At the event High Nobility & Low Stakes, to my delight, I got to hear the recipient given their writ for this very scroll I had worked for so many hours on. In the brief words that TRM said about them and the general feeling that the Masters of Defence gave off as they stood around the soon to be vigitant I was reassured of the tenor and choice of words that I used.
Later in court the recipient stood and spoke as a member of the populace for another Master of Defence. His words were lovely, kind and praising. The style of his speech also served to confirm in my mind that the words that I wrote would not only represent him, but would be worthy of him.
Cwen approached me to write the words for their first peerage scroll! The Master of Defense scroll for Alastar Tucker. Their Primary Persona was listed in both their wiki and in the recommendation as “roughly Viking-age Anglo-Danish.” There was however an in depth description of how the many spellings of the name Alastar fit the many different styles of research and garb that the recipient is known to recreate.
I reached out to Master Donovan Shinnock, his Peer and Faolán an Sccreccain, his Baron. Like the recommendation. Faolán emphasized that the recipient went to great lengths to adapt styles of fence to his persona. I briefly toyed with the idea of changing the verse form, and spelling of their name with every verse of the scroll to reflect that.
However, the recipient particularly requested that the Sutton-Hoo helmet and other treasures from the find be represented in the scroll.
With such a clear request, I decided to write in Old English, but also to keep all the kennings to Beowulf or ones that I made up myself. It was a harder challenge than first anticipated, and I didn’t really succeed in that. But, as I followed the pieces I referenced, keeping the kennings to what I could find proved difficult, I compromised by keeping to the themes and my understanding of the translations that I was reading from. Kennings in Beowulf: The Whys and Hows of Kennings in the Famous Poem was an excellent help in this regard.
The next step was to go through Beowulf.
One of my first stops was Beowulf Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory. Ostensibly in this first search I was looking for references to swords. The recipient used several different kinds and matched their garb/persona to the weapons they were using. This search did lead me to Hrothgar and his importance to the narrative.
CliffsNotes was also valuable in studying the passages I ended up using.
This first half of the Beowulf’s speech to Hrothgar speech influenced the majority of the scroll:
“Hail, Hrothgar!
Higlac is my cousin and my king; the days
Of my youth have been filled with glory. Now Grendel’s
Name has echoed in our land: Sailors
Have brought us stories of Herot, the best
Of all mead-halls, deserted and useless when the moon
Hangs in skies the sun had lit,
Light and life fleeing together.
My people have said, the wisest, most knowing
And best of them, that my duty was to go to the Danes’
Great King. They have seen my strength for themselves,
Have watched me rise from the darkness of war,
Dripping with my enemies’ blood. “
Hrothgar's Speech to Beowulf in Hall of Heorot Was also an influence, although not as directly as the former speech.
"O flower of warriors, beware of that trap.
Choose, dear Beowulf, the better part,
eternal rewards. Do not give way to pride.
For a brief while your strength is in bloom
but fades quickly; and soon there will follow
illness or the sword to lay you low,
or a sudden fire or surge of water
or jabbing blade or javelin from the air
or repellent age. Your piercing eye
will dim and darken; and death will arrive,
dear warrior, to sweep you away”
Cry, the Shield-Maker!
Called Scholar, Cousin-Kin of Wise Trees of the Wound Thorn FENCERS
The piece starts off the same as Beowulf’s, “Hail, Hrothgar!’ using Cry instead of Hail. The recipient has many names attached to them including, “Shield Maker.” His wiki states, “Some have taken to calling Alastar "Shield-maker" on account of the bucklers and shields he produces.” With the follow up in the next line, they are called Scholar. Scholar appears to be their preferred title.
Cousin-kin, a compound word I put together. It's to illustrate the family bond that those in the fencing community have.
Wise Trees of the Wound Thorn, my kenning for fencers, has a particular evolution. It was first used in a Baronial Champions scroll, this past February and was chosen from a plethora of kennings meaning fighter. Distinctions between fighting disciplines in the SCA aren’t represented in period. To make the distinction the kenning chosen uses a term, “thorn,” that felt evocative of the kind of swords that Fencers use.
