Mi Contra Fa

Quest for a staff of magic

The sagas say one should go into the wood and cut a wand from 'the living wood,' but the beech tree near my home is in a forest protected by a giant.  This giant used her magic to make my sons, born mute, to speak, so we owe her a debt, and I would not trespass against her wishes.  So I went hoping to find wood upon the ground.

[The scrap of forest near my house is in an Open Spaces Reclamation Zone, or something like that, with signs posted by the county saying not to cut any trees.  So, no tree cutting.]

Although thorny vines and fell swamps stood in my way, I persevered until I stood, bleeding, at the foot of the beech tree.

[Lots of greenbriar vines. I was a dummy and wearing shorts, so my legs got scratched up.  Mostly avoided the mud left by our recent wet winter.]

The beech stood in the shadow of a place of forbidden power.  Walls of steel thorns rose many feet into the air, and the air was heavy with enchantment.  I know this place to be guarded by unsleeping dragons, and I wondered if they could see me.  And if they could, would they think me too close to their home?  Best to work quickly and depart, as we who hold secrets can be jealous of our power.

[There's an office building, surrounded by barbed wire, security cameras, and a gate guard in my backyard.  We live a few miles from Ft. Meade. Did not want to get a deep black three-letter acronym mad that I was skulking in the woods near their fence.]

Three fine long branches lay, already cut, under the beech tree.  Perhaps they had come to close to the thorn wall and been cut for their temerity.  I collected them and carried them back to my hall.

[Lucked out and got three good, fairly straight branches.  They may be on the thick side, but I have to measure.]

EDIT: Apparently it's a magic staff because it takes @%&#!! magic to split it evenly.  I've gone through all of my sticks, and the longest split I was able to get went 1/2 - 2/3 of the way down the 75 cm stick before bouncing off a knot or something and cutting through to the surface.  And that one, the best one so far, is full of ants.  ಠ_ಠ

Trying to decide if I 

1. Go find a non-beech green stick and see if that splits better
2. Go buy half-round molding at the hardware store and cheat
3. Go with the ant stick

KASF 2016 Report

There is just never enough time to see all the things!  It is always so inspiring and humbling to see the beautiful things the artisans of Atlantia can do.  His Majesty even admitted that they may have convinced 'this old stick jock' to take up some art as well.  

Performing Arts Demo

Lady Sophia the Orange arranged a PA demo to highlight all the various kinds of performance that happen in Atlantia.  I had been signed up for poetry (Beowulf + an original piece).  I whittled and trimmed my intro stuff to get down into my ten-minute slot.

Minutes before I was to go on, Lady Sophia quietly asked me if, perhaps, I might have something in the 'voice and instrument' category, as her performer for that had needed to cancel.  O.o   But the show must go on!  I dug 'Yo Me Soy la Morenica' out of memory, figured out where the notes were again, and led with that.  Considering that I have not practiced it in years, it came out okay!  (Objectively speaking, it was uneven and my accompaniment blew chunks, but I can't be too hard on myself as I had literally just minutes to practice it.)

Beowulf went well. So, so well.  The audience even laughed at my little ending ("...the distinguished one delivered this response... And we will have to hear Beowulf's reply at another time, perhaps after I have been given a drink!")  Feedback from the Penathalon judges in the audience was mostly on my vocal control, breathing and projection, and that was totally fair and dead-on.  I really feel like in the past year or two, I've finally discovered how to use my singing muscles correctly - but it takes conscious effort, and I hadn't been doing it for that performance.

And that was it, out of time!  So 'To Put the Devil into Hell' went unperformed, which considering that I think there were children in the audience, was probably just as well.

Persona Pentathalon

Beowulf - By far the best scores, as it should have been. It was  by far the best piece among my display.  Aside from the breath control, a third judge said that if I'd only included some work in Old English, she'd have awarded me all 10s.  I'd come to a similar conclusion in my documentation (which I will post later) - I need to understand how the Sievers types actually work in the original context before I can judge how to set them to music in translation.

Banner - Not too shabby!  The major objections seemed to focus on the high/low contrasts of humble linen and gold and silk.  The Maaseik embroideries were on a linen ground, but they also covered the linen ground, and I had exposed fabric.  So, legit.  One of the judges gave me contact information - she has resources for Carolingian goldwork she can share, and I want to take her up on that.

Will - I think two out of the three judges were far too generous on the quality of this one. It wasn't bad, but I don't think it was anywhere close to journeyman work.  Advanced beginner, maybe.

