In which our heroine is utterly blindsided
Aug. 9th, 2018 10:19 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
aryanhwy[This was written up for FB; cross-posted here with only minor changes.]
Buckle up, people, this is going to get long.
Lots of you know that I have been involved in a medieval re-creation society since I was not-quite-14 -- almost 2/3 of my life now. In this society, the highest recognition for excellence in the pursuit of the arts and sciences is the Order of the Laurel, which stands in equal rank with (among others) the knights of the realm.
I have wanted to be a laurel one day since I was, oh, about 15 or so.
Some of you know that I am currently at Raglan Castle, at Ffair Rhaglen, an annual 10 day event at which we are given the freedom of the castle, with 120+ people camping on the grounds, and living their daily medieval lives there.
It is the highlight of my year, it is my second home, it makes me feel safe.
About a month ago, I was approached by a friend for assistance in putting together a ceremony involving a public disputation ending with a licentiate to teach, following medieval university traditions concerning masters of arts, with a view towards my dear friend and best beloved twin Ari Mala a companion of the Order of the Laurel for her excellence in heraldry, in scribal arts, in prose and poetry, in the crafting of words, and in languages.
This was basically the most awesome thing I could think of. I have long felt that if one is to make someone a "master (or mistress) of arts" in the context of a medieval re-creation society, that it should be modelled on the medieval ways of making masters of arts. And to see Mala being made a laurel with such an awesome, and appropriate for her and her scholarship!, ceremony? At Raglan? How could I not want to be a part of this?
One thing led to another and we ended up founding a university (Seint Scholastes Halle is the founding college of the Scholastican University of Drachenwald), the founding of which would be marked by a public disputation on the nature of good vs. evil, an appropriate topic since since she, the proposer of the thesis, is the evil twin while I (Ary Bona), one of the disputants, is the good twin. She was up for a bit of a lark, and we planned it all so that Tuesday night in court she would propose the thesis, presenting three arguments for the thesis that evil is better than good, which arguments were to be individually refuted by myself; Dame Lynette, magistra artium; and Master Alexandre, magister artium. Wednesday morning, there would be the resolution to the disputation, at which point Mala would be offered the option of obtaining her licentiate to teach (in the form of becoming a magistra artium herself and a companion of the Order of the Laurel) at Wednesday evening court, after sitting vigil to contemplate the nature of such of an offer.
It was a brilliant plan. I couldn't think of a better ceremony and setting, or timing, or anything that could make it more fitting for her.
Which just goes to show that I, unlike Socrates, do not know how little I know.
The disputation in the great hall of Raglan Castle was amazing (and it was filmed so I'm sure it will turn up on the internet at some point), with Mala making her arguments, the disputants responding, and then Mala summing up her final position, and we awaited the words of the king and queen to reconvene us in the morrow for the resolution of the disputation.
Instead, I heard it announced that the first disputant had disputed so well, that the point would be awarded to her, and it was *my* name that was named that I be escorted to *my* vigil, to spend the night receiving council so that I might make my decision to the king and queen in the morning whether I would be entered into the ranks of their laurel order.
Dear reader, I have never been so blindsided. Even when my husband proposed to me and I laughed because I didn't realise he was serious.
The best part of the remainder of the evening was when Mala came into my vigil room and proclaimed "gotchya!" and I smiled inside because I could tell she had as yet now knowledge of what was to come...
In the morning, in front of their majesties and all the court I resolved the disputation (in favor of good over evil, of course), citing the authorities of Anselm, Aquinas, and cookies, and then heard the words of my peers (and sobbed unashamedly when Mikey's words were read, there is no other Rose whose words could have meant even half as much), and was given the insignia of the order and confirmed as Drachenwald's newest member of the Order of the Laurel.
At which point, Dame Lyonet knelt before their majesties, pointed out an imbalance in the humors that arose from having elevated the disputant and not the proposer of the thesis, and begged the boon for Mala, and the look on her face at that moment was, dear reader, priceless. "Gotchya", dearest twin, "gotchya."
She was led off to her vigil, and as I was laureled in the morning in the sun, she was laureled in the evening in the shadows, and we are henceforth confirmed in our twinship for now we even share the same birthday.
There is so much more that I can say, to so many people. But for those of you know what the Laurel order is and stands for, you know what this means to me. Those of you who do not, I hope this has given a sense of the magnitude and the importance of what happened yesterday.
I'm sure there will be pictures eventually.
Buckle up, people, this is going to get long.
Lots of you know that I have been involved in a medieval re-creation society since I was not-quite-14 -- almost 2/3 of my life now. In this society, the highest recognition for excellence in the pursuit of the arts and sciences is the Order of the Laurel, which stands in equal rank with (among others) the knights of the realm.
I have wanted to be a laurel one day since I was, oh, about 15 or so.
