Golden Dolphin Scroll Text for Esa inghean Donnchaidh

Esa inghean Donnchaidh was one of the first people I met in the SCA, and the memory of our meeting is engraved on my heart. We very quickly found out that we shared many interests (including dance, Scotland, the 14th century, and “early period” Britain). She’s also a fantastic researcher, doing masters-level (or higher!) research in her free time on women’s health and menstruation (you can check out her blog here and her website here). As a newcomer, she made me feel seen, welcome, and safe.

So when her Laurel, Beatriz Aluares de la Oya of the Spanish Seamstress, asked if I could find the time to write the words for Esa’s Golden Dolphin scroll in a tight turnaround, I thought I would rather gnaw off my own arm than say no.

Since the exemplar was from the Aurora Consurgens manuscript, specifically of “Bleeding Woman in Zodiac” / “Zodiac Menstrual Cycle,” I knew it was time for some iambic pentameter again! That said, the Aurora Consurgens manuscript is from the 15th century, slightly earlier than other recent scrolls I’ve written for, so I decided to use rhyme royal, a seven-line stanza in iambic pentameter with an ABABBCC rhyming scheme. Bonus: Geoffrey Chaucer first used this in the 14th century!

The poem itself has many nods and winks to Esa’s work, deeds, and path in the SCA. I am not going to explain them here, as they are for her pleasure to enjoy and discover.

The final scroll was calligraphed and illuminated by Baroness Ingegerd Kastanrazi.

The Poem

O Venus, shining morning star, your light
Cannot be curtly dimmed by sun or moon.
Your curving path inscribes a divine flight,
A warming sight, a wondrous heavenly boon,
That reddens, flickers, blazes. Your face festoons
The midnight sky with glowing mystery,
Luminous bleeding generosity.

This wand’ring star has brilliant earthly twin
Whose arduous work illuminates the shade.
With labors long in stony broch and glen,
Heavy tasks she welcomed, refined, and weighed,
Service, wisdom, and truth bound and displayed.
The wise women know worth in blood and bone:
Esa inghean Donnchaidh their beloved own.

For love of Esa are these words proclaimed,
From Stierbach’s gates throughout the kingdom decreed.
Justice done by gentle Eckehard and Jane
Who thus award, as sages have agreed,
A lady who aids in spirit, word, and deed.
Th’ Order of the Golden Dolphin awaits
Esa, newest member, to celebrate.

Done November 20th, A.S. LVI, at Holiday Faire.

Laurel Scroll Text for Esperanza Susanna Flecha

When Kolfinna Valravn asked me to write the scroll text for Mestra Esperanza Susanna Flecha’s Laurel, I jumped at the opportunity; I’ve admired Esperanza as both an individual and an artist virtually since I joined the SCA, and I was honored to be asked to write words to honor her and her art.

The exemplar that Kolfinna chose was by Caravaggio, which meant I would be looking at late period poetry (I had to write poetry for Esperanza. Had to.). I had already been writing a significant amount of late period poetry recently, especially iambic pentameter. I knew I was pretty locked in with iambic pentameter, but I wanted to change it up slightly, so I decided to go with the Spenserian stanza. This was created by Edmund Spenser in the late 1500s specifically for The Faerie Queene. It provided a good length for scroll text: nine lines per stanza would provide plenty of space in two stanzas, without overtaxing the scribe with verbiage. The form itself is still iambic but more complicated than a sonnet: the first eight lines are pentameter with the ninth being hexameter, and the rhyming scheme is a fun interlaced ABABBCBCC. Having taught this poem multiple times before, I felt comfortable with the form despite not being too experienced in it.

For the final (jaw-dropping) scroll, see Kolfinna’s website.

The Poem

Before proceeding further, hear these words:
The kingdom sings the praise of flowing quills
That smoothly flourishing, depict th’ interred,
Find in darkness and death delightful thrills.
Though dressed in fluffy plumes and gentle frills
No contradictions found in her bright cheer;
‘Tis black and white, the extent of her skill,
With swooping ornaments rightly revered.
Esperanza Susanna Flecha’s worth is clear.

The beauty of her art cannot be writ
With tines and tips in minims fat and lean.
Suitable rhymes and swirling strokes must flit
With brushstrokes painting proper peerage scene.
The will of Eckehard, King, and Jane our Queen,
Marked in pen and ink with gentility,
Is ornamenting her with leaves of green,
Gilding her with fame by royal decree.
All shall know that Esperanza a Laurel be!

