All posts by Berakha bat Mira v'Shlomo

October 16: Whyt Whey presents the Saturday Night Solar: SPECIAL EVENT! Reading Chaucer’s Physician’s Tale

Join the Canton of Whyt Whey with Aurelia di Giovanni Bedici of the Crown Province of Østgarðr right here in the East Kingdom for a special multi-kingdom event!

Join us for a two-part adventure with Chaucer! Aurelia di Giovanni Bedici will introduce us to concepts in 14th C. English law, followed by a dramatic reading of The Physician’s Tale from the Canterbury Tales!

This will allow us to engage with the incredible amount of 14th C. law embedded in the tale, as Chaucer makes use of a lot of coded language and euphemisms that would have been readily understood by his contemporaries but require more explanation for a modern audience, as the law has changed significantly in the intervening period.

Reading the tale in advance is encouraged! https://chaucer.fas.harvard.edu/pages/physicians-tale-0

Our readers are:

Susan of Etherstone, MKA Sue Lewis, of the Midrealm
Baroness Helouys le Poer, of Lochac
Catelin Straquhin, MKA Catherine Strachan, of the East Kingdom
Verenne de Forêt, MKA Victoria Larkin, of the East Kingdom
Lady Bethoc the Unhomed, MKA Carol Eileen Rouhani, of the West Kingdom

Please join us here: https://meet.google.com/otq-vnjr-qfk

Aurelia di Giovanni Bedici, MKA: Tamara Bedic, is a resident of the Crown Province of Østgarðr has a Master’s in medieval history from NYU and Columbia and a law degree from the University of Virginia. She is currently pursuing a Master’s in medieval literature at CUNY.


The Saturday Night Solar occurs every other Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET. The Canton of Whyt Whey in the Crown Province of Østgarðr hosts teachers and topics from all over the Known World so that even when we are apart, we can learn together.

Sept. 25: Whyt Whey presents the Saturday Night Solar: International Phonetic Alphabet for Heralds

Join the Canton of Whyt Whey’s very own Zahra al-Andalusiyya for a look at IPA for Heralds (and Everyone)!

Are you a herald who’s constantly intimidated by people’s hard-to-pronounce SCA names? Or perhaps you have such a name and are tired of people mispronouncing it? The International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) is here to help! A standard written system designed to accommodate any sound in any human language, the IPA is used by linguists, philologists, phonologists, polyglots, and hobbyists all over the world. 

Join Zahra al-Andalusiya for a crash course in reading the IPA, and learn to use it to represent your SCA name the way YOU want it pronounced. 

Please join us here: https://meet.google.com/otq-vnjr-qfk

Zahra [zʌhɾə] (mka Sarah) has a B.A. in Linguistics from Macalester College. (India Pale Ale and other beverages encouraged; please BYO.)

The Saturday Night Solar occurs every other Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET. The Canton of Whyt Whey in the Crown Province of Østgarðr hosts teachers and topics from all over the Known World so that even when we are apart, we can learn together.

August 28: Whyt Whey presents the Saturday Night Solar: Christianity & Astronomy in the Medieval Period

Join the Canton of Whyt Whey with Jon Chesey of Calontir as we explore Christianity & Astronomy in the Medieval Period!

In popular media, Christianity is often portrayed as antithetical to science with the persecution of Galileo Galilei and Giordano Bruno as well as the banning of Copernicus’, Kepler’s, and Galileo’s works being banend, given as example. Religious apologists often counter that religion in general and Christianity in particular was the impetus for astronomical investigation, frequently citing the exact same authors.

As with many things, the reality of the relationship between Christianity and astronomy is far more complex. This talk looks at commentary on astronomy by Christian leaders throughout period, examining where they supported astronomy and where they condemned it.

Please join us here: https://meet.google.com/otq-vnjr-qfk

Mundanely, Jon Voisey has a BS in Astronomy. Bringing that passion into the SCA as Jon Chesey, he has worked to understand astronomy as it existed before the telescope, reconstructing period instruments, and working through Ptolemy’s 2nd century Almagest.

The Saturday Night Solar occurs every other Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET. The Canton of Whyt Whey in the Crown Province of Østgarðr hosts teachers and topics from all over the Known World so that even when we are apart, we can learn together.

