The Skraeling Althing Armorial History
[From Enid
Aurelia of the Tin Isles, OL, OP, first Baroness Skraeling
Althing to Xristina Viaceslavivna,
second Baroness Skraeling Althing]
[With some additions
(italicized) by TSivia Bas Tamara
v'Amberview, OL, founder of Skraeling Althing]
Your Excellency,
Some time ago, I received a request from Lord Evan Little
about the Skraeling awards. This week I received another query from the current
herald about the awards, and I realized that information and memories have gone
astray.
Basking in my retirement, my memories of ancient days are of
course "perfect" (the joys of senescence) and since the origins of
these things predate most of us having personal computers, there is of course
no central record, other than the SCA armorial (which I think you
find a useful source of information for dates and registration).
In case of cracks in my perfect memory, I am copying a
number of people. A few were there at the beginning and can add or amend. The
historians and chroniclers may use this file, in whole or in part, as they see
fit.
The one thing I ask, is that this information not be lost
again, and I trust to the group of you to preserve it.
Dame Tsivia founded Skraeling Althing as a canton of
Septentria in 1977 when she came to Ottawa . We were registered as an incipient canton of
the incipient Barony of Septentria. (Neither were "real" yet...) We
were the only group (then) in Septentria which was NEVER a stand-alone shire. In
those days it was really important to get name and arms registered fast, for
recognition. So the proto-group designed arms that included an Iroquois
coup-stick proper, with a gold maple leaf and a silver fleur-de-lis, and the
background must have been red. The
(thank GOODNESS!) lost arms had the same white and red inverted pile which
currently stands on Skraeling's arms. Midrealm was very good at losing
submissions in those days, so nothing came of the arms. In 78 the group's
character changed a lot. TSivia had to go back to Toronto and look after pressing family needs.
She left as seneschal Thomas of Linlithgow (no relation to
Henry), an Atlantean from the shire of Windmaster's Hill. (Thomas was here
doing a one-year stint for his MA on the Canadian Navy!) Lucky for me she found
Thomas first, because all I ever wanted to be was MoA. I have been MoA in the
Shire of Mynydd Seren for a year, then spent a year overseas intermittently
researching and pining for the Society.
The current arms were designed on a weekend by Lady Jorunn
(our then herald) and myself, based on a legacy of Thomas', which was of course,
the bunny frou-frou joke.
Now, note, I say "based on". The animal on the
Skraeling banner is NOT a bunny, or a goon, but a hare. This was a deliberate
heraldic choice. It is true that the emblazon then looked a lot like a rabbit.
But as you heralds know, it is the blazon that counts, not the emblazon. The
hare is salient to the sinister because that's the way it was easiest for
Jorunn to draw.
We choose white and red as the two principal colours from
the previous arms, and as being very suitable for an Ontario group.
I think Aelflaeda must have the herald that followed those
arms through the system. They would have been registered some time before April
81, but check the armorial.
We became a Barony in 82, when Lady Thora (Anne Grey) was
seneschal, Aedan and Kaffa were baron and baroness Septentria, Ithriliel was
Kingdom seneshal, and Moonwulf and Takaya sat on the Thrones of the Midrealm.
It took 15 full members to be a barony then (under
grandfather rules). I think we got 18 or 20, and some number of associates. A
LOT in the days when membership was $25 US and most of our members were
students.
Thora and Enid did the bulk of the paperwork, with
substantial input from Lord Durnhardt. We couriered a bunch of copies to
Starleaf Gate where a Curia meeting was being held. The final package was
fast-tracked: our barony was passed at Board meeting in March, being held the
same day as Clancy Day. Duchess Ithriliel phoned her husband, Duke Laurelin,
who was in attendance at Clancy Day. When we were back at the hotel changing
for dinner, Laurelin came to find me, with a note on hotel stationary in his
hand "Skrealing (sic) Althing approved as Barony". (I carried that
note around in my wallet until it fell apart.) This was a surprise. We had
expected to have to wait until Coronation.
So Moonwulf and Takaya declared us Barony. I was coronetted
with my own circlet (Baron Aedan had offered his Coronet but it didnn't fit my,
um...large head.)
We had two events shortly after. A local "first
baronial" event in May, and an official one June 6. One of the reasons for
doing a local event was that we wanted an environment where we could do our own
pomp and ceremony without being overshadowed. (We were so FAR from the nearest
noblility/royalty in those days.) Another was that Thora would miss the June
event, and she had put so much work into the submission it did not seem fair.
It was for this event, in consultation with the officers,
that I created two baronial orders, the Order of the Hare Salient (for service
by members of the BArony) and the Order of the Friends of the Hare (for service
by non-members). Both orders carry equal precedence.
The badge for friends of the Hare was registered while
Mistress Grania was Kingdom Herald and Gwilym was Baronial herald. It is Per
pale argent and gules, two hares combattant, conjoined at the forepaws,
counterchanged.
