SCA Life

Ghulam Cavalryman

Words of all kinds have been my constant companions, my comfort and my career since I was six years old. I can never get enough of them and I revel in learning new words. So, today I present you with a list of some additional medieval words beginning with the letters G. There were so many truly fascinating words for G, that I decided to present it all by its lonesome. The source for all spellings and definitions is “The Orb: On-line Reference Book for Medieval Studies.” To read the previous selection of words, click here.

GAENGGANG: Pregnant.

GAFOL: Rent.

GAIRTHINX: Donation, gift.

GEBUR: A dependent cultivator of the soil.

GEMOT: A meeting.

GESITH: Companion or personal follower of the king. Later became the thegn.

GESITHCUND MAN: One who belongs by birth to the class of gesiths; in the West Saxon laws appears to be of the same dignity as the eorlcund man of the Kentish laws.

GHAZI: Arabic term meaning “one who took part in a ghazwa,”; later used to designate those who took part in the jihad against the unbelievers. The name was also adopted by associations of warriors, notably in Anatolia.

GHIYAR: The compulsory mark or sign worn by the dhimmis to distinguish them from Muslims. It usually consisted of a patch of cloth of a prescribed color and sometimes also of other items of clothing.

GHULAM: A young, male slave. The term is variously used of a servant or bodyguard, a palace guard or attendant, a young mamluk, or an artisan bound to a master.

GRANGE: (1) A farm estate of a monastery, worked by hired labor and supervised by lay brethren; (2) a system of farming, created by the Cistercians and followed by other orders, which existed outside the manorial system.

GREYFRIARS: See: “Mendicant Orders.”

GRITH: Peace, protection

GRITHBRECH: Breaking of the peace.

GYNAECEA: Women’s quarters.

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Award winning gardens of the Birr Castle Demesne.

I love words. I’ve said it before and I say it again. I iterate and reiterate. I LOVE words. So, today I present you with a list of some additional medieval words beginning with the letters D, E & F. The source for all spellings and definitions is “The Orb: On-line Reference Book for Medieval Studies.” To read the previous selection of words, click here.

DANEGELD: Tribute originally paid to the Danes (Dane Gold); later the system of personal taxation used to finance the king’s activities.

DEMESNE: The part of the lord’s manorial lands reserved for his own use and not allocated to his serfs or free tenants. Serfs work the demesne for a specified numbers of days per week. The demesne may either be scattered among the serfs’ land, or a separate area, the latter being more common for meadow and orchard lands.

DEVSHIRME: The Ottoman Turkish term for the periodic levy of Christian boys, collected for training and recruitment into the Janissaries, the Imperial Household, and the administration

DIGIT: A measure of length equal to 10.48 mm.

DILATURA: Damages; a plea designed to create delay, generally founded upon some matter not connected with the merits of a case.

DOUBLE MONASTERY: Peculiar to England, a combined monastery for men and women, with separate sleeping quarters for them. Sometimes this took the form of two foundations side by side having their own buildings and cloisters but with a church in common. In either form both would be ruled in common by an abbot or abbess.

DUN: Scottish single family hill fort.

EDOR: Homestead, farmhouse.

EREMITICISM: The religious life as lived by hermits, individually or in groups (cf. “cenobiticism”).

ESCHEAT: The right of a lord to confiscate property held by a free tenant found guilty of a felony.

ESNE-WORKMAN: Laborer, servant.

EYRE (Latin Iter): The right of the king (or justices acting in his name) to visit and inspect the holdings of any vassal. This was done periodically, usually at irregular intervals of a few years. These were all-inclusive, comprehensive affairs, during which the powers of local officials such as sheriffs and coroners were suspended (and required to render account subject to heavy amercement). Large numbers of people would attend, to make account or to seek justice, and the justices would inquire into all manner of things–crimes and unexplained deaths, misconduct and negligence by officials, irregularities and shortcomings of all kinds, the feudal and fiscal rights of the Crown, and private disputes. Such eyres were known to provoke utter terror among the populace, many boroughs and counties preferring to pay heavily to ensure the eyre would not visit them (the 1233 Eyre of Cornwall caused most of the populace to flee to the woods to escape the eyre).

