Notes From Lilies

Lilies was so much fun! I learned a lot about many different subjects, including how to do a handful of crafts, and met a bunch of fun and nice people in the process. I weaved a seamless bag which I need to felt now. My husband made a leather jack and did really well with the tooling. He is much better at basket-weaving than I. I also learned that Yoda speaks Latin in English. My husband (now going by the name he'll be submitting, Gamble) and I are going to buy a couple rapiers to practice Calontir Steel cut and thrust on our own. I really, really need to find a place where I can practice thrown weapons 'cause it is tons of fun. Especially spears. We also saw Their Royal Majesties and Highnesses from five kingdoms do the wave in court.
I drew two device submissions for heraldic consultants. One of the pre-prints I had painted previously was given to a new Boga-Fyrd. I was the only entrant in the borders competition, but was assured I didn't win by default. I drew up another zoomorphic border. I'm kicking myself for forgetting to take a picture before handing it off... I did two deer with their hind limbs flipped above their backs and long antlers filling up the extra space- one on the top left corner, the other on the bottom right with antlers extending vertically up/down the sides of the sheet (scroll is in landscape format), and horizontally to the center of the page. At the center, they turn vertically toward the center of the sheet for just an inch or so to hold onto a blank circle for an order badge at top and a blank escutcheon for personal arms at the bottom. Their Majesties' scribe suggested painting around the colors instead of over them since she's seen paint not stick to gold gesso before. I picked up an illumination how-to book which described a masking method that might make that easier to do. I'm excited to try it out next time.

I finished skimming through the giant French tamga book in time for my class at Lilies. I had one student who's currently exploring Mongol stuff and we had a lot of fun talking shop. It would probably be a copyright violation to post translations of the book online, but I will e-mail relevant passages to anyone who asks as well as discussing each chapter on here once I'm finished translating each one.

Ashina Turk on the left, modern Mongol on the right

On a related note, to the reader who asked for a raven tamga- There actually was a tamga in the book which means "crow/raven" (the French word used, corbeau, does not differentiate between the two). It seems that tamgas didn't have specific names or meanings (other than identifying the one who uses it) in the beginning, but later on some were given names. Modern tamgas in Mongolia are still used this way, including the raven tamga. This tamga first showed up in a source cited as "The Book of Tang". It was compiled from earlier sources in the tenth century and in it are illustrated the tamgas representing various nomadic tribes within the then-borders of China. A Turkic clan called the Ashina used a tamga basically identical to the modern Mongol raven tamga.


The dumpling class was an even bigger success. I had seven people show up and they all seemed to really enjoy themselves. I ended up giving out a couple copies of the recipe beyond the class as well. I almost entered them in the "Cooked On Site" competition, but given that I forgot to re-look up and write down the scant documentation I'd found beforehand, I decided to wait until next year.
If you have the opportunity to go next year, I highly recommend it. So much fun!

Symposium Notes and Lilies Classes 2012

I wasn't able to finish translating my tamga book before the Symposium class, so it was only very basic. I had one attendee and really enjoyed talking with her. She has an Armenian persona and it turns out they're a very fascinating people. If you aren't sure what persona you want and you're a bibliophile, consider being Armenian because they hold the written word in very high regard.

I'm continuing to translate the book and teaching the tamga class again in its intended complete version at Lilies. I'll also be teaching a cooking class. Both are RUSH classes, so you'll get credit for attending. Here's the information. Hope to see some of you there!


"Jiǎozi and Guōtiē: How to Make Chinese Dumplings
Lady Aritê gunê Akasa
Monday, June 11 1-4 PM
 Chepe Tent
In this hands-on course, you will learn how to make pork and beef versions of two types of traditional Chinese dumplings completely from scratch. You will start by making stuffing, skins, and dipping sauce. Then, you will learn how to fold and stuff them. We will cook dumplings as they are folded and end class by eating them. Vegans and vegetarians, please note that though we will only be making meat dumplings,learning how to make and fold dumpling skins would still be applicable to you.
Course Length (in hours): 3   Level of Instruction: Beginner Class size limited to 10.  Minimum Age: 16  Course Fee: $5  Materials to be Supplied by Students: Bring chopsticks and medium-sized bowls if you have them. I can provide a few extras. Class Number: LIFE 62"

"Tamga: Heraldry for Steppe Nomad and Turkic Personas
Lady Aritê gunê Akasa
Tuesday, June 2 10-11 Am
Brummbar Tent
Tamga are abstract symbols employed by steppe nomad and Turkic peoples for similar purposes to those of standard European armory. If you have a persona from one of these cultures and would like your armory to reflect that, this class will give an overview of their history and use, as well as compare different types. By the end, everyone should be able to construct their own tamga or know what references to look up. The class will start with a lecture and end with a discussion.
Course Length (in hours): 1   Level of Instruction: Beginner Class Number: HERL 13"