The Ordeal of the Mirage is a coming of age ceremony practiced in Ethion by people of the old Ethite religion. It is an ordeal given upon women in their twentieth year in which they are asked to complete a task that requires them to make a difficult choice. The Ordeal of the Mirage is also a means of ensuring the Ethite tradition remains applicable to a modern world.
Ordeal
The main part of this rite of passage is the ordeal, which is individually designed for each girl by the clergy of her local temple. The ordeal often involves a test of survival and almost always forces the girl to make an ethical decision, such as whether to kill a wounded animal or nurse it back to health, whether or not to steal needed food or supplies, or even whether or not to break the rules she was told to follow at the beginning of the ordeal. The ordeal often lasts several days with the clergy watching in some way, though not assisting.
Recording
When the girl returns from her ordeal, there is a recording ceremony, in which the clergy publicly announce whether or not she has passed her ordeal. The girl enters the temple and sits in front of everyone else, facing the clergy, who remove her veil, so to speak directly to her. Usually each member of the temple clergy speaks to her individually, telling her what she should have learned from the ordeal. Finally, the highest member of the local clergy announces that she has passed her ordeal. Her actions will be recoded in the Book of Ethics, to advise future generations on the way to act. Her veil is returned to her, she stands and turns to face the congregation, and she is announced to them as a woman. They then may individually congratulate her.
A Failed Ordeal
The point of the ordeal is to set before the young woman a puzzle that does not necessarily have a right or wrong answer. Therefore, failed ordeals are rare, but in the case that the temple clergy determine the woman's actions to be wholly unethical, the head clergy will, rather than announce the woman has succeeded her ordeal, that she has failed. Then the girl is made to stand and face the congregation unveiled, as the clergy announces that the girl will never be considered a woman in the eyes of their goddess. No one from the congregation leaves or speaks until the girl exits the temple.
Comments