A.S. XLV And They Speak For Themselves, Pages 16-17 Calf s Corner, Trebuchet, Pages 21-24 This month in history, Page 25 February 2011
Page 3, List of Officers Page 4, Lists of Champions Page 5, Calendar of Events Page 6-13, Baronial Officers Reports Page 14, Eldern Drapa Page 15 and 20, Eldern Exegesis Page 16-17, Article of Interest Page 18-19, New Beginnings Page 21-24, Calf s Corner Page 25, This Month in History Photos, Art, Poetry, illuminations and articles for consideration should be submitted to the Chronicler no later than the 15 th of each month. Articles that are chosen will be published in subsequent editions of the Eldern Pages. Page 26, Disclaimer
List of Officers Baron and Baroness HE Sir Brom O Brien HE Audrella de Lyon C/O Alan and Janice Kirksey Seneschal Lord Meurik Vaughn Hospitaler Lady Gillian of Eldern Hills C/O Sharon Vasquez Herald Kenneth MacAllister C/O Paul Williams III Reeve Lady Keara Raven C/O Wendy Riggs Chronicler Skialda-Aevarr C/O William Shelton Knight s Marshal Lord Daniel Schade C/O Daniel Redmond Minster of Children (acting Deputy) Milady Maeve Ogmundsdotrir C/O Tracy Riemer Office accepting applications Arts & Sciences Minister HL Gunnarr haukr C/O Jim Hodek Webminister Office accepting applications
Eldern Champions Bardic Champion Lady Gillian of Eldern Hills, Barony of Eldern Hills Chivalric Champion Earl Dafydd Whitacre, Shire of Brad Leah Arts & Sciences Champion Sayidda Sabiha Al Zarqa Binthakim Al Alafae, Barony of Eldern Hills Rapier Champion Warder Kristoff von Fugger, Barony of the Eldern Hills Thrown Weapons Champion Lord Gunnar haukr, Barony of Eldern Hills Archery Champion Lord Vincenti de Murano, Barony of Namron
February 2011 Sunday Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Saturday 1 Meeting 7:30 Buisness Meeting 2 Groundhog s Day 6 p.m Fighter Practice 3 6 p.m. Woodworking 4 5 Candlemas Bryn Gwlad (Austin, TX) 6 6 p.m. Woodworkin g 7 8 Meeting 7:30 9 6 p.m Fighter Practice 10 6 p.m. Woodworking 11 Kingdom A&S Bjornsborg (San Antonio, TX) 12 11 th 13 th 13 6 p.m. Woodworking 14 Valentine s Day Estrella War Atenveldt 14 th 21 st 15 Meeting 7:30 Picture Night Continued 16 6 p.m Fighter Practice 17 6 p.m. Woodworking 18 19 Bonwicke Artisians III Bonwicke (Lubbock, TX) 20 6 p.m. Woodworking 21 President s Day 22 Meeting 7:30 23 6 p.m Fighter Practice 24 6 p.m. Woodworking 25 Jägermeister Ffynnon Gath (San Marcos, TX) Company of Wolves X - House Wolfstar 26 25 th 27 th 27 6 p.m. Woodworking 28
Baron and Baroness Greetings All, The winds and temperatures are bitter and have us staying well within our Keep. We hope all of you are warm in front of your fires and ready for a new season. First, let us thank both Lady Murienn and Lady Aoife for their devotion and attention to details in serving the Barony as Seneschal and Chronicler. We appreciate their efforts and wish them well as they now pursue other interests. Vivat Lady Murienn! Vivat Lady Aoife! We welcome Lord Meurik and M lord Skialda-Ævarr to these offices and look forward to working with them as they bring their enthusiasm for the new tenure to these offices. We have every confidence in their abilities. As we enter into a new season, we would encourage those who have not registered a name and device to do so. We still have many shields to be painted on our banners and are looking forward to adding each of you to them. Please get with our Herald, M lord Kenneth and he will help walk you through the paperwork. Now is the time to start preparing for Eldern, so start thinking about what you can do to make it a great event. But wait the call of war is at hand. In Service, Brom and Audrella
Seneschal Greeting! It would seem that I arrrrr now your new Seneschal hehe. I want to thank Lady Muirenn for all the hard work she has done over the past two years as Seneschal and hope for her speedy recovery. I am very excited about the direction the Barony has been taking as of late and I am ready to do my part in making this the greatest group in all of Ansteorra! We are already off to a rocking good start so far with lots of good fund raising ideas to help defer the cost of our Baronial lock-up and some fun demo ideas to make our presence known again in this community. I would personally like to thank Lady Maeve and Milady Vera for their great ideas and help with getting these ideas off the ground. By the time that you are reading this we should have our event steward selected for this coming Eldern and maybe some new officers in our group. Please remember if you are thinking about being an officer or are interested in learning about an office talk to the current officers I'm sure any of them would be happy to have a deputy. Smooth sailing to you all, Lord Meurik Vaughn The newest Seneschal of The Barony of the Eldern Hills
