beathog – Page 4 – Becoming Beathog

Twelfth Night Celebration at Osd Cu Buidhe

My SCA household has two major parties every year, a yearly birthday celebration in the summer and a Yule celebration sometime during the holiday season. Each party has some sort of mundane theme (probably because we think we are hilarious). We’ve had Pirates on the Loch, Summer of Love, The Chicago Caper Murder Mystery, Cows in Paradise…. you get the idea! But, one year, we decided to truly celebrate what we love most — our SCA lives — and Cliar Cu Buidhe Twelfth Night, 2010, was the result.

Let’s have a period party!

This was planned to be the Twelfth Night celebration of our dreams! We would begin with a period feast, but one that would hopefully make us feel like we had stepped into the pages of Chaucer’s Canterbury Tales. We planned a typical Cliar Cu Buidhe style menu, meaning foods of the SCA period were to be on the menu, but not necessarily redacted period dishes. We would have a simple feast, food totally prepared ahead of time and served to us at one elegant table, large enough for us all.

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The festivities began around 5:00 p.m. on a Saturday afternoon. As guests arrived, they were offered libation and a seat at the fire, until time when the Great Hall would be opened to all and the feast would begin. We had hired two servants for the evening, a man and his young sister, who worked for stipend and an opportunity to dine in the hall with us, below the salt, of course. Upon their arrival, they received their instruction from the cook and directions to the scullery, then set to complete last minute details in the Great Hall.

The bell was rung, and a hymn offered to Saint Columba:

Salve splendor et patrone
iubarque iusticie
orthodoxe doctor bone
pastor et vas gratie
O Columba Columbine
felicis memorie
tue facnos sine fine
coheredes glorie.

Hail, glorious protector,
light of justice,
true and virtuous teacher,
shepherd and vessel of grace.
O dove-like Columba,
grant us happy remembrance
of you forever,
co-heir of glory.

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The door to the Great Hall was opened and guests were led in. They were escorted, first, to a side table, where the servants assisted with the ceremonial handwashing, using an aquamanile that had been made for the house by a local potter, Master Hroar Stormgangr.

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The hall was illuminated with flickering candles and the walls were draped with the colorful personal banners of the guests. Benches lined the long, linen-covered table, which was set with greenery, nuts and seasonal fruits, and ceramic jars filled with ale, mead and home-brewed pear and plum wines. Guests were seated and, then, a final prayer sung by the Lady and Lord of the hall:

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Pater Columba decus morum
suscipe vota famulorum
te laudantem serva chorum
ad incursu anglicorum
et insultu emulorum.

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Father Columba, glory of our tradition,
receive the prayers of your servants,
preserve this choir, which praises you,
from the incursions of the English
and from insolent imitators!

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Menu:

First Course: Grene Pesyn, served with fresh bread and a platter of cheese and dates stuffed with candied walnuts & candied orange peel

Second Course: Cawdel of Samoun with Leek Sauce, roasted herbed carrots and a baked tart de bry with artichokes

Third Course: Beef loin with Lamprey Sauce, turnips & chestnuts and cheesy mushrooms, served on bread trenchers, spinach pasties and custard tarts with fruit

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Also offered, by Seigneur Frédéric de Cherbourg, a specially brewed Yule Cordial

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It was fantastic! There were sixteen around the table, everyone dressed appropriately, head-to-toe (no coming to the table in bare feet, as is my normal custom), with appropriate head coverings.

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We all remembered to use proper titles of address, offer toasts and small stories to the table (limiting private conversations whenever possible) and converse on appropriate subject matter, nothing modern or inappropriate.

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When the feast had ended, we removed the benches and pushed back the tables, to ready the room for our own version of the Feast of Fools. We each were given the opportunity to pick an activity to do, to play the part of the Abbot of Unreason (Scotland), the King of the Bean (England), or the Abbe de la Malgouveme (France). As during the medieval period, each, in turn, had the power to call the party to disorder.

