Like Sands in an Hourglass, these are the BLOG of our lives
To say I was thrilled to receive this assignment is an understatement. One of the greatest joys that I have in wordsmithing is creating something for a friend. I have known the recipient since my first few years in the SCA. Writing for a friend makes me as happy as receiving an award myself!
The first thing I did was to dive into an internet search for any references to pottery, the recipient’s chosen art form. I focused on Chaucer first as a likely place, but the only references I found were to cooking pots.
My husband, Bróccín MacIvyr helped with the majority of the research done for this scroll. He is the one that found written references to ceramics and pottery paired with comparisons to the stars and the passage of time.
The Confessions of Saint Augustine led to a wonderful rabbit’s hole of internet research! Augustine: Confessions translated by EB Pusey proved particularly fruitful, especially the11th Book.
I copied whole passages from the translation onto my Google doc and began to shape the words. It quickly became clear that this scroll could go very high in word count. My scribe, Tola knitýr, said go for it. WAHOOT!
Due to the language of this scroll, I cannot simply break it down by verse or couplet. Instead, I will go over it as it is written, inserting my commentary as it goes down the scroll. Most of the pottery terms are from the Glossary of Ceramic Terms.
Today We have purpose for Jenna Childslayer.
Having whirled round the kingdom for an age, We can say that the arts have flowed as smooth as porcelain under her fingers; as the stars have turned in the skies.
I started right off the bat with the recipient and pottery. In the next long sentence I used three references and an allusion to celestial bodies, which are very linked in the writings I was inspired by.
Whirled is taken directly from Augustine and used in the context of pottery.
Porcelain is, “A vitrified and translucent ware made from a body containing china clay, ball clay, quartz and feldspar, which is made traditionally and fired only once.”
Her fame has spread to Our ears, beyond Our islands,
Our Islands is a direct reference to Staten Island where the event is being held mundanely and Long Island right next door, so to speak.
and during these recent times of noxious plague.
This is of course a COVID times reference.
She is endowed with many talents, all the support, and all the comforts, and utterance of exultation and guidance as teacher.
This sentence had very few changes from the original translation and it does read as a little bit awkward from that perspective but it so very well seemed to cover all the things that the recipient has tried to impart in the classes she has taught.
She casts the way for those dipping in the waters, to understand the many eddies and currents of play,
I practically start 2 different themes in this sentence. Thankfully water is essential to the process of creating pottery, so I continued to go with the flow.
Casting in pottery is “forming pottery by pouring slip into a porous mold.”
Dipping is “The application of a glaze by immersion.”
and wedging all sorts of forms of crafts with strings and sealing wax.
Wedging is “A method of de-airing and dispersing moisture uniformly by hand in a piece of clay.”
Strings and Sealing Wax, was not intended as a pottery reference, but in retrospect I see that strings and wax are also tools of the potter. A string, or wire is used to remove thrown items off the wheel and wax is used in the firing of ceramics to control what the glaze touches. While this was originally intended as a reference to the kumihimo cords the recipient makes for award medallions and teaches classes on. Cords have been historically used on scrolls and attached with sealing wax. It was only after I read this out loud that I realized it was a direct quote of Puff the Magic Dragon, by Peter Paul and Mary. While the reference doesn’t hold particular meaning to the recipient, I believe that she will certainly like it in the scroll and as such I chose to keep it.
And thus, the Silver Brooch is said to be deserved, because she is connected, not with minute and inappreciable moments, but intervals of time which can be observed in the spinning of her potter's wheel, turning clay as the hearts and minds of folk who’ve been molded so as to further flourish.
This sentence, where I first name the award that is being given, kept the most feel of the original text. The translations of Augustine’s writings have a definite feel to them, sort of putting the negative first and then coming up with a response to the negative statement. More often than not, the source material used this pairing negatively whereas I turned the pairings positive.
“He thus established a Christian philosophy, which has influenced scholars and educators throughout the history of the West.” From, Augustine and Teaching, Influence. As I delve deeper into various writing styles, rhyme schemes and cadences of the ancient and medieval worlds, I am beginning to see that influence. While by no means an expert, I am seeing nuances in history and that is a very cool thing indeed.
In the SCA, scrolls are used for praise and recognition. To use this writing style at all has to be done carefully. I hope that I made it clear that minute and inappreciable moments were not the focus of the recipient, but their ability to look and work beyond them.
Turning is Trimming and shaping thrown pots in the leather hard state.
Ceramic Molding is a production method.
For today the acclaim of the clamoring voices of the populace of these Eastern lands,
This is a transitional sentence where I am changing the perspective away from the accolades of the recipient through use of the populace. It’s a direct lead into naming Their Majesties and where I abandon most of the influence of Augustine in favor of getting the information necessary for the rest of the piece.
Ruled by Ryou the Demon King of the Three Heavens, and Rani Indrakshi at their
This is the first scroll that I have written for TRH Ryouko'jin & Indrakshi and I used their preferred titles in the scroll.
Coronation do willingly, enthusiastically and joyously induct Jenna Childslayer into the Order of the Silver Brooch.
Using the 3 adjectives here is again a stylistic break from the Augustune translation. But I am all for the extra praise to be added in where I can.
On this day of April 09, AS 56 in the Crown Province of Østgarðr.
The conclusion to the scroll is the same as many others, putting the date, the year, and the place where the event was held at.
This scroll was intriguing to write. Although I used a period source I didn’t actually use a full quote. Although I did reword much of the text, I didn’t filk the piece. Although I used many references to one thing I wouldn't label this a punny scroll. Instead it was an amalgamation of all these techniques combined with the information that is required for all award scrolls. The whole, I hope, is going to be as meaningful to the recipient as it was for me to write.
Photo by Chana Freidl the Maker
