* * * *
The crowds were so dense on the roads they had great difficulty in making progress. But Bladud was determined and, luckily, his fame as a hero of the recent Games was so great that people made way for him. Even the harassed captain of the palace guards allowed him into the courtyard, where only the closest guests of the family were allowed. The first ritual of the wedding ceremony was about to take place.
Hermias had already explained to Bladud that the father of the bride must offer a sacrifice to his ancestors, and the gods who protected his household, asking their permission for his daughter to leave the family. After this ceremony she could travel, veiled, to her bridegroom’s house where she would be carried over the threshold. The final act would be performed at his hearth w