Done by Our Hand on November 20th, A.S. LVI, at Holiday Faire in Our beloved Barony of Stierbach.

A Memorial Poem for Duchess Denise Duvalier

I was touched when His Majesty Eckehard asked me to write a memorial poem upon the untimely passing of Duchess Denise Duvalier. While I had not had the honor of meeting her myself, her reputation proceeded her, and I wanted to write something that honored her and her legacy and gave comfort to those left behind. Because I also knew that the poem would be read before a tournament (originally the Rose Tournament at War of the Wings, then rescheduled to Crown Tournament), I also wanted to keep it short so that no-one was overcome before competing. I hope that I did her memory honor.

 

The Poem

To saddened hearts and aching souls we sing
Of sorrow slowly walking in our midst.
From loss and love does grief and mourning spring;
If tears should tender flow, do not resist.

We sing of tireless heart and thoughtful hand
That brightly bore the crown with grace in bloom
And planted joy and warmth across the land.
This royal Rose was plucked unkindly soon.

May mem’ry last forever and a day:
Cherish Countess Denise Duvalier.

Pelican Scroll Text for Aemelia Rosa

I was honored to be asked to write the scroll text for Aemelia Rosa’s Pelican! Kolfinna Valravn did a beautiful job with the scroll, and it was super fun discussing our collab and making sure it fit the recipient. We agreed that the scroll text should be written like prose in a block (which is fully period and also let me write more words, ha!), but it was in fact a Petrarchan sonnet with some prose for the end matter:

Attend, Atlantia, to thy Queen and King
To hear of duty and dedication true
Steadfast service in many colors and hues
From Aemilia Rosa eternal springs.
No scribe or poet can number everything:
Though uncountable hours and great works ensued,
Sweet sacrifice and struggles were not eschewed.
She does not recoil from sharp arrows and slings.

Now in this sweet Barony of Hills so Bright
Eckehard and Jane make known Our will as the Crown:
What now must she become but a vulning Peer?
A gentle Pelican with wide wings of white,
When Fiery Trials and Royal Archers abound.
May all rejoice from what is presented here!

Thus also do We award her the sole and exclusive right to bear arms, to wit: Vert, a domestic cat’s head cabossed ermine maintaining in its mouth an artist’s paintbrush fesswise argent, a bordure ermine. Done by Our hands this day, October 2, A.S. LVI. In witness thereof, I Triton Herald set my hand by these letters Patent.

The Apprentice’s Manuscript

So things kept happening to get in the way of my properly apprenticing to Ollam Lanea (rainstorms, commitments, a pandemic), so when we finally were able to set a firm date, I lost my mind a little and decided to make her a gift for The Occasion. I decided to make her a book. Not any book — a book that contained two of her pieces, two of mine, and some other important items. Since I chose poems that incorporated our languages, I decided they had to be properly glossed. This is literally my third piece of calligraphy ever, my second with a proper pen, and I learned to bookbind over the summer by half-watching a dozen random YouTube videos. And because I knew Lanea would get a kick out of it, instead of documentation, I wrote a library catalog entry. I told you I lost my mind.

The Book

The Catalog Entry

Teach Folcadáin Bó Caitlin MS Ripton A.i

Date Inconsistently dated to both ~800 and 2021 (?)
Title The Apprentice’s Manuscript
Content The present volume contains 4 poems and some additional back matter (a short verse and a single sentence). Two poems, On Kings (ff. 2r-8v) and Song of Amergin (ff. 24r-29v) have been glossed by the original scribe. The glossing of On Kings indicates that the scribe was familiar with the language and attempted to keep a poetic translation in the gloss. However, they also excluded words that were the same in both texts, making it difficult to reconstruct the gloss’s original form. Inaccuracies in the glossing of Song of Amergin indicate that the scribe was not familiar with the language; E. Meredith (2021) has suggested that the scribe was attempting to combine two texts with only the vaguest understanding of Celtic languages.

Contents:
ff. 2r-8v: On Kings
ff. 9r-15r: On Returning Home
ff. 18r-22v: You Call Yourselves Bards?
ff. 24r-29v: Song of Amergin
f. 31r: Gawain and the Green Knight (?) excerpt
f. 32v: Back matter

Decoration: 5 illuminations, of a horse between three lozenges (f. 1r), a bird (f. 16r), a raven on a pall between three Brigid’s crosses (f. 17r), a great black dog (f. 23r), and a golden winged shoe (f. 30r). There are additional small decorations throughout, most significantly a decorated O on f. 18v.
Languages English, Modern
English, Old
Irish, Old (?)
Physical Description Materials: Pergamenata, Noodler’s Eel Black, Koh-I-Noor watercolor, FineTec gold and silver.