Our great King, today at Mudthaw
Glorious Ring-Giver Mohammad and GENEROUS RULER
The alliteration that’s used in the first few couplets almost reads as a reverse Dróttkvætt meter. The alliteration starts on the first line and has many on the second half of the couplet.
As far as this couplet goes it was fairly standard in how the Sovereign is addressed and praised. Their preferences in titles were eschewed for titles that fit with the recipient and the poetry form chosen.
Ring-Giver is from the opening section of Beowulf.
Crowned Head of the Populace of the Tyger’s Sky EASTERNERS
With Corotica considerate and lofty Ring-Consort GENEROUS RULER
The first kenning of this couplet comes from landsmen of the channel-sky [ICE > ICELANDERS]. That was adapted to “Populace of the Tyger’s Sky” or “Easterners.”
The Queen Kenning search, as it were, became a lot of time spent on something not used, which happens quite often in projects of this nature. Though it is possible to use any Goddess to represent Her Majesty in a Member for Member Category Metonymy as Master Grim told me in one of the first conversations we shared about Norse verse. However, in the effort to keep the Kennings to Beowulf, the internet journey continued.
The use of kennings in Beowulf: Wealtheow the Peaceweaver yielded this wonderful kenning for Queen:
“The kenning freodwebbe, or peace-weaver is used to describe Wealtheow, the Queen of the Danes, wife of Hrothgar, and mistress of the great hall Heorot. This term refers to a woman married from one tribe into another in order to secure peace between the two groups.”
Even though this fit the goal of all kennings to be from Beowulf, “peace-weaver” was not my final choice. This composition is for a Master of Defence, where during the ceremony, the Queen is the one to strike the final blow. There is more to her position and actions in the ceremony than the one who keeps peace.
Instead, another kenning similar to the one for his Majesty, Ring-Giver, was used. “Ring-Prince,” found in Beowulf: The Whys and Hows of Kennings in the Famous Poem. The original translation was, both gendered and the incorrect rank. That was changed to Consort and words were adjusted accordingly for alliteration.
The choice to repeat the Ring in both kennings for TRM was a deliberate reference to the recipient being a holder of the Iron Ring of the East and the second bearer of the German Silver Ring.
Within this pre-eminent of all mead-halls,
We've welcomed the Poets-Words brought forth STORIES
Mead-Hall is a compound word found often in Beowulf to describe Herot, the hall where prominent action in the epic tale occurs. All the definitions of it describe meeting places that we gather in at events. The implication is that the site this event is being held in is pre-eminent not because of its location, but because of Their Majesties presence.
The Kenning of Poets-Words for stories is one that I made up in reverse of actual kennings.
I found both Conveyor of Praise [POET] and Giver of the Poem [POET] and reverse engineered it to be what do poets do, but tell stories?
This Eastern land of the Blue-Tyger, Settmour Swamp
Echoes of his acumen, ever been entertained
Blue-Tyger It is being used as a descriptor of the Eastern Land, and not in place of. Therefore it falls into the compound word category. I have used it as a kenning in past scrolls but the distinction that I am coming to learn is that a kenning is a metaphor and the compound word a descriptor.
We’ve ascertained his arrangement of position
akin to the ancients in actual practice
The first couplet does not include a compound word or a kenning. It does point out and emphasize the effort the recipient puts into their technique. Their study of the various masters of Fencing in the SCA period was mentioned in every piece written about them.
Styles of Slender-wrought swords that match his raiment
In study and stitch; fitting with how he fights.
Slender-wrought swords was found when searching for Kennings for Their Majesties. “Slender-wrought swords bit the mighty troops beneath their shields…” The compound/phrase evoked “fencing foil.”
Over and over the recipient was praised for the many styles of weapons they used. How their garb would match the weapon and the style of fencing used. These 2 couplets were important in painting the picture of the recipient.