Seal - I got some very good advice from one of the judges.  He had some critiques on my docs - too many examples not directly related to my item.  Friday night, I'd even said to myself, "That should probably be an appendix," but I elected to sleep instead.  So, he was right on.  Also, good advice for future casting endeavors.

Quills - I had to laugh - one judge gave me a complexity score of 2, with a note hastening to add that this wasn't a reflection on me, it was just that quills aren't very complex items.  Totally true, and I appreciated the thoughtfulness of that little note.

Overall Reflections - Considering that I waited until a month before KASF to start, and that I did not want to stress myself out over it, I'm pretty happy with the results.  My display was much better this time, although I am questioning my decision to put my documentation in a folder rather than on the table with each item.  If I want to be 'in it to win it', I need to start much earlier and select categories that play to my strengths.  (Such as, do two performances.)

Speaking of performances - my Beowulf ended up being not in Category 5, Performance, but Category 7, Miscellaneous!  It turns out that the new judging forms just didn't fit it.  Vocal Song looked for elaborate melody - I didn't have that.  Instrumental Performance looked for complex tune - I didn't have that. Dramatic Performance assumed an ensemble, with costumes and props. Nope. Poetry was for original compositions - no.  I expect Storytelling would have assumed a complete story, rather than an excerpt.  Mistress Jessamyn was very sympathetic to my dilemma and suggested the Cat 7 solution.  

Quick thought on the Oseberg staff

KASF report later, but before I lose this -

The Oseberg staff, which may be a Seiðr staff, was split, had a channel carved out, and then glued and bound back together. Why?

That modern practitioner uses the staff to beat a rhythm on the ground. I don't know if she based that on the famous Eric the Red passage or not, but - some of the metal staves have jangly, dangly bits.  Maybe hollowing it out gave it a soundbox of sorts, making it more resonant when used in some fashion?  Tapped on the ground, or hit with a stick, or...?

KASF: Wax on, wax off

I made sealing wax last night.  All hail good experimental design.

Bleaching the beeswax was fairly successful. One day on the counter in the window, and one day on the porch in full sun, got it to a nice ivory color.  Good enough.

I boiled up a pot of water with my empty can floating it it - trash double boiler. I pressed aluminum foil into the top of the Plah-Doh canister lid to create molds for a wax round the size of my seal.  (Probably should have used the entire lid, so that it was slightly larger than the seal.)  Molds were not really reusable - peeling the wax out pretty well destroyed them.

Wax into can; it melted. I poured out three white rounds, then added the madder lake pigment from the Guild of Limner's.  I added a dash - 1/8 tsp or so - and didn't think it looked red enough.  I tried to add a little more and added a lot.  On the plus side, the two red wax rounds have a spectacular deep red color.  Looks just the same as commercial sealing wax sticks.

I measured on a kitchen scale one ounce of powdered pine resin, then added beeswax until I had three ounces of stuff.  All into the pot, which still had a smidge of red beeswax.  It all melted together, and I poured it out into new molds.  This batch was distinctly pink.

Once cooled:

Peeling the beeswax out of the foil is a bit tricky, and sometimes bits of foil had to be scraped off, but no big deal.  The wax is actually fairly stiff.  Warming it with body heat didn't seem to soften it enough to take a good impression, so I will try later today with a candle or other heat source.

The resin-tempered wax is a gooey, sticky mess.  Maybe Georgia pine resin has different properties from medieval European pine resin.  But the resulting mixture has a consistency close to Silly Putty.  It stuck to the mold, and when separated, pulled in taffy-like strings.  There is still goop stuck in the seal I will have to melt out.  I haven't even tried getting it out of the molds, but I imagine it'll be a disaster.  I am so glad I made a 'basic' set of beeswax rounds first!

KASF: Sealing wax

I popped down to UMD's McKeldin Library this morning to take notes on a book about medieval English seals.  It mentioned that the earliest wax seals were beeswax and mostly white, with one brown one (may be discolored green or red) surviving. Later (doesn't give a starting date), resin could be added.

Wait, wait.  "Mostly white"? I bought beeswax pastilles, and they are uniformly yellow.  Did "white" mean "uncolored"?  I Googled "how to bleach beeswax."

Yeah, apparently you can easily bleach beeswax by leaving it out in the sun, thus turning it white.  The process should take 4-7 dayshttp://beemaniacs.com/beeswax/bleaching-beeswax/, depending on how much sun you get and how strong it is.

WISH I'D KNOWN THAT LAST WEEK.