Dimensions: approximately 90 x 70 mm. No indication of trimming.

Foliation: ff. 32. There is one modern foliation sequence in the manuscript in pencil.

Layout: written in one column of four or eight lines to a page. All four-line pages contain glosses in a different language.

Script: Half-uncial. While the hand has similarities to the Book of Kells, as do some of the illuminations, the number of errors and uneven lines indicate an inexperienced scribe deeply in over their head.

Binding: Rebound in the first quarter of the 21st century by an enthusiastic amateur using green silk thread, cardboard, linen, leather, and PVA glue.
Origin, provenance Unknown; bears indicators of both 8th/9th-century Hiberno-Saxon traditions (especially Northumbrian) and 21st-century Nacirema techniques from Piscataway Nation territory.

Progress Pictures

Calligraphy in progress: printed text above with a page drying, ductus and practice below, and perg placed on top of the lined practice sheet.
Finished pages kept in order, with other pages drying and the text I was working from to the right.
Punching holes for binding into the folios with a guide. This page also has one of my favorite corrections.
Finished binding, with the first folio visible.
Binding glamour shot.

The Atlantian History Poem

This poem is a treasure of Atlantia, begun by Duke Cariadoc of the Bow and expanded for Atlantia’s Thirtieth Year Anniversary, so I was honored when I was asked to update it for the Fourtieth Year Anniversary.

However, updating it was a bit of a challenge, as there was no information in the Poeta binder and several years were missing, so first I had to scour the internet for different versions. Then, I reached out to several helpful folks, including past Poetas. Several past Poetas were available to write the poems for reigns during their tenure, and I was kindly offered some verses by others. In addition, as I looked more closely at the poem, I realized that a few of Cariadoc’s original verses were repeated in the longer Thirtieth Anniversary verses, making it a little confusing to follow.

Therefore, I decided to add a new framing device that explained the poem’s origins and transitioned from Cariadoc’s verses to the fuller poem. Reflecting on the fourtieth anniversary, I also decided to honor the Crowns of the Principality before we were a kingdom by adding verses for them; this also created a smoother transition from Cariadoc’s original verses while also created distance between the verses that are repeated in both the original and the longer poem.

Because I also found it difficult to navigate the poem, I numbered the verses and reigns in the final text, which will be given to the next Poeta, and which I reproduced here as best as possible. Finally, because credit matters, I revised the credits to include both the verses and the reigns that each person wrote for, so it is easy to identify authorship in the future.

Now, without further ado, the Atlantian History Poem, updated for the Fourtieth Anniversary!

The Poem

In ancient times and distant lands
A challenge came to pen a rhyme
Cariadoc stretched out his hand
and captured Atlantia’s crowns sublime

The first twelve crowns he placed in fame
for posterity and pride of peers.
With glowing stanzas for each name,
the duke’s own words follow here:

Carissa, Queen of all the East,
With Michael gave our realm its throne–
And then, before their reign had ceased,
They won it back to be their own.

Now Anya is a queen most rare.
Bertrand full half his kingdom knows.
He can describe each lady fair–
But not the color of her clothes.

In floods of mead the benches drown                                         (verse 5)
And great the glee of thirsty men
When Gyrth, great-gutted, takes the crown
And Melisande is queen again.

Jahn and Tuiren have done more
Than ever lords of coast and sea-salt.
For they have ruled from shore to shore
Atlantia to Drachenwald.

Now Bedford’s blade in fury falls
And for his foes ’tis death to find it.
Duke Michael is a moving wall
Carissa wholly hid behind it.

It was Sir Olaf, when he fought,
For Aslinn with his heart and hand,
Who by his skill and fortune brought
Atlantia’s crown to southern land.

Now Richard Corwin for his Anne
Atlantia’s crown has bravely won
He’s just a good and faithful man
Who’s doing as his knight has done.

Sir Knarlic, with a dragon blade                                         (verse 10)
Atlantia’s knights has beaten down,
But conquered by Atlantian maid
He to Alexis brings the crown.

For Gyrth it is a gladsome day
To know he has such sturdy men;
Count Richard in the bloody fray
For Anne has won the crown again.

Sir Olaf, through the flood of foes,
His Aslinn spies above the fray,
And bold Tsuneo, dying, knows
The crown will not be his today.

