Canton Presence at Weekly Practice

The Crown Province’s weekly practice has been bustling this fall, with fencing, armored combat, and dance lessons happening on the field, as well as engaging with the many passers-by who stop to learn about our activities.

A number of folks from our fair canton are typically in attendance — now’s a great time to join us!

We gather on Tuesdays starting around 7:00 at McCarren Park in Brooklyn, in easy walking distance from the L train — see directions here, or email the seneschal if you’d be interested in catching a ride out by car. (Activities may be cancelled due to weather or the availability of our marshals, so get in touch via email or social media to confirm our schedule.)

Whyt Whey banner on display at a recent Provincial practice.

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.

Canton Commons, Thursday, October 7

To the denizens of our fair canton, greetings!

Our regularly-scheduled quarterly commons meeting will be held online this Thursday, October 7, at 7:00 PM Eastern.

Join us online at https://meet.google.com/azp-fqtb-dbn or by phone at (484) 998-0530‬ PIN: ‪633 776 603‬#.

Topics for discussion include reports from the canton officers, recent policy changes and possible in-person activities over the coming months, and a proposal to consider changing the canton’s registered name.

If there are items you’d like see added to the agenda, please let me know.

Thanks,

— Mathghamhain Ua Ruadháin
— Whyt Whey Seneschal

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.

Sunday in the Park with Whyt Whey

Denizens of Whyt Whey and the surrounding lands, join us for a park picnic to celebrate the summer and spend time in good company after so long apart!

We will gather on Sunday, July 25, starting at 2:00 PM — unless the weather is inclement, in which case we will announce a postponement to the following Sunday, August 1.

[UPDATE, July 25: the weather forecast for this afternoon has been downgraded to “scattered thunderstorms,” so it looks like we need to push our picnic back to the rain date, next Sunday, August 1. The long-range forecast suggests next Sunday will be dry and pleasant — I look forward to seeing you all then!]

[UPDATE, August 1: Today’s weather is looking pleasant — comfortable temperatures and no rain until late in the day — so we’re moving ahead with our picnic plans for this afternoon. Pack your lunch and join us at 2:00 on the Great Hill!]

Please meet us on the Great Hill in Central Park, near 105th Street at Central Park West. (You can take the B or C trains to 103rd Street, enter the park and take your first left to climb the hill. Alternately, the park entrance at West 106th Street offers both stairs and a sloping path up to the top.)

Continue reading Sunday in the Park with Whyt Whey

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.