PRIESTS: Their Holy Staff

THE PRIESTLY STAFF

      1 THE Priest Vethdema was injured in a fall one day.  After he fell down the stairs of Varlendur he cut a thin branch from an orchid tree and used it as a staff.  Thereafter he walked with a limp in the right foot.  The orchid staff was passed to the successor, Nolmithlon.  Upon his death bed, Nolmithlon cut a braided lock of Vethdema’s hair; later he fashioned it to the staff.  The third priest, Aeradreth did the same with Nolmithlon’s braided hair and all those who followed in his footsteps.  The priest thereafter wore a single braided strain of hair on their left side in honor of Vethdema, the first High Priest of Mithar.

   2 IT was also Aeradreth who cut and polished the great spiraled trench into the wood grain of the staff.  He embellished the spiral groove with the sigils of the Priest’s House, and their names were written in Sinenya.  The script thereafter was used only by the priesthood.  It was Malladek who carved the top of the staff, and his successor Nal Kahass who wrote The Blessing verse atop the raised spiral rib.  The sixth priest was Shayna and he wrote the verse and designed at the base.  The seventh priest, Yelomen carved the hoof at the bottom tip, thus completing the embellishments of the staff.

   3 JUST as the Scepter belonged to the King this staff belong to the High Priest and became the symbol of The Priesthood.  Each priest wore a white vest-tail in front, this was sashed, and a heavy dark-blue robe was worn over this. Such was the dress and manner of his office.  Each priest added prayers and rituals and devised new aspects of ceremonies for the formal occasions so the people would be ever mindful of the times and seasons worthy to be recalled.

   4 THE Day of Eru, (The One) was the third day to the third week of the third month of the year.  No formal work was allowed, by order of the king and a day of rest to remember that God was above the King, and the King was to favor his people on this day.  Feast and royal stores were freely opened up unto the people.

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