Author: Mathurin Kerbusso

Non-Land Agents Asked to Wait Until Saturday to Arrive at Pennsic

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Re-posted from the Æthelmearc Gazette:

As many of you know, it has been a very rainy summer in western PA. Wet conditions at Coopers’ Lake are proving more challenging than usual for the Land Staff. As a result, the Deputy Mayor in charge of Land for Pennsic 48, Duchess Elizabeth von Kulmbach, sent the following request to all Land Agents today:

Due to the ongoing challenging conditions with weather and wet ground, Pennsic Staff would like to strongly encourage all campers to hang back and leave FRIDAY, JULY 26th admission to LAND AGENTS ONLY for Pennsic War 48.

We may need extra time to work through unexpected map difficulties with as few distractions and displaced people as possible so that we may remain calm and courteous to one another. NON LAND AGENTS should please delay arrival to PENNSIC WAR 48 until SATURDAY, JULY 27TH. (Exceptions being those ride sharing with a Land Agent, or the minor children of Land Agents. The goal is to reduce the number of CARS and CONFUSTION on site as some groups may need to move blocks due to uncampable conditions.)

This is not a rule, but a very strong suggestion that all Land Agents are being asked to pass on at this time.

Previous suggestions to non-Land Agents that “delayed arrival would be helpful” applied mainly to Troll processing capacity. THIS NOTICE applies more to the number of vehicles on site before each group has a confirmed place to set up and we are able to open site to all cars.

The battle field will be soft and easily rutted, and the more cars that stack up before we can open, the worse condition it will be in for fighting later. Land Grab is expected to take longer than usual. Land Agents should REALLY go look at their blocks IN PERSON before approving their maps.

MERCHANTS should continue to defer to the Coopers for set up and arrival instructions, per usual.

Thank you for your understanding and aid in communicating this to attendees.

Sincerely,

Duchess Elizabeth
DM Land, PW 48

Photo by Master Augusto Giuseppe da San Donato

Announcement: The New Event Volunteer Job Posting Page Is Now Live!

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Gleaned from the Book of Faces:

Due to popular demand – the Web Team has created a new job posting dashboard for Event Stewards (etc.) to post upcoming volunteer jobs that are needed for upcoming events!

Volunteers are encouraged to peruse the dashboard and e-mail the contacts listed to help groups to be able to put on the best events they can! This is a great way to give back to your Kingdom with service!

To submit a job posting, go to: Event Job Posting Submission Form (https://calontir.org/eventjobpostingssubmit/)

To view the dashboard, go here: Event Job Posting Dashboard (https://calontir.org/job-dashboard/)

—
Honorable Lady Allison of Forgotten Sea
Kingdom of Calontir Webminister

 

Announcement: Seneschal’s Handbook – Youth Policies

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Detail from the Hunterian Psalter, Glasgow University Library MS Hunter 229 (U.3.2) circa 1170. Public domain in the US

The SCA Board of Directors has approved the language below to be used in the Society Seneschal’s Handbook.  While we believe this to be a functional policy we wish to consult subject matter experts in the area of youth activities and further changes may be made in the future. We greatly appreciate thoughtful suggestions to policy language and welcome commentary.

Commentary may be sent to comments@sca.org.  Please use the title “Seneschal’s Handbook – Youth Policies” in the subject line.  Please make sure that all comments are contained in the body of the email.  This email does not accept attachments and will not forward emails containing attachments.

***

Motion by John St. Dennis that Section X.3 “Dealing With Minor/Youth -Related Policies of the Seneschal’s Handbook be replaced with the following language effective immediately:

Parents or guardians of minors shall have ultimate responsibility for the welfare and behavior of their children at all times.  It is the responsibility of the adult who brings a minor to an event to ensure that the minor is safe and not in danger.  At events in which youth participate in any way, participating minors must either have a parent or legal guardian present at the event, or an accompanying adult present in possession of a properly executed “Medical Authorization Form for Minors.” 

Notification of this change to the membership should be accompanied by the following announcement:  “The SCA Board of Directors has approved the language below to be used in the Society Seneschals Handbook.  While we believe this to be a functional policy we wish to consult subject matter experts in the area of youth activities and further changes may be made in the future. We greatly appreciate thoughtful suggestions to policy language and welcome commentary.”

Second by Dan Watson.  In favor: Natalie Degerstrom T.S. Morgan, Vandy Pacetti-Donelson, Richard Sherman, John St. Dennis, Dan Watson.  Opposed: None.  Chairman Craig Carter exercised his option to vote and did so in favor of the motion.  Motion carried 7-0.

Comments are strongly encouraged and can be sent to:

SCA Inc.
Box 360789
Milpitas,  CA 95036

You may also email comments@lists.sca.org.

