Dance of Nymphs E-Book

Robert David

• Herausgeber: neobooks
• Kategorie: Gesellschafts- und Liebesromane
• Serie: Erotikon
• Sprache: Deutsch

Seitenzahl: 109

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2022

Beschreibung

When he looked at her, she felt the excitement that had only recently passed, got goosebumps and cold feet. "It was very cold...very, very cold and I'm still freezing." Now she was covered with a light, almost transparent, white sheet that outlined the outline of her body. She pulled out her right arm and draped it across her chest.  "I have goosebumps!" The small, light hairs on her forearm stood up and her perfumed body trembled slightly, the open pores of her skin let even more beguiling scents flow into the room and Marcellus felt a strong desire rising in him, knowing full well that Cynthia's body was a forbidden fruit for him...

Leseprobe

Robert David

Dance of Nymphs

English version

Dieses ebook wurde erstellt bei

Inhaltsverzeichnis

Titel

1 Prologue

2 In the Ancient World

In Nymphs' Garden

Feast of Fertility

Cynthia

Insula

Cynthia's Upbringing

In the Middle Ages

Avignon

In the New Age

The Virgin

The Snowflake

Rutting Season

Sermon on the Mount

The Tower of Love

Impressum neobooks

1 Prologue

On the slopes of the Monti Lepini on the road from Naples to Rome lies the mythical garden of nymphs, Giardino di Ninfa.  The origins of this place, now in ruins, date back to the turn of the first millennium. During its heyday, Ninfa was not only a thriving  garden, but also an important castle town.  In its streets there were houses with attics and barns, churches, mills, bridges and even a town hall.  A long city wall with eleven towers protectively surrounded the city, its castle and its gardens. Later, epidemics and destruction left the village in ruins and the borgo became a ruined city.  What was spared from the ravages of time and even expanded was the fairytale natural garden. Numerous plants overgrew the ruins and high humidity favoured the later man-made symbiosis between ruins, plants, watercourses and animals. Japanese maples, camellias, magnolias, water irises and even rare varieties of roses found their home here.  During the spring bloom, the nostalgic nymph garden is transformed into a magic of colours, in which romantic memories of times bygone are roused, of legendary nymphs who once danced there, watching over an apple tree with golden apples and, following their lustful wishes, willingly let themselves  be kidnapped.

2 In the Ancient World

In Nymphs' Garden

The evening sky over the nymph garden turned red, the old faun sat motionless on his chair and dreamily watched the sunset.  Where were his nymphs? He looked around. The once-thriving tropical garden looked neglected and old, as old as he was himself. Nevertheless, he, the nameless, now sat there, waiting for female deities who would give themselves to him as they once did. He knew they were immortal, but where were the daughters of Aphrodite now, after thousands of years had passed since their birth?  The Hesperides who once tended the tree with golden apples in this garden, where were Nereids, the nymphs of the sea, where was Daphne, the nymph of the rivers and Echo, the nymph of the mountains and the woods? Did they stay young forever and do they still flutter about as lusty ghosts? They were no longer in this garden. But maybe they still existed somewhere, by the sea, by rivers, on mountains, trees and meadows, where they used to perform their sensual dances.  Or did they hide in the cool caves of the Apennines?  There, where they once wove long, transparent veils with which they half covered themselves when dancing, in order to emphasize the beauty of their bodies. And he was sure: Yes, they still existed as spirits and vibrations in many bodies that, although mortal, they were reborn again and again.  And yet, he could no longer see or touch them as he once did. He, the faun, was omnipresent too, timeless and was still there, in search of the fountain of eternal youth. Nameless now, he used to have many names: was he called Satyr, was he Bacchus, or Pan, protector of the peasants and god of the forest shepherds? What was his name and who was he really? Human or animal, one of the realm of the demigods? He remembered old, glorious times when his intrepid power spread throughout the ancient world from Constantinople to Hadrian's Wall, the westernmost frontier of the Roman Empire in Britain. Although the Aegean was his real home, he, the horned forest spirit, called Ithyphallus by the Greeks and Priapus by the Romans, was able to make himself felt in many places as a being with many wonderful qualities. The firstfruits of field and garden were willingly sacrificed to him, and his statues, equipped with a huge red-painted wooden phallus, were supposed to bring good luck in orchards and vineyards and bring a rich harvest. He slowly got up and went to the fountain in the middle of the garden, which was considered the source of eternal youth, thought of the past when young nymphs performed their dance here and gave themselves to him, the passionate one, with sensual pleasure. With amazement he looked at his face reflected in the water of the fountain, whose fountains were no longer bubbling. He touched his head inquiringly, the curly mane that once covered his head was scarcely there, the thinning hair was gray and his two horns, symbols of his manhood, were now small and blunt. And he understood: he too was nothing but a vibration, invisible and omnipresent, immortal and eternally agile as overarching virility in the bodies of men. He exhaled and returned to his stone chair.  Calmly he let himself fall onto it and, half sitting half lying, with closed eyes, inspired by imagination, surrendered to his memories. And gradually the misty veil of the past that hung over the garden lifted and he saw before him all the nymphs who willingly gave themselves to him and all the lavish festivals in which he was celebrated as the god of fertility.

Feast of Fertility

Rome, in the year 44 BC.

The holy grotto Lupercal on the Palatine Hill in Rome, which was otherwise so cool in February, warmed up noticeably on the fifteenth day of the same month.  Spring was already coming, glowing, warming torches were lit.

The naked bodies of the holy priests  luperci, the wolf brothers, who took pains to drape the image of the faun with a large goatskin, also gave off heat.

And he, Faunus Lupercus, the god of flocks, to whose worship this festival was celebrated here year after year, knew that he would not only vibrate in the bodies of the priests, but in all the bodies of men and women who took part in the feast.

