Ivarr runamagi

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Ivarr runamagi, Lion of Ansteorra
Information
Registered Name: Ivar Runamagi
Resides: Bjornsborg
Status: Active
Joined SCA: 1984
Order of Precedence
Ivar Runamagi
Heraldry

Azure, a battleaxe bendwise sinister argent, hafted Or, maintained by a bear's jamb palewise, in dexter chief an increscent argent.

His Excellency, Master Ivarr runamagi, OP, Defender of the Dream

I began my time in the SCA as Ivar Skalagrimr, but the heralds didn’t like it so I changed it to Ivar Skalagrimsson. The heralds once again didn’t like it. So for a brief period I was Ivar of Bjornsborg. Then I found my name, Ivarr runamagi, and have used it ever since, took a bit for the heralds to understand my name, but when they did, it passed.

Offices:

  • Local Offices:
    • Prior Seneschal of Bjornsborg
    • Prior Knights Marshal of Bjornsborg
    • Prior Exchequer of Bjornsborg
    • Prior Minister of Arts and Sciences of Bjornsborg
    • Prior Chronicler of Bjornsborg
    • Callisto Pursuivant
  • Kingdom Offices
  • Zodiacus Herald

Persona History:

For Ivarr this is, according to my educated and Christian wife, the year 970. I am from Sandefjord, in the Vestfold, in what is now Norway. I was born in the Jarldom of Sandefjord, son of the Jarl of Sandefjord, Jorund Ivarsson. As his eldest son I was to become Jarl upon his death.

One day my brother and I were hunting for a stag in the hills to the west of the town when we saw a large column of smoke coming from where the town was. We ran back and came upon what once had been a thriving town on the shore of the Sandefjord. Almost every building had been burned to the ground and almost everyone left there was dead, or close to it. We could see ships sailing away down the fjord and they were easily identified as from the Gotland area. Raiders had come and beaten our defenders, killed almost all the men, taken everything of value, taken slaves, raped and then killed most of the women and burned everything. And even took two of our longships. My brother and I gathered those that still lived, mostly from outlying farms, and set about burying the dead, including our parents and our sister. For several years things were very bad and we had a hard time making it through the winters. Finally, after about five years we were able to gather several ships from surrounding towns and our own, that we had helped build, and go to find the raiders that had burned our town. We found them at a small town on Gotland called Klintehamn, just south of Visby. Klintehamn was left in the same shape as Sandefjord was after the raid. We found most of our friends from Sandefjord and got them onto our ships.

After the people of Sandefjord were returned home and things settled down, I left to go to the west to see what I could find. My brother, Ulf, was left to take care of Sandefjord as my regent as I was now the Jarl of Sandefjord. My voyage to the west has taken me far away from my home in Sandefjord. For the past fifty years I have been in the lands of Ansteorra, though I didn’t know that it was Ansteorra for nearly sixteen years after I arrived. I finally found the people of the Barony of Bjornsborg in 1984 and have been with them ever since.

Interests:

I have many interests in the SCA. I have been a fighter, artisan, skald and worker. I still do a lot of things, but these days I mostly support those that are newer to the SCA than I in whatever they are interested in. I recently was authorized as a Thrown Weapons Marshal, something I haven’t done in about 25 years. I very much enjoy teaching and helping people develop their persona.

Timeline of Activity:

My first time with the SCA was a revel in Bjornsborg in 1984. My first event was a Coronation for Charles Inman MacMoore and Arrowyn of Emerald Moor on February 27, 1985.

I met my wife, H.E. Catriona MacEanruig about 12 years before then. (Catriona started at her first event in 1984, so she has seniority over me in terms of time playing.) I began working at jobs for Bjornsborg almost from the very start. I’ve held many offices and was event steward for a lot of the events in the late 80’s.

Many of our Crowns have given me honors for the stuff that I do. All of the accolades are the result of doing stuff that needed to be done, I don’t do anything because it might get me an award, I do things because they need to be done. I was given a Court Barony in 2000, elevated to the Order of the Pelican in 1997 and the most awesome and burdensome accolade that I will ever know, Lion of Ansteorra - Defender of the Dream in 2008.

Prior/Other Groups

I am a founding member of the Ansteorran Longship Company, which is not a household, it is an actual group within the Kingdom with a charter from the Crown. The Longship Company has built one sailing longship, Skelmir (22’ long) and is in the process of building our second ship, Radulfr, a 40 foot ship.

Populace Provided Information:


Notable Contributions or Accomplishments:

I have received many honors from Crowns and Landed Nobles for events I have been steward of and for feasts. Many years ago, along with the Society Seneschal, I helped formulate the Society financial policies that are still in use to prevent embezzlement.

Affiliations:

I am a member of two households, Strange-MacLeod and Compagnia Della Sprezzatura. I also have eight protege, six of which are active or semi-active.

Mundane Information:

Mundanely I am a retired accident reconstructionist and expert witness. Past membership in SAE and AAAM. Past chairman of the SAE Accident Reconstruction Subcommittee.

Facebook:Ivarr Runamagi