bunnyjadwiga (![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
bunnyjadwiga) wrote2005-04-05 05:09 pm
bunnyjadwiga) wrote2005-04-05 05:09 pm
My Laurelling
Here's the rundown, for those who want to know.
We came up Friday night-- Robin and Shannon gave me a ride-- hung out with Jae, and went to the hotel pool for my ritual bath. :) We ended up paddling around making up Redneck Laurel and Redneck Pelican jokes.
Maziemaus and Ysabeau du St. Wandrielle made me a new dress, puff sleeved German/Italian ren style, with a red bodice/sleeves and a gold jacquard skirt with red dots. I wore a lot of amber. My Christopher bought me gorgeous ruby stud earrings to wear, and Ana Areces gave me a cross set with gold-ish agates. Elewyiss gave me a purple pater-noster but I managed to break it halfway through court. I wore the lovely vigil apron that Catelin la Broideresse made for me.
When we got on site, there was a slight delay because my mom called crying hysterically because she had not been able to get on the road and would not be able to make it. The combined efforts of Christopher and myself, despite determining that she was physically unhurt, were unable to calm her down, so I made a break for the door, went in, and registered.
Registration was remarkably painless, except for the fact that I got to the front of the line and realized that my cash and checkbook were with someone else. Baron Terec gallantly loaned me the money and we repaid him later.
We got me dressed, then dressed Sarah, and Mer and Dani showed up just in time for me to remember that the bag of garb for them was ALSO in someone else's car, run up, send someone out in the rain (no I was NOT going to get rain on the dress before I was laurelled) to get the bag, get measured for my wreath, and greet a bunch of people. Got everyone into garb. Got strewing herbs (provided by Christopher) and rose petals (provided by Cateline la broideresse) set up. Got people into the very nice baldrics my mom made. Lyle Fitzwilliam had very kindly bound two copies of my Sage Treatise for me to present to the crown, using endpapers donated by Mistress Elwynne. I took some of the herbs (sage, rosemary and thyme) and made a tussy mussy to carry.
Court started. The acoustics were, frankly, awful. Many people who should have known better disregarded requests to take private conversations outside the hall, which made it worse. They had used the PA once and that sucked too. *sigh* If I wanted to hear anything I had to scamper up front and still had trouble hearing. *sigh* There was a brief panic when it turned out that everyone thought someone else was supposed to bring a medallion, but Herveus came to the rescue with a tablet-woven laurel favor stitched onto a tablet-woven cord, and Mistress Anne Liese actually cut up her birthing-day necklace and donated the Laurel bead off it. Wow.
As a result, I missed quite a bit of Lyle's Pelican ceremony because I was in the back, where we lined up to process in. However, I was glad I was there for it anyway.
My party consisted of two people strewing rose petals, at least one person strewing herbs, Robin Gallowglass as the herald carrying a Banner with my arms on it, me on Christopher's arm, Juergen carrying the books, Mistress Brid carrying the wreath on a pillow, people in the back handing out comfits to the masses, and Streya (Estrella de los Confinos?) carrying the beautiful Laurel Apron she made for me. (It's purple, with the laurel wreath in puffed applique on the bib, and my arms in puffed applique on the skirt.)
Robin announced me, as coming in answer to Their Majesties summons, with full awards and stuff.
Everyone peeled off as we came up to the throne, I knelt (taking the books from Juergen). His majesty asked me how I would answer the question: did I wish to join the order? I said, as clearly and loudly as I could, "I do". I presented my tussy-mussy to Her Majesty because I was out of hands and besides I had planned to do that.
He asked for people to speak for me. Maggie Basketmaker was the Pelican who spoke for me. I have to admit her comments about my good cheer sounded a bit like a different person, but I was willing to accept the comments about my work and besides it was MAGGIE. Speaking for me. When she said, "She is my peer" the waterworks started.
Then. His Majesty Thorson spoke for me as a member of the Chivalry. I was honored as all get out. He talked about the quality that Alexander said he admired most, in the common soldier-- dynamis (sp?) -- the will to fight. He talked about the will to fight against odds, and more important to fight against oneself. I was crying. He was choking up. So was her Majesty.
Then the Lady of The Rose. Duchess Roxane, who had just gotten her King's Order of Excellence (excellence in persona). The first 2 pages of her speech were sort of a tension breaker for me, because it was two pages of praising the Crown in proper Muslim period style. We all had the giggles. Thorson looked like he wanted to slide down under his chair. Adhemar rolled his eyes and was his most Adhemarlike. And Roxane finished up with, 'She is my friend...' and I began to cry again.
