Spring Pudding

By the end of the winter, most meals probably seemed rather meager and dreary.  Most of the stored food had probably been used up and pottage, if it was available, was probably pretty plain, especially for the poor.  The first greens to appear in the Spring must have been a most welcome sight, for they added flavor, once again, to the stew pot!

Greens were not only added to dishes for flavor; many were considered to be valuable taken as medicinal herbs, as a Spring “tonic”, so to speak.

The term “pudding” is commonly understood in modern Great Britain to mean a sweet or savory dish cooked in a cloth, or during earlier years, in an animal’s stomach (such as haggis) or uterus.  This (simplified) recipe for Spring Pudding is nothing more than a barley pottage, allowed to cool and thicken, and then made into cakes and fried in some kind of fat.  What makes it special?  It should be packed full of whatever fresh greens that are on hand and served with a sweet drizzle of honey.  Delicious!

Spring (Barley) Pudding

INGREDIENTS:

  • 1# barley (pearled barley is fine)
  • 6 (or more) cups water or broth (I used water)
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • whatever fresh greens you have on hand (I have used various combinations of dandelion greens, stinging nettles, sorrel, kale, and chard,– all work very well)
  • 2-3 eggs
  • 2 Tbl butter, melted
  • additional salt, to taste
  • butter, oil, or lard for frying
  • honey, for serving

DIRECTIONS:

Chop the greens.  Add the barley, water and salt to a pot and mix in the chopped greens.  Cook until the barley is soft and the liquid is absorbed, adding more liquid if needed.  Cool completely.

Beat in the eggs, the melted butter, and more salt, if desired.  Form small cakes and fry in shallow fat in a skillet until lightly browned on each side.

Serve, hot or cold, with a drizzle of honey.

Pottage

Pottage was the ultimate Anglo-Saxon food, eaten by both the upper and lower classes, so it is no surprise to find very few recipes for how to make it.  It was basically a type of thick soup or stew, made in a large pot over the fire, using ingredients that were on hand,– normally vegetables, grains, herbs and spices, and some amount (or not) of meat or fish.

I assume the people of the Highlands of Scotland would have eaten a similar dish.  For many, they enjoyed a simple, rustic diet of brown bread, root vegetables, legumes, eggs, cheese, and a lot of fish.  Most highlanders were subsistence farmers who lived off the land.  If they didn’t hunt it, fish it, or grow it, they didn’t eat it.  Many raised cattle, and typical crops were barley, oats and dairy products such as cheese and butter.  Pigs were often kept, as they, unlike cows and sheep, were able to live contentedly in a forest, fending for themselves.  Preserved foods, such as bacon and pickled herring,  were common, and would have made good additions to any simple pottage.  Cereals were eaten as bread, pottage and porridge (usually the grain and a simple broth, only) by all members of society.  Fava beans and yellow field peas were commonly used to thicken pottage, in the absence of cereal grains,– mainly oats, barley and rye, that grew well in the cooler climate.

Almost all cooking was done in simple stew pots, since this was the most efficient use of firewood and did not waste precious cooking juices,– making pottages and stews likely the most commonly eaten dishes.  I included three pottage dishes in this demo project; two are included in this post and the third in a post to follow (Spring Pudding).

Peas Pottage

I USED APPROPRIATE INGREDIENTS I HAD ON HAND:

  • a quart of water or broth (I used beef broth, which would be likely available)
  • 1/2# yellow split peas (similar to the yellow field pea that was likely used)
  • 1/2 an onion and several carrots & parsnips, cut small
  • a meaty ham bone
  • fresh parsley, fresh mint, fresh thyme
  • salt
  • small amount of cinnamon
  • splash of vinegar

DIRECTIONS:

Place peas, carrots, parsnips, onion, in pot with the broth.  Season with the cinnamon and the fresh herbs.  Add the meaty ham bone and cook until the pottage is thick and the vegetables are soft, adding broth if necessary, about 3 hours.  Remove the ham bone, chop any available meat and return the meat to the pot.  Taste and add salt, if needed (ham is salty) and a splash of vinegar.