August 14: Whyt Whey presents the Saturday Night Solar: Introduction to Latin

Come join Lady Domina Aelia Fortunata with the Canton of Whyt Whey as we explore the wonders of Latin! This class is a crash-course introduction to the Latin language. We will cover phonology and basic grammar, and no previous knowledge of either is necessary. 

Note-taking and questions are very encouraged, and a copy of the presentation will be available as a hand out.

Please join us here: https://meet.google.com/otq-vnjr-qfk

Domina Aelia Fortunata is a first century Roman woman who hails from the Barony of Carolingia in the East Kingdom, where she serves as both dancemistress and resident Latinist. Mundanely, she holds a BA in Classical Studies.

The Saturday Night Solar occurs every other Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET. The Canton of Whyt Whey in the Crown Province of Østgarðr hosts teachers and topics from all over the Known World so that even when we are apart, we can learn together.

July 31: Whyt Whey presents the Saturday Night Solar: Humanism in Italian Renaissance art during the Quattrocento period

Come join Lady Maude Louisiana d’Orleans in a seminar discussion on the effects of humanism in Italian Renaissance art during the Quattrocento period. Together, we will explore the influence of the Medici family in conjunction with Rome’s greatest benefactor, the papacy, and how they promoted art that reflected both human and religious qualities. We will see how the idea that man was created in the image of God was an ideology that flourished in Italy during the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries. Moreover, for the purposes of understanding Renaissance painting in Florence, we will survey Florentine painters, ranging from Masolino to Botticelli, and their works for their trends of humanism in art.”

Please join us here: https://meet.google.com/otq-vnjr-qfk

Lady Maude Louisiana d’Orleans is the daughter of a West African slave woman who was sold to a French merchant during the Transatlantic Slave Trade in the late 16th century. Her father named her after his German grandmother, Maude, his French father, Louis of Orleans, France, and his Spanish mother, Ana. 

Mundanely, Latoya M. Johnson has a BA History and an MA History, with a concentration in Medieval and Early Modern Europe. She currently lives in the Kingdom of Gleann Abhann.

The Saturday Night Solar occurs every other Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET. The Canton of Whyt Whey in the Crown Province of Østgarðr hosts teachers and topics from all over the Known World so that even when we are apart, we can learn together.

July 17: Whyt Whey presents the Saturday Night Solar: How to Make Friends With Your Sewing Machine

Join us WITH your sewing machine for a class that will cover the basics, some simple troubleshooting, and a chance to ask questions.  Please have:  sewing machine, a bobbin (full or empty), scissors, a spool of thread, sewing machine needles (at least the one IN your machine) and your user manual.  Scrap fabric would be helpful, but a couple of paper towels will work. Working sound/video will be needed as well so iI can see/hear you & your sewing machine. Auditors welcome (no sound/video required).

Please join us here: https://meet.google.com/otq-vnjr-qfk

Jenna is a 14th c. wench whose persona story is an excuse for all the shenanigans she’d get into anyway. She’s dabbles extensively in whatever she finds interesting.

The Saturday Night Solar occurs every other Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET. The Canton of Whyt Whey in the Crown Province of Østgarðr hosts teachers and topics from all over the Known World so that even when we are apart, we can learn together.

July 3: Whyt Whey presents the Saturday Night Solar: Spinning Wheel Mechanics (Mostly Modern) – Drives

Do you ever listen to spinners talking about spinning wheel drives, like bobbin led flyer led, double drive, Irish vs Scotch tension and your head starts to spin like a wheel?

Come join us for an overview of mostly modern spinning wheel drives.

Followed by an Ask the Spinster session where I will try to answer your spinning related questions or at least point you to some sources of information.

Class handout here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1iiG6cq9FiGk9ND0c9digE30VxXJwkii8/view?usp=sharing

Please join us here: https://meet.google.com/otq-vnjr-qfk

Michele the Ubiquitous is obsessed with all things string.  She was the weaver for the fleece to shawl team composed of SCAdians that competed at Rhinebeck in 2016. Her primary textile hobbies in no particular order are spinning, knitting, weaving, dyeing, and crocheting.  She lives in Hawkes Reache with her Lord Robert d’Whitmont and the Vicereine’s lepus defensorem, Smoky.

