The History of Murmas

Part 3: Sacrifices

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he lesson of the fate of their predecessors did not escape this new generation of Murmons. Services were conducted in secret, often in caves or in wooded clearings far from the watchful eye of the church. It was not long before they fell in with Druids, and took into their own ceremonies some of the druidic elements. Chief among these practices was that of sacrifice. t first only animals were offered up to Mure, but when several years of famine swept the land, it was decided that a more meaningful sacrifice was required. And so, the elderly and the infirm started being offered up. The famine ended, and all was well (unless you were elderly or infirm).

A late 14th century woodcut depicting a sacrifice to Mure. The smiling face of Mure can be seen depicted in the smoke, indicating that he is well-pleased with this offering.

n 1532, the Murmons ran out of elderly people. All had either been previously sacrificed, or had wisely run away once their neighbours started making pointed comments about them starting to have more grey in their hair. The Murmons reluctantly went back to sacrificing animals, and 1532 went on to be known as "the year of the drought".

ealizing that something "juicier" must be offered up to Mure, the Murmons decided to make the ultimate sacrifice, and began routinely sacrificing their children. From that point forward, the Murmons flourished, drawing in vibrant, healthy crops when others were blighted, and having multiple sets of twins to allow their stock to be replenished even while they continued to make sacrifice.

n today's modern, more enlightened times, of course, no one would dream of sacrificing their children to Mure.