We all abandoned our feast attire and then either stripped to our period underwear or changed into our Cu Buidhe pajamas (regular attire for our annual sleepovers), for the games to begin!

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We were led in a few Scottish Country Dances by Elva and Andrew, with assistance from Frederic. That was so much fun!

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We then gathered at the outside fire for the rest of the night, to exchange small gifts and enjoy our version of a holiday ceilidh — lots of music & singing, including a kazoo jam, stories and assorted silliness.

We always have a wonderful time together, and have made so many wonderful memories! I think this will remain one of my favorites.

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I almost forgot an interesting side note: after eating feast, we had an entire trash bag full of used trenchers. It seemed a waste to throw them away, but we had no peasants, and only one dog. BUT, Faoileann and Morgan had a pig — back home in Atenveldt, so they took the trenchers home. The pig ate the entire bag of trenchers, in one day!

A perfect medieval ending to a perfect medieval celebration!

Lyondemere & Gyldenholt Yule Feast 2011

My good friend and SCA household Member, Pierre de Dieppe, was the Event Steward for the 2011 Yule event, hosted by his local barony. He asked me to cook the feast! While I had been a part of many feast staffs over the years, I really had no desire to be Feast Steward for any event. But, he convinced me that this would make a great household project, so I agreed to do it. And it was! Cliar Cu Buidhe really stepped up and did a great job on this event. I was so proud to be a part of it!

The theme of the event was to be centered on Nikolaos of Myra, who he was and how the Feast Day of this 4th century Saint Nicholas has been observed throughout the Middle Ages. Pierre’s invitation to the event was my inspiration:

Come and join us as we explore the world in which he lived and died,
and how he continued to influence the lives and celebrations of future
generations, including our own. We all join one another today as simple
pilgrims and travelers, to gather together in the cold of winter and
celebrate the passing of the dark and the spring soon to arrive!

While I know little of 4th century cuisine, I loved the idea of celebrating the season with foods of the season. So, looking to my trusted 14th century repertoire, and my local Farmers’ Market, I came up with the following menu to feed the day’s 100 pilgrims: Continue reading “Lyondemere & Gyldenholt Yule Feast 2011”

Natural Dyes in Medieval Scotland

There’s a new group on Facebook, Caid Dyers, that I am really excited about. We have some wonderful fiber artists in the area and it is so much fun to get together and share ideas! I recalled, recently, how much fun I had working on a Pentathlon entry in 2009, so I decided this was a good place to share what I learned.

Many thanks to Bjo Trimble and Griffin Dyeworks, for providing materials, instruction and, most of all, inspiration!

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These woolen hanks are handspun and dyed to represent some of the possible colors that were obtainable to dyers in medieval Scotland. I specifically chose the wool to spin from sheep that are descendents from the area during this period and selected only a few of the natural dyestuffs available to local dyers. I very much wanted the look and feel of my fibers to be something familiar to my own SCA Scottish persona.

Trying to create a Scottish persona in the SCA is not an easy task. Little evidence, if any, is left to indicate what clothing was worn in medieval Scotland. Most textiles that have been discovered through excavation have been found only in burial sites. These have, consequently, been fragmented and difficult to date, and the dyes have been lost through leaching and soil contamination. The following poem, written originally in Gaelic, and translated by Alexander Carmichael in 1928, reflects the fate of much of the clothing produced and worn in rural Scotland during this time:

This is no second hand cloth,
And it is not begged,
It is not the property of cleric,
It is not property of priest,
And it is not property of pilgrim;

But thine own property,
O son of my body,
By moon and by sun,
In the presence of God,
And keep thou it!

Mayest thou enjoy it,
Mayest thou wear it,
Mayest thou finish it,
Until thou find it
In shreds,
In strips,
In rags,
In tatters!