Surging on the standard-road of war BATTLEFIELD
Saturating it with enemies sweat of the sword BLOOD
This fighting award had to have some references to fighting! Standard-Road road is not from Beowulf, but I liked the image it evoked too much to not use it. Sweat of the sword is not from Beowulf, but Battle-Sweat is. Switching around words so that they fit with alliteration is something I have done in this very scroll, let alone since I first began to tackle Norse and Old English poetry.
The Hall-counselors have spoken emphatically
Embracing his expertise, experience and quintessence
Hall-counselors as advisors to the king or in this context the peerages was found in Declarations of Unknowing in Beowulf. The perfect compound word to describe the Peers who speak on behalf of the recipient.
Speaking from the future - it was gratifying that almost every speaker for the recipient mentioned the attributes I used in the proceeding 3 couplets.
As the moon shines from the Roof-Ridge
of the Temple of the Resting-Road ZENITH
The Skaldic Poetry site (that is linked so often in this write up) had ‘The moon shines from the roof-ridge of the temple of the ground [SKY > ZENITH]. Which I had encountered before when trolling for kennings. The complexity of the kenning and the clear images it evoked prompted its use in the scroll. Particularly in regards to “Of all mead-halls, deserted and useless when the moon Hangs in skies the sun had lit” from Beowulf’s speech to Hrothgar.
Further, the article Cosmology and Skaldic Poetry goes into more details of the science and study that the complex kenning uses. It was a fascinating find and seemed to fit the recipient’s interest in research as well as to be an excellent transition sentence from the descriptions of the recipient’s prowess to what the award and accolades are.
The East shines for Alastar Tucker, fame-clad fencer
This is literally the only time “Fencer” is mentioned in the scroll.
For now shall hold arms aloft as such
Per pale indented Or and azure, a boar rampant contourny and a wyvern erect counterchanged
Forthwith Anno Societatis LVII and forward
With the transition sentence before this it became the most logical place in the piece to include the recipient’s arms and the year. The date was eschewed, both at Their Majesties request for this reign and because it felt awkward to include. The required information of an award scroll serves the same purpose as formulas found in the epic poem. The inclusion or exclusion of the information is on the shoulders of the wordsmith to determine what is best for each individual piece.
And here!
His skill by the sword spans time
His savvy for the shield safeguards
His studies, are his soul's-passion
His steps serve where some feet are stranded
And here (heh) I took inspiration from another passage in Beowulf, Hrothgar's Speech to Beowulf in Hall of Heorot though its use here is in a completely different tone. Hrothgar’s speech is essentially a warning of an old man to a young man that his youth and vigor will fade. Instead I used this section, all with the same alliteration to describe, again, the recipient’s accolades.
The compound word soul’s-passion was found when searching for kennings in the skaldic project to the individual quote that the kenning was in. Very often there will be a compound word next to a kenning. This one was also the only one that the accompanying kenning was not logged down, and as such, there is no link for it.
I have largely overlooked period compound words before working on this scroll. Though I have many composed specifically for the East Kingdom, moving forward their inclusion into the nuances of Norse and Old English poetry will be noted.
He stalks with the Tyger’s Tred EAST KINGDOM
While the primary alliteration in this penultimate sentence of the scroll are the Ts in the final kenning, I included “stalks” to match the alliteration of the “and here” section that immediately proceeds it.
The kenning, Tyger’s Tred, was created for a previous scroll and has been used in several scrolls since.
Cempa Alastar Tucker: Master of Defense
The recipient’s chosen title for Master of Defense is “Cempa” or warrior in Old English. Which was definitely appropriate considering the rocky terrain.* Their choice of title also reassured me that the proper choice was made in the choice of poetry.
Saving the title of the award until the last sentence was a full build up to the final presentation of the recipient to the populace in all their accouterments and accolades.
These words were an honor to write.
It was with pure pleasure that I got to be there, both when they were given a writ and their ceremony in court.
*I had to get at least one more Princess Bride reference into this peak fencing award write up!
Cempa Alastar Tucker video by Yona Carmichael
Reading Begins at 16:11 mark
East Kingdom Gazette - Court Report: Mudthaw
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