Áshildr inn Hárfagri

Photo
At Norman Medieval Faire
Information
Registered Name: (in progress) Resides: Namron Status: Active Joined SCA: 2019
Order of Precedence
Heraldry
(registration in progress)

Áshildr inn Hárfagri

Nickname(s): Ás, Bones, The Sheep Lady
Previously Known As:
Pronouns: She/her/hers

Alternate Persona:

Margery Arkewright.

Why "The Sheep Lady"?:

I joined the medieval fair of Norman in the fall of 2016. I had enough background in improvisation and interactive performance that I was given the role of Street cast, and told to come up with a Merchant-type character, but otherwise I had free reign. I knew I wanted an excuse to knit on site all weekend, so I decided to make a textile merchant, and goofed my way into the name Arkewright. I picked Margery because it sounds fairly close to my own name and didn't take too much getting used to. I made myself a little pouch to hold my yarn and some ribbon roses, and happened to put little fairisle sheep on it. Thus, Margery Arkewright was born. My primary shtick became asking patrons if they've seen my sheep, she was just here a minute ago, and then pointing to the little plain sheep on my bag for reference. "She doesn't look like this one, or this one, or this one....she kind of looks like this one!" So my first fair went great.

Second fair, I walk into the actors’ tent partway through day one to get some food and a drink and look into my basket and see a sheep. Weird, right? I fill up my mug and turn to go investigate the mystery sheep and now there's TWO sheep in my basket! I run outside to track down the members of court and ask if they know what's going on, and when I bring in Earl Marshall Margaret, she's giggling up a storm and lo and behold, there are THREE sheep in my basket!

Over the course of the day, people periodically get my attention and I obtain more sheep. One was sitting in the King's crown, one was sitting on my favorite bagpipe band's stage, several were surreptitiously deposited in whatever I was carrying, and one was lobbed to me by a stage storyteller in the middle of her story. By the end of the day, I had 16 identical sheep plushies.

The second day, I arrive at compound to see a shepherds crook wrapped in flowers leaned in my corner, with a note and my name on it. I hang a basket from it, and decide to carry around as many sheep as possible. The privateer I spend a lot of time schticking and dancing with develops a whole bit about making eye contact with the kids while very obviously removing sheep from my basket and hiding them behind her back while i ask the children for help in finding my sheep. We called it the liar test. In two full years of running the liar test and hundreds upon hundreds of children, only two kids ever snitched.

By the end of fair that weekend I had embraced my role as the sheep lady. At the Dead Dog Dinner, the ringleader of the sheepocalypse revealed herself, and there was much laughter and rejoicing.

I've since leaned into the role as the Sheep Lady, and Margery has become the Greatest Shepherdess in All Of Avalon, certainly helped by the fact she's the only one. She's ditzy, and can't count past 10, but she's so excited to be here and every single one of her sheep has names. One of them is Ceedee the Lamb and has been featured on national television. Last year after fair the Arthurian Order of Avalon cornered me after the Last Huzzah to pin a little "coat of arms" to me that was just a sable fleece with a pink and blue ribbon suspending it. I'm recognized as the sheep lady by repeat fairgoers, and even Elspeth's children refer to me almost exclusively as the sheep lady when I'm over for rapier practice.

General Information:

Joined the cast of the Medieval Fair of Norman in Fall 2016 as Margery Arkewright, the Shepherdess of Avalon. From there, Elspeth Monypenny lured me to the dark side (the SCA) with promises of swords and dancing, and I love swords and dancing very much. She started teaching me and a handful of others, who have become Elspeth's Goblins, to fight rapier, and shooed myself and another Goblin off to 40th with the promise of much dancing. There was, in fact, much dancing. My friend and I danced to Stary Olsa in an empty spot under the BFT long enough and I suppose well enough that we obtained the attention of Her Grace, Duchess Willow de Wisp and were gifted our very first largesse. The moment other people joined in our dancing was the moment the SCA gained a new member it can never get rid of.

Persona History:

So. Persona. You know, the question on every girl's heart: "Early Rus or middling Norwegian or Swedish viking"... Because - let's be real here, all that matters is the well-made shallow drafted boats...

