Haraldr Bassi

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Information
Registered Name: Haraldr Bassi Resides: Ffynnon Gath Status: Active Joined SCA: 1980
Order of Precedence
Haraldr Bassi
Heraldry
Azure, a Viking longship paly argent and gules, a base argent.

Meistari Haraldr Bassi

Previously Known As:
Nickname(s):
Pronouns: He/Him

Additional Registered Heraldry:

• The following badge associated with this name was registered in April of 2013 (via Ansteorra): (Fieldless) On a Thor's hammer argent, a hagalaz rune sable.
• The following badge associated with this name was registered in April of 2013 (via Ansteorra): (Fieldless) A Viking longship paly argent and gules.

Achievement:

Mantling: Or and Sable
Helm: Norse with brass nasal, faces Affronty
Crest: Brown bear statent erect proper maintaining a bearded axe argent dexter and an adze argent sinister, with a broken chain, argent, from the sinister leg

Offices:

• Local Offices Held
  • Deputy Seneschal, Shire of Ffynnon Gath, Ansteorra (2019-2021)
  • Seneschal, Shire of Ffynnon Gath, Ansteorra (2016-2018)
  • Exchequer, Barony of Bjornsborg, Ansteorra (2010-2011)
  • Seneschal, Shire of the Frosted Hills, East 12.5 years (1993-2005)
  • Founding member of the Shire of the Northern Outpost, East (1980-1983)

• Regional Offices Held
  • Central Region Deputy Exchequer, Kingdom of the East

• Kingdom Offices Held
  • ER/Deputy for Arts & Sciences, Ansteorra (2018-2020)
  • Deputy Exchequer, Kingdom of the East

• Society Offices Held
  • Society Deputy Exchequer for Pennsic War XXX (2000-2001)
  • Chairman of the Grand Council
  • Chairman of the Budget Review Committee
  • Member at large of the Grand Council for 8+ years

Event Work:

• Known World
  • Autocrat – Twice, Known World Metalsmiths Symposium, East (2004/2005)
    • and spent the weekend teaching classes
• Kingdom:
  • Ansteorra King's College
    • Coordinated class submission & scheduling
  • Ansteorra Kingdom Arts and Sciences Tournament
    • Coordinated artisan registrations, table assignments, artisan check-in & scoring
  • Ansteorra Laurel's Prize Tournament
    • Coordinated artisan registrations, table assignments & artisan check-in
  • East Kingdom University
  • Co-autocrat East Kingdom Crown Tourney
• Local:
  • Head cook – King's College hosted by Bjornsborg, Ansteorra, 2009
  • Autocrat – Bjornsborg Fall event 2008
  • Hrim Schola – a local in depth Arts and Sciences event, many times
    • Most years I was the autocrat, I was also teaching woodworking all day
  • Autocratted numerous other local events in the East Kingdom over the years
    • so many that I frankly can't remember them all.
  • Gate Coordinator - for a dozen or more local events in Bjornsborg, Ffynnon Gath & Raven's Fort

Persona History:

Haraldr Bassi is a late 10th Century Viking traveling Scandinavia and Iceland. He has journeyed through Eastern Scandinavia, down the rivers to Kiev, where he met and married a lovely blonde potter who goes by the name of Oksana Goncharova. He has traveled to Miklikgardr where he spent some time as a Varangian guard. These days he is content to quietly work on crafts including teaching others various crafts he has acquired throughout his travels and years of experiences.

Interests:

Teaching people to make things using tools they've never used before.

Classes and projects I've taught or done:

Wood Projects:

All woodworking projects included use of mortise and tenon joinery in some form
Woodworking for Weavers: Students created an upright tablet loom using hand tools
Woodworking for Embroiderers: Students created an embroidery frame using hand tools
Viking Six Board Chest: Students created a wooden box using tools documented to the Viking Age

Enamel Projects:

Glass on Copper enameling: Students used combinations of cloisonne and/or free hand design
Enamel Plaques for a Laurel Gown: A workshop where copper was acid etched to make champleve enamel plates, as well as some free hand and cloisonne

Casting Projects:

Soapstone Pewter Casting: Students created their own soapstone molds to cast pewter pieces
Pewter Sand Casting: Students created copies of items available using jewelers casting sand and pewter
Bronze Sand Casting: Students created multiple pieces using a master piece casting bronze using sand
Silver Sand Casting: Created multiple silver ingots using jewelers sand

Metal Projects:

Viking Silver Arm Bands: Started from cast silver ingots, drawing the ingots out to arm band length and shape, stamped using custom made stamping tools
Cuerdale Horde Metal Stamps: Recreating numerous stamps cataloged in the Cuerdale Horde archeological report
Viking Arm Bands: Students created their own arm bands using copper, bronze, brass or nickle silver, often creating their own custom tool first
Viking Arm Bands - Largess: Various arm bands created and distributed to crown, prize baskets or baronial gifts in the above metals as well as stainless steel and aluminum

Timeline of Activity:

Found the SCA in 1980/81 while attending college at SUNY Potsdam in upstate New York where I was one of the initial members creating the new branch Shire of the Northern Outpost. Remained there until 1983 when the Army transferred me to the Hudson Valley.

1983 - 1985: lived in East Kingdom unclaimed crown lands.
1985 - 2007: Shire of Frosted Hills, East Kingdom. Autocratted numerous events
2007 - 2016: Barony of Bjornsborg. Autocratted a few events, responsible for running gate at even more events.
2016 - present Shire of Ffynnon Gath: Continued to be responsible for running gate at many events, both in my local groups as well as others.

Milestones:

• First Pennsic was Pennsic War 12
• Second Pennsic was Pennsic War 21
• Have only missed three Pennsics since PW21

Prior Groups:

• Ansteorra
  • Barony of Bjornsborg
• East Kingdom
  • Shire of Frosted Hills
  • Founding member of Shire of the Northern Outpost

Notable Contributions or Accomplishments:

• Many of the students I've taught over years to make a project, have then gone back to their home kingdoms to teach even more people to make the project I initially taught them.
• Have generally taught for an average of more than 30 years at all of the past Gulf Wars and Pennsic Wars I've attended, brought down to 30+ hours due to not having taught at several of my first Pennsics but the years where my teaching time was 50-60+ hours offset those few years.
• Steppes Artisan twice

Non-Armigerous Awards and Recognitions:

• Holder of the Footed Bowl - East Kingdom

Affiliations:

Household: House True String (currently has members in East Kingdom, West Kingdom & Ansteorra)

• Apprentices:
  
  • Percival Beaumont
    
  • Beatrix Funteyn
    
  • Stephanie von Mussman
    

Mundane Information:

Bearer of the Sable Shield of Ansteorra