Herald Greetings all, A few things have been happening this month that I am happy to report. First I would like to formally thank Greidi Til Draunur for all of the help I have received, thank you again for your support. Several members of the populace have been discussing starting on their names and devices and I am currently running a few checks for two members of our group. For those that do not know I have started a large task of reorganizing both our OP, or Order of Precedence, as well as running checks on past submissions and awards. If I come filled with questions please bear with me, I want to ensure that you receive the recognition that you deserve. In February I will be holding a Heraldic Consultation night, so bring your questions and comments. In service to the dream, Kenneith MacAlister
Reeve Greetings unto the populace of Eldern Hills. Here is my last report to you as Lady Bean Counter. The end of the year report is finished and in the mail to the Northern Regional. At the next business meeting I will officially and happily hand over my office to Phillippe. It has been my pleasure to serve the barony these last 2 years as Reeve and I look forward to finding new ways to continue serving. The following is the end of the year balances for both accounts. Checking $4,182.40 Savings $1,169.72
Hospitaler Greetings to the gentles at Eldern, Happy beginning to your year, everyone. January has proven to be a marvelous month, with photo night, newcomers' evening and Lord Griffydd's short trip home. We can celebrate a few birthdays as well. This year, no matter which century you find yourself in, is off to a joyful start. Perhaps you've found yourself sitting near a visitor, a guest of a guest, or a newbie recently, we have had several at meeting lately. At newcomers' night, we enjoyed the presence of close to a dozen folk who showed up to try their hands at winning a prize. Deanna left with the gift of bruise balm, which is a sought-after gift, indeed. Our Barony has been generous with these gifts. Once again, I particularly want to thank the Medieval Mercantile, Lady Gena and Lady Maeve. Thank you all for making that effort to find or make the goodies we offer. Also, Mistress Adria and Master Artorius added pieces of spectacular garb recently--it will be difficult for someone to make that choice next time! Thanks to everyone for hospitaling whomever you're sitting close to--it takes a village. Our populace meetings continue to average 35. In the dream, Lady Gillian of Eldern Hospitaler
Knight s Marshal Well I see it is time once again for the reports to start again. This month events are few and folks are trying to get their lives back to something resembling familiar. But, there has been a growing interest in the light fighting, which is a good thing if you're a light fighter, just kidding. This is really a good thing. We have had three fighters practices and have had good turn out, but I know these will be getting larger. The heavy lists have stayed steady around 5 people, not counting the fine gentlemen that traveled up from the south. When the practices go back to the park, the walk by question and answer sessions will increase, so get ready for the drills. There are a number of events coming up that we all should consider going to, such as Estrella War and Gulf War. If you are thinking about going to these events, make sure your gear and camping equipment is in good repair and look at your authorization cards to insure they are up to date. Remember duct tape is your friend and not just for your armor! Please don't forget that my office is currently accepting applications and I am more than willing to help anyone out if they decide to step up into this awesome office! In Service and Carrying an awesomely huge stick! Lord Daniel Schade
Arts and Sciences Minister Greetings, Due to personal issues I am a little behind on what everyone is doing with their arts and sciences projects. I am sure projects are rolling along well and am looking forward to seeing what everyone has been doing over the last few weeks. The guilds are still going strong and guild heads continue to take in anyone wishing to learn a skill or craft. I made it to Winter Kingdom and was pleased to see quite a large turnout from our Barony. It was a good day for learning and those of us who were able to attend brought back lots that we are looking forward to sharing with the rest of the populace. Nearly a dozen folks attended the blacksmithing class throughout the day with several new knives being hammered out and taken home. Continue the hard work and the research. In Service, Gunnar haukr Minister of Arts and Sciences
Chronicler Greetings, This month our pages feature many great articles including two submitted by members of our populace. I would encourage everyone to submit articles for consideration as well as poetry, artwork, photos and project plans. I also still need email conformations from any populace members who wish to receive the pages directly at their personal email address. Guild heads who wish to have their contact information added to the pages should email me, include SCA and mundane name, contact phone number, email and the address where the guild is to meet as well as meeting days. I would encourage anyone having a constructive idea to email me. Góður veiðar, Skialda-Ævarr
The Perfect Valentine s Day bouquet A sprig of clover, blue violets, sorrel, star of Bethlehem, red roses surrounding a peach blossom. Meaning: You, who hold me captivated, be mine and I shall remain purely affectionate and passionately in love with you.
