- Simon: So we just gonna ignore the bear then?
- Ingemar: It's a bear.
- Arne: [laughs] No. No, no. Uh Ruben was - a product of inbreeding. All of our oracles are deliberate products of inbreeding.
- Pelle: He's my good friend and I like him, but... Dani, do you feel held by him? Does he feel like home to you?
- Christian: I think I ate one of her pubic hairs.
- Ulf: [shouting in Swedish] You're pissing on my people!
- [to Pelle:]
- Ulf: Your little fucking American friend! He's pissed on the Rotvälta!
- Josh: Why 36?
- Pelle: Well we think of life like the seasons. So you're a child until you're 18 and that's spring. And then at some point we all do our Pilgrimage, which is between 18 and 36, and that's summer. And then from, eh - 36 to 54, we're working age, which is *fall*. And then finally from 54 to 72 you become a mentor.
- Dani: What happens at 72?
- [Pelle makes a comical throat slash gesture; Dani laughs]
- Ulla: Christian?
- [snaps fingers twice]
- Ulla: Christian... Hi. Hello! There you are! Listen: You can't speak. You can't move.
- [smiles]
- Ulla: All right?
- [smiles]
- Ulla: Good.
- Maja: [in Swedish] I can feel it! I feel the baby!
- Siv: On this, the day of our deity of reciprocity, we gather to give special thanks to our treasured Sun. As an offering for our Father, we will today surrender nine *human* lives. As Hårga takes, so Hårga also gives. Thus, for every newblood sacrificed, we will dedicate one of our own. That is: four newbloods, four from Hårga, and one to be chosen by the Queen. Nine in all, to die, and be reborn, in the great Cycle.
- Stev: The four newbloods, have already been supplied. As for our end, we have two already dedicated... And two who have volunteered. Ingemar and Ulf.
- [they step forward]
- Stev: You have brought outside offerings, thus volunteering your own bodies. You will today be joined in harmony with Everything. And to Pelle, who has brought new blood, and our new May Queen, you will today be honored for your unclouded intuition. And so, for our ninth offering. It is traditional that our fair Queen shall choose, between a preselected newblood, and a specially ordained Hårgan.
- Arne: Where is your friend? Yosh?
- Christian: I know, ah... We have no idea.
- Arne: He, and your other friend - They both disappears the same day. You see how it looks?
- Dani: Are these the May Queens?
- Pelle: [turning away from Christian] Yeah! Right! Uh eh... You'll actually be here for that.
- Josh: And - Who are your May Queens?
- Pelle: Eh, every Midsummer we have this dance competition and the winner gets crowned, in this.
- Dani: [laughing] Oh! Wow. Beautiful.
- Siv: [in Swedish] This high my fire. No higher. No hotter!
- Siv: Now it's traditional for the May Queen to bless our crops and livestock. And after the luck - you just inherited from that salt herring, we should all be doubly encouraged!
- [laughter; pause]
- Dani: Can Christian come with me?
- Siv: Nej. The Queen must ride alone.
- Mark: Somebody should tell those girls they're *walkin'* stupid.
- [pause]
- Christian: [in hushed tones] How long do they *typically* stand?
- Pelle: Uh we're gonna stand until it's - right to sit.
- [last lines]
- Mats: [In Swedish; to Ulf as he administers liquid via cotton swab onto his tongue] Take from the yew tree. Feel no pain.
- Mats: [In Swedish; to Ingemar, same procedure] Take from the yew tree. Feel no fear.
- Josh: Okay, do you- do you think I don't know what you're doing? It's actually kind of outrageously unsubtle, the fact that you're being this bold about it. I'm- I'm honestly kind of impressed.
- Christian: What the fuck, man. What does that mean?
- Arne: He draws, and we, the Elders, interpret. You see Yosh, Ruben is unclouded by normal cognition. It makes him open, for the source.
- Dani: Has anyone seen Connie?
- Christian: I think Mark saw her earlier.
- Mark: I'm sure I saw her trying out for the *sprinting* Olympics earlier.
- Dani: What, where?
- Jarl: Sorry, but I can say what happened. Her boyfriend called the landline? from the train station and calmed Connie down. She begged our pardon and I drove her to meet him.
- [pause]
- Christian: OK. That's really...
- Dani: Why would Simon leave without her?
- Christian: I'm sure it was just a miscommunication.
- Simon: We're leaving tomorrow morning.
- Connie: I know we are.
- Christian: Hey, dude.
- Josh: Hey. Holy shit, right?
- Christian: Are you okay?
- Josh: Yeah, fine.
- Christian: Good.
- [pause]
- Christian: Hey, listen. Um... I've been thinking about something that I wanted to ask you, or tell you, actually. Um... I've been thinking a lot about my thesis, and, um, I've decided I'm going to do it here, on Hårga. And I wanted to tell you first, just so it didn't seem like I wasn't telling you.
- Josh: I feel like... I feel like I can't tell if you're joking.
- [pause]
- Josh: I mean, you know I'm doing my thesis on midsummer. That's the reason why I'm here.
- Christian: Yeah... Yeah, but not on this community. I mean, you're going to Germany and England next.
- Josh: Well, you knew I was gonna want to do this.
- Christian: No.
