The Golden Axe of Ansteorra
History
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A.S. LVII (57) The idea for the Golden Axe of Ansteorra was shamelessly stolen from the Kingdom of the East at Pennsic 49 after the at the time Ansteorra Kingdom Thrown Weapons Marshal Lord Aki Seulf met with THL Matteo Genovese of the East Kingdom. Wishing to bring back this idea to Ansteorra Lord Aki Seulf purchased an axe at Pennsic 49 and brought it home and applied real gold leaf to the metal head of the axe.
On August 27, 2022, the Tourney of the Golden Axe was held at the premier Vindheim Missile Academy in Guthrie, Oklahoma in the Principality of Vindheim in The Barony of Wiesenfeuer. In court the Queen Toryn Sevenstitches II blessed the axe in a ceremony concluding with the pouring of her drink from her chalice.
Golden Axe of Ansteorra Rules
-The only way to acquire the Golden Axe of your Kingdom is to challenge the current holder.
-The format of the challenge is fixed and shall be strictly followed to insure this does not alter from its original intent:
-To declare the challenge the challenger declares 'I request the Challenge of the Golden Axe'.
-The proper responses are 'I accept your challenge' or 'I am forbidden from accepting your challenge'.
-The Golden Axe may only be exchanged once in any given day; if another challenger requests a Challenge to the new holder on the day they have won the axe from another, the holder is required to decline the Challenge. Otherwise, the holder may accept up to three Challenges in a given day, assuming the holder is the victor of each preceding Challenge that day.
-The holder of the Golden Axe is required to accept the first Challenge in a day. The second and third Challenges are optional, and the holder should only accept those if they feel that they can show sufficient prowess and stamina after the exertions of the first Challenge.
-Once the Challenge is issued, it should be taken up as soon as is reasonable. (And really be reasonable here - if the challenged holder would like time to warm up, that's acceptable. If they are called away suddenly by an important commitment or royal command, that is also acceptable. "Calling dibs" on a challenge immediately after the current one may be acceptable, but calling dibs for tomorrow and expecting that challenges be refused until then is not.) A challenger for the Golden Axe may only issue a single challenge per day.
-Terms for what the contest will be determined by the participants. The challenger, as part of the challenge, will name the terms of the contest at the time of the challenge. The holder of the Axe can change ONE of the terms (distance, number of throws, method of throw, etc.).
-Throwers must comply to the safety standards of the Marshal in Charge of the range, the Kingdom of Ansteorra, and SCA rules.
-Weapons must be SCA and Ansteorra Kingdom legal. If it looks like an axe and throws like an axe, it's an axe. However, it is up to the competitors if weapons such as a double bladed axe or shovels will be allowed. Only the competitors can determine if something is fair or not.
-The Golden Axe may not reside outside of it's Kingdom's borders. As such, it will revert to the previous holder or Kingdom Thrown Weapons Marshal if the current holder moves from the Axe's home kingdom or stops playing.
-The Golden Axe shall be displayed prominently while at events and practices so potential challengers may know who is the current holder.
-It is the duty of the outgoing holder of the Golden Axe to make sure the incoming holder is fully aware of these rules.
-In the event that the Axe has not changed hands in 3 months then the Axe will be given to the Kingdom Thrown Weapons Marshal or previous holder who will hold a new tournament at the next practical official SCA event that has a thrown weapons range.
-Holders of the axe may modify the axe as long as it is done in good faith and in the spirit of advancing the prestige of the axe.
Photos
Queen Toryn II blessing the Golden Axe of Ansteorra
Holders
| Holder # | Date | Winner | Location | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | September 27, 2022 | Isaac Bane | Vindheim Missile Academy | |
Trivia
-Queen Toryn Sevenstitches II blessed the axe in a ceremony concluding with the pouring of her drink from her chalice. She researched historical blessing of this type and found that blood or wine was often used. She decided to use water as it was a dry site and blood being a bit too dramatic.
