might not be slaves for long this way. After you charm the snakes and have them crawling on your body she will start one of her religious ceremonies. In Egypt people would then gasp and be on their knees.
For the next hour the girls practiced a snake dance routine while the Egyptian priestess chanted. The Egyptian made sure their movements would have a positive effect on the snakes. Finally the man arrived with the rest of the community. One of the women brought honey cakes to feed to the snakes. Hyacinth took the cakes and jumped into the pen with the snakes. It was at this time that the Egyptian priestess started to chant.
Hyacinth liked to dance but she thought less of dancing nude in front of a bunch of people. But a lot was at stake here so she made the best of it. While Hyacinth danced Timarete and the Egyptian priestess followed her. The people watched in stunned amazement. As Hyacinth moved toward the snakes they seemed to start dancing also. The closer her gently swaying body got the happier they seemed. When she finally got close enough they eagerly took the cakes from her hand and started crawling over her. At this point the Egyptian priestess made a dramatic sweep with her hands and made a dramatic pronouncement. Timarete translated that this meant the future was secure. As she predicted the viewers uniformly fell to their knees and began praying. The snakes continued to crawl on Hyacinth. One even started chewing on her left nipple. This gave her an amazing feeling that gave her goose bumps on her arms and butt. Then the snakes slithered off her and into their holes in the ground.
The people were so impressed with the ceremony that they showered the girls with gifts. They were also so impressed with Elektra's pronouncements that they stood in line eager to have her advice on personal matters. It was amazing what she could advise about. Timarete had to translate most of the advice. They answered questions about farming, health, and personal love life.
11. Hyacinth does this but she explains that her fellow slave was a priestess in Egypt and knows much more about being a priestess than she does.
Hyacinth is not ignored but Elektra receives most of the attention. Some of the people come to thank Hyacinth and to them she explains that Elektra was trained as a priestess in Egypt and it is only an unfortunate accident that allows her to be here. After the people leave the girls are shown to the temple proper. It is a simple building with two rooms. It is not too far from the spring where a lot of women come for their water. The building is sheltered on three sides by a grove of beech trees. But at the present time there is no furniture at the temple. For now they will have to sleep on the ground. Fortunately the gifts they have been given include a comb, a bowl, a water jug, some garments, and lots of food. They will not go hungry and they will also get something to wear. Since it is getting on toward evening they make preparations for supper. Also they had enough to begin the transformation of Timarete. First they search the grove for firewood, then they get a start from a neighbor. Pretty soon they have a fire burning and water warming. The situation is now so much better than when they were in bonds.
12.They let the priestess perform a ceremony and she consecrates an altar under a beech tree.
That evening the girls were able to cook some decent food. With warm water they washed Timarete's hair and body. Then they were able to comb out her hair. They were even able to braid it as was suitable for a priestess. The best they could do for a mattress was leaves from the grove but this was better than the hard ground. They also had some material and garments they could use for cover. They could also wear the garments but they still did not have nice dresses that were suitable for priestesses.
The next day a group of local residents came and announced that they had performed so well and so convincingly that they were no longer temple slaves and were free priestesses. Elektra was so pleased by this news that she announced that she would consecrate the temple in short order. She invited all the local residents to come to the ceremony. The people who were there left immediately to get more people. Elektra started a procession from the temple to the fountain. She danced and chanted the whole way with the bowl in her hand. There she blessed the spring and filled her bowl twice. Then she danced and chanted with the bowl full of water to the altar that had been placed under a Beech tree. When she got to the altar she carefully spilled some of the water on the altar so it was completely wet. Then she danced and chanted to the temple itself. Then she sprinkled water on every part of the temple. Now”, she said, “all is sacred.”
One of the few items left at the old temple was a weird collection of brass bells. The Egyptian priestess then hangs brass bells in the trees and proceeds to prophesy based on what she hears from the bells. Her Prophesy turns out to be accurate and the people of Thesprotia, Greece are very impressed. She is installed as the head priestess of the cult of Dodona and Hyacinth and Timarette become her assistant. 13. Another miracle occurs when Hyacinth hears of a nearby stream that contains a speckled fish.
The religious activity of the Egyptian Priestess brings a lot of visitors and gossip. The oddest thing that Hyacinth hears is about some wonerful fat fish that in a local stream that cannot be caught. Hyacinth decides to visit the stream and see what this is all about. The stream is a short way up in the mountains.
Hyacinth on her way to the mountins
The stories turn out to be true. In the cool waters of the rushing stream are beautiful speckled fish that are powerful swimmers. But they do not eat other fish or other objects in the water. Frequently the fish will leap out of the water and catch one of the plentiful insects that are flying over the water. The reason they cannot be caught is that they do not like meat or gooey worms. What they want to eat is flies.
14. Hyacinth makes mock-up flies out of feathers that she attaches to a hook.
Back at the temple Hyacint made mock-up flies out of pieces of feathers and attached them to a hook. By attaching the flies to a string and then a pole she is able to move the mock flies in simulation of the real ones. As a result she catches quite a few of the big fat speckled fish. She goes back to the stream with her equipment which she then uses to try to catch some fish. By making the fly dance on the water she is able to catch some fish. But the bigger fish are further out. She removes her clothes and wades into the water. Now she catches even more fish. The fish are pretty slippery and splash water all over her but she hold on and tosses them to the bank. In a short time she has quite a few fish. She takes them back to the cult-site and a festival is prepared with the fish fried in herbs and olive oil. The people have never tasted such a delicious food and the cult immediately became famous. For the next thousand years people came to Dodona for prophesy and fried fish festivals.
15. Hyacinth returns to Kent.
That evening she fell asleep pretty satisfied with what she had accomplished. And in short order she found herself back in her bed in Kent.
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