I've got my pastilles in trays now, sitting in our sunniest window.  Not sure how bleached they'll get between now and OH MY GOD I HAVE TO GET EVERYTHING PACKED FOR KASF but we'll see.

I want to make several batches of wax:

1. Plain white beeswax
2. Red beeswax
3. White beeswax + resin (2:1)
4. Red beeswax + resin (2:1)

 

KASF: The final week

Banner, quills, and will are 98% done.  All I need to do is figure out how I'll be displaying them.  (Like, I should make some index cards with samples of the writing from each quill, and probably bring ink so judges can try them if they like.)

A trip to the library tomorrow morning, a batch of sealing wax, and a final revision to the documentation puts the seal to bed.

Beowulf lags.  I need to practice it with the harp and the chanting, and decide exactly how much of it I'm going to do.  And then, the documentation. I started it yesterday, and... oy.  Little hard to summarize ten years of learning into a short article.

Writing Display - which will be a PSA in support of A&S/Chronicler teaming - has a sketch, but I have to actually generate content, print it out, and slap it on the foamcore.  Should happen this weekend.

I've had a great time doing this.  As in 2014, I found Pentathalon to be a great motivator.  I got more done in a month than I generally get done in several. It gives me a reason to do the things I've been meaning to get around to doing, like the calligraphy, and a reason to try things way outside of my usual practice, like the casting.  IMO, I've already won.

KASF: Bumpy bits

Bone Flute: Not working.  I got the soundhole shaped pretty well, but maybe too small.  Put in a wax fipple.  Goes 'fffffp.'  I don't know what's wrong, and the cow bone is really thick and takes forever to shape.  Maybe sheep would be better (but then I have to clean it and saw the joints off).

Quill: After two turkey quills going great, the goose quill goes all splintery and crappy.  Meh.  Using a turkey quill to do the will.

Will: About half done and going okay.  My calligraphy is not the best.  Accidentally put the wrong name down, but I may be able to scrape off some letters and redo.  (I've already scraped off one mistake and done over, so that works.)  I used my bone folder, a compass and straight edge to blind rule the pergamenata.  

Seal: I have all the parts, now just waiting for the weather to be slightly warmer and not raining/snowing.

Banner: Documentation updated.

Beowulf: Documentation update in progress. Need to review the material itself.

A more historical gold-embroidered banner

William of Malmesbury, an early 12th century chronicler, writes (c. 1125) that on the morning of Hastings:

The king [Harold] himself on foot, stood, with his brother, near the standard; in order that, while all shared equal danger, none might think of retreating. This standard William sent, after the victory, to the pope; it was sumptuously embroidered, with gold and precious stones, in the form of a man fighting. (276)

Gesta Regum Anglorum, trans. John Sharpe, ed. J.A. Giles. "William of Malmesbury's Chronicle of the Kings of England," Henry G. Bohn: London, 1845.

It's supposed to be referenced in this work by William's priest, too, but I can't find it.  And Bede says King Oswald had a gold-embroidered banner, but that's way back in the 7th century.  Should still find the citation, somewhere in Bede's book 3 (possibly chapter 11).

KASF: Casting seals

Coenwulf Bulla: early 9th cen (King of Mercia)

Aethelwald Seal: mid 9th cen (Bishop)

Aelfric Seal: late 10th cen (Ealdorman of Hampshire)

Godwin Seal: 11th cen (A thegn and his sister the nun)

Wulfric seal: 10th - 11th cen (probably a thegn)

Great Seal of Edward the Confessor: 11th cen. Impression made in wax.

First is a seal impression; second and third are bronze castings; fourth is carved walrus ivory. Diameters, where given, range from 4 cm to 4.5 cm.

Lettering and designs on seals are incised.

Wax original

I used a hot knife (dipped in boiling water) to cut through a beeswax votive candle, about 8mm from the base.  (Godwin seal is 8mm thick.)  Used bits of wax from the candle to fill in the hole where the wick was.  Used hot knife, held flat, to shape each side of the wax 'coin' flat.

Sketched out a design. Inscription is a simple "+ SIGILLUM WULFSTANI" or "Wulfstan's Sigil."  Based a man-with-sword on Godwin's seal design.

Carved design into wax blank using mechanical pencil as carving tool.  Not so easy, little sticky curls of wax getting everywhere.  Tried to clean it up.  Cross horribly fubared, stopped before I wrecked the whole thing.

Tested it on Play-Doh.  Impression looks OK, maybe slightly shallow, but I can live with it.  Cleaned bits of Play-Doh out of wax original where it got stuck.