[Ed: According to the
On-line Ordinary and Armorial for the SCA (dated: 991108 by
Morsulus), although the Badge for the Friends of the Hare was registered in
February 1990, the Order itself was never registered.]
The resubmit (which Grania told me would pass) of the Hare
Salient was lost. It is the hare salient to the sinister on the red background
of our arms , surrounded by a white clover wreath. There should be copies of
this in the files.
[Ed: According to the
On-line Ordinary and Armorial for the SCA (dated: 991108 by
Morsulus), although the Order of the Hare Salient was registered in March 1989,
it has no registered badge as yet.]
The Hare Salient was conceived of as a sort of group-level
purple fret. I'm not sure it was ever given to a non-armiger. The first three
recipients were Thora, Aelflaeda and Jorunn. The next three were Mordain, Ivy
and Yusef. Mordain became baronial champion at our first event (by fiat, not
contest of arms, which was unnecessary).
Dame Tsivia received the first Friends of the Hare (she was
not a member of the Barony then), followed by Ragni, Torbin and Finnvarr, for
hospitality (June event). [TSivia]was
named "premier" of the Friends of the Hare, but as she moved BACK to
Skraeling about a year after this period, Her Excellency asked her if she would
resign her Premiership of that Order and instead, accept a co-premiership of
the Hare Salient (now that she lived in-Barony again). It seemed a bit odd to
her at that time, but she accepted. So it is her understanding that she doesn't
hold a Friends of the Hare, but rather that she is co-premier of the Hare
Salient with the above-named ladies. (She doesn't know what that makes the DATE
of receiving the award).
At the May event, I also gave the first outside of group
bunny tails to Dame Ellen, Searu and Stepan, who had stayed up all night the
day before sewing a seneschal and a herald's tabard!
The bunny tails were an invention of Jorunn and Thomas of
Linthgow. They were first presented as a good-bye present at the cry-in (Jorunn
and Linlithgow were both leaving). Jorunn afterwards stuff the remaining fur
into my hands saying "Here, you do it" and the rest is history...
It was an obvious way of saying "You're a valued member
of the group", without jumping the gun on an AoA, which were not that
easily come by (one wound up going down to the US to collect them), and we
felt, signified a more distinct and longer contribution.
Tails were originally conceived of being given after 6-12
months of activity. As the barony grew, this interval, regretfully, sometimes
lengthened. I remember at least one member (the then captain of my guard!)
receiving his after his AoA!
I don't remember when I started the baronial guard (about a
year later?). It was a way of recognizing martial contributions from people
like Lord Yusef. Lady Kasia was instrumental and getting the guard open to
scouts and archers. Mid was being odd about heraldic submissions again, so the
badge of the baronial guard is registered to me. It is gold camp walls around
the hare salient to the sinister. The brilliant heraldic insite of Duke
Finnvarr and his regional team including Henry came up with a proper blazon for
the badge. The camp walls are something like, or, a cross voided and fracted in
delft.
The last third baronial order was the Black Hare, for
entertainment. This badge is also registered and is a gold lyre supported by
two black hares, fieldless.
I believe the first recipients were Lord Galen and Lady
Katajan. And TSivia. (It was
difficult [to keep track], as no one got scrolls back in those days...) Both
the Skraeling (as it was then) and the Greyfells choir hold group black hares.
This gives ANY member, when they are performing, the right to wear the black
hare badge. (Only individual recipients can wear them all the time.) Baron
Henry's players are an example of individuals who all hold individual black
hares. Lord Phaeromond is probably one of the only people who holds a black
hare neither for singing or dancing!
While I was baroness, I sometimes gave carrots of
excellence. They were for cool stuff involving an interface to the non-SCA world,
like Romek and Eric's CMS group ice sculpture.
At Pennsic we sometimes gave a "good camping
token".
Scrolls
I had good promissories made up for the Hare Salient and
Friends of the Hare by Lady Searu, which I used for years. This little Hare Salient and Black Hare
[TSivia] never got a scroll for either award..but that's no surprise. She
believes she has *THE* oldest promissory for an AoA in all of the Midrealm,
too. And she might be the only person to hold supporters to her "achievement
of arms", given to her by Her Excellency many Christmases ago: a black
hare and a white hare, as supporters to her arms, complete with stationary
designed by Lady Searu.Then Mistress Sarra made promissories for the three
Orders, in the name of both Henry and I. Finally, as a gift to the incoming
barons, Eric and Xristina, we commissioned from Lady Ellen o'Dynbych, a set of
three promissories. These were given to them with the other gifts from us when
we stepped down.
By my hand,
Enid Aurelia of the Tin Isles, OL, OP
Skraeling Althing
January 18, 2000
Enid Aurelia of the Tin Isles, OL, OP
Skraeling Althing
January 18, 2000
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