Lamekis Read online

  “The Egyptians cried out in astonishment and joy at the sight of this new thing. They ran together toward the sacred bull. His presence inspired them with respect and love. They held each other’s hands and danced around in his honor. Others were fired up by a more reckless passion, which stirred their crude hearts in spite of themselves, and ran to get the severed limbs of their prisoners. They presented them to the god, but he was horrified by the gift and bellowed so loudly that the people got scared. The sky clouded over, lightning flashed and the Heavens caught on fire. The divine bull rose up into the clouds and disappeared in furious thunder after pronouncing these words: ‘Serapis wants to live with the Egyptians. Let them build a temple, but he does not want any sacrifice of human blood.’

  “The people were astonished by this prodigy and welcomed the oracle with a thousand signs of joy. At the same time a holy man appeared in the crowd: it was Serapis himself, dressed as a man. He showed the Egyptians a map, put himself in charge and built the temple that still exists today.

  “That, great Queen,” Lamekis continued, “was the famous time of the building of the temple, but he kept for himself the mystic underground, built by his own hand. In the catacombs he put the great book in which his laws are written, where it is said that the eternal fire will be sustained by pure men who are born underground where, to preserve the human species and people like today, two official ministers of his worship and three pure virgins7 will go down and be placed in the hands of the eldest. The male children were destined to guard the brazier, and the girls, who could never number more than three, were shut up in the Vestasia8 Catacomb under the supervision of the eldest priest, who on the first of Kail9 handed them over to the ministers reserved for the mysteries. After the ceremony they had to lead them to the okoukais, the doctor of the underground, who was careful to purify their fruit when they conceived.

  “But it is said in the same laws that the worship will remain secret and that no mortal will go down into the mystic caves except for the King, and only once—at his coronation to be touched by the divine fire. He will be led by the High Priest and anyone else who enters there, in any way imaginable, will be thrown into the pit of Assoa.10 I, Princess, who tell you this, have the right to enter only three times in the course of my ministry. May Serapis and you preserve me from the third, because it will be for my eternal rest. Oh Queen, it is useless to pretend, if you do not take my sage advice, you will never see the light of day again.”

  Semiramis trembled at his speech, which was pronounced with such grandeur that it seemed at that moment that the god was speaking through his mouth. Her mind wandered for a few minutes, but her heart (though warned) set her above all fear. “Ah!” she sighed, “what does it matter if I die, as long as I’m with the one I love! Yes, Lamekis,” she saw him shrink back from her declaration, “I love you. I am carried away by an invincible power. The crown cannot protect my heart from the weakness of love. I fought against this relentless flame in vain—nothing will ever be able to extinguish it. My only hope is to invoke Apis in the heart of the mysteries. There I will be healed or find relief for my pain. It’s no use scaring me or opposing my will. I have to go into the sacred caves and bury my passion and shame in their silence. Go!” She did not want to give him time to answer. “At sunrise I will be at the temple gate. And remember, if you resist, I will raze it to the ground.”

  Lamekis still tried to use all the eloquence at his disposal to bring the impetuous Princess back to her senses. He argued in vain because she was used to following no law but her own will. Resistance only inflamed her more; nothing could change her final decision.

  The High Priest left with a deep sorrow in his heart, which was a bad omen. After purifying himself he went back inside the temple and spent the rest of the day and night kneeling before the statue and watering it with his tears.

  Lamekis the Elder and Semiramis enter the catacombs

  The Sun had barely lit the azure vaults of the temple with its golden rays when music struck the ears of Lamekis. He had dozed off, weary and troubled, and awoke with a start. He knew only too well that they were announcing the arrival of the Queen. She entered the temple alone and after bowing she went to the gate of the sanctuary. Lamekis repeated his sage advice and explained that there was still time to turn back, but her decision was made. She was wearing the crown and her beauty and majesty joined together made her commands so absolute that it was impossible to resist them. The sanctuary was opened and he respectfully presented her with a headband that the Kings used in the coronation ceremony to cover their eyes so they would not know the secret entrance to the catacombs. Semiramis let herself be veiled.

  “I am in your hands,” she told him, “but I was smart enough to take all necessary precautions for the dangers you warned me about. I know your honesty and the respect you have for the blood of your Kings. I can see them in the details you gave me, the language of your priesthood, and the idea you must have of my power. But watch out, Lamekis, if you abuse my kindness. I have given orders that will be faithfully carried out. If I am not back in front of my guards and my people in three hours, the temple will be leveled and they will avenge the attack on the ruler of these lands by destroying everyone within.”

  The Queen’s determination surprised the High Priest. He had hoped that the fears he tried to instill in her would sway her desire, which was so contrary to the Laws. There was no precedent that the laws had ever been violated; and the death penalty for those who transgressed them should not include the Sovereign, of course. On the other hand, this very penalty would be inflicted on the High Priest because he alone is the secret master of the entrance and the mysteries could not be profaned without his involvement.

