Witchy Woman

I'm not going to bother delving into the blatant historical and mythological errors of this movie.

First off, the only pentacles in the movie were used by the bad guys (Morganians, after the sorceress Morgan la Fey), perpetuating the lie that they are associated with evil. And the tools used were considered vital for practicing magic, despite the fact that, that is not true in real life. Only an insecure young man is able to overcome this obstacle, despite his elders having practiced for hundreds of years. Once again, Hollywood emphasizes youth over wisdom and experience.

Then there's the centuries old dichotomy of male wizards good/female witches bad. The most powerful female sorceress is automatically evil, and the most powerful male conjurors are good (Merlinians, after Merlyn). Despite the fact that Morgaine was originally a healer, actually treating Arthur when he went to Avalon, seriously wounded. It wasn't until later cycles when she was portrayed as being evil and conniving, likely because she did not adhere to the sexual ethics projected onto women of that time period. In other words, since she was not a virgin and refused to settle into an arranged marriage, she had to be a whore and therefore demonized for it.

The movie fails the Bechdel Test, obviously. The female characters are either in need of rescuing, rewards for a job well done, or evil and need to be defeated. When Dave tries to keep Becky safe, she tells Dave that she is already involved and might as well help save the world. Dave, the physics geek, says that, that's sexy. I wanted to throttle the character because he's wanting to treat her like the reward he sees her as by keeping her on the pedestal he's placed her on for so many years: safe and pristine. He's supposed to be a geek and is just NOW figuring out that intelligence is a turn-on? I'm not even touching the resurgence of emo boys stalking the women whom they allegedly love. Some things from the '80's should have been left there.

If you're the kind of person that can turn your brain off, it's an enjoyable flick. If you're like me and unable to dissociate entertainment from larger sociological problems, you might find your blood pressure rising to unsafe levels.

Someone in Adiantum threatened to conscript me into the Chirugeon’s Guild. I can’t imagine why. I mean, my campmates and I at War only took care of a guy who had hypothermia from falling in the creek. (By the way, it’s general common sense: get him out of his wet clothes, towel him off, put him in dry clothes, wrap him in a wool cloak by the fire, and get hot fluids into him).
Then there’s the fact that I’m allergic to aloe vera, but still rubbed it into a friend’s horribly sunburned back with my bare hands. I washed them right away, so it was fine.
At fighter’s practice, I was hand-sewing a snow-white, pure linen coif when a fighter got a gash on his hand. Since no one there had a first aid kit, I rinsed out the wound with a water bottle and tied the coif around his hand. I figured that I could just bleach away the germs and then dye it to take care of the stain.
The chirugeon came with her kit later, but was in the middle of a corset fitting. He was reluctant to get properly bandaged up, but I told him to get his ass over. He still complained as I cleaned it until I told him to shut up and just stand there and look pretty. Keep in mind that I am short and was wearing a flowered sundress and flip-flops, while he was in full gear. That’s what prompted her to suggest that I join the guild. Evidently ordering around injured heavy fighters is a prerequisite.

An Tir/West War was a blast, and the first ever medieval Sock Wars were a hit with yarn donated from Brown Sheep. We An Tirians won, naturally. The winner knitted an entire pair of Pre-Literate stockings over the weekend. 0.o I’m a sock addict, but that’s just plain nuts!
I had the honour of meeting Dame Christian de Holcomb, who taught a fascinating class on rosaries. I learned to spin with Snorri, card weave, and more fingerloop braiding techniques from Idonia. My campmates knew that I was essentially camped out in A & S all weekend.
Here are the mistakes that I made, so you might not repeat them:
1. Forgot the plug to my air mattress. The nest that I was able to cobble together was warm, but not necessarily comfortable.
2. In the excitement of my first major event, I forgot to eat or stay hydrated throughout the weekend. Very bad idea.
3. I did not know that there were going to be showers and, therefore, did not bring soap.
4. If you are going to dye anything that you plan to wear to the event, do so well ahead of time. Luckily, my cotehardie is dark coloured so that the marks left by my black belt were unnoticeable. My hands and chemise, however, were not so lucky.
5. Should you intend to wear a particular garment to an outdoor event, do NOT under any circumstances make it white. On the other hand, I now have a gown for 12th Night.
6. I volunteered my time at Sock Wars, which necessitated an early rising. Most people would use their cell phones as an alarm, but if the event is in an area with poor reception (which most of them are) the batteries will be quickly drained. Note to self: pick up a small portable alarm clock the next time I have a full schedule at an event.
7. I planned my days too full and never got a chance to get out to the battlefield, where I knew many of the fighters.
8. My camera was allowed to sit in hot areas too long, quickly draining the fresh set with which it started.
But I didn’t screw everything up, here’s what I did right!
1. I already had a pair of Pre-Literates that were absolutely wonderful. They were very comfortable, their thickness helped prevent blisters, and kept me warm at night. After I finish the Sock Wars ones I started, I plan on making a third, vermilion pair.
2. I packed a very large basket in the morning with everything I thought I’d need throughout the day so extra trips back to camp weren’t needed. (Obviously, more food and water could have been packed).
3. Most of the food I brought did not require cooking (bread, cheese, fruit, and granola bars), allowing me more time to play. Bonus points because it’s period!
4. I have a headlamp that garnered envy from some campmates. It’s a portable light that keeps your hands free for the biffies, brushing your teeth, doing dishes, etc. I have excellent night vision, so when I do end up using a light it’s inevitably the headlamp.
5. Even though it was Independence Day, we were on the Oregon Coast so I brought my wool cloak just in case. I was very grateful for the brief flash of common sense that prompted this because I used it in my bedding, protected against the winds that picked up after sunset and the temperature dropped, and helped warm a hypothermic man who had fallen into the creek.
6. Let’s just say that chemises are not overrated. Our ancestors wore them for some very good, practical reasons.
7. I packed an extra set of shorts and a tank top. There happened to be a swimming hole on site, and my mundane pajamas worked well as an impromptu swimsuit.
8. Linen is fantastic material!