Then, Brid said that she was supposed to speak as the Laurel, but there was one who had travelled further and she would cede the right to her (apparently originally Jae was supposed to speak as the Pelican). Jae spoke. I think I was shell-shocked. I don't remember much of what she said. She ended with something like I'm proud to call her my sister, and my friend, and I cried some more.
They put the apron on me. I asked permission to speak to the crowd to explain why an apron. (The answer is that the Guild of Gardeners of London -- though founded in 1604-- had a tradition that when one attained the Mastery, one would be given a blue apron. So 'to don the blue apron' was to become a Master.) I don't know if anyone heard me, but it was important to me.
The laurel leaf was real bay, on a metal form. They put that on me, then the medallions.
His Majesty said it was customary to swear fealty at this time, would I like to, or prefer to wait? I said I would do it. he also asked if I wanted to swear fealty on his personal sword or on the sword of state. I opted for his personal one, as a mark of the respect I have for both Thorson and Svava.
I first presented the books to them and they asked me to tell the crowd what they were and about Lyle and Elwynne, and I did.
To the best of my recollection, when I swore fealty, I said something like, "I Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, swear fealty to the Crown and People of the East, to your Majesties Thorson and Svava, and to your heirs. I pledge to use my skills and knowledge for the good of the People of the East, and the People of the Society, and never to use them against you." Or words to that effect. I got a slight nod from Steffan afterward so I think I wasn't too bad.
They accepted my Fealty, I moved over, and then they Laurelled Ron Wilmot and then we all got hugged.
Mistress Aelfgifa gave me a sprig of laurel from her own tree.
I recieved a bunch of other great Laurelling gifts, like the beatiful majolica mug and apothecary jar (with cover) in Majolica by Guennereth and ... oh dear I'm blanking on the other potter's name! I'm so sorry! And the Estonian goblets made to period specifications Jae brought over from Estonia. But the most precious gifts were the presence of my friends... Keran Roslin who came from Aethlemaerc, Jae from Drachenwald, Evan and Herveus and Kwellend and family from Atlantia, and others, including Dani and Mer.
I am so blessed in my friends!
We came up Friday night-- Robin and Shannon gave me a ride-- hung out with Jae, and went to the hotel pool for my ritual bath. :) We ended up paddling around making up Redneck Laurel and Redneck Pelican jokes.
Maziemaus and Ysabeau du St. Wandrielle made me a new dress, puff sleeved German/Italian ren style, with a red bodice/sleeves and a gold jacquard skirt with red dots. I wore a lot of amber. My Christopher bought me gorgeous ruby stud earrings to wear, and Ana Areces gave me a cross set with gold-ish agates. Elewyiss gave me a purple pater-noster but I managed to break it halfway through court. I wore the lovely vigil apron that Catelin la Broideresse made for me.
When we got on site, there was a slight delay because my mom called crying hysterically because she had not been able to get on the road and would not be able to make it. The combined efforts of Christopher and myself, despite determining that she was physically unhurt, were unable to calm her down, so I made a break for the door, went in, and registered.
Registration was remarkably painless, except for the fact that I got to the front of the line and realized that my cash and checkbook were with someone else. Baron Terec gallantly loaned me the money and we repaid him later.
We got me dressed, then dressed Sarah, and Mer and Dani showed up just in time for me to remember that the bag of garb for them was ALSO in someone else's car, run up, send someone out in the rain (no I was NOT going to get rain on the dress before I was laurelled) to get the bag, get measured for my wreath, and greet a bunch of people. Got everyone into garb. Got strewing herbs (provided by Christopher) and rose petals (provided by Cateline la broideresse) set up. Got people into the very nice baldrics my mom made. Lyle Fitzwilliam had very kindly bound two copies of my Sage Treatise for me to present to the crown, using endpapers donated by Mistress Elwynne. I took some of the herbs (sage, rosemary and thyme) and made a tussy mussy to carry.
Court started. The acoustics were, frankly, awful. Many people who should have known better disregarded requests to take private conversations outside the hall, which made it worse. They had used the PA once and that sucked too. *sigh* If I wanted to hear anything I had to scamper up front and still had trouble hearing. *sigh* There was a brief panic when it turned out that everyone thought someone else was supposed to bring a medallion, but Herveus came to the rescue with a tablet-woven laurel favor stitched onto a tablet-woven cord, and Mistress Anne Liese actually cut up her birthing-day necklace and donated the Laurel bead off it. Wow.