 

A Pottage of Leek & Oats

INGREDIENTS:

  • 6-8 leeks, washed and cut small
  • 1/2 onion, diced
  • 1 stick butter (or other fat)
  • 1 quart stock (I used chicken)
  • 1 or 1-1/2 cups Scottish pinhead oats
  • salt, pepper, mace
  • fresh parsley
  • additional broth (or milk), as needed

DIRECTIONS:

Cook the leeks and onions in the butter until soft.  Add the stock and season well.  Add the oats and cook until the oats thicken, adding more stock, if necessary.  Allow to simmer until desired consistency is reached.  This is good with the addition of a small amount of fresh cream or almond milk.

 

Buttermilk Cheese & Jam

Archaeological studies have found that people have been eating cheese for almost 8000 years.  It is believed that some not only made milk into cheese to preserve it, but also because much of the population was lactose intolerant. The gene that allows adults to digest lactose started to become more common about 5000 years ago, it is believed.  Interestingly, when they analyzed the DNA of a group of men from very early Celtic descent (4,200 years ago) they found they had the gene for lactose tolerance.

This passage, taken from an 11th century Middle Irish tale, The Vision of Mac Conglinne, shows the love early Celts had for milk and dairy products, and gives us a rare look at their eating habits.

A lake of new milk I beheld
In the midst of a fair plain.
I saw a well-appointed house
Thatched with butter.
As I went all around it
To view its arrangement
I saw that puddings fresh-boiled
Were its thatch-rods.
Its two soft door-posts of custard,
Its dais of curds and butter,
Beds of glorious lard,
Many shields of thin-pressed cheese.
Under the straps of those shields
Were men of soft sweet smooth cheese,
Men who knew not to wound a Gael,
Spears of old butter had each of them.
A huge cauldron full of meat
(Methought I’d try to tackle it)
Boiled, leafy kale, browny white,
A brimming vessel full of milk.
A bacon house of two-score ribs,
A wattling of tripe– support of clans–
Of every food pleasant to man,
Meseemed the whole was gathered there.

Cheese and dairy products seem to always have been a regular part of the Scottish diet.  Milk was an important source of animal protein for those who could not afford meat.  It would mostly come from cows, but milk from goats and sheep was also common.  There is evidence that buttermilk or whey was also drunk, but it was difficult to keep fresh, so was usually used in soups or pottage.  Cheese has been suggested to have been, during many periods, the chief supplier of animal protein among the lower classes.  Butter, another important dairy product, was in popular use in the regions of Northern Europe that specialized in cattle production in the latter half of the Middle Ages, which must include the Scottish Highlands.  While most other regions used oil or lard as cooking fats, butter was the dominant cooking medium in these areas. Its production also allowed for a lucrative butter export from the 12th century onward.

Cows don’t give milk nonstop year round. They give lots of milk after they have a calf, then milk production wanes when the cow is bred, again. In a few more months, the cow quits giving milk, because her body needs to focus nutrients on the gestating calf.  Making cheese is a way to preserve milk, which can be eaten when your cow is not producing fresh milk.

I have come across several recipes for a type of cheese, typically made in the Highlands, that uses buttermilk and fresh milk only,– no rennet or added acid of any kind.

HATTED KIT

“Warm two quarts of buttermilk slightly at milking time.  Carry the vessel to the side of a cow and milk into it a pint of milk.  Stir well.  At the next milking, add another pint and stir again.  Let it stand till it firms and gathers a hat.  Remove the curd, place it on a hair sieve, and press the whey through till the curd is stiff.  Put into a mould and leave for half an hour. Turn out and strew with sugar and nutmeg, and serve with thick cream.”

