Konrad and Alexandra (PDF) - Rolf Gross

wreath of red poppies, she carried a naked baby boy in a winnowing basket.The Priestess took the stained napkin off the phallus, showed it to the assembled people like the bridal bed sheet afterthe wedding night, and finally covered Persephone’s baby with it.While the Hierophant with his torch distributed the phos, the light to the candles everybody had brought, the Priestessbegan to sing to the old Greek Easter melody:"Brimus anesti! Brimus has risen!"A great euphoria broke out, the people sang, embraced, and kissed each other, friends and strangers alike.After all the candles in the sanctuary had been lit by the New Light, the scene changed a third time: Twelve shepherds inwild and woolly burkas and hats, each carrying a baby lamb, entered and lined up against the wall of the choir.Persephone left the sanctuary with her baby and was replaced by a young, bearded man carrying a cross: Brimustransformed into Christ.The crowd, now led on by the Hierophant, began to sing the new Easter Message to the same, age-old Greek melody asbefore again and again:"Christos anesti! Christ has risen!"The Priestess removed her crown and Christ kissed her. With his cross he touched Yakkhos, who had fallen on hisknees before him. Yakkhos threw off his skin and the horse head and revealed himself as St. John the Baptist withtousled hair and a shaggy beard. The Queen-Priestess, transformed into Mary, the mother of God, placed herself to theright of Christ—who occupied Demeter’s throne—the Baptist to his left. They formed a deesis in front of the twelveshepherds with their lambs.Relieved Alexandra joined the congregation in singing the familiar, fourth-century Easter night liturgy ascribed to St. JohnChrysostomos.As they left the sanctuary two hours later, the Hierophant distributed blessed breads to everyone and red Easter eggs tothe young women. Outside the church’s door, however, stood the old crone whacking the backs of the young men withher stick cackling obscenities. Everyone loved it, and Konrad also received a beating."To the foreigner with the red beard!" said the old woman in German.Konrad was stunned but collected himself and shouted at her in Georgian: "Go to hell, old witch!"Which, to everybody’s amusement, earned him two more whacks.Konrad suggested they wait for Deda, but Alexandra refused to stay. "I don’t want to meet Persephone, and right now noteven my mother. Please, let’s walk down. Olga is waiting for us at the Easter feast. I would like to forget this heathenscene."As they walked, Konrad tried to clear his mind. He was deeply moved by the complex symbolism in which he discoveredseveral references to the Greek tragedies and the Eleusian Mysteries.The Old Crone had, he was certain, been borrowed from of the Greek tragedies where she was a standard character,most often the leader of the chorus, who with her sharp tongue and nasty jokes commented on the play and exposedactors and audience alike.Alexandra listened to his ramblings but remained mute.He was less certain about the origins of the female triad, but remembered a description in Pausanias’ Travels in Greeceof such a trio. In Arkadia Pausanias had heard of a horrifyingly archaic mystery play reserved for women in which thetriad was, just as here, Demeter, Kore as the virgin Maiden, and a horse-headed Yakkhos. Both, the misbegottenYakkhos and the lovely Kore were the offspring of rapes of Demeter by Zeus.Later Hades raped Kore in Arkadia, where she had fallen asleep in a meadow of poppies, and abducted her to theunderworld. Demeter searched wide and far for her disappeared daughter. When all-seeing Helios told her of Kore’sabduction, she forced Zeus to allow Kore to spend nine months above ground, however, during winter Kore had to live inthe underworld as Persephone, the Queen of Hades.Persephone’s resurrection in spring had been celebrated in mystery plays in many places in Greece and its colonies.Eleusis was only the most famous example. But the anthropologists knew few details. The participants of these festivitieswere sworn to silence.In Greece the Mysteries were obliterated by Christianity in the third century. But on the shores of the Black Sea theymight have survived much longer and provided the basis for this hybrid play. After all, he argued, both Kore’s and Christ’sresurrection werebased on very similar shepherd’s myths.Konrad shook his head. "This is a most intriguing discovery. It is a pity that I am not an anthropologist, the publication ofthis mystery play would create a sensation."He turned to his taciturn betrothed and said gently. "I can understand that you are pursued by very different thoughts.Thank you for coming with me. I am sorry that the discovery of Deda in this play caused you such anguish. Consider it astheater with a religious meaning, why should she not participate in it? There are many worse plays being performedtoday, and her role as Demeter/Mother of God is surely the most honorable of the three. Even if the bloody cloth wasrevolting."40