Making the Leap: One person s way to play persona By Skialda-Ævarr I won t go into the myriad of details that make up a workable, believable persona. However I will say the best resources for learning how to develop a persona are Scadians that already have one. What we are going to talk about is the playing of a persona. I believe there are three main issues to be dealt with to begin play. The first is explaining to yourself how it is possible to be interacting with so many individuals from different cultures and different time periods. Due to the collage of times and cultures it is best to imagine, when you get to an event, that you are arriving at a temporary encampment where people from all over have gathered to settle disputes, trade, craft and socialize. This sort of thing did happen in the middle ages on both large and small scales, study the history of Birka and Damascus or even the Byzantine Empire. With this in mind imagine that people in other lands measure time differently or, avoiding certain conversations, just ignore their time period. Once you have dealt with this issue the next to arrive is how do you behave. How do you, or rather your persona, react to meeting strangely dressed people or even members of your own culture? How do you conduct yourself with members of the opposite sex or with children? What do you find important and why? To answer these questions you have two choices. The first is to utilize your own mundane personality and base your persona s off of it. This is the easiest method to persona play. The other, requiring more thought, is to be the exact opposite of your mundane personality, sometimes this can be extremely fun and entertaining as long as you don t go so far as to offend someone the size of Sir Owen. Once you have determined your personality type it is relatively easy to decide how to behave, no one expects you to put on airs or use an accent but that could add to your play as well. For fighters determining your behavior could be lots of fun. See Play, on Page 21
And They Speak for Themselves By: Hrefna Gunnars dottir Photos By: Skialda-Aevarr "A lesson in each flower, A story in each tree and bower, In every herb on which we tread, Are written words Flowers and Festivals February brings Valentine s Day, a day to celebrate and share love for others. A single rose or a bouquet of colorful flowers offered to someone special vividly expresses that love. Yet, why is it a red rose and not a yellow dandelion which represents that love? The answer can be found within the hidden language of the flowers and herbs. Flowers and herbs held multiple meanings for many people and cultures. An herb told a story or held a meaning within its fragrant leaves. [1] Not only was there a medicinal or culinary use for herbs, they could be used to represent a certain image. Instead of a universal symbolic language, the language of flowers was a vocabulary list matching flowers with meanings, differing from book to book. [2] Each flower was associated with a phrase or a single word which differed from person, culture and era. Sometimes referred to as floriography, this concept was fashionable during the Victorian era as a form of communication where flowers, either by itself or as part of a bouquet, were used to send messages during a time where expression of feelings was not entirely appropriate. Yet, the meaning behind plants can be traced further back than our Victorian ancestors. Ancient cultures used flowers and herbs in their literature and multiple poets found use for flowers ranging from Japan to the Western cultures as well. Greeks as well as other cultures often associated flowers with gods. For instance the bay leaf was tied to Apollo. He wore it as a crown to honor Daphne. In his pursuit of her, Daphne changed into a bay tree, thus a wreath of bay leaves came to symbolize honor for Roman generals and emperors. [3] The first flower found within literature was from Asia. As a waterlily, the lotus has been a sacred object for at least 5000 years. [4] In India, the lotus became a symbol of perfect truth and purity and was associated with Buddha himself. [5] See Flowers, Page 18