I was able to make a very satisfactory adaption of this recipe, which was delicious both as a sweet and savory cheese:

  • 32 oz whole milk (1 quart)
  • 12 oz buttermilk (1-1/2 cups)
  • 2 tsp coarse salt (optional; do not use if serving with honey or jam
  • 1 tsp dried herbs — I used marjoram, mint, thyme (optional, as above)

Combine milk, buttermilk (also salt & herbs if using) over medium-high heat, until curds appear and whey is translucent (about 8 minutes).

Ladle into lined colander and allow to drain several minutes.  Lift and press out excess whey.  Allow to cool.

Both varieties were delicious!  I served the herb cheese with a barley flatbread and the plain version with oatcakes and honey or jam (recipe follows).

 

In all of the very earliest recipe collections from Scotland, there are procedures for preserving food and recipes for jellies, pickles, and fruit sauces.  A very basic recipe, To make Marmalade of Gooseberries, read:

Take a stone jugg and put your gooseberries therin, and set them in boileing water till they disolve; then poure them into a Callender, and lett the liquor and substance rune from them then take 2 or 3 of the greenest Apples you can gett, pare them and cut them into small pices, then straine them with the aforsaid Pap of Gooseberries; and take as much Sugar boiled to a Candie height, as usually to others.

I was very familiar with the idea of using green apples in place of modern pectin.  I also decided to use honey, in place of sugar, for sweetener, as honey would have been plentiful and sugar would have been expensive, although available, at this time.

My recipe:

Blackberry Jam

  • 3# fresh blackberries
  • 1-3/4 c. honey
  • 3 medium Granny Smith apples
  • 1 Tbl lemon juice

Wash berries and place in a large pot.  Slice apples into quarters; remove core, but do not peel.  Grate and add to pot.

Add honey and lemon juice.  Heat on high until mixture begins to boil; reduce and simmer, about 15 minutes.

Use a potato masher to make a uniform consistency of berry mixture.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer an additional 15-45 minutes.  The mixture will thicken as it cools.

 

The Offal Truth about Haggis

Haggis is a traditional Scottish savoury pudding containing sheep’s pluck (heart, liver, and lungs), minced with onion, oatmeal, suet, spices, and salt, mixed with stock, and traditionally encased in the animal’s stomach.  It actually has an excellent nutty texture and delicious, savory flavor.

While the exact origin of haggis is not clear, haggis-type dishes have been described since ancient history.  Toward the end of the 8th century BCE, a kind of primitive haggis is referred to in Homer’s Odyssey, when Odysseus is compared to “a man before a great blazing fire turning swiftly this way and that a stomach full of fat and blood very eager to have it roasted quickly.”  The soldiers of ancient Rome ate a version made of pig offal, “enclosed in the clean caul (the membrane surrounding the intestines) of a pig.”

Many scholars look to the word haggis, itself, to explain its origin.   The ‘Auld Alliance’ between the kingdoms of Scotland and France, formed in 1294, suggest to some, including an icon of Scottish literature, Sir Walter Raleigh, that haggis has French origins, and comes from the French word hachis (meaning minced meat).  There is great evidence that haggis arrived in Scotland from Scandinavia, even before Scotland was a single nation.  Etymologists suggest that that the hag– element of the word is derived from the Old Norse haggw or the Old Icelandic hoggva , meaning ‘to hew’ or strike with a sharp weapon, relating to the chopped-up contents of the dish.  And, although the name hagws or hagese was first recorded in England c. 1430, the dish is considered traditionally to be of Scottish origin.

Where the dish of haggis truly originated is a seemingly moot point, as there appears to have been a version of haggis created in every ancient culture.  Nothing on the animal could be wasted.  When an animal was killed, the offal had to be eaten at once, or preserved in some way. Haggis appears to be invented as a way of cooking quick-spoiling offal near the site of a hunt, without the need to carry along an additional cooking vessel.  The liver and kidneys could be grilled directly over a fire, but this treatment was unsuitable for the stomach, intestines, or lungs. Chopping up the lungs and stuffing the stomach or bladder with them and whatever fillers might have been on hand, then boiling it (probably in a vessel made from the animal’s hide), was one way to make sure these parts were not wasted.  The cooked offal could now be transported to eat later, as well.  By being salted, packed into a stomach and boiled, the offal would keep for a couple of weeks.

