Meridies Fall Coronation: The Coronation of Timothy III and Ysmay III.
The Shire of Tir Briste
Camp Benjamin Hawkins
Byron, GA
13-15 Oct 2023 (A.S. 58)
…The precession from their encampment to the throne was the only time today good King Garick was seen on his feet…
Fall Coronation in Meridies. What a time to be a Meridian. So many traditions… Pumpkin spice, Smore's, and a theatrical off'ing of our royals with cheer and whimsy. And, we like it that way.
To that end, we bid adieu to King Garick and Queen Yasamin. The good king fell victim to 'Leopardsey' or some similar ailment and was born from his throne on a stretcher (in effigy) through the throng of wails of appropriate grief and admirable appreciation for putting forth a good demise for a Meridian Royal. The Queen pledged herself to helping those in need in a Leopard colony. I must admit, from my place in the back of the audience, I am not sure how much of the story I am accurately retelling but, I know leopardsey was in volved. Or, at least, I am fairly certain. Leaves you with spots, hairy spots, wanting to climb trees, drink milk and a purring groan, deep in the throat, as I hear tell. But, I'm not physician. So, don't take my word here as fact.
The king is dead. Long live the king.
In pops the heirs with a whoosh of an electrical storm and a faint guitar riff of excellence and revelry, in a red and silver carriage from the sky. And thus, the kingdom is restored to order as our saviors, Timothy and Ysmay, heirs to the throne, arrive in the nick of time (I'm sure one of them remembered to wind their watch) to save Meridies from falling into ruin and an uncertain future.
Ad Astra! Ad Astra! Ad Astra!... Indeed.
And that, is a Meridian coronation in summarized fashion for those of you taking a test later.
This coronation, Timothy and Ysmay held a grand court throughout the day. So, after the morning court with the closing business (and the gratuitous and entertaining removal of the predecessors from office) of Garick and Yasamin, court was never really closed. It just kept going throughout the day. A bit of business here, some music there, some dancing, some fighting, crusty jugglers, food, drink, exotic beasts, oath swearing (both in fealty and in expression), and so on. It was an interesting format. Turned the whole court thing into a daylong social exercise. I admit it was a bit disorienting at first, but as things progressed it had a rhythm. My cursory assessment is that I liked it. It was different, and not in a bad way.
I spent part of my day in a King's Champion tourney. We were vying for honor of bearing the 'heavy burden' of the title of King's Champion. It was a William Marshal style of tournament with the final four to be presented to Their Majesties and to fight a single elimination bout, front and center, for everyone to see and hopefully enjoy. There were not many of us participating, I believe the total count was 8 armored combatants of varying skill. We fought for an hour or so against each other in eric, over barrier and on bridge. We fought left hand, right hand, with shield, without shield… pretty much any fun way we could think to challenge each other and milk every last bit of happiness from our efforts. In the end, Sir John Mailer and I fought a best 2 of 3 for the final in front of the crowd and Their Majesties. John prevailed. Not sure how we were able to pull off a 'fight' with all the laughing and giggling between us. We started with a double kill. Reset and John got me the next two times. Love fighting with him and hate that I don't get to do it more. He'll make a worthy King's Champion and hopefully can 'bear the heavy burden' that the honor brings without any issue.
I do hope that the populace felt our joy in our brief moment in front of everyone. While armored combat in the SCA is a competitive sport, it is very much a spectator sport. We feed off each other as much as we do the on lookers. We laughed and heard the cheers and applause. It was so worth it. An awesome moment for me and a highlight of my day, needless to say.
Later in the evening, we supped through two removes and the court came to a close. There was an intermission, if you will, and shortly thereafter the Rose Ball and Revel picked up where the Grand Court stopped. Hot and cold foods were served. Bacon wrapped meats, cold drinks and desserts were made available and the populace danced and celebrated the start of a new Meridian reign. I sat near a warm brazier and chatted with friends as I snacked on delicacies ( so, so good) to my contentment.
In that contentment, I closed my day and found my way to the sweet sleep of joyous exhaustion brought on by a good day with friends and in the satisfaction that our Kingdom will continue on with strong hands at the rudder, an eye to the horizon and whatever fortunes may come.
Photo credits above to go to me.
Well met friends. Safe journey to thee!
Baron Eoin Mac Cana called 'Clyde'
Squire to Earl Benen MacTire
Warden of the Northern PlateauShire of Easaraigh
Kingdom of Meridies
