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The Blood Rite is an Illyrian ceremony that is completed when a novice-warrior wants to progress to the status of a true warrior.

Overview[]

The Blood Rite happens each year in early spring with hundreds entering the area of conifer forests and ravines around Ramiel in the Illyrian Mountains. The novice-warriors have their wings bound and lack weapons, magic, or Siphons. The only supplies they have are the clothes on their back. Novice-warriors from the same camp are split up when they start. They have one week to reach Ramiel, scale its side by hand, and touch the onyx monolith at the top to pass.

Where the warriors are when it ends sorts them into one of the three echelons of warrior, named after their holy stars:

  • Arktosian, the ones who don't make it to the mountain but survive;
  • Oristian, the ones who make it to the mountain but don't reach the top; and
  • Carynthian, the ones who scale the summit and are considered elite warriors.

The area around Ramiel is closed the rest of the year to prevent novices from scouting the area to give themselves an advantage. It is generally considered unacceptable by Illyrians for outside forces to interfere with the Rite.

During this time, novices must survive exposure, the creatures of the mountains, and each other as they race against time. Many Illyrians who enter the rite often kill each other for food, clothes, vengeance, or glory.[1] Old feuds are played out, new ones born, and scores settled. Indeed, the Blood Rite offered a release for the dangerous tension within the Illyrian community. It was better to settle it in the Rite than risk civil war.

History[]

At some point, Enalius drew a line in the dirt and held the ground against enemy hordes at the Pass on Ramiel. He died after defending the Pass for three days. He climbed with his guts hanging out to the sacred stone at the top and died there. The Blood Rite is done in his honor and the Pass was named "Pass of Enalius" after him.

Devlon allowed Rhysand, Azriel, and Cassian to perform the Rite despite their status as crossbreed and bastards, respectively. Each started the Rite at a different location in the mountains, however, all three managed to find each other and survive together. They were the first to reach the onyx monolith that year.

A Court of Silver Flames[]

Nesta Archeron, Gwyneth Berdara, and Emerie are kidnapped and forced into participating in the Blood Rite by traditional Illyrian males who want to punish the females for believing themselves warriors. No one can intervene to save them and doing so condemns the people involved to execution. During the Blood Rite, they meet Balthazar who promises not to kill Nesta and whoever is with her as she is Feyre Cursebreaker's sister.[2] The three manage to survive against all odds. Emerie and Gwyn become Carynthian reaching the summit, touching the onyx monolith, and Nesta becomes Oristian having stayed behind to hold the line at the Pass of Enalius so her friends could reach the monolith.

Trivia[]

  • No one knows who put the onyx monolith atop Ramiel.[3]

References[]

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