Chapter Text
The Wheel of the Year in ancient Greece was like any other. Holidays, festivals, both sacred and secular, as well as special events, and games, annual or otherwise, at different times of the year. All very much like our own. There was at least one festival every month and these days of religious zeal and holiday excitement were very real to the people. It was good. They were happy.
When the Amazons left the world of men they took many of the holidays with them. They also came up with their own festivals. The yearly remembrance of the Amazons who had died before and the arrival of the survivors here on Themyscira and the grand games that went with it, the celebration of the Queen’s birth, and the jubilation surrounding the Princess’ birth. There was also the celebration of all the Amazons’ emergence from the ocean, as different groups of Amazons came forth from the mud of the Thermadon at different times of the year. All of these were celebrated every year. Certainly not for presents, though those were given, but for the festivities themself. There were great art festivals at different times, often in conjunction with many of the non-religious ones, in which wine, hydromeli, poetry, plays, music, songs, sculpture, paintings, saddlery, leather work, jewelry making, blacksmithing, sword and weapons making, basketry, weaving, and cookery (as well as other things) were celebrated.
It was planting time and the great ritual for Demeter and her daughter Kore was about to begin. In Athens this was called the Eleusinian Mysteries. Even though Themyscra was nowhere near the town of Eleusis near Athens, the eight day celebration was still called that, though no one actually remembered why this was so. Tradition. This ritual celebrated the hope for the year's planting. You see, mythically, these mysteries were a yearly recreating of Perrsephone’s kidnapping by Hades. After stopping the rain and causing a years long drought Demeter is finally given the right for her daughter to come home for half the year by Zeus, but Demeter must raise Kore herself. This is celebrated by an eight day festival that involves fire rituals, sexual rituals, and planting rituals, or, basically, all of the fertility rites. On the day before the festival started, about the 14th of Boedromion, the priestesses took the sacred objects of Demeter, the hiera or holy items, from her temple to the palace where they stood watch over them for the night. The next day they escort these articles, with great fanfare and jubilation, through the streets and about the island, eventually stopping where the planting is to begin that year on each section of the island.
The following morning Demeter supposedly, well, sometimes she really does, comes to the spot and mourns her daughter Kore’s absence and wails for her child. The priestesses comfort her and feed her and clothe her. In Athens bread loaves shaped like penises are made and eaten by all the women for fertility. It’s a little different in Themyscira where the bread is made like the tops of grain ready to harvest, well there are some penises still made also. There are wood, cloth, and straw effigies of the goddess Persephone that are lit to help warm her and bring her forth from the ground, while drumming, dancing, drinking, and drug ingestion occurs as they burn in addition to much sex and sexual shenanigans. The next day the plowing begins as two married women, the Hierophantides, plow the land while the plows are pulled by others. All the fields are plowed in the next few days with everyone’s hard work either plowing or pulling. Finally planting occurs. And lots of sex, yes lots of sex. Many psycho-enhancing drugs, usually hemp or opium, are also ingested or smoked, and lots of wine and other strong drinks are drunk. After that there is lots of dancing and drum beating and singing and it usually turns into a mayhem of noise, sex, drugs, dancing and music… all happening at once. It’s a very happy time on Themyscira.
For months prior to the announcement of who was to be the first set of Hierophantides the suspense built throughout the island. All the married couples on the island waited for the news with bated breath. This year Hippolyta and Philippus were chosen as the first Hierophantides at the Capital. Antiope was thrilled with this news. When the announcement was made, with great fanfare a week before the festival was to happen, she laughed aloud and yelled “This will be great fun” at her wife Menalippe. She had that evil smirk on her face as she yelled and Menalippe just knew there would be nothing she could do about whatever it was Antiope was planning.
So, sighing, she shrugged and replied to her wife “Please Anaki, no bloodshed.”
Antiope rubbed her hands together rapidly and smirked wider. “No bloodshed, I promise.”
A few minutes later they made their way over to the palace where Hippolyta and Philippus were celebrating happily together as this was the first time they had been blessed with the duty. “Sister...”, said Antiope, smiling in what looked like happiness, “congratulations on this honor. I look forward to seeing you plowing both the fields and each other on the blessed day!”
Hippolyta turned to Antiope with an inquisitive look on her face. “What?” she mumbled. She wasn’t really listening to what Antiope had said.