Flowers, Continued from Page 17 A Tibetan prayer makes reference to the lotus. In Hindu, Brahma sits upon a lotus and in Western cultures it is referenced that the lotus was a symbol of purity and forgetfulness. was During the middle ages, much was written to provide education in the world of botany, offering meaning behind different plants. Some plant symbolism derived from biblical sources, but a great deal more was inherited from the classical world, both in the form of pagan legend (vines and ivy were both sacred to Bacchus) and from the works of the founding fathers of European botany Theophrastus (372-257 B.C.), Dioscorides (c. AD 40-90), and the elder Pliny (AD 23-79) whose writings remained a source of reference for many centuries. [6 Even earlier than the medieval ages we find plants being given certain meanings such as the white lily having ties to the Virgin Mary. Regardless of the time and the culture, the red rose has and always will stand for love Even today meaning is found within the different flora that surrounds us, flowers and herbs all have come to symbolize certain emotions and thoughts. There's rosemary, that's for remembrance; pray, love, remember: and there is pansies. that's for thoughts, Ophelia Speech, Hamlet Act 4. Scene V. [1] Scoble, Gretchen and Ann Field. The Meaning of Herbs: Myth, Language, and Lore. (California: Chronicle Books LLC, 2001), 5. [2] Seaton, Beverly. The Language of Flowers: A History. (Virginia: University Press of Virginia, 1995),. [3] Scoble, Gretchen and Ann Field. The Meaning of Herbs: Myth, Language, and Lore. (California: Chronicle Books LLC, 2001), 5. [4] Ward, Bobby J. A Contemplation Upon Flowers: Garden Plants in Myth and Legend. (Oregon: Timber Press, Inc, 1999), 373. [5] Scoble, Gretchen and Ann Field. The Meaning of Flowers: Myth, Language, and Lore. (California: Chronicle Books LLC, 1998), 6. 6 Fisher, Celia. Flowers in a Medieval Manuscript. (Toronto: University of Toronto Press, 2004), 56..
Photo By Skialda-Aevarr Everyone has a hobby some just hit harder than others. Heavy Armored Combat Practice is currently held Wednesdays at 6 p.m. at Central Middle School. For more information contact the Knight s Marshal at Baronial Meetings, Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m. at Cameron University s Birch Hall.
Photo By Skialda-Aevarr Someone once said, if you can t find something to do in the SCA, you aren t looking hard enough. To learn about the wide range of crafts, skills and activities within the SCA visit the official website at www.sca.org.
Play, from Page 16 Ever cussed out an opponent in your persona s native tongue, or demanded or paid recompense for slaying an enemy. Try it, just remember my father s old saying once more than necessary is too much. Fighters can go as far as improving their play with creative means of yielding the field, Vikings and Samurai might take their own lives the French might just run away screaming like small girls, you never can tell. The persona conscience fighter could even dedicate his opponents life to his gods. Wrong or right, your persona s behavior on the field could improve game play and could enhance someone else's experience as well. The last question in persona play, is asking yourself, What do I talk about with others? It is common to hear people talk about their mundane lives at events, I ve done it myself and there is nothing wrong with that. But to play your persona well you should have some ideas of what your character would find important enough to converse about. If someone says to you, what is your persona, would you say I am a 9 th Century Faroese Norseman, or would you simply say I am Norse or I am from the Faroe Islands. If someone in my mundane life asks me where I am from, I rarely say I am from the Former Republic of Texas, I just say Texas. If they say when were you born I might tell them my birth year now, but in a culture where time was measured by events I might say, I was born around the time of Harold Blue-Tooth s fall from power. With proper research and a little thought it is fun and easy to immerse yourself enough in a persona to act, talk and think like that person could have. You don t have to be a jerk or even a period policeman to enjoy persona play. Just think to yourself, I am one of may funny dressed people, with weird names and I am here to enjoy my experience to the fullest. That thought will carry you through many embarrassing persona play moments, like the first time I tried to compliment my wife s legs in old Icelandic and accidently compared her to a she-goat. No matter what happens, laugh at yourself and you will enjoy the SCA a whole lot more. For myself I plan to begin practicing what I preach and have begun a new philosophy for SCA Persona play, I call it simply Trying It. To submit an editorial for consideration for the Eldern Exegesis, email skialdaaevarr@yahoo.com, Articles contained under the Eldern Exegesis heading are the opinion of the writer and do not express the opinion of the Barony of the Eldern Hills.
This months Calf s Corner includes the beginning assembly instructions for the trebuchet. Photos and article Courtesy of Will Kalif, at www.stormcastle.com Remember to use proper safety equipment when using tools. Also children should be properly supervised when attempting to build this project.
