Saturday, January 28, 2023

Erik of Vastergotland - Silver Crescent

Ever excelling, Our
Erik Vastergotland
Entered events. Began
Embracing what he found
Kitchen’s Council Sharer 
Cutting and carved roast beast
Power pole perceiver
Puller of linen chord 
Lucid largess giver  
Lecture guide for students
Battle Blizzard balance 
Book teaching those building
Selfless since he started
Set his service path 
Therefore that which We give: 
The Silver Crescent!
Award accorded now
As is Our right to do 
Reigning Ring Rewarders 
Rule together, in tandem
Glory Gained Mohammad! 
Gefjon Corotica! 
Welcome with Weaponed Words 
when the Order is called
Brought about this BIRKA
Barony of Stonemarche
January 28, Anno Societatis LVII

Word Count 99

KEY
Alliteration
Kennings
Kenning Meaning

Syllable Count (if other than 6)

* Correct Dróttkvætt Alliteration

  • (a) - (a) - A -
  • A - - - - - 

Ever excelling, Our

Erik Vastergotland


Entered events. Began

Embracing what he found


Kitchen’s Council Sharer FRIEND
Cutting, and carves roast beast


Power pole perceiver
Puller of linen chord ARCHER/BOWMAN


Lucid largess giver TEACHER  

Lecture guide for students


*Battle Blizzard balance ARROWS (compossure, self possession)

Book teaching those building


*Selfless since he started

Set his service path 


Therefore that which We give:
The Silver Crescent 5


Award accorded now

As is Our right to do 


Reigning Ring Rewarders KING/RULERS

Rule together, in tandem


Glory Gained Mohammad! KING

Gefjon Corotica! GODDESS/QUEEN


Welcome with Weaponed Words ORGANS OF SPEECH/MOUTH

When the Order is called


*Brought about this BIRKA

Barony of Stonemarche


January 28, Anno Societatis LVII

Calligraphy and Illumination by Fiona the Volatile

Your a mean one, Mr. BLOG
I chose Dróttkvætt meter for the scroll and just began to dive in!

Ever excelling, Our

Erik Vastergotland

Starting off with the recipient's name, and getting the ball rolling! 

Extolling his excellence from the opening couplet. 


Entered events. Began

Embracing what he found

This couplet is essentially halved. The beginning ends the first couplet and the second sentence ends in the next.  My goal is to make each couplet one complete sentence or thought.
From what I can tell the ancient Norse poets and authors did both. But that was in a different language that also appears to have fewer syllables than modern English. 


In the next four verses I wanted to list the attributes that earned the recipient their Order of High Merit for Service. That they were present in the kitchens of the East, their work as a teacher of archers and of creating the equipment that an archer needs. For each one of these four attributes I used a kenning in the description to enhance their import to the scroll.


Kitchen’s Council Sharer FRIEND
Cutting, and carves roast beast

In the following three couplets I managed to find a kenning for each aspect of the recipient I wanted to emphasize. 

The recommendation emphasized the work done in kitchens and royal rooms and particularly made note of their carving skills for the food in the royal room. 

Using, "roast beast," was my choice because the phrase '' carving the roast beef for the royal room, I found evocative of How the Grinch Stole Christmas. "Why, he even carved the roast beast!" 




Power pole perceiver
Puller of linen cord ARCHER/BOWMAN

This entire couplet is a kenning for archer/bowman.  Here Is how I came about molding it into English:
Kennings for BOWMEN

þekkjǫndum meginásar þunnblás. — ‘to knowers of the powerful pole of the thin linen cord. ’ - BOWMEN

    (1. Anonymous Poems, 2. Liðsmannaflokkr, 5 [Vol. 1, 1022], kenning 2)

To know - perceive perception 

Power pole perceiver

Puller of linen cord 


Lucid largess giver TEACHER  

Lecture guide for students

The process for getting to  this couplet:
TEACHER - Knowledge feeder/ fact feeder/ feeder fact/ fact farmer /farmer facts 

wisdom-carrier 

Going with the first and forth definitions of lucid

  • easily understood; completely intelligible or comprehensible:

    • a lucid explanation.

  • characterized by clear perception or understanding; rational or sane:

    • a lucid moment in his madness.

  • shining or bright.

  • clear; pellucid; transparent.

And the Obsolete definition of Largess: generosity; liberality. Which I followed immediately with, “giver,” to reiterate the meaning. Obsolete definitions are my bread and butter in the wordsmith game. And led to the final couplet used in the scroll:

Lucid largess giver 

Lecture guide of students


*Battle Blizzard balance ARROWS 

Book teaching those building

The last of my descriptive couplets and the first of the “correct” Correct Dróttkvætt Alliteration.  That’s in quotes because learning these ancient meters is an ever evolving process.  Errors I have found in the past and corrected are all a part of the process of learning and the goal to bring the best words to the recipient.

In the first line I use the word, “Balance.”  In the context of composure and self possession one needs to make these weapons from scratch and to teach these skills to those building their kits.


*Selfless since he started

Set his service path

The second of mf full Dróttkvætt couplets.

After the last few descriptive couplets this was the transition sentence into the award and Their Majesties. 


Therefore that which We give:
The Silver Crescent 5

The award identifying couplet and alliterating with th.”  I try very hard to alliterate with the same sounds.  As such using “t” and :th: are a no go.  Also, try as I might, I could not figure out the last syllable for the second line of the rhyme.  I am sure that looking back on this in the future, I will come up with something and kick past me for not thinking of it then.


Award accorded now

As is Our right to do 

Another transition couplet into the next section of the scroll.


Reigning Ring Rewarders KING/RULERS

Rule together, in tandem

For rulers, here, I just added a plural to the singular.  Then defined it in the second half of the couplet. 


Glory Gained Mohammad! KING

Gefjon Corotica! GODDESS/QUEEN

Once the kenning was chosen, securer of glory [KING], I began to play with definitions to find the proper alliteration - to secure: to Gain: Gainer: Glory Gained

Gefjon (Gefjun, Gefion) Old Norse = 'the giving one' Goddess of knowledge

I looked up a list of Goddesses and used one as an honorific for Her Majesty.  Essentially naming her as the Goddess of Knowledge, which fits with his Majesty filled with glory.


Welcome with Weaponed Words ORGANS OF SPEECH/MOUTH

When the Order is called

The composition of this couplet was completely inspired by the kenning I found for mouth, or organs of speech.  I leave it to the reader to determine if I meant the herald speaking for TRM or the other members of the Silver Crescent.  Perhaps I meant both?


*Brought about this BIRKA

Barony of Stonemarche

It was fitting that the last couplet of the scroll has the fully correct Dróttkvætt Alliteration.  As said in many of these scrolls, working in the last bits of the formula information does not always coincide with the meters and rhymes that I am attempting to write in.  Therefore I get joy in this small accomplishment.  I certainly hope it makes the award that much better.


January 28, Anno Socieatitas LVII

And in the light of the success of the last couplet, here  the last bits of information needed are just tacked on in the end.  All being said, I am very happy with this scroll and hope the recipient enjoys it!


I've been including a lot of the modern references and media that goes through my head as I write these scrolls. It's like a glimpse into the brain of the wordsmith.  Translating the modern world into the medieval one is fascinating!



Photo by Fiona the Volatile




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