Tsuneo keeps his Nyan Nyan near.
He has such skills as suit a knight,
Can fight with sword and bow and spear.
His concubine can read and write.

Some kings and queens for dress are known,
Others for how they plot and scheme
Since Klaus for Cyffaith won the crown
Our sovereigns are a Melee team.

Now let the words straight from the Bow                                         (verse 15)
Blend with Atlantian poets’ tongues.
To fly each word true as the crow,
Start the tale when we were young:

The first to rule our sea-lapped shores
Were Alaric and Yseult the good.
A principality in store,
They led us from the mirky wood.

Second upon Atlantia’s throne
A suitable and sterling pair:
The gracious Ysabeau Cameron
And son of Laverty, Laeghaire!

Quickly came the third successors,
Princess Carissa of Burgundy
Alongside Prince Michael of Bedford
To rule the principality.

In society’s thirteenth year
Atlantia firmly held her fortune
Gracious Khirsten and Bryetor
Rose to reign as their due portion.

Words we can no longer mince:                                         (verse 20)
Herald the fifth with flute and drum!
Kindly reigned the Princess and Prince
Deadra and Tojenareum!

Sixth in line came Thorwald’s son
Ragnarr bravely joins the fray!
To make a princess the gilded one
called Gwenllian de la Forêt.

Now see our principality’s
Penultimate princely guides:
Astarte full of regality
And Bertrand boldly by her side

Bryetor and Kathryn grin;
Behold Atlantia, safe to grow!
Another era now begins
As a kingdom they bestow.

Here now begins the line of kings,
Through strength of arm the throne did find.
Learn of the fame that ruling brings
When art and service prowess bind.

Carissa, Queen of all the East                                         (verse 25/reign 1)
With Michael gave our realm its throne —
And then, before their reign had ceased
They won it back to be their own.

In fire and flame came Count Bertrand
For Anya from Calais’ far shore
Reigned second in the sea-bound land
When they assumed the regal chore.

Sir Gyrth, the mighty Saxon thane
He swept the field at Sacred Stone
The third Atlantian King became
With Melisande he shared his throne.

Jahn’s chivalry all men have seen
And Queen Tuiren’s skillful hands
The fourth Atlantian King and Queen
Have honors earned in many lands.

Across the battlefield did ring
A parti-colored lion’s roar
So Michael came to be fifth King,
and to Carissa roses bore.

Sir Olaf at sixth crown he fought                                         (verse 30/reign 6)
For Aslinn with his heart and hand
And by his skill and fortune brought
Atlantia’s crown to Southern land.

Richard Corwin was seventh King
Fair Anne his lady graced his side.
Oldcastle’s second king did bring
The crown northwards awhile to bide.

King Knarlic came from Normandy.
Alexis Queen ruled at his hand.
“No more Eastrealm treaty,” said he.
They were the eighth to rule the land.

As summer’s king did Richard claim
His place lo lead the knights to war.
The ninth king of the realm became,
Queen Anne beside him as before.

The lords for Aislinn’s love would sin.
Olaf has charm and ready quip.
This pair the realm’s tenth crown did win
With flashing sword and shaking hip.

Tsuneo ruled as in Japan                                         (verse 35/reign 11)
With concubine of quickest wit
Nyan-Nyan hid not behind her fan
Eleventh reign with laughter lit.

Who was the twelfth on sea-hone throne?
Twas Klaus and Cyffaith, brave and best.
Fair and bright their swords both shone.
Two fighters reign — our kingdom’s blest.

Ten reigns and two the bards recite
‘Ere Judith reigned at Olaf’s side.
For service, craft, and battle-might
With open hands they did provide.

Then came Badouin to take our crown
And with his Caterina sit
The fourteenth on the sea-horse throne,
Their battles won with sword and wit.

As fighter, archer and artisan,
Sir Dafydd’s prowess all have seen,
Fifteenth King to rule the land,
Elizabeth his gracious Queen.

Barry and the fair Simone                                         (verse 40/reign 16)
Were sixteenth King and Queen to reign
He won the right to claim the throne
Before he earned his belt and chain.

Once again does Michael stand
Victorious upon the green,
With Seonaid rules our happy land.
Their reign was number seventeen.

Now Barry comes again to win
Atlantia’s crown for Queen Simone
With drums and bagpipes they begin
Eighteenth reign upon the throne.

Duke Michael once again returns
Atlantian army leads to war.
A ducal crown for Seonaid earns,
The nineteenth reign in kingdom lore.