How To Build A Trebuchet Let's cut all the wood for our Trebuchet first. Step 1 Using your long pieces of wood cut these lengths: 1-16 inch piece; This is the swing arm 2 12 inch pieces; These are the long base pieces 2 10 inch pieces; These are the uprights 3 5 inch pieces these are the cross pieces that complete the base Now cut the triangle support pieces. Step 2 This is easily done by cutting a piece of wood to a square about 5-6 inches on each side. Then draw a line from one corner to the other and cut across this line. It gives you two identical triangles. Shown in the picture at right is the square with the line drawn on it before cutting. Step 3. Build these two parts of the frame first. You should make these parts first because it will be much easier to assemble later on. Lay out one 12 inch piece of wood horizontally. Mark a line on it 3 inches from the left end. Place the ten inch piece of wood vertically at this mark.
Step 4 and 5. Now carefully place the triangular piece on this structure and glue it in place. Put nails or screws in it to make it stronger. Do this again for the other side of the trebuchet but... You have to do the other side of the Trebuchet but it is a mirror image. Mark off 3 inches from the other side (the right end) of the 12 inch wood and this is where you put the upright ten inch piece and the triangle wood. Assembling, the Base and main frame of the Trebuchet Here you add some crosspieces to the sides you already built. This easily transforms your pieces into something that actually looks like a trebuchet. If you use glue in this portion you can set it aside to dry while you are working on the swing arm. Take the two side pieces you just made and stand them up with the triangle pieces on the outside. Then glue and nail or screw the five inch cross pieces onto them (all three of them). It will look like the picture at the right.
Assembling, the Base and main frame of the Trebuchet Look at your new structure. You can see at the very top of the uprights, in this picture there are black dots. Each upright will need a hole drilled in it at this dot. They are one inch from the top. You don't know yet what size hole to drill.. You will be inserting a metal piece across here and through these holes. When you find the metal piece you want then you drill the holes about the same size. Find a piece of metal bar that is at least five inches long. It has to be fairly strong to support the counterweight and the swinging action. Suggestions: A coat hanger might be ok, but some coat hangers are too weak, make sure you have a very sturdy one. Or use the metal handle from a pail. You can even cut the blade off a long screwdriver and use that. Look around for something. Do not insert the metal bar yet. You still have to make the swinging arm of the trebuchet. Need a metal bar for your trebuchet? The axle from a toy car is perfect for this. Dig through the toy box and see if you can find something like this. The Calf s Corner, next month, will contain the last of the assembly instructions for the trebuchet as well as a connect the dots for the smalls. Want to get ahead, visit www.stormthecastle.com for the rest of the instructions and other free project ideas including much larger plans for trebuchets.
This month in History Diocletian declares a general persecution of Christians, 303. Oaths of Strasbourg, 842. Richard II murdered, 1400. Nicholas Copernicus born, 1473 Earthquake at Lisbon kills 30,000 persons, 1531. Mary Queen of Scots executed, 1587. Michael Eyquem Montaigne born, 1533 Murder of Francis, Duke of Guise, 1563. Galileo Galilei born, 1564. Frederick William the Great Elector, born, 1620. Queen Anne born, 1665. Pilgrim's Progress published, 1678. George Frederic Handel born, 1685. William and Mary proclaimed King and Queen of England, 1689. The information for This month in History was taken from the Washington State University, Department of History website.
This is the February 2011 issue of Eldern Pages the official newsletter of the Barony of the Eldern Hills of the Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. (SCA, Inc.). Eldern Pages are available from : Skialda-Ævarr (skialdaaevarr@yahoo.com) It is not a corporate publication of SCA, Inc., and does not delineate SCA, Inc. policies. Copyright Statement Copyright 2008 Society for Creative Anachronism, Inc. For information on reprinting photographs, articles, or artwork from this publication, please contact the Chronicler, who will assist you in contacting the original creator of the piece. Please respect the legal rights of our contributors. Acknowledgments Calf Corner Photos and Article provided by Will Kalif at www.stormthecastle.com. Celtic Clipart, officer background, taken from Aon Celtic Art http://www.aon-celtic.com/. Cover Art elements downloaded from www.heraldriclipart.com and Powerpoint, Hrefnal Gunnars dottir (Kellie Shelton) created the cover art for the February Eldern Pages. New Beginings taken by Skialda-Aevarr (William Shelton) Offices open for application within the Barony: Webminister, Minister of Children, Knight s Marshal, and Reeve. These pages were created with Powerpoint and Open Office. You must include a signed release form with all submissions, which includes artwork, articles, poetry, or maps. Be advised, Chronicler will proof read all reports and submissions for content and nature. If a release form is needed please notify the chronicler via internet or phone: Email: Skialdaaevarr@yahoo.com Phone: 580-699-3905 (Please leave a message if no one answers.)