Lady Ivanna the Oblivious
I arrived at
Everton Cub Camp with the cry, "There it is!" My traveling
companions, Lady Emma and Lady Elspeth, had not been to the last one and, so,
did not recognise the building when it loomed up in the darkness. Although that
was my only contribution to the trip that found us looking for a "Hwy.
6/7". It turned out to mean that 6 or 7 would do and that we had to turn
around. Once we were settled in, Friday night was relatively quiet. There was
much talk and laughter as old friends hugged and introduced one another to new
friends. Many stories were told and the talking went late into the night (note:
the beginning of a pattern).
Saturday started bright and
early, but it started without us (with some exceptions). Once word of breakfast
(and the aroma) got around people started to rise. Soon after coffee was
poured, voices rose in praise of the Honourable Lord Aneas Oakhammer and his
pancakes and bacon.
The classes were fun and
informative and, while I did learn a lot, I cannot, just now, remember which I
took when. I know that Lord Micheal Alewright and Lady Anne le Gris taught
intro and advanced classes on Sonnets. In Micheal's class we wrote the first
four lines as a committee and then each took them away to finish alone. Anne
also taught two more I attended; "Square Notation" and "Modal
Music". I joined three of His Excellency, Master Hector of the Black
Height's classes; "Storytelling", "Building a Bardic Toolbox"
and "My Grey Hairs: The Care and Feeding of Bardic Apprentices" And
also "Is This on the Exam?: The Uses of Period Poetry Forms" by Lady
Gwerydd verch Rhys, "Adapting Myths" by Lady Emer nic Aidan and
"Bardic Arts: A Look Back" by Mistress Morgana bro Morganwg. (For a
complete list of the available classes contact me. I am also willing to share
my notes and have a copy of the compendium on disc for consultation. I am
willing to loan. However, if you want a copy for yourself, I suggest you
contact either Lady Bronwyn, Master Garraed or Mistress Marian of Heatherdale.
I can help you with contacts, if needed.)
At lunch we were treated to
the first two of the Bardic Madness challenges and were entertained and
enlightened by the participants all through the lunch break. It was at one of
these challenges that I gave a token. The token, passed on to me at Berus' Bar
Room Brawl back in the spring by Her Excellency of Ramshaven, Martya
Lapusneanu, has now moved on to Lord Dahrien Cordell of Northshield. For the inspiration
of a tale well-told which taught me something more about the value of a ring
given. The name of that particular challenge was "Rings and Things",
the other challenge was called "Mazacroca" and involved a fake
language text to be "translated". Needless to say, it was an
entertaining lunch break.
There was a visit from Their
Majesties, Roak and Arlette for the evening and, so, a court was held before
dinner. At court representatives of the Midrealm and the Kingdom of the East
were well received after which those who would swear fealty to our new King and
Queen were called. Announcements were made that Wassail was to be rescheduled
and, so, the moot would now be held in the spring. The date is yet to be
decided upon, and will be announced.
Lady Kestra was inducted into the Order of Orion and Lady Bronwyn der
Welfengau and myself were both given the award of the Maiden's Heart. (It was a
great surprise to me when I was called into Their court and I was still shaking
when I sat down again.)
Dinner was a wonderful meal
provided by Mistress Aibhilin kennari fra Skye and Aneas which included some of
the results of the cooking classes that day. As the meal wound down, the
Symposium on the works of the Boreal Master began.
The work of the Boreal Master
is best explained at the website:
(http://ece.uwaterloo.ca/~arnora/arnora/boreal.htm). It is an irreverant and
hilarious spoof of academic research papers based primarily on a work known as
"The Lay of the Rowing Bench" written by Master Hector and expanded
upon with "The Frilly Pink Dress Section (Lars' Sea Chest)", two
years ago at the last Bards and Cooks, by Mistress Morgana. This year, it
seems, much more of the Boreal Master's work has come to light and the ensuing
research resulted in some outrageously funny theses being presented at the
symposium. This was all followed by Act I of a play by Master Hector (the title
of which escapes me as much because of it's length as my memory). I'm told that
the play will be shown, in its entirety at next Pennsic. Suffice to say that we
were kept in stitches for two solid hours before the Symposium was closed and
the Bardic Circle
In fact, it looked like it
might not happen when, spontaneously, people began to gather upstairs after
stretching their legs and wandering about talking with one another. The
drummers were first to play, along with Lord William Fairhaven on his guitar
and soon we had moved back down to the dining hall for a full-fledged bardic
circle. We went around the room in turn, every one taking a turn and told
stories, sang songs, recited poetry and had a grand time well unto midnight.