Why the Scots continued to stuff sheep stomachs, while the rest of the world moved on to sausages using intestinal casings, remains one of the mysteries of history.  The Scots did used intestinal casings for sausages, as well, but the haggis remained encased in a sheep stomach, for centuries, as a traditional Scottish food.

The Form of Cury (cookery), written in 1390 by one of the cooks to King Richard II, contains a recipe for a dish called Afronchemoyle, which is in effect a haggis:

“Nym eyren wyth al the wyte and myse bred and schepys talwe as get as dyses  Grynd pepr and safron and caste thereto and do hit in the schepis wombe  Set it wel and dresse it forthe of brode leches thynne.”

[In other words: Take eggs, with the white and the yolk together, and mix with white breadcrumbs and finely diced sheep’s fat. Season with pepper and saffron. Stuff a sheep’s tripe with the mixture, sewing securely. Steam or boil and drain before serving.]

The oldest recipe (around 1430 AD) for “haggis” comes from the appendix of a medieval manuscript of poems on Cookery, ‘LIBER CURE COCORUM’:

For hagese. 

Þe hert of schepe, þe nere þou take,
Þo bowel no3t þou shalle forsake,
On þe turbilen made, and boyled wele,
Hacke alle togeder with gode persole,
Isop, saveray, þou schalle take þen,
And suet of schepe take in, I ken,
With powder of peper and egges gode wonne,
And sethe hit wele and serve hit þenne,
Loke hit be saltyd for gode menne.
In wyntur tyme when erbs ben gode,
Take powder of hom I wot in dede,
As saveray, mynt and tyme, fulle gode,
Isope and sauge I wot by þe rode.

For Haggis (translation)

The heart of sheep, the kidneys you take,
The bowel naught you shall forsake,
In the broth made, and boiled well,
Hack all together with good parsley,
Hyssop, savory, you shall take then,
And suet of sheep take in, I teach,
With powder of pepper and eggs good quantity,
And seethe it well and serve it then,
Look it is salted for good men.
In winter time when [dried] herbs are good,
Take powder of them I know indeed,
As savory, mint and thyme, quite good,
Hyssop and sage I know by the Rood.

Optional Ingredients:

Not called for in this recipe but later recipes, such as the ones referenced by Gervais Markham in 1615, below, call for oats to be included, and oats historically would have been used in Haggis recipes before, during and after this recipe in 1430 A.D.

xxv. Hagws of a schepe. (Two 15th century Cookery Books, Thomas Austin)

Take þe Roppis [guts] with þe talour [tallow; fat] & parboyle hem; þan hakke hem smal; grynd pepir, & Safroun, & brede, & yolkys of Eyroun, & Raw kreme or swete Mylke:  do al to-gederys, & do in þe grete wombe of þe Schepe, þat is, the mawe; & þan seþe hym wyl, & serue forth.

[In other words: Take the guts with the tallow and parboil them; then chop them small.  Grind pepper and saffron and bread, and [add] yolks of eggs and raw cream of fresh milk; put it all together and put in the belly of the sheep, that is, the stomach.  Then boil and serve it forth.]

An early printed recipe for haggis appears in 1615 in The English Huswife, by Gervase Markham. It contains a section entitled “Skill in Oate meale”:

“The use and vertues of these two severall kinds of Oate-meales in maintaining the Family, they are so many (according to the many customes of many Nations) that it is almost impossible to recken all;”

Markham then proceeds to give a description of “oat-meale mixed with blood, and the Liver of either Sheepe, Calfe or Swine, maketh that pudding which is called the Haggas or Haggus, of whose goodnesse it is in vaine to boast, because there is hardly to be found a man that doth not affect them.”

