Eliger

First appearance and context

Eliger is first referenced on the eve of Apert as an imminent ceremony that will be signaled by bells as an aut. All Tenners are described as gathering to witness a participant take a vow binding them to one order or another, situating Eliger as a formal rite within the life of the avout.

Role and function

Eliger is the decisive selection and initiation moment when members of the Tenner cohort publicly choose an order and are bound to it by vow. The bell team rings distinctive changes—the call to Eliger—followed by an interval before the aut begins. During the service, an officiant intones the name(s) of those being inducted, and the receiving order conducts the rite (including chant and hymn) as part of the formal welcome.

Relationships and references

• Recruitment and counsel often precede Eliger; for example, an elder from the Order of the New Circle speaks with a prospective participant shortly before the ceremony, illustrating how orders may sound out candidates ahead of the formal choice.
• Outcomes can reflect wider circumstances in the concent; expectations about who will join which order may shift as avout weigh community needs and politics alongside personal vocation.

Descriptions and characteristics

• Signal: recognizable bell changes cue the community that Eliger is about to be held; after a short interval, the aut begins.
• Conduct: the receiving order leads portions of the service (singing and responses) while an officiant announces the names; specific chants may be used by particular orders.

Current status

Eliger is being celebrated repeatedly at the Concent of Saunt Edhar, with multiple members of the current cohort choosing among the Edharians, the New Circle, and the Reformed Old Faanians. The sequence of auts continues as remaining members make their selections.