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Old English Poetry

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It occurred to me that sharing the resources I use to write Old English style poetry might be useful to others.

Anglo-Saxon Narrative Poetry ProjectHere’s a good online source for translations of O-E Narrative poetry to Modern English by Dr. Aaron K. Hostetter of Rutgers University. 

Kennings: I’ve Made a Little List by Harold Anthony Lloyd. Anglo-Saxon Poetry makes heavy use of alliteration and kennings, figurative expressions used in place of a name or noun 

A beginner’s guide (hopefully) to Old English metre by Alaric Hall and Sheryl McDonald. 

Ancient Polish Folk Costume from Bilgoraj

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In researching early slavic clothing, I have come across an interesting regional stroje ludowe, or regional traditional costume in Poland.  These folk costumes appear to have their origins in peasant traditional dress from around the 19th century.  However one isolated region in Poland has a traditional costume that appears to be a bit older.  The Biłgoraj region of Poland is isolated by swamps and forests.  Elements of this costume could give hints about the ancient peasant clothing style that was its origin.

Stroj_bilgorajski_damski
Women’s folk costume from Biłgoraj, Poland

The women’s costume is a flat round cap and long veil, blouse, skirt and apron.  All are made in white linen with simple backstitch, straight, and chain stitches in a single color , red, or blue depending on the village. Lines, spiral S and triskel, and asterisks are common designs.

Stroj_bilgorajski_meski
Men’s folk costume from Biłgoraj, Poland

men wear a brown square cap with blue tassels and a long brown wool coat with blue woven trim around the neck.  Their shirts and pants are white linen.

Latvian Pastalas

The shoes are very similar to Latvian pastala shoes.  These are skin shoes with a drawstring around the top edge and leather thongs wrapping around the lower leg.  There a photos of the Polish ones from the 19th c. on the Muzeum Lubelskie W Lubinie.

Lamus Dworski  – Biłgoraj costume – a guide to Polish folk costumes

Muzeum Lubelskie W Lubinie – Stroje ludowe Lubelszczyzny

Wiktionary – Pastala

Polish Costume Tumblr – Lasowiacy

Word Fame

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At Tri-Baronial Yule, Marya Kargashina was made a Companion of the Laurel.  I spoke for her for the Order of the Laurel these words.

I, Laurel-Companion, Ælfflæd Ælfgaresdohtor
Speak for Marya Kargashina, once my apprentice.
Fine friend she has been to me, a full score and four years,
When well-met we wandered, students in the Summits.
Before oaths were sworn, to teach and to learn,
We weighed her wergild, the weapon-wielder and I
Counsel-sharer, she speaks and she hears.
Gracious Name-giver, words spread world-wide.
My student’s mind delves, deep in Novgorod’s mud
Bringing forth knowledge, from the floor of wind’s hall.
Blue-handed tutor, tints woven textiles,
All of the colors, of Os-gearth’s bridge.
Her hammers she wields, striking hard Weyland’s way.
Bright bronze and silver, deck temples with Slav-rings.
Loud is her language, with the word-fame of others.
Word-sword wielder, bright the runes written.
Through fire and flood, my fierce friend forges onward.
Jubilant, her joy, flares in others a flame.
Knowledge-sower, her seeds cross the kingdom.
Garth-grower now, guides her own plantings.
Bittersweet my tears, at the loss of my student.
Great is my joy, greet the laurel tree grown
I give you my gratitude, mighty ring-givers
For making my bench-mate, a peer of the realm!

Persona Worksheets

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I have reconstructed my Persona Class worksheets.  These were based upon class handouts taught by Duchess Lao Tao-Sheng (Heather Davenport), who created the An Tirian Order of the Carp.  The Order of the Carp is an award given given by the Royal Consort for excellence in period dress, thought, speech, behavior, and encampment.  I found that having an outline really helped me to focus in on the details of the life of the medieval person I was inhabiting.

I have started working on a new West Slavic persona and was wanting to revisit those worksheets and found that I only had hard copies, so I have reconstructed them and made them available.

 

Saxon Tablet Weaving

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I had a lovely fiber play date at Khalja’s place.  I was warping up a new loom to weave a new vitta (Saxon headband).  I had found Shelagh Lewin’s article on the Laceby band, which is from Laceby, Lincolnshire, around 600 AD.  A Band from Laceby:  An early Anglo-Saxon band from Lincolnshire, with additional motifs from the Maaseik textiles by Shelagh Lewins 2015.  The Maaseik textiles referenced are di075041.jpg thought to be Anglo-Saxon (Budny & Tweddle), and currently reside at the Kerk Sint-Catharina in Maaseik, Belgium.  The motifs on the  brocaded tablet woven bands included a vine with leaves that looked looked like it could work for laurel regalia.  I think this is going to result in another terribly period, yet not blingy enough to read as regalia object.  I’m having fun getting my new loom warped up and working through the mechanics of this new (to me) technique.

 

 

Mildred Budny and Dominic Tweddle, “The Maaseik Embroideries,”  Anglo Saxon England 13 (1984): 65–96.

Budny, M., & Tweddle, D. (1985). The Early Medieval Textiles at Maaseik, Belgium. The Antiquaries Journal, 65(2), 353-389.

Fonts, Typefaces, and Hands, oh my!

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So because I am a huge geek and spend too much time hanging out with former typesetters and graphic designers, BLHarley1775GospelsFol391JohnCh5V7-12.jpg I need to share my font choices for the website. As my persona is from Kent, England in the late 6th C AD, I looked at manuscripts that might have been seen there. I used The ‘Harley Gospels’, or ‘Codex Harleianus’ as my primary exemplar as they were likely created in a Roman chancery like any books Augustine brought with him to England. They are written in Uncial with running titles in Rustic capitals. I decided to be kind to my readers and used a Roman font based on typefaces by Francesco Griffo in late fifteenth century Venice instead of uncial for my body text. His typefaces were based on his study of classical Roman capitals. This appealed to me in a very circular way.  The Page on the right is Folio 391r from a 6th Century Gospel Book (British Library, Harley MS 1775), text of the Gospel of John, 5:7-12. 

Here are some lovely photos of the Harley Gospels (Harley 1775) in the British Library.

My Roman Rustic Capital headings are Cal Rustic Capitals.
My Uncial sub headings are Cal Uncial.
My Roman body text is Griffo Classico, a serif body font.

Some other books that are possibly associated with Augustine’s mission to Kent are:

  • The  St Augustine Gospels, (Corpus Christi College, Cambridge MS 286), a 6th-century Italian-illuminated Gospel Book.
  • A copy of the Rule of St Benedict, now MS Oxford Bodleian Hatton 48.
  • A Gospel, in an Italian hand, now MS Oxford Bodelian Auctarium D.2.14.
  • A fragment of a work by Gregory the Great, now in the British Library as part of MS Cotton Titus C.

Lyre, lyre

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Hurrah, a copy of Herausforderungen und Ziele der Musikarchäologie (Challenges and objectives in music archaeology) is waiting for me at the library! It includes, among other papers about ancient instruments, “The Discovery and Conservation of the Prittlewell Lyre” by Elizabeth Barham. I am quite excited as this lyre was part of a princely Anglo-Saxon burial discovered in Prittlewell, England in 2003. It was excavated in a block of earth and I am excited to read the details of its conservation. This coincides with taking up the lyre again, this time with the assistance of a regular music teacher. A friend of ours who teaches guitar and also has a background in medieval music has agreed to help. I now have new strings and am getting set up for regular practice.Here’s Michael J. King playing one of his lyres. His videos on stringing were invaluable.https://youtu.be/pfrnQT3BsQ8