Better · than · gold · is · a · tale · rightly · told.

With yet another holiday season (Easter, for my family) upon us, I've been giving some thought about what celebrations, if any, were celebrated, by my people, in the Scottish Highlands during the 14th century.  First obvious question is, Is Beathog a Christian?  A pagan?  What rituals or observances would she participate in?

 My first (albeit uneducated) guess would be that Beathog might have been a Christian (and perhaps only in later life), but I believe those living in the rural Highland areas (and, therefore, Beathog) held on to many pagan practices, regardless of any conversions that may or may not have taken place. 

I just read an interesting book which discusses the ancient Picts and the heavy influences left by them in much of Scotland.  The author, who is attempting to make an historically-based claim to the modern practice of PectiWita, describes the religion of early Scotland (before the coming of Christianity) as Druidism, "a form of sun-worship peculiar to the Celtic peoples...  

... the conversion to Christianity (in Scotland) was a slow and very drawn-out process.  By the middle of the seventeenth century the conversion was complete only in so far as it applied to the townspeople and upper classes.  In the country, it made little impression on the minds of the peasantry, who continued to adhere to the old beliefs to which they were accustomed."

Beathog, then, in the 14th century, would necessarily still be influenced by Druid practices, I would guess.  This author describes this belief system in Scotland to be a precursor, if you will, of modern-day conservationists.  His belief is that the Highlanders were individuals that tied-in their lives with the passing seasons and probably used herbs to heal or for other magickal purposes, and who were not concerned with more ceremonial religious practices until a much later time.  

Hmm.  Beathog as a tree hugger.  I like that. :-)

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My family has been suffering, a bit, from an "organized religion hangover" for several years, so much so that several of my daughters (unnamed) have resisted the idea of getting together for a traditional Easter celebration.  Okay.  So, this year, we are celebrating in a little different way, embracing a few ideas from a somewhat earlier tradition.  

Easter traditions, I understand, have their origins in earlier Pagan traditions.  The name, "Ostara" is derived from Eostre, the Goddess of Spring, and Ostara is a celebration of the Vernal Equinox (the first day of Spring).  Ostara celebrates the balance of light and dark and marked the time for sowing new crops in the northern Saxon countries.  Many creatures gave birth at this time, so symbols of fertility, such as eggs, were traditionally eaten at this time.  The rabbit, chicks, eggs and the equilateral cross are symbols that were borrowed from Pagan tradition by early church leaders.

So, this year, my family is celebrating Spring!  We will have a great day, celebrating our family (and, most definitely, red wine and chocolate).  I think I may also hug a tree.  And I think I will be just a little closer to Beathog this year.  :-)

Current Mood:	rejuvenated
Current Music:	Sumer is icumen in

SCA-Beathog went to war.  At the request of her king, Edric V, she followed His armies onto the lands of the Kingdom of Atenveldt, where Caid would lend support to Her allies there, both in and out of combat.  A non-fighter, SCA-Beathog, and others of her household, support both Crown and Kingdom by entertaining the masses with both story and song (a kind of SCA USO Show, if you will), and often play the role as bard, carrying news throughout the Known World.  

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That's my SCA story, so far, at least.  But, how might my Beathog persona  fit into this scenario, I wonder?  How might she be comfortable taking such a trip?

I spent a lot of time packing my car and trailer, during the days before the war, as I always do.  I began to wonder just how much of the stuff I take with me, each and every war, would be a comfort to Beathog on such a journey, and how much of the stuff would be strange to her or would be, jarringly, of another age.   I had originally planned to take photos of the different areas of my camp, to examine the details, later.   The inclement weather made this exercise difficult, but the harsh weather, in itself, offered quite another very interesting perspective for me.  The endless rain, the subsequent muddy roads, and the bitter cold were certainly a common occurance in 14th century Scotland.   I think, in the area of persona studies, this would be called the immersion method of study. :-) 

I did manage to make several observations, which I find somewhat helpful.  I list the following items to be those that help me to feel like Beathog, for whatever reason.  Hey, if I can feel like Beathog, I can become her.  
 
1.  my spurtle - it's a stick that's intended for stirring oats, brought from Scotland, and always kept, near at hand, in my camp kitchen

2.  my 14th century drop spindle & several varieties of Yorkshire wool, purchased there

3.  a sheepskin brought, by my parents, from Scotland - the ONLY thing I found to be efffective in  keeping my seat warm!

4.  my hood & liripipe, in Donnachie red wool - I hardly feel like Beathog at all, without this item!

5.  rain, bitter cold & MUD - This was annoying, but manageable, with leather shoes, woolen socks (my shoes were muddy, certainly, but my feet were always warm and dry} and hat (yes, even while sleeping!), layers of clothing in linen and wool.  It really is a great thrill to find out your garb is much, much more than a costume!  

6. chamber pot - yes, yes, yes!!

7.  period menus - For the most part, we do an excellent job in eating foods available in the SCA period and, when I am cooking, I rarely use foods that were not available in the 14th century.  I think the most important part of this, for me, is that the foods I eat at war are different than the foods I eat at home.  I eat sausage at home, but the sausages Domhnall makes for war have period seasoning and thus a different taste than the varieties we eat at home.  I use so much oats and leeks, as well, that I get the attention of the grocery clerks when we shop for war.

8.  camp furnishings - While not a requirement in our camp, we do have many period pavilions.  My personal pavilion may not be a 14th century style, but it is quite comfortable and I accept it, gratefully, over a modern tent alternative.  We have replaced (most) of our plastic tables with wooden ones (using one plastic table, still, for dishwashing) and we are on our way to having (only) wooden benches for dining.  We are (currently) working on replacing all of our chairs with wooden ones.  I love, love my new chair, and do not care that it is more appropriate for SCA-Beathog than my 14th century persona.  It is NOT my former, 10-year old director's chair.  Yay!

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Getting rid of ALL of our modern chairs is our priority, certainly, as they would be quite jarring to Beathog (some of them are quite jarring to everyone, SCA or not).  While we do work very hard (at my insistence, I admit) at enjoying a period menu, I think Beathog would certainly be confused by much of the other items, found in our camp, at any given war.  I have been trying to encourage everyone to use a critical eye and to keep the much-necessary plastic containers out of site.  We seem to be getting quite lazy about our serving dishes, for example, and serving out of plastic storage containers and bags, rather than using all of those beautiful dishes we carry around with us.   

We are doing so much better at occupying ourselves with period activities, and limiting conversations about modern subjects, such as television, and the like, but many of us still have a long way to go in this area.  

eowyna

Current Mood:	exhausted
Current Music:	We Drink a Health