Statue of Arcus

In the kingdom of Kereh princes traditionally have very small waists, but how was this result achieved? Naturally, what a royalty would ever allow a cruel treatment of his body? Of course, this effect had to be reached in a way as mild and pleasant as everything else in a royalty's life. And for that many special techniques and secret practices existed...

For example, the prince would enjoy the atmosphere of a sauna and the softening oils of a herbal bath for several hours a day. He would be lured into this atmosphere by pleasant music and entertaining fairytales, the beautiful bodies of servants and the company of his best friends. He would sit in the fragrant bath while wearing a tight waistband of pure gold which would never rust. The gold would get hotter in the sauna, helping his internal organs and veins to do their proper functions.

Every hour or so the prince would take a fifteen minutes break to receive a pleasant massage on his waist and then allow himself to be restrained with the next, slightly smaller waistband. Gradually reducing the waist size without disturbing the prince and keeping the procedures enjoyable for him, his servants would slowly manage to achieve excellence in what the culture of Kereh has long accepted as the beauty ideal.

The theme of the bathing prince has given birth to numerous sculptures and engravings. This sculpture in particular was made of marble and gold and depicted prince Arcus who was considered by many to have reached the ideal figure among the princes of his lineage: anything he could wear around his neck he could as effortlessly wear around his waist. Many sculptors, painters and poets were enamored with his grace and his reign was also remembered as the epoch of masterpieces of art.