In Scotland, we are not lucky enough to have any published cookbooks in our period.  But, there is much evidence that haggis was eaten throughout Scotland’s history, as it was elsewhere.  The Scottish poem, “Flyting of Dunbar and Kennedy“, which is dated before 1520 (the generally accepted date prior to the death of William Dunbar, one of the composers), refers to ‘haggeis‘:

Thy fowll front had, and he that Bartilmo flaid;
The gallowis gaipis eftir thy graceles gruntill,
As thow wald for ane haggeis, hungry gled.

Fortunately, there are numerous English recipes of the 14th and 15th centuries that describe very clearly a haggis, although they may not be named as such.  Of particular interest to me is the reference to recipes that added various embellishments, such as milk or cream, chopped guts, roasted pullets, pork or other meats, cheese, and spices to the stuffing.

The earliest published recipes from Scotland are from the private collection of Lady Castlehill of Glasgow, in 1712.  Included in this collection is a recipe for haggis pudding:

To make a Haggas Pudding.

Take the lights, heart and kidneys of a lamb or sheep but not the liver; boile them, and pick them, and pick out the strings: then shred them small with good store of Beef Suet mingled with Currans, Nutemeg, and Salt, grated Bread & Sweet Herbs shred small: the yolks of 3 Eggs and 4 spoonfulls of Cream: stirre them together and put them into the Paunch of a Sheep, scowred & cleansed and seasoned for 3 dayes befor: Let it boile 4 houres: serve it in the Paunch; give it a gash carelesly, then it will rune out green.

I very much wanted to include a haggis as a part of my Scottish cuisine for Caid’s 40 Year Celebration, but I realized a haggis “pudding” (sausage) would be much greater received by the populace.  I based my recipe on Lady Castlehill’s “haggas pudding“, but took a cue from other recipes that included oats and other meat bits, to make the sausage more affordable.

My ultimate recipe included lamb heart and kidneys, as well as a bit of lamb and beef chuck, currants,oats and fresh cream.  I spiced the mixture with a combination of dried and fresh herbs, including sage, parsley and thyme.

It must have been delicious, because it was gone before I had a chance to eat any myself.  I will definitely be making this again!

Lord Fearghus Cochrane

Lord Fearghus Cochrane
fallen in Fall Crown Tourney, A.S. L

(Standard Habbie)

“Claymores ready!” ‘twas Herald’s cry
Lord Fearghus stood, prepared to die
(As heroes do – let Fate decide
The corbie’s feast).
But Patrick brought a gallus fight
For quick defeat.

A second cry past hooded crow
But Cochrane’s broadsword was too slow
And Adam dunt a heavy blow
Upon this mac.
And gentle, bigly Fearghus, lo!
He fell a-back.

For ev’ry man that stood to fight
And bring the Victor wha’ be right
To wear the Caid crown Twelfth Night
This rhyme I make
And for each fallen hero cite
A tearless wake.

For heroes, praise is our reply
Upon their deeds we all rely
Their songs become our battle cry
We will not grieve.
But in our hearts we hold them aye
So this I scrieve.

–Bannthegn Beathog nic Dhonnchaidh

. . .  is a 14th century bard who can often be seen traveling far from her home in the Highlands with her lord husband and muse. If a good tale crosses her path, she will sing a song about it, pull out its hair and spin it, or throw it in a pot and cook it up.

THLord Jethro de Calce des Excurtynyx

 

THLord Jethro de Calce des Excurtynyx
fallen in Fall Crown Tourney, A.S. LI

(rondeau)

My banner waves against the tourney sky
And oversees the field with eagle’s eye.
My courage mounts beneath Apollo’s blaze
As drums of battle clear the morning haze
And wings of eagle flutters a reply.

Great sword in hand, first victory is mine
I meet my foe with final lullaby.
And when he falls, one fading final gaze
My banner waves.