Some of you know that I am currently at Raglan Castle, at Ffair Rhaglen, an annual 10 day event at which we are given the freedom of the castle, with 120+ people camping on the grounds, and living their daily medieval lives there.
It is the highlight of my year, it is my second home, it makes me feel safe.
About a month ago, I was approached by a friend for assistance in putting together a ceremony involving a public disputation ending with a licentiate to teach, following medieval university traditions concerning masters of arts, with a view towards my dear friend and best beloved twin Ari Mala a companion of the Order of the Laurel for her excellence in heraldry, in scribal arts, in prose and poetry, in the crafting of words, and in languages.
This was basically the most awesome thing I could think of. I have long felt that if one is to make someone a "master (or mistress) of arts" in the context of a medieval re-creation society, that it should be modelled on the medieval ways of making masters of arts. And to see Mala being made a laurel with such an awesome, and appropriate for her and her scholarship!, ceremony? At Raglan? How could I not want to be a part of this?
One thing led to another and we ended up founding a university (Seint Scholastes Halle is the founding college of the Scholastican University of Drachenwald), the founding of which would be marked by a public disputation on the nature of good vs. evil, an appropriate topic since since she, the proposer of the thesis, is the evil twin while I (Ary Bona), one of the disputants, is the good twin. She was up for a bit of a lark, and we planned it all so that Tuesday night in court she would propose the thesis, presenting three arguments for the thesis that evil is better than good, which arguments were to be individually refuted by myself; Dame Lynette, magistra artium; and Master Alexandre, magister artium. Wednesday morning, there would be the resolution to the disputation, at which point Mala would be offered the option of obtaining her licentiate to teach (in the form of becoming a magistra artium herself and a companion of the Order of the Laurel) at Wednesday evening court, after sitting vigil to contemplate the nature of such of an offer.
It was a brilliant plan. I couldn't think of a better ceremony and setting, or timing, or anything that could make it more fitting for her.
Which just goes to show that I, unlike Socrates, do not know how little I know.
The disputation in the great hall of Raglan Castle was amazing (and it was filmed so I'm sure it will turn up on the internet at some point), with Mala making her arguments, the disputants responding, and then Mala summing up her final position, and we awaited the words of the king and queen to reconvene us in the morrow for the resolution of the disputation.
Instead, I heard it announced that the first disputant had disputed so well, that the point would be awarded to her, and it was *my* name that was named that I be escorted to *my* vigil, to spend the night receiving council so that I might make my decision to the king and queen in the morning whether I would be entered into the ranks of their laurel order.
Dear reader, I have never been so blindsided. Even when my husband proposed to me and I laughed because I didn't realise he was serious.
The best part of the remainder of the evening was when Mala came into my vigil room and proclaimed "gotchya!" and I smiled inside because I could tell she had as yet now knowledge of what was to come...
In the morning, in front of their majesties and all the court I resolved the disputation (in favor of good over evil, of course), citing the authorities of Anselm, Aquinas, and cookies, and then heard the words of my peers (and sobbed unashamedly when Mikey's words were read, there is no other Rose whose words could have meant even half as much), and was given the insignia of the order and confirmed as Drachenwald's newest member of the Order of the Laurel.
At which point, Dame Lyonet knelt before their majesties, pointed out an imbalance in the humors that arose from having elevated the disputant and not the proposer of the thesis, and begged the boon for Mala, and the look on her face at that moment was, dear reader, priceless. "Gotchya", dearest twin, "gotchya."
She was led off to her vigil, and as I was laureled in the morning in the sun, she was laureled in the evening in the shadows, and we are henceforth confirmed in our twinship for now we even share the same birthday.
There is so much more that I can say, to so many people. But for those of you know what the Laurel order is and stands for, you know what this means to me. Those of you who do not, I hope this has given a sense of the magnitude and the importance of what happened yesterday.
I'm sure there will be pictures eventually.
Congratulations!
Date: 2018-08-09 10:34 pm (UTC)Wish I could have been there...
no subject
Date: 2018-08-09 10:47 pm (UTC)So you knew Mala would be asked and she knew you would be asked? And each of you planned this for the other? Brilliant.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-10 09:49 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-08-10 05:38 am (UTC)I wish I could have been there to see it all. Thanks for writing it up for us absent ones.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-10 12:04 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-08-10 09:50 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-08-10 09:55 pm (UTC)Awesome!
no subject
Date: 2018-08-11 01:12 pm (UTC)So what does a Buridan-based scroll text say? When I first heard of him, I was spending a good deal of my day job teaching logic, and I thought "I need to know more about this guy." Still haven't actually read much of his work.... ars longa, vita brevis and all that.
no subject
Date: 2018-08-11 09:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2018-08-12 01:26 am (UTC)Congratulations to the both of you.
Glad you had your perfect laureling :)