Paternosters

Recently, I became interested in paternosters. The paternoster is the ancestor of the modern Roman Catholic rosary, a string of beads used to count prayers. Essentially, they are prayer beads. Hindus, Catholics, and Muslims all make use of prayer beads making it difficult to trace their origins. It is not known if their use in several religions is a case of borrowing from one religion to another, or a case of independent development.

Among Catholics, it is said Saint Anthony used pebbles to count his prayer. Saint Anthony was an ascetic living in the third century A.D. which would make the practice of counting prayers very old. Paternosters became common around 1000 A.D.  They are mentioned in the will of Godgifu of Mercia (the legendary Lady Godiva) in 1041 A.D. It is believed originally, they were used to keep count of recitations of the 150 Psalms, but in the eleventh century the Carthusians and Cistercians allowed laymen to recite the Pater Noster (Lord's Prayer) instead. Later, the Ave Maria (Hail Mary) prayer was recited in the count of the beads as well. As the Middle Ages wore on, variations were developed.

Thus paternosters developed to have small beads and large beads. The large beads are called guads and are used for counts of the Lord's Prayer. The smaller beads are used to count Hail Marys. Generally, there would be a string of ten Hail Mary beads to one Lord's Prayer bead, but sometimes the count was five Hail Mary beads to one Lord's Prayer bead. The length of Paternosters varied. They could consist of 10. 50, or 150 Hail Mary beads or any count in between. They developed in two forms. One was a circle of beads, not unlike a necklace, and then here a linear form, a straight line of beads.

Paternoster beads were made of any number of substances. Wooden beads were common as were clay beads, but glass beads and semi-precious stones were used as well.  Tassels, saints' medals, pouches, crosses, or any number of things could form the ends. The paternoster thereby became a fashion accessory, a way to display one's wealth as well as one's piety. In medieval sculptures and paintings as well as literary references, the beads could be worn in a variety of ways. Some seem to dangle from the belt, others were worn around the wrist or the neck or were pinned to one's dress or tunic using a broach. No doubt those not wanting to display their beads carried them in a pouch.

Any modern medieval reenactor would do well to carry with them a paternoster. If one is acquainted with beading, paternosters are not difficult to make. There is a list of the types of beads used at Rosalie's Medieval Woman (link below). The article, "The Medieval Rosary" (link below) provides information on their construction. A variety of threads for cords were used among them being silk, cotton, wool, and hemp. Personally, I favor silk for its strength. Some people tie knots between the beads. This has the advantage that if the strand breaks, one is likely to lose only one or two beads. However, it is also time consuming in construction.

Pictured below is the first paternoster I made. The red beads are coral. The larger green beads are agate. The cross is from Raymond's Quiet Press. The tassel I made myself, and is the first one I ever made.

Further Reading

Historical Rosary and Paternoster Beads

Rosalie's Medieval Woman: Paternosters & Rosaries

The Medieval Rosary

Beading Tutorials

How to Make Tassels

Life Happens

A year ago this month, I was in a car accident. My car was totaled. So I spent the next few months obtaining another car, and recuperating. It was a major setback, physically and mentally, and I lost time spent with the SCA. In the past year, I have only made it to three events. It was disappointing. But it took a while to get the insurance money to buy a new car, and then there was the issue of finding one. When I did find a car I could afford and I liked there was a snag hit with the title. When all was said and done it took months to have my new car titled. Once I did have the car licensed and titled I still had to allow for the rest of the healing process to complete before I felt up to attending events.

That is not to say I was doing nothing. My warrant as Amlesmore Herald was up in March. I decided to continue on as a herald at large as it was clear the shire would need me for another office. The Shire of Amlesmore is a small shire, so folks willing to hold office are at a premium. Our seneschal's warrant was up in June so in June I stepped up to become the new seneschal. It was a bit of a learning curve. On one hand being a very active herald accustomed to name and device research and filing paperwork as well as correspondence I was ideal as seneschal. I already knew there would be paperwork, and it had to be filed in a timely manner. I have had no problem helping get events on the kingdom calendar, filing reports, and helping get flyers submitted to kingdom. But being a seneschal is so much more than just paperwork. It also means one has to constantly, at least in a small shire be on top of things. In addition to the usual administrative duties I find myself being event planner, counselor, cheerleader, brainstormer, troubleshooter, gofer, secretary, leader, follower, did I mention cheerleader? And the list goes on.

And there was a lot to be done. The shire decided to hold two major events a year which meant we have to be ready for those. We had a major three day demo coming up. Vacant offices had to be filled. And after a period of dormancy over the winter we had to become active again. I didn't hit the ground running, but after a few months in office, I'd like to think the shire has things under control. We held our demo, we held our annual moot, started planning on next year's two major events, and we have become more active as a shire. We even did a whole redesign of the shire website to make it mobile device friendly. On top of that, we submitted a name change for the shire. The shire originally wanted to be called the Shire of Amleth Moor. This name was rejected due to the mixing of Danish and English which is not allowed. The name Amlesmore was suggested so that was settled upon. The name Amleth Moor was resubmitted several years ago and rejected on the same grounds again.  After consulting with senior heralds I struck upon the name Amlethsmor, which is wholly Old Norse. Only time and the blessings of God will tell if it is accepted.