Duke Olaf swore, “Just one more time!”
For Aislinn he would win again,
The twentieth of royal line
As Sultan and Sultana reign.

For Luned’s smile and honor bright                                         (verse 45/reign 21)
Sir Anton fought with might and will,
The twenty-first to reign by right,
First monarchs from Windmasters’ Hill.

Tall and strong stands Ingolf’s son
Galmr’s sword did bloodless slay
For Katharina fought and won
The twenty-second Crown that day.

King twenty-three, Michael returns,
Take up the Crown, re-seize the day!
To reign with Seonaid thrice he yearns,
The once and future king he’ll play.

A fresh light from Wulfshaven pours,
Steffan and Twila, twenty and four,
To new heights Atlantia soars!
Love and laughter forever more.

Cuán claims reign twenty and five,
Freshly minted, the three-dog knight,
Aria, the nimble-fingered,
Inspiring his winning fight.

Hidden Mountain’s favorite son,                                         (verse 50/reign 26)
Black Kane strides forth with Muirgen fair,
Tragic lives too quickly undone,
Atlantia’s twenty-sixth pair.

Windmasters’ Hill calls forth its King
To serve twenty-seventh, yet twice,
Snowden’s best daughter Anton brings,
Winning calm counsel and advice.

Mighty Crowns the kingdom protects,
As armor shields the knight in war,
Thorbrandr from his forge defects,
With Eórann, twenty-eighth to soar!

Hail poured down while Michael was crowned,
But king twenty-nine was no fool,
Ice may cover the April ground,
Still, Michael and Seonaid must rule!

Cuán another queen creates,
Elevating Brigit sublime,
Both bending heads low, brows await,
The Crowns rest a thirtieth time.

God bless Katharina, our Queen,                                         (verse 55/reign 31)
Galmr gifts her to us again!
Mercy flows forth from soul pristine,
Thirty-first, yet first, in hearts of men.

When Logan first did Rule our land
With Arielle, his chosen Queen.
Our Thirty-Second Monarch’s reign
Was all awash with Grace and Gleam.

Our mighty Cuán’s Dogs of war
Did claim the right for Bera true.
Atlantia’s Monarchs, Thirty-third
And all false paths they did eschew

So thirty-four was King Logan,
The black wolf besting sword and mace,
With Arielle always golden,
Beside him with her strength and grace.

The Stalwart Lion, Michael led
The graceful Seonaid to the throne
Pair thirty-five they were declared,
Because one cannot rule alone.

Not once, not twice, but thrice we’d seen                                         (verse 60/reign 36)
Anton and Luned take the thrones
now full three dozen reigns had been
since fair Atlantia had its own.

While Stephan, thirty-seventh king
Was called away to foreign lands
Queen Niobe sought to bring
Peace to hearts and hope to hands

When Amalric did join the fray
The Black Hart raged for Caia’s fate
The list was strong; he took the day
Their reign was number thirty-eight.

Kyneburh and Ragnarr came
And sought to lead Atlantian hearts
The thirty-ninth to lead our game
Of service, fighting and the arts.

Then did Anton take the field
His strong left arm would not be staid
He did not fall and would not yield
Our fortieth Queen was Emer made

Havordh and Mary Grace did thirst                                         (verse 65/reign 41)
To rule Atlantia’s mighty shores.
They served our kingdom forty-first
And at the thirtieth Pennsic war.

Galmr and Aryanna held
The burden of their sovereignty
From Lochmere’s lands in which they dwelled
Our forty-second monarchy.

Forty and three our queens and kings
Have ruled the lands in which we dwell
And now the praises all do sing
Of Logan and fair Isabel.

From Middle Kingdom came she hence
Pádraigín traveled to our shores
Stole Cuán’s heart and holds it since
Two score and four the reign they bore.

Fair Isabel, she is the sun
To balance Logan, dark wolf Knight.
The forty-fifth Atlantian Jewel,
Was a congenial sight quite right

The forty-sixth so then was seen,                                         (verse 70/reign 46)
Ragnarr to take again his sword,
And serve with Kyneburh as queen,
True to the lands, in heart and word.

With sword and song did rise Cuán,
As king and too forty-seventh
In heart, Pádraigín was his twin,
Did bring the land to a zenith.

János leads with sword and shield
Rachel’s fiercesome quarrels fly
Allies cheer and foeman yield
When Monarchs forty-eighth came nigh.

Robert de Rath took up his sword
And for Denise he fought in course
The forty-ninth lady and lord
To lead Atlantia’s fighting force.