At midnight began the Bardic
Madness challenge "Things That Go Bump in the Night" in which people
took turns presenting stories, songs, and poems concerning events not of this
world. It was an enchanting and magical evening and went into the wee hours of
the morning (the pattern continues). In fact when it was down to but three
left, Aibhilin came from her pallet in the kitchen to tell us to "go to
bed!"
Sunday was, to my perception
at least, somewhat more subdued as many of us were now going on less sleep than
we needed. The classes went on, with our tireless teachers entertaining and
educating us and I found myself needing a short nap after lunch. After lunch I
spoke with Lady Anne le Gris who has been teaching me about period poetry, and
was now teaching me something about period music as well. She and I agreed to
become teacher and student. At dinner (which was largely the result of the
cooking classes and a wonderful feast) we finished the last of the Bardic
Madness challenges which had been left unfinished at lunch ("Argue For or Against", and
"The Gift") and a quick game circulated the room wherein one would
make up a haiku with the first line being the last line of the previous haiku.
We then moved on to the music and entertainment for the evening. There were
stories of our history told by Mistress Morgana and Dame Tsivia bas Tamara
v’Amberview. Tsivia also showed us her "Stupid Laurel Trick"—juggling
a spear—and did the first re-telling in some time of "The Camel
Story", a short story of her own work that had a few Ladies on the floor
laughing fit to burst. Then our tales and poems took a more somber mood for a
time. A story told by Lady Myva (the short-form of he rname, for her name was
too long and too hard to spell, she told me) told a tale of the year Ealdormere
went to war without a king. She said that those two gentles lost to us that
year, His Majesty King Thorbjorn Osis Brandsson and Lady Laureen of Welfengeu
were, in fact, still with us and that, as long as there was one person from
Ealdormere, that person would not be alone. She told us of how her belief in
that fact changed the lives of two knights and three squires who learned a
great lesson that night and whose lives were changed by that lesson. I was
moved to tears and so inspired that I passed along my second token to her that
night. It was the token given me by Laird Colyne Wordsmith at EWP and she, too,
was charged to pass it along to one who inspired her. It was also at this time
that I recited one of my poems was given a ring for it by Mistress Aibhilin. As
the evening went on, and we took our turns, I was encouraged to tell a tale I
had not yet presented to an audience. I was pleased with my own performance and
with the reception it received.
As the night grew darker and
we approached morning (see how the pattern haunts us?) the circle descended
into silliness and we heard tales that made the hall ring with laughter. Lord
Martin Bildner, then still the Kingdom A&S minister, performed the
"Grover Song" with the addition of three new verses, Master Garraed
sang Master Hector's "The Apprentice's Lament" and I sang my
"The Fighter's Lament" (the Janis Joplin filk). Still many other
performers had us laughing till we cried. Master Cerian Cantwr sang several
songs which caused uproarious glee; Mistress Morgana, upon many a request,
regaled us with the tale of "The Vaguely-Square Man in Early Tudor Garb
Who Wasn't Good Enough to be a Tuchuck" and three lovely Ladies performed
a song written by Lady Gwerydd (to the tune of "Maria" from the Sound
of Music) concerning the charms of that "roguish Cavalier, Dahrien
Cordell" much to his (and our) delight. He responded with his charming and
roguish filk "I am Your Mother's Worst Nightmare" (sung to the tune
of "Savage Daughter"). I crawled off to bed somewhat earlier than I
had the night before.
There was so much more I wish
I could share, repeat, and pass on that is now a muddle in my brain. So much
passed and was learned that it will take me time to sift through it all and put
it in order. The Second Known Worlde Bardic Congress and Cooks Collegium was,
not only a resounding success, but a weekend that shall remain with me, always.
With breakfast on Monday came
many hugs and good wishes as we said goodbye over more stories and jokes, and
helped our hosts clean up the site. The weather was clear and warming again
after Sunday's rain, and the sun was shining on us as we wished each other,
"Safe home." I would like to extend my expression of gratitude to all
the teachers, to the students, and, most especially, to Master Garraed
Galbraith and Mistress Aibhilin kennari fra Skye, the co-autocrats, the
Honourable Lord Aneas Oakhammer the feast-ocrat, and to Lady Bronwyn, at troll,
for an effort well made and appreciated by many.
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