King Brion and Queen Anna hath heard of Our accomplished Muirgheall O’Riein.
A woman of valour who can find? For her price is far above rubies.
The heart of her Kingdom doth safely trust in her, and We hath no lack of gain.
She doeth The East good and not evil all the days of her life.
She seeketh wool and flax, and worketh willingly with her hands.
We perceiveth that her merchandise is good; her lamp goeth not out by night.
She layeth her hands to the distaff, and her hands hold the spindle.
She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.
She maketh for the populace brightly dyed pysanky eggs, covered in scarlet and purple,
She bestoweth honor upon her household, when teaching these ancient skills with devotion.
She maketh linen garments and bestows them; and delivereth girdles unto her loves.
Strength and dignity are her clothing; and she laugheth at the time to come.
She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and the law of kindness is on her tongue.
She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.
Her works bring her praise and honor from all who meet her.
Grace she attains, and knows beauty is pain; this woman that makes the East more knowledgeable and fair.
Give her of the fruit of Our Hands; and let Murighall be lauded this day as she joins the Order of the Silver Wheel.
She recieveth Our plaudits this day, the 28th of January at A Market Day at Birka XXVII! in the Barony of Stonemarche
Blather for Bloggy Goodness
Lady Muirgheall O'Riein is one of my closest friends. It was a privilege and a joy to be able to write these words. Being in the sca for decades, she has been working on her Norse-Irish persona for many years, and her garb is impeccable. She has researched Dublin/Jorvik caps, coifs and other head coverings. She has even been known to hand-sew them for her own use with handmade needles. Her knowledge of Norse culture during our period is extensive.
She also displays a passion for Pysanky eggs. Pysanky eggs are the art of wax-resist (batik) egg decoration in Slavic cultures, an art form that can be found as early as the 11th and 12th centuries.
Muirgheall has recreated the earliest known extant egg, copying the dying material and techniques of the era. She has also used slightly more modern techniques to create incredible works of art for herself and others. She has even created award “scrolls” out of goose eggs -- the most recent of which I believe went to a Laurel in Northshield. Her work is exquisite and makes the world around her that much more bright.
I needed to put all of that into the words for a scroll.
I worked with Lady Æsa Sturludottir for this project. Æsa was concentrating on suiting the calligraphy font and the style of illumination to Muirgheall's persona. That of an early Irish Woman living in 11th century Ireland. In particular I love how Æsa put Muirghaill’s arms and the award design in egg shapes instead of the standard shield shape. Eggs are so pivotal to her art.
I have known Muirghaill for ages, and I know one of her favorite poems from the Old Testament is Proverbs Chapter 31.
When I base a scroll off of a particular work or poem, I treat it as if it is a “filk” of the piece. I try to keep as much of the original piece while at the same time making sure it contains the relevant information that the award scroll needs and enough references to the gentle that I am writing it for.
In this case it was easier than most. Proverbs 31 could have been written about Muirghaill in a mundane sense and the archaic language that was used lent itself to an award scroll easily.
This was a very wordy scroll, coming in at almost 300 words. Thankfully Aesa indulged me and with a shared love for Murighall, went to work on this very heavily worded scroll.
The scroll went out at BIRKA 2017-01-27.
Muirgheall has recreated the earliest known extant egg, copying the dying material and techniques of the era. She has also used slightly more modern techniques to create incredible works of art for herself and others. She has even created award “scrolls” out of goose eggs -- the most recent of which I believe went to a Laurel in Northshield. Her work is exquisite and makes the world around her that much more bright.
I needed to put all of that into the words for a scroll.
I worked with Lady Æsa Sturludottir for this project. Æsa was concentrating on suiting the calligraphy font and the style of illumination to Muirgheall's persona. That of an early Irish Woman living in 11th century Ireland. In particular I love how Æsa put Muirghaill’s arms and the award design in egg shapes instead of the standard shield shape. Eggs are so pivotal to her art.
I have known Muirghaill for ages, and I know one of her favorite poems from the Old Testament is Proverbs Chapter 31.
When I base a scroll off of a particular work or poem, I treat it as if it is a “filk” of the piece. I try to keep as much of the original piece while at the same time making sure it contains the relevant information that the award scroll needs and enough references to the gentle that I am writing it for.
In this case it was easier than most. Proverbs 31 could have been written about Muirghaill in a mundane sense and the archaic language that was used lent itself to an award scroll easily.
This was a very wordy scroll, coming in at almost 300 words. Thankfully Aesa indulged me and with a shared love for Murighall, went to work on this very heavily worded scroll.
The scroll went out at BIRKA 2017-01-27.
Photo by Aislinn Chiabach
Photo be Brendon Crane
Photo by Breddon Crane
