trencher ideas, Labours of the Months

[ppfuf]

One of the common themes on fruit trenchers and other small decorative elements in renaissance England is the Labours of the Months (LotM). The LotMs are sets of 12, each month depicted by the typical agricultural activity that takes place in that month. I am thinking it might be fun to make a set of trenchers depicting the 12 Months of SCA Activities.
If you had to choose 12 SCA activities on a yearly cycle to depict with a small picture and verse, what would you choose? Do you have any suggestions on what images might go with which events? Answers need not limited to the suggestions below, which are very West Kingdom-centric; nor do they need to stay in the presented order:
1. Beltaine
2. Generic (local group) Heavy fighter Tournament
3. June Crown
4. West/An Tir war
5. A&S
6. Generic (local group) Rapier Tournament
7. Pennsic
8. Purgatorio
9. October Crown
10. Collegium
11. Great Western war
12. Generic (local group) Feast
13. 12th night
14. Estrella war
15. Generic (local group) Archery Tournament
16. March Crown

Comments

[shutt3rg33k.livejournal.com]

This sounds wonderful. If you want images from event sites to work with, I might be able to help. I could see a W/AT trencher having an image of the property surrounded by the mountains, with an ocean off to the side.

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

Cool, thanks for the offer!

[joycebre.livejournal.com]

I like the idea - maybe something not so western-centric might be major activities for people in the SCA? e.g. Coronations, Tournaments, Rapier, Wars, Equestrian, Feasting, Brewing, Archery, Embroidery, Spinning, Dancing, and something else, because that's only 11.

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

I was thinking about 12 arts/guilds... maybe something like
1. seamstress / needlework
2. fighter
3. cook
4. scribe
5. dance
6. bardic arts
7. music
8. brewing
9. moniers
10. pottery
11. fencing ? archery
12. glass ? wood?

[joycebre.livejournal.com]

aren't bardic arts and music pretty much the same? (asks she who neither plays nor sings nor recites poetry)

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

I don't really know. I think of bardic as vocal arts (story-telling, poetry, singing) and music as instrumental music. When I was thinking of the pictures to use, I was thinking of a bardic circle for the bardic arts, and musicians on a stage for music.

[shalmestere.livejournal.com]

Not all Bards are Musicians, and not all Musicians are Bards :-)

[joycebre.livejournal.com]

how about blacksmithing or armoring for 12? blacksmithing could involve lots of wood

A couple of thoughts

[dame-cordelia.livejournal.com]

1. The textile arts plate might show multiple activities: spinning, weaving, sewing, embroidery.

12? Armoring might be a good one to add to the list.

[nibuca.livejournal.com]

Children's activities, "boar hunt", Firewatching (with or without bardic),

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

A November Boar hunt could have some great scenes... and would link to the renaissance set that nearly always have hog killing in November.

[tafelspitz.livejournal.com]

An Occidental suggestion for differentiating the three Crown Tourneys:
March - Sky is grey and the scene is damp.
June - Finals, chivalry is on the field to watch. Sun is still high enough in the sky that the shadows are small.
October - As per June except that the sun is setting and the shadows are long.

[ppfuf.livejournal.com]

Great minds think alike...I was thinking of doing March as wind and rain, June as a Queen's tea and October as drunks in the moonlight. Some of the renaissance sets show couples drinking in October, I guess it's when the grapes are harvested.

[dame-cordelia.livejournal.com]

Or might it be that grapes are harvested in September and the nouveau wine is drunk the following month?

[aastg.livejournal.com]

What a stunning idea. Corresponding to 12 months is tricky, since there is some overlap. How about:

1. Beltane
2. June Crown
3. West/An Tir War
4. A&S
5. Purgatorio
6. Pennsic
7. Collegium
8. October Crown
9. (generic feast - December)
10. 12th Night
11. Estrella War
12. March Crown

For the different Crowns/Coronations, you could vary the activities shown (e.g. archery, rapier, singing/performance).

No! No!

[learnteach.livejournal.com]

A&S and dancing on the grass! That's what June SHOULD be.

[aureellia.livejournal.com]

These are all great ideas. I have so many ideas for drawings in my head.

[isabeldt.livejournal.com]

Some ideas for event pictures

Pennsic - something like the pictures of army camps with the field and lots and lots of pavillions

I suggest having a feast for December, since there are so many Yule events and feasts then. Dancing could be portrayed for both Twelfth Night, and for those in the West, for the Crosston Ball, too!

Another possibility for the A&S tourney would be some of the messy arts classes, such as cooking or baking over a fire.