FAEHTH: Feud.

FAQIH: The doctors of the law in Islam are called faqih.

FEAXFANG: Seizing by the hair.

FIEF-RENT: Money paid by a lord to his vassal annually in return for homage, fealty, and military service (usually knight service), or perhaps a butt of wine, a wheel of cheese, an animal, or a cord of timber. This became more common in the later middle ages, under the system known as Bastard Feudalism.

FLYMANFYRMTH: Harboring a fugitive.

FOLKES-MOTE: Meeting of the folk or people in the shiremoot.

FORESPECA, FORSPRECA: Advocate.

FORFENGUS: Rescuing of stolen or strayed cattle.

FRAELLUS: A rush basket; also the quantity of figs or raisins in such a basket.

FRITH: Peace.

FRUMTYHTLE: First accusation.

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Over time words fall out use. They become unusual, making people smile or widen their eyes. Then they become archaic, known only to enthusiasts or scholars. Finally, they may vanish altogether. I’ve always been a fan of unusual, archaic and just plain bizarre words. So, today I present you with a list of some interesting medieval words beginning with the letters A, B & C. The source for all spellings and definitions is “The Orb: On-line Reference Book for Medieval Studies.”

ADSCRIPTICIUS: A type of serf. One who is bound to the soil.

ADULTERINE CASTLE: A castle built with out one’s lord’s approval.

AMBER: A measure of four bushels.

ANGYLDE: The money compensation which a wronged person is entitled to receive.

ASSART: To turn woodlands into pasture or cropland. To assart lands within a forest without license is a grave offence.

BARID: From the Latin “veredus”, Greek “beredos”, a post-horse (cf. German “Pferd”), the term commonly applied to the post and intelligence services of Islamic states and also to the couriers, mounts, and stages. The head of the organization was called Sahib al-Barid, or “postmaster.”

BIRELE: Cup-bearer.

BLODWITE: The fine for drawing blood.

BONDES: Heads of families; freemen serving as vassals.

BOVATE: Amount of land which could be worked by a team of oxen in a year.

BYRBAN: Beer money.

CAMERA: A workshop for men, a term mostly used in Italy.

CAN, CANNE: Clearance, averment.

CARUCATE: A measurement of land, equal to a hide (used in the Danelaw), fixed at 100 acres in England in the year 1194.

CAVAGIUM: Head tax.

CEORL: In Anglo-Saxon England, the free tenantry. Occasionally, if these could acquire enough land, they might move up to become thegns.

CHANTRY: The endowment, either in perpetuity or for a term of years, of a priest to celebrate mass for the soul of the founder.

CHARTULARIUS: An officer who drew up documents; a serf freed by charter.

CISTA: A chest.

CORRODY: A pension, in the form of lodging at a monastery, or an allowance of food, clothing, etc., granted to a lay person.

CUVELLA: A bucket, pail, or tub.

CYNE: Kin.

Finally, for more word fun, check out my post on SCA jargon here.

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King and Queen of Trimaris: Thorstenn the Wronghand and Zephyrine de la Mairge

There are still a few events left this month, so you’ve got a chance to make some Monday Memories of your own. Here they are, in reverse alphabetical order, broken down by kingdom, date, event and locality. Four more kingdoms to appear tomorrow.

WEST
29 – Darkwood A&S – Darkwood
29 – Warlord Tourney – St. Katherine’s
29 – Champion – Rivenoak
29-30 – Fall Equestrian Event – West

TRIMARIS
28-30 – Harvest Festival — Oldenfeld

OUTLANDS
28-30 – Nock on Wood – Barony of al-Barran
28-30 – War of the Staked Plains XIII – Shire of Blackwater Keep
29 – Estrella War Treaty Negotiations – Kingdom of Atenveldt
29 – Newcomer’s Revel – Barony of Unser Hafen

NORTHSHIELD
29 - 30th Baronial Birthday Celebration – Windhaven
29 - Event cancelled. – Rockhaven

Oh, and if you’re headed to the Estrella War Treaty Negotiations, here’s a glimpse of what war can be like… when viewed through womens’ eyes. O_O

For more information on why I have not been posting regularly, read this. Happily, you can once more expect consistent posting.