There is quite a bit of evidence, however, of the importance of wool in local animal husbandry. Bones found at numerous castle sites have been predominantly sheep bones, with very small numbers being from sheep under two years old. Evidence indicates that most sheep were kept to a mature age, thus indicating that sheep were kept for wool production rather than meat. Several 14th and 15th century Coldingham Priory records indicated that they kept a flock of over 2000 sheep, while Melrose Abbey had in excess of 12,000 sheep in its flocks.

There were two principal types of sheep in medieval Britain, a small sheep producing short wool and a larger sheep producing long wool. The long-wooled sheep was found in rich grasslands, marshes and fens and produced wool, prepared by combing, and used for lighter worsteds and serges (materials which were not usually fulled).

I used the combed long-wool of the Lincoln (one of three breeds that accounted for the most wool production during the Middle Ages), whose fleece is carried in heavy hair-like locks. The staple length is very long. Lincolns produce the heaviest and coarsest fleeces of the long-wooled sheep.

I also used Swaledale tops, from a horned breed originating in medieval Yorkshire,

White Cheviot, originating on the border of Northumberland and Scotland, and long recognized for its durability and ability to hold and reflect dye coloring well, and Blue faced Leicester, which originated in Northumberland.

Sheep with long, lustrous wool have been in Leicestershire, England since the earliest recorded history of the British Isles and are responsible for the improvement and development of other long-wool breeds. They are closely related to the Border Leicester sheep found in Scotland.

I also used Merino wool top, which was an important import from Spain to the British Isles during the late 14th and 15th centuries. Long periods of war in Britain, as well as taxation problems, affected the local wool supply during this period; thus Spanish Merino was commonly used for textile production. I love the feel of this wool, and it is a joy to spin!

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After spinning, plying and setting the twist in the yarn, much of the yarn had to be further prepared for dyeing by adding mordant to the fiber. Mordants are mineral salts that become absorbed by the fiber and permanently link to its molecular structure. They guard against light and moisture, thus improving light-and wash-fastness, prevent color bleeding, and brighten or change some dye colors. Medieval dyers commonly used alum, copper and iron compounds as mordants. Salt and cream of tartar were often also used as dye additives, to set or brighten color, or to add softness. I also used club moss, a lichen, as both a mordant alternative to alum and a substantive dye. Also called oak moss, it is very common in many parts of Scotland.

After the necessary mordants were applied to the yarn, I was ready to begin the dying process. While we are unsure of the Scottish style of dress, there is ample evidence that both the Irish and the Scots, who share a common ancestry, were fond of bright colors. In the 1150 manuscript, the ‘Tain Bo Cualnge’, there are recorded color names for green, dark gray, purple, streaked gray, black, red, dull gray, reddish gray, red brown, blue purple, pied yellow and dun.

Scottish dyers had the use of a wide range of native dye plants, but we also have written records of imported dyestuffs to Scotland during the 15th and 16th centuries. One ledger book from the ten year period between 1492-1503 lists madder, woad and alum being sent to Scotland from the Netherlands. A more comprehensive list is available from 1612, which includes quite an extensive selection, including:

- Allome (alum)
- Anneill of barbarie (indigo)
- Ashes, pot ashes (potash) woad or soap ashes
- Brasill (brazilwood)
- Cochanneil (cochineal)
- Galles
- Frenche granes or Ginny (probably Persian berries)
- Grane of Civile in berries (cochineal)
- Grane of Portugal or Rota (cochineal)
- Indicoe of Turkie & the West Indies (indigo)
- Lyme for litsters
- Lit callit orchard lit (purple lichen dye)
- Litmus for litsters (prepared purple lichen dye)
- Mader
- Shoomak (sumach)
- Woad, Iland grene woad
- Stra woad
- English woad
- Woadnettis
- Fustick or blew brissell
- Brissile of Fernando Buckwode (Pernambuco wood)