And all the while, I was continuing doing consultations and research as a herald at large while trying to help plan a local fair here in town. What I learned is that being seneschal is a whole lot of work. Being a herald is as well, but you are not pressed for time. You can pace yourself and take however long it takes to document a name or help a client with a device. You move at your clients' paces, and I have found clients tend to be in no rush to register names and devices. The only things you had to be timely about was keeping appointments with clients, submitting forms, and doing reports. You do not have such luxuries with being a seneschal. Some things HAVE to be done by the next business meeting, and instead of dealing with a limited number of clients (who all basically want the same thing, a name and device and/or badge) you are dealing with many different individuals all needing or wanting different things. In essence, you have to learn to multitask. I have found though I enjoy it all I love my shire, and love handling business for them. It keeps me on my toes, and I enjoy serving the kingdom and the people of the shire. If I had to do it over, yes, I would take on the office of seneschal again.

Unfortunately, being seneschal means I have to curtail some things. I have cut back on heraldic consultations, allowing other heralds in the group to take up the slack (in addition to myself, and the shire herald, we are blessed with a former principal herald, and a herald in training). I no longer check Letters of Intent as often as I probably should. I am not in charge of planning next year's fair in town. And as you know, this blog has not been updated since April. Which is the whole point of this post. While I will try to make posts once in a while, they will be far from frequent. I must dedicate my time to being a seneschal.

All For One: A Commentary on Branch Bickering

I first left the SCA in the mid 80s due to bickering between branches. Some shires just couldn't get along. I left before even getting my AOA, and looking back I can see I personally was part of the problem. I feel guilty over it, but the individuals I wronged are no longer in the SCA, and therefore not there for me to apologize to.

I have come to the conclusion since that if one unfairly criticizes another branch of the SCA he or she is attacking a whole kingdom. After all, SCA branches are not individualized entities, but part of something greater. An individual that unfairly criticizes another canton, shire, or barony is like the finger that criticizes the foot. The finger does not stop to think the foot, while different is needed to move the rest of the body of which the finger is a part.

Unfortunately, I have seen cases where one person has a problem with one or two members of another branch so they take it out on the entire branch, sometimes over things that happened long ago of which new folk were not a party to.

Giving another canton, shire, or barony a hard time, making things difficult for them is not chivalrous behavior. Indeed, it is the opposite. Groups and individuals within a kingdom should seek to help each other. That is the chivalrous thing to do. People should put aside issues in the past, and instead make sure every branch succeeds at what they do. If anything else we should refrain from such behavior least we drive new folk away.

The SCA is in addition to an educational organization a social one. And its social interactions are supposed to be of a chivalrous nature. SCA members should go out of their way to be kind to one another, to help one another, esp, when they are members of the same kingdom. There is no room for grudges, for rivalries, for petty jealousies. I wish when I had first joined the SCA 40 some odd years ago I had realized that then. I certainly do now.

War College May 6-8 2016

My shire, the Shire of Amlesmore, Kingdom of Calontir is hosting our annual event, War College.  This event consists of training and drills to prepare the army of Calontir for upcoming wars. In addition to heavy fighting, there will be archery as well as thrown weapons. The event is free, and there will be a free inn on Saturday. In addition to the combat, there will be an A&S competition of a  roundtuit in any medium. After the fighting Saturday there will be a post revel consisting of songs around the fire, good drink, and lots of tale telling. This is a camping event, and folks can camp from noon the 6th to noon the 8th. For more information, see the event flyer at:

http://www.amlesmore.org/events/WAR_COLLEGE_2016.pdf

The Uses of a Populace Badge

In the Society of Creative Anachronism (SCA), devices and badges are used differently. Assorted Lessons in SCA Heraldry puts it this way:

 A device is defined as, “A heraldic design that uniquely represents the person or group that owns it. A person who has not been awarded arms may register personal armory as a device. This device will become arms when the person is awarded arms”. A badge is defined as, “A piece of armory used by an individual or group to identify possessions, retainers, members, or other items. A badge is distinguished from a device, which is used solely by its owner.”

When it comes to SCA branches like shires, baronies, principalities, and kingdoms there are certain customs regarding devices. For example in the Kingdom of Calontir, only the rulers of a branch may display the device. The branch herald as he or she is the rulers’ voice may display the device on his or her tabard or baldric when performing his or her duties. Other than those two people, no one else may display the device of a branch. In the case of a shire, the shire herald may wear the device on a tabard or baldric when performing his or her duties as a voice herald, and the group may display it. However, individual members may not display the device on their own. Devices are only to be displayed when the owner is present. This goes for all devices whether group or personal. In the case of branches, the rulers or the groups are the owners. Customs in other kingdoms may differ, but for the most part, a device can only be displayed in the presence of its owner. 

This is where badges come in. A branch’s populace badge may be worn by any member of the group. It may be placed on items the branch owns, and it may be displayed on branch banners and insignia. This is why many SCA branches have what is a populace badge. A populace badge is a badge designed specifically for members of the branch to display on their clothing, banners, and other items. The gold striking falcon on a purple background is Calontir’s populace badge, and that is why you see it displayed on the fyrd’s tabards and on the kingdom’s banners. Any member of the Kingdom of Calontir may display it. The populace badge of the Shire of Amlesmore is blazoned as, “Gules, a spearhead Or” which is a herald’s way of saying a gold spearhead on a red background. It is a populace badge. Any one that is a Amlesmore member may use it to show he or she are a part of the shire.

If there is something that can have heraldic art displayed on it, a populace badge may be used for it. I have already mentioned banners and using badges as a way to mark what a group owns, but badges may also be used for favors, livery, and many other things. Livery is an excellent use for a populace badge in my opinion. It can be used on tabards or surcotes for fighters, and anyone performing duties in an official way at a shire event could wear a baldric, a tabard, or a surcote emblazoned with the badge. This would make it easy for folks to identify who to ask when they have a question at an event. Badges can be put on banners, pennons, and standards. It can be used to mark shire property. There are many uses for a branch badge. If you have a question about whether you can use a badge for something, by all means ask your kingdom principal herald.

Populace Badge of Amlesmore