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I recently ran across a copy of From Clermont to Jerusalem: Crusades and Crusader Society (International Medieval Research) by A.V. Murray in a used book store. It’s a bit dry, but an entertaining and fact-filled read. If you are interested, it can be purchased at either of the following two links.

Amazon

Target

Finally, I wish all of my readers a happy, if thoughtful, September 11. Never forget. I won’t.

Apparently this is a picture of sheep at a 2002 SCA event. What the event is, I know not. And, here’s the catch, SCA does not stand for Society for Creative Anachronism in this instance. Does anyone out there in my audience know of a sheep organization that calls itself the SCA???

Anyway, when I saw this, I just had to share it. Too bad I didn’t see it before I posted my own sheep story. J

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13 Things I Plan to Research for My SCA Persona

1) The Saxon laws regarding property
2) The Saxon laws regarding inheritance
3) Saxon Clothing circa 1000
4) Arabic Clothing circa 1000
5) Musical instruments available in England circa 1000
6) Tattoos during the Saxon dominance of England
7) Saxon hairstyles
Period Saxon Vocabulary
9) Period Saxon feasts
10) Period Saxon breakfasts
11) Saxon makeup? Not sure if this is real
12) The rights of Saxon women
13) The early crusades

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Here is fun song provided to me by a Horde Friend, in other words someone who is a good (or in this case a relative) of a member of the Great Dark Horde. For those who don’t know, the Horde is among you. Members of this mercenary clan can be found throughout the Known World.

Joy to the World
Tune: Joy to the World
Words: By Sir Steven MacEanruig and Sir William the Lucky

Joy to the world, for war has come,
And we can fight again.
Let every foe know fear and woe,
And swords and axes swing,
And swords and axes swing,
And swords and swords and axes swing.

We’ll rule the world with axe and mace,
And Heaven up above.
Let battle cry ring fierce and high,
For war is what we love,
For war is what we love,
For war, for war, is what we love.

Joy to the world, for war has come,
With sword, and arrows’ flight.
We’ll maim and slay, all through the day,
And rape and loot at night,
And rape and loot at night,
And rape, and rape, and loot at night.

Hark the Heralds Loudly Cry
by Sir Steven MacEanruig

Hark! The heralds loudly cry
Who will live and who will die?
Tourney time is here once more
Kingdom’s crown we’re fighting for.

Join us on this tourney day,
Joyously we’ll maim and slay,
Hark! The heralds loudly sing,
Sword on helm is heard to ring;
Hark! The heralds loudly sing,
One of us will soon be King.

What Knight is This?
by Sir William the Lucky

What knight is this, who, laid to rest
In cold dark ground is sleeping?
The Western King destruction brings,
And Eastern men are weeping.
This, this ? Cariadoc!
Who came to scoff and died of shock.
Haste, haste to lay the sod
O’er faded hopes of glory.

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Sometimes, one can be too careful…

Once upon a time, long, long ago, I worked as a newspaper reporter. The paper I wrote for was a small town biweekly. I made very little money, and that meant that I had to be very careful about how much money I spent on the SCA. Garb, in particular was limited. I bought the cheapest broadcloth at wholesale or closeout stores and made the best of it. But I seriously wanted something nicer to wear to Fettburg’s midwinter feast.

Now, as a fairly poor member of the SCA, I haunted thrift stores watching for useable items. One day, at the local Catholic thrift store, I ran across a bolt of rust colored velvet. I immediately saw that fabric’s potential. That dusty bolt of velvet meant that there was a feast gown in my future. It was great! Except for two little problems…

Firstly, I am an indifferent seamstress. Sewing with velvet was way beyond my ability and still is. Secondly, I was going through a time period when my weight was fluctuating a great deal. The result? I lived in fear that the dress, which I would have to pay to have made would quickly become too small for, possibly even before the midwinter feast had arrived.

Then good news came. Rebecca, a friend of mine in the SCA was willing to make the dress for me. Naturally, I expressed my paranoia about the fit to her. She said she could make the dress a little loose. I was thrilled.

