Wulfgard Martel

Photo
Receiving Vinnie's Centurion Garter at Gulf Wars 2018
Information
Registered Name: [ ] Resides: Northkeep Status: Active Joined SCA: 2015
Order of Precedence
Wulfgard Martel
Heraldry
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Sir Wulfgard Martel, CSS

Previously Known As:
Nickname(s): "Melee's Arbiter"
Pronouns: He/Him

Offices:

• Local Offices Held
  • Deputy Knight Marshal, Northkeep
  • Butler, Northkeep (The Butler provides transportation and organization of the Baronial trailer)

• Regional Offices Held
  • Regional Armored Combat Commander
  • Regional Knight Marshal, 2018 - Present

Persona History:

Martel was born in 1078 in Dunholm, a part of England that was still under the Danelaw to some extent. Martel followed Robert Curthose, son of William the Conqueror in the 2nd wave of the first crusade. In 1099 he was a part of the force that took Jerusalem. After the successful crusade, Martel took service with Alexios I Komnenos, the Byzantine emperor and joined his guard.

Interests:

I am a prolific armorer specializing in getting folk in armor as inexpensively as possible. I have made armor out of hardened leather, plastic, steel, and aluminum.

I am a chivalric fighter. I enjoy tournaments, but I live for battle and war, standing side by side with comrades.

I enjoy rapier fighting, especially when I can support my kingdom at a war.

I have dabbled in blackmithing, but there is only so much time.

I enjoy singing and bardcraft, and have created original works.

Timeline of Activity:

I started playing with swords in 2000. Starting with a HEMA group called the Tulsa School of Defense (now Tatershall Tulsa). I then joined a boffer group called MELEE.

Tested the waters in SCA a few months in 2011. I finally switched over to all SCA in 2015. Mooneschadowe Triumphe of the Eclipse 2015 is what I consider my anniversary event.

Regarding Elevation:

Photo and Art by Lord Matthais Worcestershire. "The scroll is for a Byzantine persona; the layout of the various heraldry and illumination, and borders are general Byzantine forms. The hand chosen is closely inspired by the Luxeuil script. That script was chosen instead of translating the text into Greek and using a historical Greek uncial. The Luxeuil script has letter forms uncommon to the modern eye while still being a period appropriate hand for English. The desired outcome is that the modern eye would be thrown off a little similarly to how a modern eye would be thrown off by trying to read Greek uncial. The work is done with sumi ink on cotton rag paper, gold leaf and shell gold and gouache."

(Written December 13, 2021, regarding the events of Vindheim Premier Coronet Tourney.)

This may turn into a long post so dig in if you like.

I was elevated to knighthood this week. I, along with Andrew Turnbull, am A first knight of Vindheim. He was called first in court, and I was elevated first in that same court. An extreme honor for me and for my brother. I can look in the mirror and say, I am a knight.

This has been a long journey for me. I am going to share some of that journey that has not all been a public struggle. I hope by sharing some of that journey you may have some understanding and maybe gain some motivation to overcome things that block the path to your chosen goal.

I began this path in 2000 when I joined the Tulsa School of Defense, a HEMA group. I studied and trained with them for years, and still maintain friendship with the school. I later joined a boffer group called MELEE. I learned that melee combat was where I was happiest in life. This was a good time for handful of years.

In 2004 I was passenger in small car that was rear-ended by a large truck. I took a spine injury. Several herniated disks, vertebrae fracture, and a condition called spondylolisthesis. Walking became a struggle and for a long time I had trouble walking without using two canes. I refused to get into a wheelchair, for fear I would never get out of it. I felt could no longer call myself a fighter. It was hard not to think of myself as broken.

Healthcare is a slow process, and fairly boring. Surgery in 2007, lots of physical therapy. It’s hard describe in a way that doesn’t sound like an 80s montage. I remember being happy to be able to walk around the room, and then later the house, and then later around the block, then a mile. First walking then running. Lots of pitfalls, actual falls, and days too weeks of having to self- rehab after some issue threw me back into pain. I am not healed. Every other month at least, my training regime gets interrupted by some sort of issue related to that original injury.

But, I decided to not be defined by the things that stopped me, but known for the things I overcame.