  Lamekis was so surprised at the Queen’s final words that he stood there without moving. Finally he threw himself on his knees and said to her, “Oh Queen, since you want to be faithfully obeyed, you have to know how to act in order to avoid a certain death. The spirit within these men who are going to be honored by your presence down there differs in every way from normal sentiments. Born in the heart of the earth and in ignorance, they know nothing but Serapis and his laws. I will be the first victim of their fury if I give them any reason to suspect that I have sinned against their eternal rules. Like people living in the woods they are brutal and it would be useless for me to vaunt your superiority and the power of the crown, respect and dependency. Even the power you have over their lives means nothing; nothing will calm them. Their prejudice and the law will make them angry and both of us will become victims of their anger.

  “I tell you this, Princess, to protect your precious life. You have to wear the mantle in exactly the same way as our Kings during their initiation when they go down into the mystic catacombs where they stay for a day. Like that, the ministers of our revered god, who don’t know very much about what happens above them, will take you for their master and pay no attention.”

  His arguments were too logical to go unheeded. The Queen agreed to be transformed and she changed her orders about when she would come back. When all was done, the High Priest opened the secret trapdoor and led the way holding a torch.

  She had to rest several times. The number of steps, already around 2,000, began to frighten her. She thought she was going down into the realm of the dead. But she kept her thoughts to herself. The harder it got, the more curious she became. At the last step a corridor led into a large gallery lit at regular distances by lamps that never went out. The wall was covered with marble inscribed with hieroglyphs showing the mysteries of Serapis. The vast hall was more than 100 measures long and ended in a portico through which could be seen four wide paths lit by an infinite number of lanterns. It was teeming with people who seemed to be doing business like in any big city.

  As soon as the High Priest was recognized, a general cry was raised that shook the vaults and the sound of a mournful instrument announced his arrival. When the people heard it, a deep silence followed, the streets were deserted and a
thousand new lights appeared, which could have rivaled the brightness of the sunniest day. 12 priests dressed in long cassocks of the finest leather came up and kneeled at their feet. 12 others followed bearing a stretcher with two seats on which the Queen and Lamekis were placed. They walked with a great crowd of people all around them. Semiramis was surprised at this and at that moment she formed a plan that when she got back to her palace she would round up this nursery, which was a feeding ground of rebellion, as she saw it, to make them ordinary subjects.

  After walking for about a mile like this, they came to a large square where there was a temple supported by 40 marble columns. An image of Serapis was set on the marble altar and the steps they went up were sculptured with the latest, most delicate and the most exquisite workmanship. The roof of the temple seemed to come straight out of the vaulting, which here was as high as the eye could see. There were 40 triumphal arches through which they entered the building, each with a door carved with the mysterious history of the divinity.

  The stretcher stopped before the temple. The High Priest got the Queen down and they clothed her in a bull-skin coat11 whose tail was held by Lamekis. The 24 ministers followed them up the stairs and to the altar. After Semiramis knelt down at the feet of the divine bull, they passed it three times between her legs, an honor reserved only for the master of Egypt.12

  After this blessing was made, they put her back up on the throne carried by the 12 priests. Lamekis walked in front with his head now decorated: with a great deal of ceremony he was dressed in a very tall cap with four horns driven in lower down and four others with their points out above. A cow’s tail came out of the middle tied with golden ribbons, the god’s favorite color. Each subordinate minister had on the same hat, but with only one row of horns and the tail was shorter and without ribbons.

  The procession went down a broad street that ended in a gate guarded by 25 priests in short coats. They had wide belts from which hung a bull’s leg13 and in their hands they held a kind of pizzle whip. They were all dressed alike: rough black leather with big horn buttons, finely crafted. Their caps had only one horn, but with a crest made from cow ears, very well carved and easy on the eyes. When the procession appeared the ministers were armed and to honor the Queen they held the bull’s foot in their hands. The captain of the troop, noticeable by the huge beef tongue he wore as a collar, the sign of his rank, approached Semiramis respectfully, put a finger to his lips and a seal over his heart. With a nod from the High Priest the Queen kissed his head, which was the customary vow not to reveal the mysteries.

  The Princess got down from the stretcher and four men brought forth a huge, brass instrument14 with four pipes, which they put to their mouths. The instrument made a raucous, frightening sound that was used to warn the people to go back home and if any were found in the streets by the guards they would be food for the great leopard.

  After the ministers sounded their instrument four times, the gate was opened. The High Priest went past the guards first, followed by Semiramis. When they got to the end of the hallway, Lamekis knocked three times on the door and it opened. An old man wearing a hat, which was a lantern with a hanging light, cracked open a window and the High Priest stuck his head through the opening. Four old men came up, recognized him and whispered in his ear.15 The Queen had to stick her head through too and they changed her sacred headband for a leather one. After this they let her into a hallway that ended in four galleries, each closed by a door with a window.

