Saturday, July 19, 2008
A Virtual Bardic Circle
One of my hobbies is historical recreation; one of my interests is running a bardic circle at which I try to create the illusion of a group of people sitting around a fire entertaining each other at some indefinite time and place in the medieval period. I recently created a virtual bardic circle with webbed recordings of some of my stories and poems, along with pieces by a lady who sometimes comes to the circle and performs to the delight of me and my guests.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
11 comments:
I do not know exactly how medieval it is, but I am very fond of riddle poems.
They are, existing ones and on-the-fly ones, perhaps an entertaining addition to the repertoire.
Maybe while you're at it you could recreate the idyllic artisan/craftsman economy which existed before its destruction by the enclosures and modern capitalism?
Anonymous asks for riddle poems. Here are some with a Norse theme:
Because I was overlooked
one who could
Gave me to one who could not
To use as he did not intend
I was a hostage for him
Who, being brave, broke faith;
Now I and my twin brother are parted forever
I am that snake whose sting is in his tail
I only bite when I have shed my skin
What snake am I?
We held to our oath though things looked black,
Defenseless men can still attack;
Battling bound we blooded the foe,
By our courage caught, for our courage let go.
Can I request Ali Hussein (the Greatest Thief in All Baghdad)? That was always one of my favorites.
Ok, you're just trying to make the next three days of work completely impossible to endure, now, aren't you.
:)
The rain here has been making a similar attempt.
I'm doomed.
What do I need to read to be able to answer those?
Anonymous wants to know where one might find the information to solve my riddles. The answer is in Norse myth, Norse sagas, and Norse versification.
Hey David,
I told Charles about your Barding circle, and now he wants to encorporate Barding as a skill in his Magic of the Gods game. If you have any suggestions as to how to do this - or what would make it interesting for you to do Barding in a MMOG feel free to let us know.
The latest development in the game is that players can now do spear fishing and they can cook as well!
Alright, I have a poem for you; perhaps not so nuanced as a bardic canticle, or quite so impregnable as an Eliot fortress of solitude. In point of fact, it's going to seem like the anarchical amateurism of a college farceur, but I suppose that's okay, because the poem is a somewhat sentimental question; it calls on your sentiment, so to speak. See if you can guess the answer without looking at my user credentials. :-)
Once I was a wide-eyed boy,
who sought to learn from teachers
who were not teachers, with students
Who were not students;
And every day was a battle across time and space
And every day I wore a different face
Though I had to ask permission beforehand to wear the mask
Once I lounged at a party,
where my masque was my real face,
which I could not, to my shame
remove, to give myself a name,
and I thought without thinking
that I knew without knowing,
for I read without reading
"Who is it that can tell me what I am?"
So, your Grace, what does one need to do tell a tale or give a poem as might be pleasing to the company? It is, alas, a long way from Runestone Hill. But I would be minded to share a poem or tale if you would be willing.
Yaakov
Yaakov asks how to contribute to the circle. I'm not trying to make a general collection of SCA work but rather to create more or less the effect of my circle at Pennsic. So for those, such as Yaakov, to whom I have given silver arm rings for past performances there, the answer is simple--record your piece and send it to me.
Post a Comment