Crixus of La Familia Gladiatoria - Silver Tyger

We will begin then with Crixus of La Familia Gladiatoria, and Our first observations will be into his activities upon the field of battle. His presence strikes fear in the heart of Our enemies through his mere presence with his favored weapon of choice.

Further, during the heat of Our summers or when the air is cold and frosty, We then see Our Crixus preparing himself and fresh faced gladiators for their journeys in the arenas.

Most gracious Ardrí Brennen and Ardrígain Caoilfhionn, Rulers of this great and powerful East, have taken the liberty to give unto Crixus the Silver Tyger, and such:
********SPACE FOR ARMS********
An appellation particularly suitable to Crixus for this time and ever forward. This same gladiator has most especially proved their worth today at the Pennsic War, here in the Barony of Debatable Lands, Anno Societatis LVIII.

Wordcount: 140

Photo by Magdalena Lantfarerin

Dole Office Clerk: Occupation?
Comicus: Stand-up philosopher (Wordsmith).
Dole Office Clerk: What?
Comicus: Stand-up philosopher. I coalesce the vapor of human experience into a viable and logical comprehension.
Dole Office Clerk: Oh, a BLOG artist!
Comicus: Hmmmmmm...
Dole Office Clerk: Did you BLOG last week?
Comicus: No.
Dole Office Clerk: Did you try to BLOG last week?
Comicus: Yes!
-History of the World, pt 1 (more or less)

For a gentle from a clearly Roman household, La Familia Gladiatoria, taking inspiration from a Roman author seemed the best way to go. As to which Roman author, I simply did a google search for what authors spoke about gladiators.  I found The Roman Gladiator, which was a fabulous article.  I followed some of the listed and followed the works of Pliny the Elder, Pliny the Elder, The Natural History John Bostock, M.D., F.R.S., H.T. Riley, Esq., B.A., Ed. and Letters of Pliny the Younger: On Education.
Gathering a few key phrases, I put them into a format that worked in the cadence of the translated works in the context of the scroll. 

We will begin then with Crixus of La Familia Gladiatoria, and Our first observations will be into his activities upon the field of battle.

The language of the translated works of Pliny the Elderreally lent themselves to the composition of the scroll. Leaning heavily on the recommendation for what aspects of the fighting award the recipient was known for it became an easy exercise in fitting the key words into the scroll.

His presence strikes fear in the heart of Our enemies through his mere presence with his favored weapon of choice.

The recipient’s favored weapon, the glaive, was particularly mentioned and as such, I made a reference to it in the scroll.

Further, during the heat of Our summers or when the air is cold and frosty, We then see Our Crixus preparing himself and fresh faced gladiators for their journeys in the arenas.

Devoting time to the descriptions of the seasons, evoked the recipient’s propensity for aiding newcomers to the household throughout the year.

Most gracious Ardrí Brennen and Ardrígain Caoilfhionn, Rulers of this great and powerful East, have taken the liberty to give unto Crixus the Silver Tyger, and such:

The  Wizard of Oz quote was unintended, but the power of the statement certainly fits.
With the colon, I indicated where the recipient’s Arms were to be written eventually, when they are registered.

An appellation particularly suitable to Crixus for this time and ever forward. 

In cases where the recipient does not have registered arms, the proceeding sentence to where they should be written and the following sentence should make sense without the heraldic latin.  It is not always successful, but here it worked out sensibly.

This same gladiator has most especially proved their worth today at the Pennsic War, here in the Barony of Debatable Lands, Anno Societatis LVIII.

The conclusion sentence of the scroll Which includes the location, year and event the award is being given at. To some extent the location could also be skipped as Pennsic’s location is a fixed point for all Kingdoms involved.  But when using the kind of language that loves to describe things the way the Romans did, it seemed appropriate.

I got happily lost in reading the translated works of Pliny the Elder.  Though there were some sections, particularly in regards to medicine, that were frankly disgusting to our modern eyes in regards to sanitary medical practices. I didn’t particularly stick to any of the rules for Roman Latin as I made the choice to work off of translations. Translations usually do not stick to particular syllable counts or rhymes, not that Roman era Latin is known for its rhyme scheme. It was relaxing in a way to have my inspiration not be so closely involved with syllable count and still get to provide the recipient with an appropriate scroll tailored to them!