Antiope’s smile grew and she repeated, “I can’t wait to see this year’s event. You and Philippus will do well plowing both the field and each other on the day, eh?” She extolled and then stopped and looked right at Hippolyta again. “You do remember that you both will plow the fields and each other for all to see and enjoy?”
“What do you mean?” Hippolyta replied.
Antiope laughed. “I know you can plow the land sister, but can you plow your wife in public afterwards? That is part of the ritual.”
“I know that,” replied Hippolyta, somewhat snippily.
“Good,” Antiope said. “It will be a wonder for all to see. I’ll make sure that Diana has a nice spot with my team of haulers so she can see everything and learn.”
“WHAT!” screamed Hippolyta, her face starting to turn red. She opened her mouth to continue but Antiope interrupted her.
“You don’t want Diana to haul? How will she learn?”
“She’s only FIVE!” Hippolyta sputtered.
“Yes, but it's the Eleusinian Mysteries, for Kore’s sake, sister. She needs to learn our rites and rituals.” With that Antiope turned and flounced away dragging Menalippe with her.
Hippolyta’s mouth hung open with a look of shock on it. She turned to Philippus and tried to get her attention but couldn’t as she was still happy and savoring the honor. Hippolyta was angry and upset but wasn’t sure what to do so she held her tongue for later when the two of them were alone in their bedchamber.
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“Philippus...” Hippolyta muttered. “What are we going to do? Antiope is going to bring Diana to the ritual.”
“It should be good for her Lyta. She’ll truly start to participate in our rites and rituals.”
“I know that Philippus,” Hippolyta snapped. “That’s not it.”
“Well, what is it then?”
“She wants to have her help haul the plow.”
“Yes... and?”
“She’s too young!” Hippolyta exclaimed, loudly.
“I see Lyta... But what is wrong with her taking her hand to the hauling of the plow?”
“That’s not it Philippus,” Hippolyta answered. It was obvious that she was all worked up about this. She was almost shrieking. “She’s too young. She’s only FIVE!”
Philippus laughed. Hippolyta punched her arm, hard.
“Ow,” said Philippus as she rubbed her arm. Hippolyta huffed loudly.
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“Well, I’m sure Hippolyta’s all worked up by now,” Antiope said to Menalippe, laughing, the morning when the hiera was being processed through the island. She had been teasing her sister for the past week. She just loved to tease her, especially about Diana hauling the plow this year. She knew Hippolyta was also very reticent about the whole public sex thing so Antiope constantly teased her about that too. She even showed up in Hippolyta and Philippus’ room the night before and made suggestions on what positions they should use to make it more interesting for all to watch before being thrown out of the room and the palace. Antiope had laughed all the way home.
“You are evil Antiope,” Menalippe said, smiling.
“Just being a good sister,” Antiope chuckled as she grabbed Menalippe’s hands. “I love you.”
Menalippe leaned down and kissed Antiope. “I love you more.”
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Antiope and Menalippe spent a lot of time with Diana that week. They explained the ritual and its importance, as did her tutor, and talked about the day that Diana would have with them during the ritual. She asked way too many questions that her aunts answered as truthfully and descriptively as they could.
“What will happen on the day Theίa?” she asked as she stared at Antiope enraptured.
“I and Theίa Menalippe will come and get you child, and we will put you in the sling that Theίa Menalippe has had made for you. We decided that you were still a little too small to actually run with us, but maybe next year, eh? You will sit on Menalippe’s back, facing forward, so that you too can pull on the straps of the plow and see everything that is going on.” She didn’t mention that the sling that had been made had a series of buckles that would take and pass on most of the weight of the plow so that it wouldn’t strain Diana’s arms.
“I will hold the rope?”
“No, my sweet oraίa, my sweet niece,” Menalippe said. You will hold the strap.”
“Oh. Is it made like rope? Is it hemp?”
“No, i kardiά mou,” Menalippe answered, smiling. “It is made of leather and sometimes is not plaited.”
“But why?”
“Why what child?” Antiope replied.
“Why not plaited?” Diana said. She struggled saying the word plaited at first but eventually got it right.
It just depends on who makes the strap,” Antiope answered.
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The days passed. Philippus finally got Hippolyta calmed down a bit and they spent a lot of time discussing the up-coming ritual. Antiope had kept her distance since being thrown out of their room, which was also good for Hippolyta.
