Shakey Knees

Heraldry
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Award Information
Type: Non armigerous Founded: 1983 Premiere(s): Recipients: Countless across multiple kingdoms...

Overview

The Award of the Shakey Knees is a non-armigerous award given by the Barony of Bordermarch.

Precedence

The Shakey Knees bears no precedence.

History

Per Countess Tessa of the Gardens, provided December 11, 2023:

Simonn dreamed of creating castles. First one was of hay bales!
I, Tessa, dreamed of creating a fighting event where everyone could fight until they dropped (as opposed to being eliminated in a one-on-one tournament).
Thus, construction of edifices upon which to play was his idea. We did the labor ourselves with our friends and our young sons, Zane Lee and Aarion Kyrkwood Mountain-Gate. We named our various structures in two diffenent locations, "The BorderKeep."
(1) Claibourne West Park, Orange County Interstate 10 (southern Bordermarch), and (2) Tyler County Road 255 (northern Bordermarch).

Melees were my idea. We began with Bordermarch Autumn Melees, "BAM." In early years, we held two similar events per year, hosting also Bordermarch Annual -or April- Melees, also "BAM," until it was necessary to change the spring date to our Baronial Championships event.

I do not recall the exact year, but in the early years of BAM which basically started in the 1980s, a Shakey Knees scroll was to honor BAM fighters who had their first kill as part of a group, on a melee battlefield, as opposed to a first kill one-on-one in a tournament.

Not everyone had been an experienced fighter who knew the thrill of a victory on the battlefield.
Some were just recently qualified, authorized.

I wished for newer fighters to be recognized for new-found prowess, their valour, and most likely, a bit of adrenaline rush with some trepidation, and nervousness, thus "shaking knees."

I composed the text. Something like, "For valor, prowess, and shakey knees, we do commend _(name)__ for their first battlefield kill occurring at Bordermarch Autumn Melees, this __ day of ____, being Anno Sociatatus ___."
Signed, Founding Baron & Founding Baroness Bordermarch.

The first scroll well over thirty years ago was illuminated and calligraphed by the gifted Baroness Therese' d'Ivoirie Theresa featuring an illumination of an armored combatant. We photocopied several as black ink on "parchment" colored paper.

In years to come, we drew up another illustration for rapier style. After which, we began having combat archers and ballista on the melee field.

The intent was to recognize a person's first, ever, war-type, melee situation, kill, whatever their weapon may be. First kill. Not necessarily with their first sword and shield, then another scroll with their first spear, then their first rapier, and again first with ballista bolt or arrow. The intent was one scroll per combatant for his lifetime first kill.

In Bordermarch Baronial court, I would call forward those who had their first battlefield kill today, or this event. We had many fighters from the Kingdom of Ansteorra and the Kingdom of Meridies, our near neighbor across the Sabine River. Early events were attended by 150-200 participants. I would ask each one where they were from, what was their weapon, did they know their opponent, did they get to talk about the killing blow with their opponent? Was the force of the blow gauged differently in the place they were from? Such as that, because most newer fighters were as nervous about coming into court as they had been out on the battlefield or castle.

Each one had a few minutes of fame, and were put a bit more at ease about being called into court. I would read their scroll dramatically. It was grand fun. It came to the point that I asked the audience to join in the quote, because many were chanting it out loud, anyway. A moment for the newer fighter to remember being included.

Scrolls, after some thirty plus years, have recently 2023, been redesigned to include illumination of the various combat styles all on one scroll, by Lord Ewen Blackpool Dwayne Trahan. For many years now (I have lost count), Mistress Hillary Greenslade has given hours on site in November weather sometimes freezing her fingers, as have HL Elene and HE Therese' and others to calligraph names on the first battlefield kill scrolls.

I am ever thankful to the calligraphers and illuminators who helped make this dream come to fruition for me. I am forever thankful to successor Barons/Baronesses of Bordermarch who have continued the tradition. Even now as BAM has transitioned to WoR (War of the Rams), still an event put on by a small barony, though attended from Ansteorra and Gleann Ahbann and beyond, and hosts upward of 600 people.

And it goes without saying, yet I will say it, I shall always thank my dearest now departed Loving Husband of 52 years, Simonn Amber, who went to his mansion in heaven on October 18, 2023, for dreaming and producing structures where sca-ers could play. (Did you know that the Bryn Gwlad Castleton fort built by Don Shamino and Don Dupre' and others is based on our blueprints of the Borderkeep? Did you know that the Gulf Wars fort begun by King Inman MacMoore and his crew was based on the blueprints of our BorderKeep? Did you know that the Pennsic fort design, though greatly expanded, is based on the blueprints of our BorderKeep?)

Insignia:

Non-Armigerous - AoA Level - Grant Level - Peerage