Interests:

• Rapier
• Knitting
• Spinning
• Singing
• Colors that are altogether too bright
• Dancing
  • Dancing to bagpipes
  • Dancing well
  • Dancing exceptionally poorly
  • Dancing jigs
  • Changing perfectly good dances
• General tomfoolery

Timeline of Activity:

• Joined the Medieval fair in fall 2016. (First SCA-adjacent activity ever)
  
• First event was Ansteorra's 40th anniversary
  
• Second event was Fall Coronation
  
• Got a sword December 2019
  
• Participated in HRM Elizabeth's Queen's Champion Tournament, November 2021

Vindheim Premier Coronet Tourney:

Photo by Melanie Gallon

I didn't expect much of an adventure, BUT THERE I WAS. I'd offered to herald three processions. The Barony of Namron, because I'm the Namron herald, His Excellency, Micolay Haiduk, since he wanted to fight as the Baron of Namron, and Centurion Mícauley because he and Dýrfinna Mikaelsdóttir asked nicely and their vibes are immaculate. I spend days fretting about what to say, suddenly cutting down my scripts to a third of its length to fit new time requirements, showing up Friday to walk the site and become the unit of measurement for Annais and Ivo since I'm one of the shortest heralds in the north, and bam.

Day of. I herald Namron in, run back around, herald Micolay in, run back around, herald Mícauley in, and walk away shaking. I'd done it. It's fine. I did a good enough job, I made my Baron and Baronowa proud and my friends happy, I had herald shakes and was gonna have somebody hug the soul out of me. Then out of the blue I'm accosted by what feels like half my friends, led by Jason Drysdale, declaring the deadly bye needs heralding in. The deadly bye is also my friend! So of course! But I don't have something a page long written up! Never fear, says Jason. Its better to keep it short anyways, neither crown nor court herald knows we're doing this. I fret while we walk back to the start of procession area, I'm cued by the site heralds, and begin shouting over the court herald and striding towards the crown. If Floki sees fit to kick my butt, Jason will be my meatshield, I've decided. If HRM Elizabeth sees fit to kick my butt, I will simply die. Behind me the procession cowers in fear from the deadliest byfighter in the known world, fighting as the Dread Pirate Roberts. I deliver the shortest speech yet, present our deadly bye Bjorn hestr Hauksson to the crown, and skedaddle away to surprised laughter.

And that's how, for better or worse, I heralded 4 of the processions at the Vindheim Premier Coronet Tourney.

Prior Groups:

GarbInSnow

Populace Provided Information:

Zubeydah

Ashildr emanates joy. When I met her for the first time, she was So Excited to Do All the Things, and I am so fervently happy that she retains that excitement and joy. Whether she is carousing on the rapier field or impressing with her quick wit in a kenning competition or soaring to new heights in bardic performance, she transforms the experiences of those around her to something better. The SCA is a happier place with Ashildr in it.

Trivia/Wiki Mentions:

• Ashildr appears in the Ansteorra Dance Video
• Ashildr participated in the Savage Daughter Project.

Notable Contributions or Accomplishments:

• 2021 Ravenskald of Raven's Fort
• 2021 Bardic Champion of Skorragarðr

Affiliations:

• Cadet to Marie de Girau
• One of Elspeth's Goblins (*)
• Swordmom - Elspeth Monypenny
• Sworddad - Kazimir Lyszkowycz Wylkowski
• Member of Valkyrie Bootcamp
• Member of the Valkyries of Vindheim (**)

* Elspeth Monypenny, who is cadet to Doña Marie de Girau. Elspeth’s goblins are her students
** The "Valkyries of Vindeim" are mostly Elspeth's Goblins, and a couple others who are Not her goblins - but it's generally an all ladies rapier fighting group. Doña Marie Swordgrandma hath decreed, "practice!!" and we said, "Yes, ma'am."

Mundane Information:

A student of Computer Engineering at the University of Oklahoma. Hit me up for a dance, a pickup fight, or perhaps a good story if you see me! Find me on facebook and instagram: @zzhigdon