Put wax coin in freezer, hoping to make little clingy bits of wax less sticky, easier to brush off. I think they froze in place.

Done! It's pretty rough but it ain't getting better.

Mold

Received 1 lb Petrobond (Delft clay replacement for sandcasting) in mail.

Plan is to cut off both ends of a cat food can. Cover one end with foil, place on wood slab. Will place seal face-up on foil, cover with sand, pack well. Cover top with foil and a board, flip everything over, remove what used to be the "bottom" and the wax original.  In theory, ready to cast.  Predicting difficulty in getting the original out without crumbling the raised sand letters.

Developing a Research Program: Skill levels

Been thinking about bigger-picture stuff than my research and documentation class.  I touch on it a little in that class, under the general heading of 'pick projects that support your long-term goals,' but that's it.

A little bit of thinking, and I decided that I think your self-determined 'research program' is going to depend on where you are in your journey.  So first, a breakdown on that, then I'll see if I can't say anything more sensible about developing a program. All references to apprentice and master, below, are generic small-a and small-m, not references to Laurels and their students.

Novice/apprentice: Your job is to try a little of everything that seems interesting.  Take classes, ask people what they are doing, read a book or two. Dabble.  You may want to focus on projects that are short duration, with a reasonable payoff - it can be demotivating to sink a lot of time into something if you don't know how it's going to turn out.  Play. Play is important to keep your spirits up; it can be very hard to be a novice. You want to do All the Cool Things, but your skill isn't up to it yet.  All your work looks like crap.  There's nothing for it - you have to do the crap to make the good stuff - but it's emotionally hard, sometimes.  Taking a playful approach can reduce the stakes and remind you that there's supposed to be joy in this.  Your tools are probably not very good, because you're just dabbling, and you don't want to sink a ton of money into this yet. That's fine.

You're done being an apprentice when: You understand the general shape of your field - it is no longer "I like calligraphy!" but more "I like early round hands, but some of the late Renaissance stuff is nice, too."  You have a basic set of skills - you can execute a project from start to finish, even if it isn't as nice as you'd like.  You are running into the limitations imposed by the poor tools you are using, and you are ready to get better ones.

Journeyman/woman: You are probably past the 101 classes most frequently offered at Universities and scholas.  You are going to need to develop your research skills to go and find the information you need to create the projects you want to do.  You upgrade your tools to fit your increased skills.  You may feel capable of teaching 101 classes.  You are probably known in your local area as somebody who does (Your Art).  You are more satisfied with your work, but you still have things you want to do, but can't.  Look out for the classic error at this level - thinking you know more than you do, with more certainty than is warranted.  You will know a lot more than a novice, but if you think you have it all figured out, you are almost certainly wrong.

You're done being a journeyman when: The traditional test is a masterwork.  To my mind, that means you've created a thing that you are completely satisfied with.  It is correct in all its parts, demonstrates technical proficiency, is executed beautifully, and fits your image of the kind of art you set out wanting to make.  You may also be at the point of needing even better tools, as you now have so much experience you have preferences for slightly different tools for slightly different needs - and they make a difference to you.

Master: Ironically, mastery is generally when you realize how little you actually know.  You actually know quite a lot about your field and can speak about it fluently, but you are also aware of all of things touching on it that you have yet to learn about in-depth.  Your skills are well-developed, and you create noteworthy art.  You are the go-to person for your art in your local area, and you are probably known outside of it as well.  You may teach or write guides (or you may not - being able to teach or explain is its own skill set, and being a master of an art doesn't guarantee that you can teach it well).  The chief hazard of mastery is ossification - resting on your laurels, as it were.  Keep learning, and keep an open mind.

Both journeymen and masters may have a problem with the sunk cost fallacy.  Sometimes, the art we thought we wanted to do loses its appeal.  While there is an entirely different essay to be written about the difference between tenacity and foolish stubbornness, let us assume for the moment that you can tell you have actually lost interest in an art, and you're not just avoiding it because you fear failure.  Don't keep doing the thing. It's tempting, because you're good at it, people expect you to do it, they praise you when you do it well.  But if you are not enjoying it, what is now an imposition will become a burden, and you will come to resent the burden, and you may flame out of the SCA, riding the winds of a bitter Facebook post complaining how you haven't had any fun in years.

This ought to be enjoyable for you. Play. It may not always be "wheeee!" fun, but it should at least be satisfying and rewarding.  If it isn't, why do it?