This announcement is an official informational release by the Society for Creative Anachronism , Inc.  Permission is granted to reproduce this announcement in its entirety in newsletters, websites and electronic mailing lists.

Calontir Steel 6th Anniversary “Bash”

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Summer Coronation 2019 was the sixth anniversary of Calontir Steel becoming an official activity.

To mark the occasion, Master Gavin Kappler organized a birthday celebration demonstration. Each combatant was to fight seven fights (six for the year and one to grow on!) with each other combatant.

The fighting was held at the park Saint Joseph’s Civic Center Park, just two blocks from the Coronation venue. Ample shade and a cool breeze made for a pleasant afternoon of fighting. And, afterward, there was cake!

photos courtesy Johann Steinarsson, video courtesy Mathurin Kerbusso

In Memoriam: Master Eadweard Boicewright

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Courtesy The Knowne World Memorial Shield Project

Word came to us this week of the passing of Master Eadward Boicewright

Memorial services are being planned for the Kingdom and Society at large. Arrangements have also been made for a memento on the Memorial Ship at Pennsic this year.

Come gather ye pipers and long chanters blow
Fetch drum and a tabor and play a march slow.
I raise up my cup and I share drink with thee,
A cup of our tears to quench the dark sea.

I grieve with my cousins of Calontir and the Known World at the passing of Master Eadweard Boicewright, who has touched so many of us. I mourn with his lady wife Marcella, his family, and his household. I feel most keenly the loss of one of my dearest friends.

Courtesy The Calontiri Wiki

There was a time long ago when Queen Alethea asked me to make a strand of beads that would be given as Her Majesty’s token at the upcoming Queen’s Prize Tourney. I made the beads as Her Majesty asked and waited to see who would win them. When the beads were presented, I made it a point to meet the recipient after Court that evening. I’d wanted to know who would be wearing my art.

When I introduced myself to Lord Eadweard Boicewright that evening, I did not know that one day he would be a laurel, a Calontir legend, and one of my best friends. On that day, he was fairly new to the SCA and had just completed his second Queen’s Prize entry. I still hear people talk about the lathe that he entered that year. That day seems so long ago now, yet I still remember it clearly.

In the fullness of time, both of our roles in Calontir grew. Our friendship grew as well. Eadweard Boicewright brought his talent, his knowledge, his generosity, and his hospitality to the realm. He taught any would ask and he welcomed all to his camp. As a merchant, he sold practical wood wares and weaving tools. I have heard of many weavers who got their first loom from Eadweard. Many weaving instructors tell of how he would provide tools for their classes, often by donation. I couldn’t count the times when I would I be sitting in his camp at Lilies and someone would come in with a broken tent pole or other problem and ask “Eadward, can you fix this?” And he could and did.

Courtesy Johann Steinarsson

I spoke for the Order of the Laurel when Eadweard was elevated to the peerage. I spoke of ideals like courtesy and hospitality and how it was a Laurel’s duty to enrich the Kingdom. Eadweard would come to embody those ideals. There was always shade and refreshment at his camp. Many of our folk talk of  how Eadweard welcomed them when they were new to SCA, how he encouraged them, and how he helped them find their path. He was an inspiration to many and example to us all.

I often hear people speak of how the world is a little darker when someone who has touched us like Eadweard has pass. However, it is not. Grief makes us feel this way. When the grief fades and the loss is less keenly felt, we will see that the light has not dimmed. It glows in our memory and in the legacy of our lost friend. Eadweard’s light and legacy will live on in everyone whose life he touched, in Calontir and beyond. When we share that light with those around us, Eadward’s gift to us grows.

It is right and fitting that we mourn. Let Non-Nobis resound through the land. Let glasses be raised in honor and sorrow. Let us cry and feel our loss. Let us comfort one another and support our friends. But let us not forget that while we sorrow, we carry Master Eadweard in our hearts. Let us all strive to keep his example of courtesy, friendship, hospitality, and honor alive in the days and years ahead.

Master Mellitus of Rouncivale

Sing Non Nobis!

 

Podcast Review: The Saga Thing

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Tacuina sanitatis 14th C. Public domain in the US

One of the first podcasts I started listening to when I first got into podcasts back in 2014 was The Saga Thing podcast. It is an episodic overview of the Iceland family sagas by two Medieval history professors who met when they were both in grad school. They have a love for the Norse sagas, and decided to create a podcast about a subset of them as a way to stay in touch with each other. Originally they thought that they would spend an hour or so discussing a saga and then pass judgement on it at a trial (hence the “thing” in the podcast’s name). It has turned out that they fail miserably at getting through any particular saga quickly, so a single saga will often take many episodes over many weeks, with another episode just for the judgments. In fact their very first episode was split into 3 parts, and I think only one saga was completed in a single episode. But the length of each episode is well worth it.

