AS 47 Chapter 3

This is a scroll based on the Gosforth cross, an anglo saxon cross in St. Marys Churchyard in Gosforth Cumbria England.  It is dated to about 920, and tells the tale of Norse gods, including imagery of Loki, Sigyn. Heimdahllr, Thor, and Víðarr carved from red sandstone.   I replaced the tales of the Gods, with imagery from the tales told me of Viscount Eirik.

I fought with it for a long time, trying to figure out if I should leave it in black and white or if I should put color in it.  I know that a lot of viking carved edifaces had color in them, were enamelled or painted brightly.  If anything I think that the color only in the Dragon's Steel Mark at the top, just makes it artistically stronger.  

The text was written in the lyric style of Beowulf, in stanzas.  Which made it seem all the more appropriate when I heard it was given on the field.  That made me smile.  

The words are as follows:


Children of the black dragon in days long past
the kings who ruled them
Had courage and greatness
set in stone since the days of the Mighty Albion
Now ruled by Paul the Mighty and Aryanhwy the learned.
A son was born in the far north of the lands held by paul
in a place called Nordmark.
A famous son that the Almighty had made renowned
Eirik Harfager was his name known throught the north
and all through the lands of the dragon
The fortunes of war favored this northern son
and far and wide the tale of the lionhearteds sword grew

As dawn brightened and day lit the halls of Paul
The clear song of the poet
Rang out over the din, in the song of Eirik. 
Highborn and noble king ordered that boat fly
like a bird over the waves and bring Eirik before him
With shield gilttering and sword fresh off the stone he stood
summoned int he lofty halls of the king of glory
With summers gold upon his brow
And this spoke the king unto Eirik

" Now my dear son
I do honor your achievements and lavish reward upon you
I make your name immortal within the ranks of the Mighty Dragons Steele
This sigil you must add to your shield
to show all that I grant honor unto you
The black dragon upon the blood red pines
With golden sky above and below
Above this a stripe of red
bearing upon it a pure white sword"

And raising his cup in his own salute
As mead flowed in the honor of Eirik.

More blanks!

A Nightingale out of a Dutch Bestiary.  The most beautiful singer in the animal kingdom. 

 Welsh gramatical texts from the 1500's found at Oxford Jesus College, MS 15.  I thought them beautiful in their simplicity.    This one and the one below it can be found here  http://image.ox.ac.uk/show?collection=jesus&manuscript=ms15

A book of kells-esque bird creature.  I love knot work and the knot animals, but its so intricate and such a pain that I usually only do one or two per year. 

AS 47 Chapter 2

This is a Lindquistringes for Richard Rampant.  I wanted to do something unique for him to hang, and I decided I would fall back on the patterns that made me fall in love with this sort of work.  The simple elegant geometrics of persian and Indian manuscrips.  I love them. 

This is based on the Safavid Manuscripts Khamsa of Nizami attributed to Mirza'Ali, from 16th century Iran. Specifically plate 26 fol 77 Verso, Barbad playing music to Khusraw,  Originally comissioned in the late 1100's and copied/added to in ~1540. 

There is a tiny scorpion hidden in the flowering grass between the signature boxes, an indication of his heraldry.  

The text was translated by my friend Silvein Morgan into Arabic, which I did my best to reproduce exactly.   
 

"We, Paul and Arianwe, King and Queen of the Kingdom of Drachenwald
and sole sovereigns of all the lands east of the sea, give all who
hear these presents greetings.  You know all which we have heard of
the faithful services which the subject of these good tidings, our
most beloved servant Richard, has undertaken before us and before our
Kingdom, and which he may do in future for us and our lawful heirs.
We have taken in our hearts to reward our beloved servant and in
accordance with these words we take and appoint the aforementioned to
the "Orden des Lindquistringes" to be a companion thereof and to enjoy
the same rights, distinguishments, duties, and responsibilities which
the other companions of our order enjoy and bear, to do so without
claim or impeachment by any person forevermore.  This we have done
before those gathered here to witness on 21 June in the year 47 of the
society."