- Josh: Oh my God...
- Christian: I mean, did you even know until just now?
- Josh: Christian, of course you did.
- Christian: Okay, do you think I don't know what you're doing? It's actually kind of outrageously unsubtle. The fact that you're being this bald about it. I'm honestly kind of impressed.
- Josh: What the fuck, man? What does that mean?
- Josh: Yeah, what the fuck! This is what I've been working toward, and you know it. That's why you look so guilty right now because you know... You know that what you're doing is unethical and leechy and lazy, and frankly it's kind of sad.
- Christian: Fuck you.
- Josh: No, dude, not fuck me. Find your own subject or your own passion. And... Because... All right, look. This... I am... I am actually invested in this. This is not some glorified hobby that I'm casually dipping my feet into.
- Christian: Okay. In case you hadn't noticed, Your Highness, we're doing the exact same degree.
- Josh: No, but not in the same way, Christian! Okay? I have to hold your little hand through everything. You didn't even know how to use JSTOR until I taught you, and you are a fucking grad student. Why are you even in academia? You don't care! Which is fine. That is your prerogative. But do not appropriate my actual work for your new shortcut.
- Christian: [pause] I'm gonna do my thesis here. If you're going to do it here too, I'm open to collaborating. And if not, I guess we can both do separate theses on the Hargas.
- Pelle: Hey, guys. So these are younger people from my village. They're also returning from the trips outside. Come on over.
- [short pause]
- Pelle: Hey! These are my friends from America.
- Arne: Let's hope - it gets - returned.
- Christian: I hope so too.
- Pelle: I feel responsible.
- Arne: Well, you and - Odd, you can go lookin' for them!
- Pelle: Yes.
- Arne: Maybe you can redeem this!
- Stev: You - are going with the women for the day's activity...
- Dani: Oh! Hi.
- Stev: [to Christian] And, uh Siv - wants to see you in her house.
- Christian: That's cultural, you know? We stick our elders in nursing homes. I'm sure they find that disturbing.
- Arne: We describe it like emotional sheet music.
- Josh: What does it say?
- Arne: Well, each runic letter stands for one of the sixteen affekts, which are graded from most holy to most unholy. This one, for example, is about grief. You can see at the end, however, we have blank pages. This is because the Rubi Radr is a work forever in progress. Forever evolving. We have many, many hundreds of these.
- Josh: And who decides what gets added?
- Arne: Well, this iteration is being written by Ruben.
- Josh: Uh, the disabled...
- Arne: Since birth. He draws, and we the Elders interpret. You see, Josh, Ruben is unclouded by normal cognition. It makes him open for the source.
- Josh: Uh... what happens when Ruben... dies? Do you just wait for a baby that is... not clouded?
- Arne: No, no, no. Ruben was a product of inbreeding. All of our oracles are deliberate products of inbreeding.
- Josh: Can I take a photograph?
- Arne: What?
- Josh: Uh, a photograph?
- Arne: No! Absolutely not.
- Josh: Okay, sorry.
- Siv: We view life as a circle, a recycle. The lady who jumped, her name was Ylva, yes? And that baby over there who is not yet born will inherit that name. Instead of getting old and dying in pain and fear and shame, we give our life, as a gesture. Before it can spoil. It does no good dying, lashing back at the inevitable. It corrupts the spirit.
- Irma: [announcing to the river, in Swedish] In thanks and praise, Great Goddess, we bestow upon you this modest gift.
- [Music is played as the men hoist up the lavish tree, run it towards the river, and hurl it into the water. The river gulps the tree down. A horn bellows]
- Sven: [theatrically, in Swedish] Oh no! Did you hear that rumbling? I think she is still hungry.
- Irma: [in Swedish] I heard no rumbling. Did any of you?
- [Grumblings all around. The consensus is "no."]
- Sven: [in Swedish] Ah, well, I suppose it could have been my own belly. But I do not wish to risk offending our generous Mother.
- Irma: [in Swedish] Nor do I. Yet we have already given our finest jewels and most fruitful tree. What else could we possibly offer?
- Bror: [in Swedish] You can use me!
- [the crowd opens up to reveal the young boy. He is adorned in the same jewels and flowers as the tree. His costume is an imitation of the tree's. He is clearly reciting lines]
- Irma: [in Swedish] You, young Bror, wish to offer your life to our beloved Goddess?
- Bror: [in Swedish] If she will have it.
- Sven: [in Swedish] How brave you are, little Bror!
- Bror: [in Swedish] Brave? What is brave in going home?
- Stev: Well. We, um - have something regretful to announce. This morning, the nineteenth book of Rubi Radr was found missin', from the temple. We don't want to - point fingers, and yet we kindly ask that whoever took it return it, to its original place. You can leave it in the temple, which will be left unguarded, unwatched. Nobody need to know, it was you.
- Mark: So we're stopping in Waco before going to Pelle's village?
- Simon: What are the kids playing?
- Ulf: Skin the fool.
- Mark: Someone's still sore about their ancestral tree. Dude, is he gonna kill me?
- Sven: I am particularly looking forward to seeing you there.
- Inga: [In Swedish] The children are watching Austin Powers if you wish to join. Down at the south house.
En savoir plus sur ce titre