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For my project, I used six dyes, based on availability:

weld – soak dried, chopped weld in warm water, with a pinch of washing soda

madder – ground madder in warm water, with small amount of cream of tartar

cochineal – ground bugs added to distilled water

safflower – dried petals soaked in a vinegar water solution; remove petals and add water; color brightened with soda ash solution

cutch – strained dye liqueur added to dyepot with wet, mordanted fiber; color deepened with re-dying in new cutch

woad – a complicated procedure involved making a woad solution in advance and extra precautions to ensure excess oxygen does not enter the (unmordanted) fibers

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With combinations made using these six dyes and three mordants, I was able to get quite a nice variety of colors. Whatever the clothing of the medieval Scotsman, his garments were colorful!

Sir Ilia Aleksandrovich

The rime royal, also known as the Chaucerian stanza, was a popular Renaissance poetry form in England and France, and remained quite popular with Scottish poets. The stanza is 7 iambic pentameter lines, with the rhyming pattern ababbcc. It is rarely seen as a single stanza poem, but often used as a narrative stanza for storytelling.

Sir Ilia is an 11th century Rus bodyguard. His Lady bears 3 orthodox crosses in her arms, which gave me the idea that Sir Ilia might be Christian, as well. While searching for persona information, which may or may not offer inspiration for my poem, I came across many stories about the brothers, Boris and Gleb, the first two saints canonized in Kievan Rus. They were sons of Vladimir the Great, who ruled from 980-1015. Both were murdered during the internecine wars of 1015-1019, and canonized by the Orthodox Church, in Rus, in 1071.

During an assassination attempt, Boris was stabbed and left for dead. As his body was being transported to Kiev in a sack, he was discovered to be still breathing. With several sure thrusts, Varangian swords quickly put him out of his misery. As Gleb knelt, praying beside the body of his brother, he was assassinated by his own cook, with a knife from his own table.

Sir Ilia’s fight for the Crown of Caid pitted him against two Varangians, who were soundly defeated. His first defeat was by the hand of a brother knight and fellow cook, Sir Jamal Damien Marcus. The opponent who ultimately ended Sir Ilia’s quest was the man who would be Prince of Caid, Sir Mansur.

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Sir Ilia Aleksandrovich
fallen in Fall Crown Tourney, A.S. XLVII

(rime royal)

While wagons labored under weight of sky
And travelers blistered aside tourney field
This knight, unshaken by his foes nearby
Stood tall and ready, armed with sword and shield.
By setting sun, our future king revealed.
His Lady Dragon watching, rapt in wait
Sent prayers that intercessors guard his fate.

First, one of equal size would stand his way
But soon he fell to Ilia’s quicker blows
Shortly, one Varangian Guard would pay
A debt of life for Boris’s repose
And Peacock add felled Rabbit to her woes.
This knight, still standing under sluggish swords
Held on to hope that he would reap rewards.

But, Golden Eagle traded blow for blow
Until one cook was fallen in the end
The striking Eagle conquered prey below
And brother knight now made a foe of friend.
A prayer too late that Saint Gleb may forfend.
Still, not the last for this master Rus knight
He stood, again, armed ready for the fight.

A second Guardsman took his final strike
Another debt for Princes-saints was paid
And once the Black Bull forfeited his life
He lost with it the wager he had laid.
By setting sun, the end of game was played.
Well practiced blows fell swift through thinning air.
And He, who would be Prince, would lay him there.

– 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.

Period Camp Cooking: Fire-Cooking Methods for Every Camp

I admit it. I have a passion for period cooking. I love cooking with fire and I find eating period foods cooked in a period manner enhances the experience of camping at SCA events. I also realize not everyone shares my passion. But, I refuse to accept that I cannot change their minds.