The Saturday Night Solar occurs every other Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET. The Canton of Whyt Whey in the Crown Province of Østgarðr hosts teachers and topics from all over the Known World so that even when we are apart, we can learn together.

June 5: Whyt Whey presents the Saturday Night Solar: Olive Oil: From Antiquity to your Kitchen

Welcome Back to the Saturday Night Solar!

Join Tellina di Giuseppe da Fiesole of the West Kingdom and the Crown Province of Østgarðr on Saturday night, June 5, 8 PM Eastern time to discuss olive oil!

First we’ll look at olive oil as a ingredient in a modern context, then compare that modern process with how it’s made now with ancient Roman processes as recounted by Cato and Columella two centuries ago.

Please join us here: https://meet.google.com/otq-vnjr-qfk

Tellina di Giuseppe da Fiesole is from the Barony of Rivenoak in the Kingdom of the West. She has a passion for all things Italian, from food to bookkeeping to clothing and beyond. The current major geek it drawing on mundane experience in the olive oil industry to explore olive oil in period.

The Saturday Night Solar occurs every other Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET. The Canton of Whyt Whey in the Crown Province of Østgarðr hosts teachers and topics from all over the Known World so that even when we are apart, we can learn together.

June 19: Whyt Whey presents the Saturday Night Solar: Seahorse Origami

Welcome Back to the Saturday Night Solar!

Michele the Ubiquitous of the Canton of Hawkes Reache joins us to teach us how to make an Origami seahorse and hippocampus! Origami is a period art of folding paper to make three-dimensional models.

Michele created the hippocampus model for Alexandre and Eularia’s investiture since she couldn’t find a seahorse model that captured the look of a seahorse from a medieval bestiary.

You can find the class handout here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10LA03ySI_cPUiAEtF3bJJfOSqumHrQIo/view

Please join us here: https://meet.google.com/otq-vnjr-qfk

Michele the Ubiquitous lives in the Canton of Hawkes Reache in the Barony of An Dubhaigheainn with her lord Robert d’Whitmont, and Smoky the murder bunny (the Vicereine’s lepus defensorem).  She has served as Canton A&S Minister & Seneschal.  Before moving to Hawkes Reache, Michele lived in Unclaimed Crown Lands (Jersey City) and Whyte Whey.  She is known for her enthusiasm for the textile arts and her ability to convince people to join in her wild and woolly IDEAS!  Notably entering the Fleece to Shawl Competition at the NYS Sheep and Wool Festival with a team composed of other textile artists from East Kingdom in GARB and hosting a Pennsic U Pity workshop, where she convinced a group of friends to help her conduct a study of how cochineal reacts to various mordants and after baths for just a couple of examples.

Michele has leveraged her experience teaching origami in the mundane world into the SCA, by teaching origami at events and gatherings within the SCA.  These include, but are not limited to, A&S nights in Brokenbridge & Hawkes Reache, Hrim Schola, Pennsic, and various demos.

You can read more about Michele’s origami in the SCA here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/10QxSEZwO_24hCRC1ne0S81Gh9W_HEr4p/view

The Saturday Night Solar occurs every other Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET. The Canton of Whyt Whey in the Crown Province of Østgarðr hosts teachers and topics from all over the Known World so that even when we are apart, we can learn together.

April 24: Whyt Whey presents the Saturday Night Solar: Entering A&S competitions

Please join Whyt Whey with Lada Monguligin, OL, as we explore this fundamental part of our Society!

Arts & Sciences are a core part of what makes our Society so rich and fascinating, but entering competitions can seem scary! Fear not! With this solar, you will learn  how to prepare for A&S competitions, set expectations and maximize your success. Now get out there and wow the Known World!

This class is based on Lada’s experiences as an entrant and judge in local, kingdom and inter-kingdom competitions.

Please join us here: https://meet.google.com/otq-vnjr-qfk

Lada Monguligin, OL, is the Vicereine of the Crown Province of Ostgardr. She is a 13th century Moscovite Rus persona living among the Mongols and working as a scribe.

The Saturday Night Solar occurs every other Saturday night at 8:00 PM ET. The Canton of Whyt Whey in the Crown Province of Østgarðr hosts teachers and topics from all over the Known World so that even when we are apart, we can learn together.