Deck the Halls of Valhalla IX

Ward away the doldrums of winter with a cozy SCAdian gathering at Deck the Halls of Valhalla! 

This year we strive to maintain the energy of the festive season’s bows, ribbons and tinsel with the theme: 

✨EMBELLISHMENT ✨

No frippery or frills are misplaced!  Deck yourself out with all manner of decoration, zhuzh, adornment and gilding! 

If you currently lack the sort of —extra— accessories the description brings to mind, fear not!  This is the time to learn about historically-placed accents and set you on the path to create or acquire your own! 

Morning and afternoon blocks of A&S classes will encourage all your accessorizing aspirations.  Take in the glitzy bardic entertainment, make merry with a first-class day board, and enjoy a good time for all! 


FULL SCHEDULE:

10:00am Doors open! 

11:00am:
- Morning Classes Begin in the alcove opposite the bar.
- Bardic generative writing activity in the main room - meet at the stage!

(Dayboard will be available throughout the day.)

12:00pm Bardic performance!

1:00pm
- First Slot Afternoon Classes begin in the alcove opposite the bar. 

2:00pm: 
- Second Slot Afternoon Classes begin (tentative)

4:00pm Court

5:00pm Doors Close


CLASS DESCRIPTIONS, ORGANIZED BY TIMING BLOCK:

Morning (11:00am start): 

Lei-Making in the Hawaiian Tradition
Instructor:  Lani

Pattern Darning Embroidery
Instructor:  Hanya Vladimirovna Polotskaya
Introduction to thread counted embroidery using a running stitch and some simple patterns.  Materials and handouts will be provided, but as this is thread counted embroidery, I encourage bringing things that will help enhance vision should that be needed. 
You can also bring materials of your choice as long as the fabric is evenly woven, the thread/yarn is thicker than the fabric thread, and a needle that fits your thread.

Afternoon (1:00pm start):

Gay Vikings:  Sex and Gender in Norse Society
Instructor:  Þorfinnr Hróðgeirsson
Popular culture presents one idea of Vikings' gender, but does it reflect what historical sources tell us?
The idea of the Viking warrior is a strong cultural idiom that pervades medievalism, especially in the early period.  In some ways, this idea of a violent, gruff raider taking riches and assaulting women reflects in our modern society as a symbol of masculinity gone wrong, and medieval Christian writers certainly want us to believe they were savage outsiders with no place in society.  But how did Norse society look from the inside? What about women? What do we know about the expected gender roles and how they were enforced? What happened to those who deviated? Class will discuss the evidence we have from a variety of sources, and provide possible interpretations of that evidence.

Dyeing 101
Instructor:  Caper Scriven
This class will serve as a basic introduction for learning about historical and natural dyeing!  We will go over several important dyes, where they come from, and their place in history.  We will also go over what happens during the dyeing process, modern misconceptions about dyeing and what is/isn't a dye, and instructions for getting started with natural dyeing at home.  We'll go over some basic scours, mordants, dyes and modifiers for cotton, linen, and wool.  We'll also have some dye recipes and results of which folks can observe.

BARDIC:

Bardic Champion Sister Mór will MC this year’s bardic presence, a generative writing and performing activity that builds off participants existing work.  The goal is to simulate the way texts can change via retelling and other influences:

Run the Bard Gamut! 
Sit down with your fellows and take part in a communal, generative creation/writing activity to delight, inspire, and dust off those winter cobwebs from your mind.  Bring your best—and be prepared to see your best take on a life of its own.  Activity will conclude with an open Bardic Circle for you to dazzle the audience!

⚠️ IMPORTANT DETAILS:

No outside alcohol is permitted!  The Meadows' cash bar will be open for beverage purchases. 

Please bring your own chair! 

Site Opens: 10:00am
Site Closes: 6:00pm