Societatis’ fortieth year
As our fiftieth crown by right.
János and Rachel helped to steer
Our kingdom on to futures bright.

Twenty-five years we had attained                                         (verse 75/reign 51)
When Michael led us once again
With Seonaid, fifty-first did reign.
May we shine now as we did then.

With sword and wit as equal tools
Did Ragnarr on the list-field stride
The fifty-second king to rule
With Queen Anneke at his side.

Then Valharic, imperator
With Arielle, imperatrix
The fifty-third to lead in war
Sent all our foemen to the Styx.

As time does pass, and has before
So showed Logan as true and fit
To bear the crown as fifty-four
With Rowan’s grace and strong spirit.

The fifty-fifth was then Sinclair,
With Kari, he ruled with wisdom,
Their judgments were even and fair,
Keeping the peace in the kingdom.

For his Gerhild, Jason did slay                                         (verse 80/reign 56)
Kin and kindred on the Crown’s field
Fifty-sixth King and Queen were They
Viking strength makes all foeman yield.

In Jason’s Crown new love alight
Our Fifty-seventh Crown to bear
Esa made Queen by Logan’s might
Her bright spirit beyond compare.

Betrothed when they took the field
He’d wed his princess soon after
Vlad and Kalisa, fifty-eighth
Monarchs of love and of laughter.

For reign fifty-nine again did Kynslay
Place the Crown on Gerhild’s fair head,
She did join in rapier play.
On all fields our enemies bled.

Bryan wins the sixtieth crown,
Radiant Brianna at his side.
Journeying the land, up and down,
Atlantia’s glory they spread worldwide.

Michael strides forward on the field,                                         (verse 85/reign 61)
Seonaid cheering her lord ever on.
The sixty-first tourney’s fate was sealed
The thirtieth year was as year one.

Reign sixty and two brings Cuán,
A strong king both wise and gifted.
By his side rules fair Pádraigín,
By our sons and daughters beloved.

The Wolf, no fear will he allow;
He defeats Atlantia’s best.
Reign sixty-three is Bryan’s now–
For Brianna in steadfastness.

Valiant Vlad now fights once again
In chivalry, skill and fairness;
Stands tall for the sixty-fourth reign.
With Kalisa he brings blitheness.

Though pious and virtuous he may be
His strength came to be known to all
Sir Amos with his faith almighty
Ysabella matched him with siren’s call.

Ragnarr a master of hammer and sword                                         (verse 90/reign 66)
Came before the Atlantian throne
Fair Lynette inspiring her noble lord
The sixty-sixth rule rich with their tone

King William has a mighty sword
Queen Kara is a burning light
The sixty-seventh crown They wore
And were Atlantia’s delight.

Michael of Bedford is well known
With Seonaid his sweet-loving Queen
As sixty-eighth to sit the throne
Their will we do not contravene.

Logan, a black wolf, sly and strong,
Esa, inspiration, for noble souls
Together they right all that is wrong
Fulfilling strong the sixty-ninths’ roles

With German strength comes Sir Christoph
On his arm the glorious Lady Adelhait
The seventy reign with drama starts off
Enough to inspire many an acolyte

To celebrate the fiftieth of the world                                         (verse 95/reign 71)
Dietrich with Thora held most high
Atlantia’s seventy-first with banners unfurled
The glory of the kingdom none will decry.

For seventy-two the poet abstains
For pen will not falsely commend;
Dragons were slayed after this reign,
And no more words shall we spend.

Now Signy Heri by Cuán is Queen
Warriors fierce sitting to serve.
With kind words for the young and the green,
Justice and Truth come seventy-third.

Amos and Kara, as seventy-fourth,
Specious stifled the peahen’s cry
Hawking honors of great worth
As wint’ry months flew darkly by.

Yaşa was cried in Dietrich’s reign,
Alongside Una as Sultana.
His commanding bass boomed on campaign;
Th’ harmonious Una, vox humana.

Atlantia sang refrain once more,                                         (verse 100/reign 76)
As Ragnarr Fifth joined Lynette II.
The seventy-sixth to rule our shore
May future rulers ring as true!

Jolly Christoph, beer in hand,
With sweet Adelhait they lead the way
As seventy-seventh holding the land
Mid laughter bright, they bade us play.

Cuán and Signy were called again
To guide our kingdom for half a year.
Seventy-eight, they did not wane
When the plague spread o’er the sphere.

Accompanied by hounds of white
Anton and Luned strong did reign
Seventy-ninth, through all plague’s blight
By light of their devotion’s flame.