I rejoined MELEE in 2011, dabbled in the SCA for a couple months that year, and fully joined in 2015.

The SCA has been like coming home to me. I have found the closest friends I could ask for, a real chosen family. I find inspiration and heroism a plenty. The opportunity to excel in medieval combat has become a driving force in my life. I could not thank all the people who have been helpful to me, trained me, or given me advice. So please take this, and my actions as thanks. I hope that my behavior as a knight will bring honor to you all.

If my life and my path can teach you two things, please learn this.

First, you don’t know what struggles a person secretly deals with; be kind to them.
Second, there is little in life that you cannot overcome, work around, or build around. I speak from experience in this; because I am not broken. I am a Knight.

Knightly Lineage

Martel, Squire to Duke Jason Drysdale, who was squire to Sir Morgan Black Dragon, who was squire to Sir Angus MacNokard, who was squire to Jarl Owen ap Aeddan, who was squire to Sir Burke Kyriell MacDonald, who was squire to Sir Hildebrand von Tiel, who was squire to then Count, later Duke Inman MacMoore, who was elevated to the Chivalry in 1984 by our 9th Crown, Simon of Amber Isle and Theressa of the Gardens.

Populace Provided Information:

• Wulfgard is featured in the Greate Book of Fighters blog.

Zubeydah al-Badawiyyah

(Words given on the occasion of his elevation to the Chivalry on December 11, 2021:) "I would like to speak to the generosity of spirit of this man. He is known for his prowess - of that, there is no question. But this man has gotten up at o'dark thirty, to go and sit by the side of someone in the hospital, and hold the hand of their wife as they passed. He has been there for Ansteorra and for the North, in our darkest hours and in our grieving moments. It's not just the glory and the brightness of the Society that makes us a family. It is when we are there for one another, in our sorrow, and in our grief, when we are there to load and unload, and serve ... and this man IS my peer."

Kolfinna Egilsdóttir

Centurion Martel is my Wolfstar brother- a Sable Wolf, Bard, Fool, and Friend. He has a magical gift of being able to insert additional hours into each day in order to teach people armoring skills. It is a rare day that his home is absent of visitors toiling away in the shop. He does this so he can hit them later. A lot.

Iziaslava Veronikeia Myshkovicha

There are celebratory call backs (brick house, hail mog, zowie, and whoosh) for several groups in the north, and when Martel was made a knight he received ALL of them. It was a very sweet moment.

Trivia:

• Martel is the first member of the Order of the Chivalry created in the Principality of Vindheim.

Wiki Mentions:

• NSTIW: Gulf Wars

Notable Contributions or Accomplishments:

I have been a part of building a super solid medieval battle family. Anything else is secondary.

• Bordermarch Autumn Melees 2016: Became a Star of House Wolfstar
• ...Accidentally became Huntsman of Chemin Noir, 2017
• 24th Dionadair of Northkeep
• Braggart's War 2017: Became squired to Sir Jason
• wInterKingdom 2018: Received a non-armigerous service award, the Merlon, from the Baron & Baroness of Northkeep
• Gulf Wars 2018: Became Centurion #148
• In recognition of team effort to repair the on-site fort, received the Sable Sparrow at Castellan 2018.
• At Namron's Beltane 2018, became the Namron Fool (by accident!)
• Became the Axeman and Bardic Champion of the Canton of Skorragarðr in 2019.
• Frequent staff and participant at demos for the Barony of Northkeep and the Canton of Chemin Noir.
• Reached the final round of the 4th Vindheim Coronet Tourney

Personalized Lion's Paw of Kenmare scroll painted by Zubeydah

Non-Armigerous Awards and Other Recognitions:

• Received a Mog Cog at Gulf Wars 2020, prior to its cancellation.
• Le Bâtisseur of Northkeep, from Jehanne de Montauban and Perrin de Beaujeu, on January 2022

Affiliations:

• House Wolfstar (Member and Star)
  
• Barony of Northkeep (Member)
  
• M.A.F.I.A (MooneschAdowe Friends In Absentia)
• Persona Family: Oswald Martel, Arthur Martel
• Squires:
  • Oswald Martel
  • Nikolai Valentin