  The High Priest knocked on one and an old man appeared wearing a bull’s head that he respectfully took off at the sight of Semiramis. The High Priest was recognized and the door opened. The old man with the bull’s head threw himself at the feet of the Queen and after this homage he led the way, prancing and jumping every ten steps.

  This gallery was called Koroïka16 and ended in the catacomb Lesmikis where the book of law was kept. No hieroglyphs decorated it. The walls and the vault were all covered with black marble. When the old man got to the end of the gallery he stamped his foot. Three other ministers of the same age knelt at the entrance holding a finger to their lips.

  The Queen was frightened by their looks. They had long beards that hung down to their feet and at the end of every strand was tied a bull’s tooth; they clicked and rattled at the slightest movement. But what made their sight hideous was that the weight of all the teeth pried the old men’s mouths open into the most grisly scowl you could imagine. They were bald and half nude and their withered skin was slashed in so many places and so close together that the scars stuck out like the spines of a hedgehog.

  In the middle of the mystic catacomb was the great book17 whose pages were made of bronze. The High Priest opened it and the sound of the pages falling upon each other was worse than the slamming doors of the most dreadful prison. The three old men helped Lamekis turn the pages and when they found the passage with the King’s vow, they all knelt down and swore-in Semiramis.

  After this ceremony, they left the catacomb and went back through Koroïka. Lamekis knocked on the door of Buraïkos,18 which led to the sacred fire. At this door appeared a man around 40 years old who looked wild: he rolled his eyes in rage and scowled so frightfully at the High Priest that Semiramis recoiled. Lamekis reassured her. There was no reason to ask the name of this gallery—its heat gave it away as that of the fire kept in the catacombs. They saw it at a distance raised on a massive, iron tripod behind a gate of the same metal. The whole hallway was full of the bones of the dead, carefully piled on top of each other, which made them look very graceful. Two young men walked over them barefoot carrying a watering can that they used to sprinkle human skin oil over the mass grave. The Queen urged Lamekis to leave the place because the smell was really appalling. In consideration he cut the ceremony short: they brought her into the catacomb (where she could barely stand the heat), took off her headband, sprinkled it with the sacred oil and put it in the sacred fire. A small flame burned it slightly. Lamekis put it back, scalding hot, on the Queen’s delicate forehead. The pain she felt was so bad that she let out an awful scream. And the vault echoed so that it could be heard everywhere around. Angry howls answered and the noise grew so loud that it seemed like the ceiling was going to collapse.

  “Ah, Princess, what have you done?” the High Priest cried out. “I warned you that your voice would betray you. If they find out you’re a woman, we’re lost. This noise I hear coming from all quarters makes me fear for your life. What help do we have to save us from rebellion? You yourself saw how carefully they guard this place. How are we going to escape the rage they think is justified?”

  He did not have time to say anything else. The gallery doors opened and the underground ministers showed up all together, followed by the people. The High Priest in this emergency resorted to a ploy—make the divinity speak. He went toward them in the grandeur he always assumed and broke the silence for the first time.19 He asked them arrogantly the reason for their turbulent arrival and their lack of respect.

  “Don’t you know,” he pretended to be inspired from on high, “that Serapis is ready to crush you? I see the foundations of his temple shaken. Oh people, what have you done? They are going to crumble, to punish you for your recklessness. Oh Heavens, stop! Your ministers repent and kneel at your feet for mercy.”

  He spoke foaming at the mouth with his hands over his head as if to hold up the ceiling about to fall. The ministers, who first appeared ready for rebellion, trembled at his words. They threw themselves on the ground and humbly asked forgiveness.

  “If you leave,” Lamekis raised his voice, “I will intercede with the god and calm his anger, which I see is at its peak.”

  He had barely finished speaking before they left and silence fell. The High Priest wanted to take advantage of the fear that the Queen must have felt at what just happened in order to get her out of the catacombs and away from the secret mysteries. But the Princess had a heart that was stronger than most of her sex and her policies of love were in t
une with her policies of the state. She wanted to probe the mysteries and go down into the underground Vestasia20 where they kept the three virgins. The High Priest obeyed reluctantly; he could not disobey her sovereign orders. He led the Queen to the trapdoor Luroë21 […]22

  Semiramis was furious at the High Priest’s denial, but covered it up and asked to go back up. She went back the same way she had come and after a hard and tiring walk, they were in the upper temple again. It was full of the Queen’s guards; the officers in charge had surrounded the sanctuary. She ordered Lamekis to bring the officers in and spoke to the chief.

  “Open the doors,” she shouted. “Put them all under arrest and tell the people to listen to me.”

  Lamekis was distraught by the Queen’s orders and threw himself at her feet.

  “What are you planning to do?” he pleaded respectfully.

  “To utterly destroy a rebellious swarm,” she replied, “and tell my subjects about the abyss they’re digging for them.”

  “Ah! Princess,” the High Priest cried. “Stop! Shudder at the thought of this idea. You’re going to put all of Egypt to fire and sword and the Earth will vomit out entire armies to punish you for your attack.”