And at the end of that dire hour,
Came the glorious eightieth reign!
As bright and blooming as sunflowers
Were Eckehard Thurn and sweetest Jane.

Of Kings and Queens our story told                                         (verse 105)
Their might to rule these happy lands
Argent-azure the flag flies bold
The past lives on in future’s hands.

 

Credits

Original twelve verses by Cariadoc of the Bow
Original introduction (now verse 24) and final verse by Johanna von den Glocken
Principalities and new introduction (verses 1-2 and 15) by Ealawynn Mæru (alias Ela) upon the 40th Year Anniversary of Atlantia
Starred (*) poets have served as Poeta Atlantiae.

Authorship by verse:

3-14, 25, 30: Cariadoc of the Bow
24, 26-29, 31-46, 105: Johanna von den Glocken
47-55: Bran Trefonnen *
60-68, 72-77: Dunstan LeHeryngmongere *
58, 70-71, 78-79: Maaline Reynard *
56-57, 59, 69: James of Middle Aston *
80-83: Ceridwen ferch Owain *
84-85, 89-90, 93-95: Etienne le Mons d’Anjou *
86-88: Katarzyna Witkowska *
91-92: Deirdre O’Bardon *
99-100: Ishmael Stedfast Reed *
101: Evelyn Merrymet
103: Talia de Morales *
1-2, 15-23, 96-98, 102, 104: Ealawynn Mæru, alias Ela *

Authorship by reign:

1 and 6 repeat Duke Cariadoc’s original poem
2-5, 7-22: Johanna von den Glocken
23-31: Bran Trefonnen *
36-44, 48-53: Dunstan LeHeryngmongere *
34, 46, 47, 54, 55: Maaline Reynard *
32, 33, 35, 45: James of Middle Aston *
56-59: Ceridwen ferch Owain *
60-61, 65, 66, 69-71: Etienne le Mons d’Anjou *
62-64: Katarzyna Witkowska *
67-68: Deirdre O’Bardon *
75-76: Ishmael Stedfast Reed *
77: Evelyn Merrymet
79: Talia de Morales *
72-74, 78, 80: Ealawynn Mæru, alias Ela *

Interkingdom Anthropology: Reign Data

And now, it’s time for some SCA data!

During the height of the pandemic in 2020, I started thinking about the average length of reigns, and how often folks reigned, for what should be obvious reasons (my thanks to all the Eternal Majesties of the Plague out there!). Out of curiosity and a love of spreadsheets, I started crunching some data.

This is the result! The data includes all reigns from the creation of each kingdom to March 2020 (so it doesn’t include reigns since then – the sovereigns were only counted if they were already on the throne as of March 2020). I’m presenting the data without interpretation; however, I’m happy to talk inferences and interpretation. Additionally, there are a few caveats that people should know: first, several kingdoms had reigns where either the crown or consort were unable to serve, so the number of individuals may not match. Second, if you wish to calculate total time on the throne, MOST reigns last 6 months; however, the West has three reigns a year, so they only last 4 months. Third, this doesn’t account for folks who ruled in multiple kingdoms.

Please be aware that I am only one fallible human, self-taught in spreadsheets, so there are likely some errors (especially as I did a lot of this late at night). If you find any errors, let me know and I’ll either correct the image or put a correction in the description (probably the latter, as it’s easier).

Please click on images to access larger sizes.

Collected Data

Aethelmearc

An Tir

Ansteorra

Artemisia

Atenveldt

Atlantia

Caid

Calontir

Drachenwald

Ealdormere

East

Gleann Abhann

Lochac

Meridies

Midrealm

Northshield

Outlands


Trimaris

West

Fiffaru, the Disaster Lyre

This is the story of the Five Calamities of Fiffaru, the Disaster Lyre.

In 2019, my friend Mattheus Dupuy showed up to a local practice with a Germanic lyre. He let me noodle on it, and I instantly fell in love. After letting me borrow his lyre for a bit, he offered to help me build an Oberflacht lyre using instructions from Michael J. King — my first woodworking project! In a day of woodworking, we managed to get the crosspiece cut, the body shaped, and over half of the soundbox hollowed out. Unfortunately, at the end of the day, the router slipped and cut a large curve in the back before we noticed. This was the First Calamity. After talking about hollowing the whole thing out and slapping on a backpiece, we broke for the day.

The half-hollowed lyre, with the hole near the bottom solid section.

