Making a Laurel

On November 16, at Fabric, Fiber, and Fighting, I had the incredible honor of being elevated to the most Noble Order of the Laurel.

Now, a little bit removed from the flurry of preparation and stress over the big day, I can share all the awesome things that went into the vigil and ceremony.

I think most people becoming Laurels worry about what to wear- we are artisans and a lot of us make our clothing and it's the big display of your art. I found myself less stressed about the dress and more about the jewelry.

I very much wanted one of the carnelian and crystal amulet necklaces, inspired by Birka grave Bj. 632.

I gathered some pendants that had meaning for me, got the beads that I needed, agonized over the layout for a bit, and then constructed my necklace under the full moon. It was a fun, peaceful entry into my Laurel garb.

The center pendant of the fire striker, staffs, and spear/sword blades was an impulse buy at Feed the Ravens this past Pennsic. The chariot wheel is for Freya, the fox tooth for the fox in my heraldry, the crystal bead on the ring was made by Ulfkell as I was crafting my necklace and I loved having something from him there. The chair pendant is for my völva research and continued studies. The shield and spear pendants are for protection- and because I started my journey in the SCA as a heavy fighter. The snake arrived from a Feed the Ravens subscription box the day of the necklace making as was a lucky pick and a great addition. The two round pendants had been in my stash for several years, and the tiny one was purchased from a favorite jeweler and fellow heathen at Pennsic many years ago.

The vigil underdress was a plain white linen dress I had handsewn and was already in the closet. I made a new white wool dress for sitting vigil, put it on and loathed the way it fit. Thankfully, it fits Ulfkell great, so it went to him. I ended up in a white dress with wool trim that I had handsewn for the Calontir Clothing Challenge a few years ago.

Returning my apprentice belt to Count Murdoch and being sent to vigil.

Ulfkell took charge of decorating my vigil tent. We were on a covered porch on the main building but we got a small popup tent to create a "vigil room" - which thankfully also blocked some of the wind. We used battery powered candles which are less romantic but far safer. Furs for the walls and sheep skins on the chairs to keep visitors warm.

Birna Hakadottir took on organizing the food donations and also made these incredible Viking cookies.

And so many awesome people stood guard for me.

Ulfkell was thrilled to have an event that he could finally wear that quilted wool coat to! He was probably the warmest person there. I also finished the coats for Murdoch and Ríoghnach and made Abby Rose's outfit so she could match the Viking theme.

Also made the outfit for my sister. My mom wore a couple things that I had in the closet as she's not a SCAdian and wouldn't wear anything again.

Photo bomb by Zaritsa and Zabela.

My apron for the ceremony was wool from Woolsome in a very Laurel-y olive green. I trimmed it with bands of diamond twill silk and silver posament. The brooches were also a purchased from Feed the Ravens this summer and I had bought them with the intent to set them aside "in case of vigil". I didn't have to wait long, as it turns out!

The ceremony was incredibly lovely. I am deeply fortunate to have had some wonderful people both from inside the Hus and out to speak for me.

My Laurel wreath was made by Ulfkell and started with a offhand joke that I had made over the summer- since I study graves so intently, we should make my eventual Laurel wreath out of bone. But as it turns out, we have an oddities shop in town with a whole host of strange things, including old medical specimens from teaching hospitals. There happened to be two human ribs that matched and, when joined, created a perfect fit. He epoxied them at the join and then sanded and painted to blend before wrapping in silk leaves.

My beautiful cloak was made by Zaritsa who must have been embroidering like a mad woman. It is stunning and so so warm.

My gorgeous scroll was made by my Laurel, Murdoch, and I adore all the tiny details.

The image on the left is my grave project from Bj. 968. The picture at the top is my two dogs, Calamity Jane (digging up a grave, naughty girl!) and Beorn (playing with the bones, just happy to be involved). You can see the jewelry unearthed from the grave she's dug, and the building pillars are covered in runes. I love everything about it.

Hus Færhaga, all Norsed up!

When I was asked over the summer what my "dream vigil" would be, it took some thought. I did not have a concrete plan, but rather images, ideas. I wanted it at night, under the stars. At Pennsic. I wanted to sit vigil in our camp and to have meat in the grill to feed visitors. Woodsmoke. And then all the women in our household, dressed in Norse clothing, to process with me down the street, to only the sound of drums, to the Kingdom camp for a small ceremony. In the sagas, völvas often travel with groups of women who helped them with their rituals, so it was fitting that for this ritual that I be surrounded by the women of my house.

This is my favorite picture of the day, because it encapsulates the whole thing perfectly. It wasn't exactly the day I had envisioned (not at Pennsic! Much colder!) and there were several moments where it seemed like things might not come together but in the end, everyone that I wanted was there. Ulfkell brought barbecued pulled pork so there was smoked meat for the guests. Court started at 4:30, so by the time the ceremony happened, it was dark. Under a full moon and the stars. The Pavillion had a fireplace that someone had started, so there was the smell of woodsmoke. All the Hus women dressed in Norse clothing for me and they all looked fantastic with their own spin on things. And Ulfkell drummed us into court. It was everything that I hoped.

Murdoch keeps a book that details the journey of his squires and apprentices. It was deeply touching, and more than a little sad to see the last page of my chapter.

But not an end, just another step on the journey.