Mistress Rosalind Bint Mirhrimaalh passed on a question from the SCA Social Media Officer: What makes your kingdom special? Such a simple question, but it is one with a very complicated answer. There are so many things that that make the kingdom of Gleann Abhann special. I could list countless acts of courage and noble behavior on the field of battle. I could list far more acts of courage and nobility off the field. I could further discuss the incredible talent of the artisans of Gleann Abhann. The embroidery of Mistress Chrystina, The metal working of Syr Lorric. The brewing of His Excellency Liam (and, of course, the Gleann Abhann Brewer’s Guild). The scribal arts of Mistress Beaumont, Lewyn, Sir Leto, and many, many others. Such artwork truly boggles the mind. I could, and often do, list the countless acts of service at events whether it is a day event, a weekend event, or the divine, inspired madness that is Gulf Wars. Also the service that doesn’t apply to events: the office holding, the report writing and submitting; the service that is not fun, but is VERY necessary in order for the kingdom to function. All of these things are indeed special, but after thinking about it for a few hours, I realize that every SCA member could say the same things about their kingdom. The fighting , the arts, and the service, these things exist in all kingdoms, and members of those kingdoms are, and should be, justifiably proud of them. So? What makes Gleann Abhann special? Well, I would have to say that the Kingdom of Gleann Abhann, because of our history, doesnt get upset all that easily. You see, Gleann Abhann, after growing and developing for years as a principality, was literally born after a storm. The hurricane known as Katrina occurred after our first Crown List, but before our first Coronation. True, the storm, and it’s aftermath delayed things a bit. A lot of people at the time were of the opinion we should wait at least a year before moving forward, but we didnt do that. Once we made sure our people were safe, and had temporary housing, and other necessities (and believe me, I could write VOLUMES about the generosity of people all over the Known World in providing those necessities), our Crown Prince and Princess, Duke Radu and Duchess Bri, decided to go ahead with coronation as quickly as possible. Yes, our lands had been ravaged, and yes, our people were dealing with all kinds of challenges, but our people were NOT going to to let the challenges of the storm stop us from moving forward toward what we had worked for so long. Not going to happen. We were going to keep moving forward, and we were going to do it well, and we were all going to make something wonderful. And we did. We still are doing so. In the years since many challenges have come and gone. They have all been dealt with, and frankly most of them were so insignificant that they are not worth remembering. However, one challenge, a challenge that was faced by all the kingdoms of the known world, does illustrate my point perfectly. It was at Grey Niche’s Candlemass event, and TRH Uther and Kenna had the somewhat joyless job of informing the people at court about the lawsuit settlement, and how much it was going to cost each kingdom. A few questions were asked and answered. Then the magic happened. THL Juan Carlos from Small Gray Bear stood up, held out his hat, and said, “Well, I have twenty bucks…” Dropped it in the hat and passed it along. In less than ten minutes over six hundred dollars was raised. Over the next few weeks other groups had similar fund raisers, and the money Gleann Abhann needed to contribute to the lawsuit settlement was raised quickly. We were Gleann Abhann, and we were not going to let a question of money stop us from doing what we do. We were going to deal with the issue without getting upset, without any fuss, and we going to keep moving forward. We still are, and we always will.
Posted on: Thu, 03 Apr 2014 18:51:38 +0000