The lyre sat in my garage for nearly two years. With the plague marching the lands, I didn’t have access to the tools to finish it, and over winter I didn’t have a warm space to work on it, either. Then warm weather hit, vaccinations were imminent, and I felt the need to get this sucker done. I had an electrical drill, a coping saw, and pure stubbornness. I had neither a workbench nor wisdom. Despite this, over a weekend I managed to get the majority of the body cut out via strategic drilling and very difficult sawing. Unfortunately, as I started to hollow closer to the lyre’s arms, the lyre cracked where the two arms met. This was the Second Calamity.

Right before it cracked (yes, I was using a cardboard box to drill into)

I decided to peg and glue the headpiece when this happened, to provide stability (since I didn’t have a proper dowel to peg it with, I sliced up an old bamboo knitting needle). I spent a long time trying to find the best glue for the job, but I couldn’t find any recommendations, so I settled on standard wood glue. After finishing the headpiece, I glued the break, clamped it all tightly, and left it for a week or so.

Because I had limited tools and the structure had already been compromised, I decided to simply even out the hollowing and not even attempt to make the front and back boards flush with the frame.

The finished frame and soundboards, ready for gluing

I used wood glue to attach the soundboards, pressed the whole thing with some handweights, and let it dry.

Around this time is when I discovered the Third Calamity: mismatched holes. I had planned for a six-string lyre. Mattheus gifted me a bridge of bog oak for six strings, as well as a horn tailpiece, which I drilled for six strings. But I did my math wrong, and drilled only five holes in the headpiece, with no space to cram in a sixth. Luckily, I could skip one slot on the bridge, and I was able to fit a seventh hole on the tailpiece so that the strings could still be roughly equally-spaced. Thus, the lyre became a pentatonic lyre by accident.

This was not the only issue involving the pegs. I didn’t drill the whole way through, as I didn’t want them to be visible from the back; however, I made some of the pegs too shallow, and the leftmost one in particular had trouble going in. So, I decided to deepen some of the holes — and promptly went through the back on the leftmost. I managed to not do that on the other four, but this was still the Fourth Calamity.

Before stringing, I wanted to apply a finish. However, I couldn’t find any reccomendations for a finish that were newbie-friendly and non-combustible (hi, linseed oil!), so I decided to just use a mix of mineral oil and beeswax, which I already had on hand for wooden chopping boards.

Finally, it was time for stringing! I had purchased a bunch of guitar string sets, so I chose the best selection of nylon strings from those. I was a little at a loss for how to attach the tailpiece, but other lyres I had used employed either fishing line, fake sinew, or plastic-wrapped wire. I had some of the latter available, so I strung it up, but upon tensioning the strings this snapped, being sliced through by the horn tailpiece (the Fifth Calamity). I tried a few fixes, then took some files to the holes and smoothed them out. I no longer trusted the wire, though, so I wrapped part of the tailpiece holes with silk thread and fingerloop braided a tie. It held.

Fiffaru’s final form!

By this point, I had decided to name the lyre Fiffaru, which translates to Five Calamities (from fif and fær, which pluralizes to faru). Despite being the Disaster Lyre, it sounds pretty good! While I don’t have a performance video of this, please enjoy the first recorded noodling upon it:

 

Overall, I’m quite proud of Fiffaru, and its name is rather tongue-in-cheek. This was my first woodworking project, and my first instrument! At the end, I have a pretty beautiful instrument that sounds nice and will hold up well as it’s dragged to events, and because of the calamities I now have a dedicated pentatonic lyre. It’s an overall win!

Finally, in addition to the plans from Michael J. King, I found a few additional websites useful:

A Plaid

Singles with penny to show width
(Some of the) skeined yarns

In 2019, I decided I wanted to weave a plaid for the first time, using handspun. I had spun the yarn earlier that year, using some gifted roving in dark brown and cream as well as light brown and green that I purchased from the Maryland Sheep and Wool Festival. I spun it very finely and ended up with quite a large amount of yarn!

I decided to warp up a twill on my tapestry loom, using it like a two-beam loom.

Read more

First Calligraphy

Layout and practice

I was so excited to do calligraphy for the first time! I calligraphed a beautiful scroll blank by Adelaide Halfpint inspired by the Ormesby Psalter (1250-1330).
While I had practiced a similar script (Batarde), I practiced the script from the Ormesby Psalter for this scroll, meaning that I learned a new hand for my first calligraphy! I used standard scroll text, as I didn’t want to hyperfocus on my own words the first time I calligraphed something.

 

Scroll being presented in court. Photograph by Kolfinna Valravn.