I picked up an aqua linen remnant for $4 a yard. After washing and drying it was just long enough to brush the tops of my feet and my Achilles heel. After long agonizing, I decided to go with a cyclas, or sideless surcoat. While most surviving art indicates that most were cut long in the back, the figures were typically nobility and/or wearing Sunday best. Anyone else would have worn theirs at a more sensible length. At least, that’s my logic train and I’m stickin’ to it. That and this is Oregon: I am hardly going to drag good linen around in the mud unnecessarily.

I followed these directions, using the gores but not the train. I began with the fabric doubled over, and I then folded that in half so that my cuts would be mirrored. This is not recommended if you do not have a really good pair of scissors and/or really strong hands. From the center fold I measured out half my shoulder width plus seam allowance, which was 8 inches.

I pinned through all the layers straight through to the carpet, marking out all my cutting lines with more pins instead of drawing. It helps keep all the layers where they should be when cutting.

I am not a fan of modern dance, but it's nice to see paragons of physical ability empathize with the struggles that differently-abled folk have to go through.

The veil came out kinda crappy, but I am still posting pictures so that you can see that I wasn’t exaggerating about my lack of sewing skills. I can do design and draping, however.
The scrap that came from the first cut was approximately 13x36” and looked perfect for a wimple. I measured my head from under my chin to the top of my head, which was 25 inches. I trimmed off the excess ten inches of length, leaving an extra one for seam allowance. I sewed the short ends together so I could slip it on rather than dealing with even more pins on the top of my head, but at least this time it was all straight lines.
I will wear the braids coiled around my ears for the appropriate silhouette, so I can pin through both the veil and wimple into the fake hair pieces.

The rosary recitations I previously posted were a bit unwieldy, grammatically incorrect in places, and difficult to memorize. So I came up with my own following a basic formula that will aid in memory retention. Hopefully, with a little bit of creativity, it can be used for other Deities.
On the Charm

On the five beads I simply recite the English translation because I am not familiar enough with the pronunciation of Gaelic.
The Medal

I changed that because there is no proof that ancient Celtic societies were matriarchal, but Goddesses were worshipped before Christianity came along. Even then the Virgin Mary had an elevated status to compensate for the lack of the divine feminine. The last two lines of that one still bug me, but I’m working on it. “Your temples of worship well laid” makes no sense, if it was “Your temples of worship are well laid” then it would be logical.

I am ashamed to say that I am not overly familiar with Blodeuwedd, but the only Celtic Maiden Goddess of which I know.

Brigid could arguably be a Maiden Goddess, but I am skeptical because of how Christianized she was.

I switched from the Gaulish Epona aspect to the Welsh Rhiannon because I am more familiar with the latter and is in keeping with Blodeuwedd and Cerridwen (both Welsh). Brigid and Morrigan were originally Irish. I believe, feel free to correct me if I’m wrong. Brigid’s worship was so widespread that I never bothered to pinpoint her origin, shameful considering She’s my patron Goddess.

Again, I’m not quite happy with the last two lines. Any suggestions are more than welcome… that is, as long as they’re polite. If it involves a goat-spoon and an orifice, no thank you.
On the Medal

I changed that one because the original was a bit too Anglo-centric for my tastes, not to mention the fact that Their worship is no longer confined to the United Kingdom.

I picked up a yard of cream Silk Essence at Joann Fabrics, it’s not true silk but I feel that it will pass the ten foot rule. Fine silk, not dupioni or noile, is fairly difficult to find in stores and I am highly averse to ordering online. You want the chosen fabric to be slippery so it won’t create friction with your clothes and catch, trying to tug your head back and the whole thing off your head. And the finer it is, the better the silhouette.
I measured across my head to about where I wanted it to hang, which ended up being about shoulder-length. Then I measured to where I wanted it to fall down my back. My measurements were 26x31”, and after seam allowance they came out to be 27x31”. I cut out a rectangle this size, which I folded into quarters. Starting at the short end of the rectangle I cut a curve to the long side to form an oval when unfolded.
Now comes my least favourite part. I folded the hem under, which is damn frustrating with curves. Hand-stitching looks best, even with my horrendous handiwork. I used a whipstitch so that the least amount of thread showed on the top, hiding the majority of my atrocious sewing. I started on one of the long edges because it was easier to get the feel for it before the shorter and therefore more complicated curve.