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The night before the planting ritual started, while the burning of all the straw effigies, drumming, dancing, ululations, and bread eating was going on, Antiope sidled over to her sister. They danced together for a bit, laughing and talking when they were able. It was quite enjoyable. At some point Antiope danced her over to the area where the sexual part of tomorrow’a ritual was to take place and pointed out a bench right next to the location where Hippolyta and Philippus were going to be. “I think I’ll try to sit there,” Antiope said. Hippolyta looked startled and frowned and that was that.
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The next morning Hippolyta and Philippus stood at their plows. Hippolyta was stubbornly determined to do a great job and had happily decided that turn-about was fair play for Antiope. She had made sure that Antiope and Menalippe were chosen to be the Hierophantides for the next day. She’d show Antiope who was better. Both Philippus and Menalippe just shook their heads and mumbled “sisters'' to each other.
So today Hippolyta and Philippus were steering the plows near the capital and there were great gangs of thirty or so Amazons who stood around getting ready to pull the plows. Many were stretching and doing calisthenics in preparation. There was lots of laughter and happy shouts between the different gangs, many of them taunting each other. All fun. There was a lot of excitement in the air and everyone including the two women had made bets as to who would be the one to plow the most land that day. Hippolyta and Philippus each had determined faces and happily scowled at each other.
Menalippe had Diana up on her back so that she too could pull the plow. This certainly had appeased and relieved Hippolyta when she saw the contraption with Diana in it on Menalippe’s back earlier that morning. Diana was so excited and chatted with everyone about it. Antiope stood right in front of Menalippe as she planned on leading the first gang of haulers, but she still had plans for teasing her sister even today. Right before the straps were pulled taut and the plows pulled heartedly Antiope yelled at her sister “The three of us will see you at the feast and great celebration sister. We’ll be sitting right in front!”
Hippolyta had a look of fear on her face but then it was time for the race and Hippolyta had to focus on her task or else be hauled off her feet and be pulled along behind the plow. Off they shot plowing as much land as possible as fast as possible. They plowed for hours running the whole way and only stopping to breath (hard) when the teams of Amazons were changed. It became quite the sight to see, the two of them yelling taunts at each other and trying their hardest to plow more than the other. Sometimes Hippolyta was leading and sometimes Philippus. Eventually Hippolyta pulled ahead by a bit and stayed there. When the day’s plowing was over Hippolyta had won by an acre or so.
The two made their way to the feasting and celebration and, after quite some time, went to the sexual celebration site. There, sitting happily on the closest bench was Antiope. There was space for another next to her. Just as Hippolyta and Philippus began to kiss Antiope blurted out, loudly, “Menalippe, I have a seat here. You and Diana will fit just fine!”
Hippolyta spun around, her eyes wide, to stare at Antiope. “Don’t you DARE sister!” she shrieked. Antiope laughed, hard. Then slowly got up and walked away.
There was great feasting and drinking, psychotropic drinks and edibles, smoked hemp and sex, lots of sex. And Hippolyta and Philippus led the sexual shenanigans in front of all. Just the way to end the plowing for the day. Tomorrow the fields from today would be planted and more land would be plowed. This would be continued throughout the island for the next five days. The sixth day would be just planting. It was a happy time for all.
Menalippe had taken Diana home before the festival portion of the evening had even started and Antiope, after scaring her sister, joined her wife. They ate and fed Diana chatting with her amicably and told her a couple of bed-time stories until she fell asleep. Then the two made themselves comfortable, curled up together on a couch, and fell asleep. Hippolyta and Philippus found them when they got home many hours later. Hippolyta had not been pleased with her sister, not at all, but no harm had been done so the two were just sent home, with LOTS of grumbling, and all went to bed.
Tomorrow the next day of celebration would occur and Antiope and Menalippe were planning on having a great time. They would race each other like no one had done in the last few years. Hippolyta decided that she and Diana would plant. That would be good too. Philippus could lead strap teams for her sister and sister-in-law’s plows and come home later. That would be nice.
During the days after the planting, while the rest of the country celebrated, Hippolyta had planned that Diana would stay with either herself, Philippus, or aunts, or tutor. That should make sure that Hippolyta stayed calm. She wondered though, would her sister and Menalippe want to bring Diana back out to the celebration? Should she carry her daughter on her back? Would Philippus? She shook her head. It didn’t really matter now that Hippolyta understood the way things would work for this festival. She sighed, looking forward to the days to come.