Khutani

A coming-of-age rite amongst Udynean boys.

The Khutani is not only a coming-of-age rite for Udynean boys, but also the name given to the act of removing the foreskin, which happens during the rite.
Whilst the average age of those participating in the rite varies throughout the Udynea Empire—many being between the ages of twelve and fourteen—it cannot begin until the priests who know the boy, or their parents, have deemed the child mentally fit to take the step into adulthood and the child themselves agrees to go through with the rite.
The boy leads a procession of his male adult family members into the temple’s anteroom where everyone disrobes and cleanses themselves in the troughs of blessed water.
From there, a family member, known as the guide in old texts, escorts the boy to the altar. This task is considered a great honour and has come to be the task of the father, but it was originally appointed by the boy after cleansing. Those chosen as the guide continue this task for the duration of their lives for they are considered the boy’s most trusted and the one they would always go to for advice or assistance.
Once the boy is presented to the priests, he is assisted onto the altar, sitting with his legs spread directly upon the stone as everyone encircles the altar and the priests chant.
The high priest begins the removal of the foreskin without any aid beyond a sharp blade. Once removed, the boy is required to bleed for nine minutes. This timeframe is a direct correlation for each month they were in the womb. During that time, the boy is expected to remain silent.
If they are spellsters and have mastered healing to the point where they’ve an innate ability to mend injuries, some high priests will see that the wound is held open by a rod of the magic-nullifying metal, infitialis, whilst other temples wrap a thin chain of the same metal around the child's torso, effectively nullifying their magic for the duration of the rite.
For those born without a penis, the betwixt or the paalangik, the Khutani deviates only in the incision being made above their genitals rather than directly on. The rest of the ceremony proceeds the same.
After the nine minutes is up, the boy is considered a man and the high priest heals the incision to a point where only a faint scar remains. He is then anointed with his own blood and assisted off the altar to join his male family members, who escort him out to the rest of his relatives.

Primary Related Location

Udynea Empire

Related Ethnicities

• Udynean