As a result, I missed quite a bit of Lyle's Pelican ceremony because I was in the back, where we lined up to process in. However, I was glad I was there for it anyway.
My party consisted of two people strewing rose petals, at least one person strewing herbs, Robin Gallowglass as the herald carrying a Banner with my arms on it, me on Christopher's arm, Juergen carrying the books, Mistress Brid carrying the wreath on a pillow, people in the back handing out comfits to the masses, and Streya (Estrella de los Confinos?) carrying the beautiful Laurel Apron she made for me. (It's purple, with the laurel wreath in puffed applique on the bib, and my arms in puffed applique on the skirt.)
Robin announced me, as coming in answer to Their Majesties summons, with full awards and stuff.
Everyone peeled off as we came up to the throne, I knelt (taking the books from Juergen). His majesty asked me how I would answer the question: did I wish to join the order? I said, as clearly and loudly as I could, "I do". I presented my tussy-mussy to Her Majesty because I was out of hands and besides I had planned to do that.
He asked for people to speak for me. Maggie Basketmaker was the Pelican who spoke for me. I have to admit her comments about my good cheer sounded a bit like a different person, but I was willing to accept the comments about my work and besides it was MAGGIE. Speaking for me. When she said, "She is my peer" the waterworks started.
Then. His Majesty Thorson spoke for me as a member of the Chivalry. I was honored as all get out. He talked about the quality that Alexander said he admired most, in the common soldier-- dynamis (sp?) -- the will to fight. He talked about the will to fight against odds, and more important to fight against oneself. I was crying. He was choking up. So was her Majesty.
Then the Lady of The Rose. Duchess Roxane, who had just gotten her King's Order of Excellence (excellence in persona). The first 2 pages of her speech were sort of a tension breaker for me, because it was two pages of praising the Crown in proper Muslim period style. We all had the giggles. Thorson looked like he wanted to slide down under his chair. Adhemar rolled his eyes and was his most Adhemarlike. And Roxane finished up with, 'She is my friend...' and I began to cry again.
Then, Brid said that she was supposed to speak as the Laurel, but there was one who had travelled further and she would cede the right to her (apparently originally Jae was supposed to speak as the Pelican). Jae spoke. I think I was shell-shocked. I don't remember much of what she said. She ended with something like I'm proud to call her my sister, and my friend, and I cried some more.
They put the apron on me. I asked permission to speak to the crowd to explain why an apron. (The answer is that the Guild of Gardeners of London -- though founded in 1604-- had a tradition that when one attained the Mastery, one would be given a blue apron. So 'to don the blue apron' was to become a Master.) I don't know if anyone heard me, but it was important to me.
The laurel leaf was real bay, on a metal form. They put that on me, then the medallions.
His Majesty said it was customary to swear fealty at this time, would I like to, or prefer to wait? I said I would do it. he also asked if I wanted to swear fealty on his personal sword or on the sword of state. I opted for his personal one, as a mark of the respect I have for both Thorson and Svava.
I first presented the books to them and they asked me to tell the crowd what they were and about Lyle and Elwynne, and I did.
To the best of my recollection, when I swore fealty, I said something like, "I Jadwiga Zajaczkowa, swear fealty to the Crown and People of the East, to your Majesties Thorson and Svava, and to your heirs. I pledge to use my skills and knowledge for the good of the People of the East, and the People of the Society, and never to use them against you." Or words to that effect. I got a slight nod from Steffan afterward so I think I wasn't too bad.
They accepted my Fealty, I moved over, and then they Laurelled Ron Wilmot and then we all got hugged.
Mistress Aelfgifa gave me a sprig of laurel from her own tree.
I recieved a bunch of other great Laurelling gifts, like the beatiful majolica mug and apothecary jar (with cover) in Majolica by Guennereth and ... oh dear I'm blanking on the other potter's name! I'm so sorry! And the Estonian goblets made to period specifications Jae brought over from Estonia. But the most precious gifts were the presence of my friends... Keran Roslin who came from Aethlemaerc, Jae from Drachenwald, Evan and Herveus and Kwellend and family from Atlantia, and others, including Dani and Mer.
I am so blessed in my friends!
no subject
Thank you!
But I'm not so sure about the bib thing (haven't seen any pictures of bib aprons in period), on the other hand, if it didn't have a bib I would be kneeling on my laurels... :)