Jan w Orzeldom

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Information
Registered Name: Jan w Orzeldom Resides: Bjornsborg Status: Active Joined SCA: 1975
Order of Precedence
Jan w Orzeldom
Heraldry
Per pale gules and argent, in pale a chevronel couped and two crosses formy counterchanged, as an augmentation on an escutcheon azure, two bears erect addorsed reguardant argent each maintaining a berdiche proper, in base an annulet Or.

Hrabia Sir Jan w Orzeldom, OL, OP, Lion of Ansteorra, Defender of the Dream

Additional Registered Heraldry

Gules, in bend a jawless human skull palewise argent wearing a lobster-tailed helmet proper and a wing argent.

Offices:

• Local Offices Held
  • Prior Herald of the Shire of Bjornsborg
  • Prior Baron of Bjornsborg, 1979 - 1989

• Principality of Ansteorra Offices Held
  • Briefly, served as Asterisk Pursuivant during the Principality days, largely helping to manage, review, and process a surge of submissions. We had done a huge push to get people’s names and devices registered, to try to have enough registered members to show that we had enough population to get the Board to approve us as a kingdom. Several notable heralds helped with that surge, including Baldwin of Erebor (of Baldwin’s Badge fame), as well as Aureliane Rioghail and Anebairne MacPharlaine, who were the first and second Star Principal Heralds when we became a Kingdom, and Kemreth Danil (who was later my queen). The Principality Herald’s office was already called Star, and during that intense time of processing submissions, there was discussion that we should have someone to manage submissions for the Herald’s Office. I suggested the name “Asterisk” as a deputy for this purpose, because it means “little star.” They took the suggestion, and it later gave rise to a tradition, for a time, that all deputy positions to Star end in “-isque.” [They opted not to use Odalisque. Look it up.]

• Kingdom Offices Held
  • Kingdom Earl Marshal (May - June 1980, stepped down to be Baron of Bjornsborg. Then again from March 1981 - August 1984)
  • Kingdom Minister of Arts & Sciences (November 1986 - January 1989)
  • 3rd Crown of Ansteorra, June 1980 - January 1981

Persona History:

I have a “sliding scale” persona, from about 900 through late 1400s, and I come from the northeastern area of the country we now call Poland, a region called Mazovia. I would consider myself a Pole and I speak Polish, but I am a Mazovian under the prince of Mazovia.

I base my persona play on elements of my mundane life. Depending on the century we’re discussing (since I have a “sliding scale”), the specifics can vary, but overall:
My family was part of the szlachta, the nobility of Poland, but we were not wealthy. My father was a soldier who served in the east. At an early age, I showed promise with martial activities. I became a skilled horseman, and a leader of men in battle. I learned to read and write Latin. Like my father, I also served in the east, as a soldier and a diplomat, and prospered. I led diplomatic missions to the West (including Italy, where I met my squire Riccardo di Pisa). I was involved in diplomatic relations around trade with England at about the same time I was hosting a great tournament set in the land of Silesia (selected because it was the geographic center of Europe). Contacts formed at that tournament led to my marriage to a lady from a Northumbrian family. I’ve established a fairly broad network of contacts with many cultures across Europe, and those who have followed my banner are many and varied, but all honorable lords and ladies.

Interests:

I’ve always been good at combatives, and I like to make and decorate things. This probably led to my serving as both Earl Marshall and Minister of Arts and Sciences.

Currently I’m very interested in learning and sharing Tartar-style archery. This has also led to my starting to learn leatherwork.

Timeline of Activity:

Found the SCA and became active, 1975-ish: I first saw the SCA at a demo at a flea market. On the strength of that interest, I went to a local fighter practice, where I first met my shield-brother Red Orm. There were some other local events, but my first “official” event was the third Warlord of the Steppes (1976) when Sean MacFflam won. Had a period of inactivity from about 1990 until about 2015, when we started to play more regularly again.

Prior Groups

The Incipient Shire of Bjornsborg.

Notable Contributions or Accomplishments:

• “Crownmaker to Their Royal Majesties of Atenveldt,” presented by TRM Johann and Melinda, July 8, 1978, AS XXIII. At the time, Atenveldt’s crowns had not been formally designed – they had been gifted to the kingdom by a newcomer who showed up in a crown, who gave it to the kingdom when people explained that in the SCA, the right to wear one had to be earned. They were functional but not what the kingdom wanted, so in Southwind, the newsletter, they opened up for people to submit bids for the right to make new Aten crowns. I submitted a design, as did some people in Utah. The king and queen opted to accept both and combine the efforts - the people in Utah made the crowns, and sent them to us (me, Kemreth, and Orm) to be acid-etched and decorated. Everyone involved in the effort was granted the right to be named Crownmaker of Atenveldt in their court in perpetuity. Those crowns, I believe, are now the “historic crowns” that are only brought out for special occasions, because years of cleaning have obscured some of the more delicate elements of the etched designs (which included the sun in splendor on the fronts of both, with lions for the king and roses for the queen wreathing around them).
• I was also the second, and last, Warlord of the Principality of Ansteorra. The first Principality Warlord tourney was in March 1978, under the first Prince, Sean MacFflam, and I don’t remember who won. The second Prince, Randall von Nordlichwald, stepped up in May 1978. He had wanted to have a warlord tourney, but he was running out of reign, so we didn’t have a separate event for it – it was tacked onto Barbarian (which would have been the fourth of July weekend in 1978). Simonn of Amber Isle, the last Prince, didn’t hold a warlord tournament, so I was technically the last one. Warlord tournaments were big in Ansteorra because it was one thing that Ansteorrans in Atenveldt could compete in and win without having to drive to Arizona or New Mexico.
• 4th Lion of Ansteorra
• Kemreth and I were the first people who had not already been Aten Laurels, who were created as Laurels in the new kingdom of Ansteorra.
• Sigmund and I were the first triple peers of Ansteorra, when we received our Pelicans. The king, Denaris the Wanderer, called us up together, read the award for us together, and announced us together, so that neither of us could claim sole honor of being the first.

Affiliations:

• Wed to my Lady, Alisandre Oliphant

• Squires: I couldn’t take everyone who asked to be my squire, but I trained anyone who wanted to learn, and so I’ve been close to many people with no formal bond. Same for arts and sciences – I had no formal apprentices, but worked with many people on many different arts over the years.
  • Geoffrey of d'Ambergene
  • Riccardo di Pisa
  • Godwin Alfricsson
  • Michael of Kendall
  • Alfredo Gabriel Halcon
  • Just Rick

• It’s inactive, but technically I’m still a member of House Thornwell, which was the household of Darcy and his lady Kemreth (later my queen). Red Orm was also a member. I also helped form Caer Oncia, which was my then-lady Sula’s and my household. We had an alliance with Thornwell, and some overlap of members. I’ve always been proud of the heraldry I designed for those households.

• I have a fondness for Ton the Traveler and his lady – they were king and queen of Atenveldt when Ansteorra became a Principality, and they briefly lived in Bjornsborg. They were hugely instrumental in building Bjornsborg in its early days.
• Also my Baroness for the first few years, Alexandra Tatiana Feodorovna of Novgorod.