The end will come; that’s nothing I deny
One day I’ll hear a final battle cry.
Until my colors fall upon this stage
My foes will know who brought their end of days.
And when I fall, a chivalrous goodbye
My banner waves.

–Bannthegn Beathog nic Dhonnchaidh

. . .  is a 14th century bard who can often be seen traveling far from her home in the Highlands with her lord husband and muse. If a good tale crosses her path, she will sing a song about it, pull out its hair and spin it, or throw it in a pot and cook it up.

Sir Osmund Rus

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Sir Osmund Rus
Victorious in Spring Crown Tourney, A.S. L

(Chaucerian Stanza)

What is it holds this curious, costumed crowd
In rapt attention to the tourney field?
The locals heard the Heralds cry aloud
This Rus knight, oft, to arm and take the field;
He calmly stood, now armed with sword and shield.
One boy had left behind his childish play
Transfixed, he waited outcome of the day.

One visitor inquired of the lad
What made this fighter so assured to win?
Was he so bold that others, in fact, had
Less the chance they needed to beat him?
It seems that task, for many, was quite grim.
To wrest the win, one must be best in fight
A crafty victor, sharp and swift in might.

The boy replied, that’s true, at least in part
Some days you win and others, you do not.
It does take skill acquiring this art
But more to stand beside those you have fought
And share the victory with those who lost.
Each has a chance to win or lose the day
What makes one win, no one can truly say.

I’ve learned the belt he wears he had to earn
‘Tis true?, he asked the boy, with chivalry?
When others see it worn, they can discern
That he, above the common man can be
The one to serve His kingdom nobly.
The crowd’s Huzzahs! are evidence, it’s clear
Your future King was proven the best here.

The boy explained we’re all of noble birth
And who will rule us, only time will tell.
It’s true, today, this fighter came in first
As squire and knights, in turn, before him fell.
But, all who fought today encountered well.
We love each other, and we want to be
Not only friends, but one big family.

The boy then asked this new friend to return
Come to the park when you can spend the day
We’ve many to befriend you as you learn
About this joyful game that we all play.
I’ll introduce you to the Court that day.
I am sure this King will make the people glad
Because, I know him well; He is my dad!

–Bannthegn Beathog nic Dhonnchaidh

. . .  is a 14th century bard who can often be seen traveling far from her home in the Highlands with her lord husband and muse. If a good tale crosses her path, she will sing a song about it, pull out its hair and spin it, or throw it in a pot and cook it up.

The Crown Revel Culinary Artist Showcase

Some of the cooks of Caid were given the opportunity to share some tasty period food bites at a Crown Tourney Revel.  We weren’t able to attend that day, but we did get a chance to send a few of our favorites along to the event.  I’m so sorry to have missed the chance to taste all of the contributions!

There was a little booklet published which featured the culinary artists, with a short blurb for each cook.

Bannthegn Beathog nic Dhonnchaidh (Barony of Gyldenholt) started her medieval culinary adventure in 1998, shortly after she discovered the SCA.  She was very soon invited to join an encampment at Potrero War and learn some period cooking techniques from the camp cook. She also learned, at that time, about the Cooking Guilds within the Society, and has not left the Medieval kitchen since.  She has cooked on many feast crews over the years, headed her own kitchen staff, and was the first Cast Iron Chef in Lyondemere.  Her household, Cliar Cu Buidhe, presents one of the finest period kitchen in all of Caid…

My contribution for the day was Salmon Pasties, in the style of the 13th-14th c. pastelers).   They are always well received, as they are as delicious at room temperature as they are fresh from the oven.

Ingredients: salmon, mozzarella cheese, egg, mustard seed, celery leaf, black pepper, unbleached flour, kosher salt and vegetable shortening

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Domhnall contributed one of his most popular sausages, which he has made numerous times since he debuted them at our friend Mercy’s vigil. He has made them for two feasts since, a Gyldenholt Anniversary Picnic Feast in the Park and a Coronation feast.  They are delicious!