Our camp gets a lot of attention. We have won “Best Period Encampment” so many times it is a bit embarrassing. We have had numerous “tours” come through our camp at Great Western War, and we even had a film crew capture one of our bread baking days. I realize most of the attention we receive is because of the awesome Viking Brazier we have,

… shown here on it’s Maiden Voyage at Estrella War in 2010. It works very well for our camp, as we usually are cooking for at least a dozen folks, and we have quite a few cooks in our camp. We can do many thing at once on this brazier. But, there are many other options available for cooking with fire in camp; we have done all of them — and still do! — from time to time.

It is not necessary to know period recipes to enjoy the magic that period cooking brings to any encampment. My husband and I taught a class at Great Western War in 2012 that I hope took a lot of the fear and mystery out of cooking with fire, as we demonstrated period cooking methods that could be utilized in any camp. As it was the household’s feast night, we had an extensive menu to demo using a variety of cooking techniques. Continue reading “Period Camp Cooking: Fire-Cooking Methods for Every Camp”

Mission Viejo Book Festival Demo

As announced in the Barony of Calafia’s baronial newsletter, The Serpant’s Tongue:

Caid has been invited by the Mission Viejo Library to provide a massive demo on Sunday, October 14, 2012. This is the Sunday after Great Western War. The demo is part of the library’s annual book festival which typically hosts between 3,000 and 5,000 attendees from Orange County. This year the theme is the Middle Ages. The location is Oso Viejo Park, 24932 Veterans Way, Mission Viejo, CA 92692, a large, truly lovely location with
ample room for pavilions and dragon wings.

What a great day this was! Of course, I was excited that it was a truly local venue for me, but it was such fun hanging out all day, doing our favorite things, — cooking, eating, sharing our music, visiting with friends, and talking to people about life in the SCA. We had a blast!

On my Master’s garden wall

This is a song I wrote 5 years ago for Pentathlon, written in the style of Thomas Campion (1567-1620). He lived past Beathog’s period, but I really enjoy his work and wanted to try and emulate it. While not known for his remarkable poetry, he did have the ability to marry just the right musical phrase to the lyric. Garden subjects and the accompanying sexual puns were common during this period, as well. I had to try my hand at that!

I have performed this piece, and the Cliar Cu Buidhe troupe has actually recorded it. It has remained a favorite of ours!

Personally, I think Thomas Campion would have asked to perform it, as well!

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On my Master’s garden wall

an original song
written in the style of Thomas Campion (1567-1620)

On my Master’s garden wall,
Blossoms fare well for his hall;
Servant men stand at his hand,
Each to do the best that he can.
The Master shows his garden well
To each man there this tale would tell.
And who could fault a man his pride,
Or the comfort that he finds inside?

Thomas lays his fertile beds,
Grassy pillow for their heads;
Avery tends his youngest seeds,
Gentle hands are his offerings;
And Ambrose offers words of praise,
Every flow’r responds to his ways.
If this be the truth now to tell,
Each man there does his job well.

Lilies bloom and rosebuds swell
From this bower planted well;
Blossoms spring forth at his feet;
Beauty faded now smells so sweet;
And heavy-laden boughs stand tall,
Bearing forth the most fruit of all.
And servant men their Master praise
For their toiling in such pleasant wayes.

Sir Mons von Goarshausen

I chose to write this, not only as a poem of praise for Sir Mons, but as a recollection of the day he honored Caid with his most honorable skill and demeanor.

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Sir Mons von Goarshausen
fallen in Spring Crown Tourney, A.S. XLVI

(rime royal)

As morning sun relieved the cold of night
And fading embers died into the day
Her sleeping soldiers wakened for the fight
That would determine who would lead our way
And be the muse of every minstrel’s lay.
One eager knight, aspiring, of the Rhine
Foot sure against the siren Lorelei.

First, chivalry would be this fighter’s call
His honor bound to see his lady’s needs
While others worked to turn back earthen pall
And free the stinging armies lying beneath
Then herald would call battle to proceed.
Now eager knight with lady at his side
Approached the field for victory he vied.