He reflected and heard the voice of Dioscuro, one of Zeus' sons, saying:...and heaven uses the stars not only to show us the unpredictability of fate but also to plunge us into the inevitability of sin..

And he, the horned faun, Wolfe's repeller and protector of fertility now saw the pagan celebration, like a fine, transparent veil, rising before his eyes.

           *

In fact, that year's Lupercalia was a lavish festival, unique in the history of the Eternal City.  Even Mark Antony, the young consul and favorite of Caesar, took part in the celebration, and on that occasion offered a royal diadem to the onlooking Emperor, in whose honor the festival was held.

           *

At the opening of the sacrificial ceremony, a fat billy goat was slaughtered at the entrance to the grotto, its throat cut and its skin pulled off. Thereupon two young men from the Roman noble families - namely Martiusand Flavius ​​- were brought in and touched on their foreheads by the sacrificial priests with a bloody knife.  After that, the trail of blood was wiped away by other priests with wool soaked in milk.

In this way the shed blood was cleansed with milk as a sign of atonement -februs casta.  And following the ancient Roman custom, the lads acknowledged it with friendly laughter and invited the people to celebrate.

More bucks, goats, kids, wethers, lambs and even dogs were busily slaughtered, skewered and roasted.  Bread was free and wine flowed in abundance.

Before the feast began, the naked priests, the luperci, tied the skins of the sacrificed goats around their waists, cut other skins into thongs, and thus walked around the Palatine Hill.  Married women willingly stood in their way and allowed themselves to be beaten on their bare backs with belts, because they hoped this would bring them blessings of marriage, fertility and numerous offspring.

What are you waiting for, matron?

It is not miracle herbs or magical acts that make you a mother.  Accept the fertilizing lashes of my right hand and thereby make your father-in-law a grandfather!"

Meanwhile Martius and Flavius ​​retired and took their places on a bench set at the long oval marble table near the dais which had been placed in the center of the sacred grotto.  This was where the nobility met to dine. Both youngsters were upper-class Roman citizens, but they were as different as they could be.

          *

Martius was tall and had muscular legs.  As a prospective legionnaire of rank, he had to prepare for long marches in inhospitable forests of the Gallic provinces.  Therefore, he put his body to the test every day through physical exercises.  For the same reason, he also had strong arms that knew how to use sword, spear and shield. He spent the time he had left for leisure with like-minded people, mostly at games in the circus, in baths or in whorehouses.

In addition to opulent and extravagant meals, he paid homage to wine, women and song.

Although he could read, he read little, and in conversation he preferred the vulgar Latin of the Roman masses to the written Latin of the educated.  Nevertheless, he was considered a sophisticated seducer in the gallant circles of the city.  However, he was not a match for marriage, as his family was not rich enough.  Although he belonged to the nobility, there were rich ones  and richer ones  among Roman noble families. His family was of the poorer ones, whose sons had to enlist in the Legia in order not to be a burden for the family and, with a bit of luck, to rise on their own to higher ordinations in the privileged circles of Rome.

Flavius, on the other hand, was a young man who already had it all.  All but his friend's muscular legs and physical strength.  As a child he was frail but endowed with extraordinary talents.

Tutored daily by Greek teachers bought by his father for dear money on the slave market, he spoke not only Greek but also fluent Egyptian.

His father owned a large villa in Rome and a residence in Pompeii, where he spent the summers and where several male and female slaves took care of his physical well-being.  In the large garden of the residence, lavish parties were celebrated, with music and belly dancing performed by Egyptian dancers.

This was the environment in which Flavius ​​lived.  He played the lyre skillfully, read books written by Greek and Roman scholars, and also wrote poetry himself.  Always welcome in the best houses of the Roman aristocracy, he was seen as the choice of marriage-seeking daughters of the Roman elite.

            *

Martius looked around with curiosity, took a long time at watching the gathering of priests, their bodies being stripped but for a short goatskin loincloth and embalmed with oil.

"Look at the luperci," he finally remarked.  "Some have strong arms, but others are short and have legs that are too short."

He happily sipped at his wine glass.  "Nothing for Caesar's Legions. In fact, they shouldn't be allowed to run around naked."

Flavius ​​nodded.  "Some are too fat and too old. Already over thirty."

He himself was eighteen years old, while Martius was sixteen.

"It doesn't matter whether you're handsome or ugly, short-legged or big-bellied," he said, his voice sounding superior.

"It's a feast for the masses. Give the crowd what they look for and need. Bread and games."

Now his voice sounded instructive.

"By the way, the better-looking ones are new here and call themselves

luperci iuliani

in Caesar's honor."

"Will the great Gaius Julius be present?"  asked Martius with curiosity in his voice.

After the first cup of wine, which was quickly followed by a second one, he relaxed and seemed to be enjoying the feast.  Flavius, on the other hand, remained cool and sipped little at his wine.

"Yes, he is expected, accompanied by Mark Antony. The people are waiting for him. The masses need a spectacle and want to see the celebrities."

"Bread and games?"  Martius doubted.

Flavius ​​laughed, he knew more than Martius.

"The bread comes from Egypt and the games we make ourselves."

Martius did not quite understand this statement, but somehow he considered himself - at least half - to be part of the masses and said:

"After all, we are all citizens of Rome so why shouldn't we enjoy life?"

"Yes, as long as we are young, as the songs say. But it depends on what enjoying actually means. Have you ever heard about the Greek Stoics?"

Martius turned away from him and fixed his gaze on one of the priests, who, already tipsy, laughed and placed a large bowl of roasted chunks of meat on the table.

He obviously didn't want to continue this conversation, he wasn't as well read as Flavius, and nothing was further from his mind than engaging in witty conversations with him.