Thegn Domhnall mac Pharlain (Barony of Gyldenholt) did not grow up cooking, nor did he cook in his early adulthood.  Not until his Lady Wife’s back went out the night before Thanksgiving did he really come to understand the work that went into cooking.  Noticing the skill and dedication his wife gave to cooking, he started being influenced by Martin Yan, Pierre Franey and Jacques Pepin.  The rest is history!  Domhnall is a master at sausage making, and giving demos on their period (and righteous) camp cooking setup.  He enjoys teaching new members the art of Medieval cooking and flies the motto over his camp, “More Period is More Better!”

Lucanian Sausage is a Roman dish from Apicius.  (See a previous post for details about this dish.)

Ingredients: pork, bacon, pinenuts, marjoram, cumin, black pepper, parsley, oregano, mint and fish sauce

Master Christian de Guerre

 

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Master Christian de Guerre
fallen in Fall Crown Tourney, A.S. L

(A contrafactum of the 15th century Agincourt Carol)

One man went forth upon the field
To change his life with sword and shield
And play the hand that Fate will deal
What his god knows will be revealed.
Not for glory, but to honor Caid.

Delivering blows with practiced skill
He held the field with strength of will
And chivalrous resolve until
A well-honed sword would make the kill.
Not for glory, but to honor Caid.

One man arose to fight once more
His gallantry the might he wore.
Each man to fall, the next man’s lore
And chance to be the victor sure.
Not for glory, but to honor Caid.

His heart grew still when last he fell
In this repose remembered well
And now one bard with quill to tell
This final tale to sing his knell
Not for glory, but to honor Caid.

All men who chance to wear the crown
Know that they stand on hero’s ground.
And those who fell were honor bound
To live in verse is their renown.
Not for glory, but to honor Caid.

–Bannthegn Beathog nic Dhonnchaidh

. . .  is a 14th century bard who can often be seen traveling far from her home in the Highlands with her lord husband and muse. If a good tale crosses her path, she will sing a song about it, pull out its hair and spin it, or throw it in a pot and cook it up.

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Duke Sven Orfhendur

IMG_2509

 

I love this man and I love his consort!  Although he did not win the day, it seems only a matter of time that he does win again (for the fifth time).  And that was the sentiment I felt as I completed this poem — win or lose, he is steadfast as a knight, as a consort, and as an inspiration to everyone who looks to him for inspiration.

I wanted to do a song this time, but the form I chose sounds best sung in Middle English.  I may or may not consider translating this version of the poem into Middle English in the future.  In the meantime, I really liked the iambic tetrameter of the original 13th century English piece, Worldes Blis:

Worldes blis ne last no throwe;
it went and wit awey anon.
The langer that ich hit iknowe,
the lass ich finde pris tharon;
for al it is imeind mid care,
mid serwen and mid evel fare,
and atte laste povre and bare
it lat man, wan it ginth agon.
Al the blis this heer and thare
Bilucth at ende weep and mon.

The rhyming pattern was simple:  ABABCCCBCB.

 

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Duke Sven Orfhendur
fallen in Spring Crown Tourney, A.S. XLIX

Beyond the last unanswered blow
A knight is called to serve unpreened
For chivalry is deed, not show
A duty braved with pride unseen.
His presence on the field is set
To win or lose, his foe is met
And those who watch await the fete
When this day’s victory is gleaned.
And if this knight is paid his debt,
He’ll stand to make this Lady Queen.

But win or no, his duty’s clear
To take in faith this day’s campaign
The best must be the victor here
The next to rule only remain.
And if this prize has gone away
He knows the best has won the day
And so with mercy he will stay
To serve as well as he would reign.
Another time would be his day
And he will take the throne again.

 

— Bannthegn Beathog nic Dhonnchaidh

. . . is a 14th century bard who can often be seen traveling far from her home in the Highlands with her lord husband and muse. If a good tale crosses her path, she will sing a song about it, pull out its hair and spin it, or throw it in a pot and cook it up.