With towering confidence he took the field
And bested cat and wyvern with sure blows
Until not less than three would make him yield
And lay him fallen on that tourney field
To fill the waiting tomb that lay below.
This tale is one of honor for Caid;
For him that day who lauded Her, god spede.

– Bannthegn Beathog nic Dhonnchaidh

Duke Edward Senestre

I wrote this “song of deeds”, or chanson de geste, for Duke Edward’s victory in Crown Tourney. The time period and origin were appropriate for his persona and, if you’ve ever seen him fight, you would agree that this praise poem is a perfect choice to describe the skill he shows on the field!

I did get the chance to perform the chanson during the procession at Edward and Mora’s Coronation. I was honored to do so!

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Duke Edward Senestre
Victorious in Spring Crown Tourney, A.S. XLV

(chanson de geste)

From Normandy, Edward is called afield,
Where Harold’s blood once quenched Duke William’s zeal;
He stands athirst, assured of day’s reveal
When once again beside Mora he’ll kneel;
No man stands tall enough to bring defeat;
This doughty knight now comes to rule Caid.

His banners wave, and vassals praise their lord;
All eyes now fixed upon his long, broad sword.

First, Scotia, and then, young Ian fall;
Red Wolf and Lioness will bear the pall.
No Serpent’s wing will catch the flight of Owl;
Nor Dragon’s Eagle, over Caid, soar.
This fearless Duke, now high above them all
Will once, again, lead armies into war.

One moment’s pause to hear the Lion roar
Was not enough to quell his long, broad sword.

Two years the toll, the journey now compleat,
The Persian will not find here what he seeks;
Nor Rider’s Knight, to her his promise keep;
Beloved Sloth, no glory for your deed.
No man stands tall enough to bring defeat;
This doughty knight now comes to rule Caid.

– THL Beathog nic Dhonnchaidh

. . . 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.

Lord Niccolo d’Angelo

It had to be an Italian Sonnet, “little song”, for this Italian fighter! The first sonnets were written by 13th century Italian poets and this one was modeled after those in the style of Francesco Petrarch. What a fun poetry form!

The sonnets were 14 lines of iambic pentameter; specifically, the first part, an octave, with the rhyming pattern abbaabba, “setting the scene” of the poem. Second then, a sestet, with the rhyming pattern cdecde, which offers the conclusion to the situation described in the octave.

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Lord Niccolo d’Angelo
fallen in Fall Crown Tourney, A.S. XLVI

(Petrarchan Sonnet)

As a sol invictus, on the field he strode
And brought all eyes, this day, to one so bold
Without concern to what the stars foretold
This Florence Sun rose up to meet his foe.
The field, now dark from flight of hooded crow
On two who lingered long in battle’s hold
Last kiss, then, from this glowing florin gold
Yet argent axe would give the final blow.

If confidence, alone, could victory bring
And beauty to the eye, a battle won
All glory, then, to Niccolo this day.
But, first to fight would, once again, be king
And rule, with Winged Bear, over His son
Who, on this day of memory, came to play.

– THL Beathog nic Dhonnchaidh

. . . a 14^th 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 Ilia Aleksandrovich fallen in Fall Crown Tourney, A.S. XLVII

On my Master’s garden wall

Sir Mons von Goarshausen fallen in Spring Crown Tourney, A.S. XLVI

Duke Edward Senestre Victorious in Spring Crown Tourney, A.S. XLV

Lord Niccolo d’Angelo fallen in Fall Crown Tourney, A.S. XLVI

Sir Ilia Aleksandrovich
fallen in Fall Crown Tourney, A.S. XLVII

Sir Mons von Goarshausen
fallen in Spring Crown Tourney, A.S. XLVI

Duke Edward Senestre
Victorious in Spring Crown Tourney, A.S. XLV

Lord Niccolo d’Angelo
fallen in Fall Crown Tourney, A.S. XLVI