They take a lighthearted approach, sharing jokes back and forth, and making LOTS of modern cultural references (e.g Princess Bride, Star Wars, the Vikings TV show, etc.). This keeps the tone light and the digressions interesting. After a few episodes I felt like I knew these guys personally. They describe what happens in a saga (or a portion thereof, typically), and then talk about its significance to the overall story, to other sagas, and even to other Medieval literature. They often contrast what the author is claiming happened versus what they know from studying other contemporaneous texts, always keeping in mind that the Icelandic sagas were written WELL after the fact.

They are currently going through Egil’s Saga. They are 8 episodes in, and are guessing it will take more than twice that to finish. When they read portions of the actual saga (typically in translation, but sometimes in Old Norse) they come up with interesting voices for the different characters, and do a credible job of using the same voice for the same character from episode to episode.This helps keep the podcasts entertaining, and leads to more banter and teasing between the two of them.

When they “judge” a saga, they have several criteria that they use:

  • Best Bloodshed (Best battle scene description)
  • Body Count (Number of unnatural deaths)
  • Nicknames (Best nickname of a character)
  • Notable Witticisms (Most quote-able line spoken by a character)
  • Outlawry (Which character should be banished from Iceland)
  • Thingmen (Which character joins one of the hosts band of brothers (and sisters))
  • Final Ratings

They have come up with several unique measurements over the years, several based on the first saga they reviewed, Hrafnkel’s Saga. Things like length and body count are both compared with that saga to give some perspective on the different themes the different sagas take. Some are less bloody than others, for example, so they want to provide an easy indication of just how blood filled a saga was for it’s length.

In addition to reviewing sagas, they also have created many “Saga Briefs”, in which they spend an episode talking about things related to Medieval Iceland that aren’t directly from a saga. Two relatively recent ones were about the recent “female viking warrior” find and Medieval archery. In both they interviewed experts in the field and presented scholarly findings, rather than click-bait headlines. There have also been several relating to the Vikings TV show, and comparing what is happening there with both the sagas and other historical accounts. They have gotten much better in the past year or so about posting new podcasts more regularly, so you can look forward to new content every couple of weeks, or so.

If you are at all interested in Norse history or saga literature, then you will enjoy listening to these podcasts. While it isn’t necessary to start at the beginning, I would recommend at least starting at the beginning of a particular saga, rather than partway through. Even though they provide a summary of what went before at the start of each podcast, they usually only cover the one just before, not a recap from the beginning of the saga.

— Logan goði —

P.S. It was this podcast that inspired me to use goði as my County equivalent.

Guy Windsor on Head Injury

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Detail of fol. 5r from Royal Armouries Ms. I.33, circa 1300. Public domain in the US

This was shared on the Calonlist by HE Duncan Bruce of Logan and further shared on Facebook. It applies to all fighters, but especially to longsword in the Stile community.

This is something we have just begun to work on and, as Guy points out, like HEMA, we are probably not doing an adequate job of it. Especially the point that fencing masks are absolutely not sufficient to protect from concussions, especially the microconcussions that can lead to CTE (chronic traumatic encephalopathy). Adding padding to them actually makes the problem worse.

The second problem is that of perception of risk; that the more safe we perceive something is, the more risk we are willing to accept. This is the nature of human beings and, in our case as in HEMA, leads to excessive blow calibration. The Society has dealt with this by requiring padding to head protection and requiring rigid hand protection for longsword bouts. But, again, this is not sufficient for fencing masks.

He also gives a shout out to SCA rattan fighting for having addressed these issues already.

Definitely worth viewing and discussing.

 

In Memoriam: The Passing of Anlon McMatha

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Word came to us this week of the passing of Lord Anlon McMatha

Many of you will remember Anlon from his many years at Cornucopia at Lilies or as a steadfast pillar of the Shire of Dun Ard.

The THL Tola Rufusdóhtor remembers

Anlon, proprietor of Cornucopia. My friend.

I met Anlon 8 years ago at an event in Lost Moor. With his ready smile he was selling his wares. He often referred to that store, Cornucopia, as “Lilies General Store”.

He was always ready to make a person laugh or listen when seas troubled. He was never too busy. At Corucopia he always had a drink and a shady spot for anyone who needed a rest. Such was his generous heart.

Our world is a dimmer place now, as Anlon crosses to that place where there is no pain or suffering. He was loved by many and will be sorely missed.

Visitation for Anlon (Melvin Rice) will be at 10 am with services following at 11 am on Saturday, June 29 at the Belden-Larkin funeral home in Leavenworth KS. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Smithsonian Institution.

James Smithsonian Society
Smithsonian Institution
PO Box 37012, MRC 712
Washington, DC 20013-7012

Sing Non Nobis!