By Lord Roderick Mund
Imagine, if you will, entering a corrugated steel building, where a large crowd is gathered, displays and artwork abound. Is it a flea market? A rummage sale? A white elephant swap? You step into the crowd and find gemstones, stained glass, and the history of brassieres… and you remind yourself, it’s Pennsic; it makes sense. Particularly if you remember that you’ve entered the A&S displays of so many enthusiastic SCAdians. Arts & Sciences in the SCA world include gemstones, wood working, liqueurs, painting, stained glass, bead work, clothes, shoes, fabrics, apothecary, wire weaving, verse, and yes… the history of brassieres.
Wandering through the many interested observers I found Gregor de Mere of Æthelmearc, who was displaying his work of oils on boards. Having attended since Pennsic VI he has seen a lot of changes in how things happen. From a weekend event to a 2-week affair, Gregor says a few things have not changed. When asked what things he remembers from the early days of Pennsic, he replied, “drinking and fighting.” So some traditions still hold. His paintings are examples of moments at Pennsic and those of his SCA friends. When asked about the things he treasures from the many Pennsics he has attended, he replied very simply, “my friends.”
If you were at the Great Hall and saw all the displays you might be curious about the lady sitting with a cardboard display board and 8 x 11 pages attached. This is how I met Mistress Dorigen of the Grey Gate, a Laurel of the East Kingdom. She has been attending since Pennsic X. The event was still a very long weekend. Mistress Dorigen has been writing sonnets for a very long time, and it is an intimate expression about the people she knows in the SCA. She said that the mundane world wants poetry that rhymes, but only her SCAdian family understands her musings. When asked about the changes she has seen through 40 Pennsics, she was quick to reply, “the standard of living; I slept on the ground the first time I attended.” The writings of Mistress Dorigen can be found on the Facebook of the East Kingdom; they appears as Wordfame Wednesday.
Finally, the enthusiasm of our visitor who is so far from the East we refer to her barony as The Far West! Walking along the tables you suddenly see a massive ….. hat. Not a sombrero, which would be too small. Not quite a pop-up tent, so prevalent at Pennsic. When asked, Lady Nōri Tsubakie was so fast in explaining this pilgrim’s hat used by ladies in Ancient Japan that I could not write fast enough. The hat signifies that a lady was on a pilgrimage to a shrine in the hopes of winning the favor of that particular deity. But more information included how she constructed the hat to appear as it might in those times, and after three months of work she is almost finished. The hat includes a very thin veil that descends from around the brim. Lady Nōri assured me that the hat is water proof and serves as an umbrella when needed. You will see her walking around and should ask her about the construction; it might cause you to reconsider your persona! Her enthusiasm is infectious. (The Far West barony is Japan; yes, she traveled that far to be here with us.)