When the first fitting came, using a cheap broadcloth mock-up, I pestered my friendly seamstress to make the dress looser and looser. She told me I was making a mistake, but she did as I wished. And so, a few days later, I was the proud owner of a rust velvet bog dress, similar to teh dress in the picture above. And I wore it to the next feast!

But all was not well.

The end result was predictable, if pitiable. The dress was big enough to hold three of me! More than ten years later, I still have the dress. And it’s still big enough to hold at least two of me. When I wear it, I look like a child playing dress up, specifically a flat chested little girl. What was I thinking?????

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1. A large period pavilion that I can erect with just one other person to help and which I can stand up in.
2. A genuine belly dancing belt made with real Mideast coins.
3. A nice comfortable period “looking” bed to go with the pavilion.
4. A brand new suit of armor custom made for me.
5. A real “hero” sword (to quote LOTR making of) to wear for show.
6. A pair of comfortable period chairs.
7. A portable camping oven… not period.
8. Several bolts of tapestry and velvet cloth.
9. A nice, mismatched set of tableware for feasts.
10. An ice chest with really good wheels that roll easily over gravel.
11. A beautiful period parasol… if there even is such a thing.
12. A loom big enough to make a two person blankets and rugs but which can be broken down for easy transport.
13. A personal lady in waiting…

SCA, Society for Creative Anachronism, medieval, middle ages, renaissance

Dear Readers,

As those of you have been following my blogs may remember, my mother had major surgery in July. The surgery was needed to undo a major blockage in one of her arteries. Anyway, at first the surgery seemed to have done a great deal of good. This was a tremendous relief as Mom had been having minor strokes due to the blockage.

It seems the surgery didn’t do enough. Mom has had several more minor strokes. She’s been very ill. And today, after yet more and more and more tests, we found out that one of the minor strokes was in fact a major stroke. Her entire right side is affected. She’s having trouble with balance, speech and a number of other issues. Now, I don’t mean to imply that’s she’s paralyzed or dumb. But she is very weak on that side. The minor strokes are still coming, and we’re going to have to go through more tests and maybe another major surgery.

To top it all off, the first surgery will apparently take six or more months to recover from and this is complicated by the fact that she’s still having “mini-strokes” which I think are also called TI’s.

This is the reason that my blog posts have been off their normal schedule or missing entirely on at least one or two days. Please bear with me, as I am doing my best to get everything back on track. In the meanwhile, you may see a lot of short posts and YouTube videos. This post is for the 28th and 29th of August, in case I miss more after this.

Oh, and Mom wanted me to let all you know that she really appreciated your thoughts and prayers last time. J So did I.

Thanks,
Catslyn/Zeva/Lori

This may very well be my strangest SCA memory of all time.

At a Kingdom of the West June Crown Tournament, I once watched a woman shear a sheep. Yes, you heard me right. A sheep. A real sheep. As in, do androids dream of…

This woman actually brought one of her sheep to the event, and I still can’t figure out how she has any as she lives in a city apartment. Anyway, she grabbed the sheep, flipped it on its back, grabbed a set of recreated medieval period scissory things and sheared that sheep right there at the edge of the tourney field. I can still see the resigned look on that sheep’s face.

What do you folks think? Is this taking authenticity just a little too far?

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Check out this SCA documentary on YouTube!

Today’s filk was chosen by Anachronista, who correctly guessed the answer to last week’s riddle. So without further ado, here’s “Into the Fray!” by Zeva the Weaver (also known as me).

Be wary of the terrifying creatures who are known as . . . garb nazis. (Also known as costume nazis.)

In every organization there are those who will find some way to prove themselves superior to their fellow person, and garb nazis are of their number. The average garb nazi wears picture perfect garb of whatever period they have chosen, and they tend to condemn anyone whose garb is less than picture perfect.

Unfortunately, these folks don’t always take other people’s monetary issues into consideration, nor do they consider that people in period may have varied their garments from those chosen by artists to memorialize.

Do not allow these less than friendly folks to depress you too much if they attack your garb. The point of the SCA is a bit of fun, not slavish imitation of people seen in Jan van Eyck or Hieronymus Bosch paintings. If you run afoul of a garb nazi, your best bet is to smile, nod and get away as quickly as possible. And don’t take them too seriously.

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