Re[2]: Event idea (very preliminary) --comments sought

[Kim.Salazar%em1@em.doe.gov]

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    : 76THORSON@CUA.EDU_at_INTERNET at X400PO
     Xavier and Alianora discuss the period ideal of tournaments fought on 
     the Love vs. War model.  Alianora responds to Xavier's question on 
     fighting for the concept of love, and I go off on a tangent:
     
I don't know about actual tournaments fought on the Love v. War model (someone 
like Dafydd could probably answer that question), but I do know that there are 
plenty of visual representations of sieges of the "Castle of Love," or 
tournaments fought on similar principles....
     
Certainly the juxtaposition of love and war is common enough in period (just
as an example, check out Chaucer's _Troilus and Criseyde_, especially the scene 
when Criseyde gets her first real look at Troilus as he returns from battle). 
Courts of love are also period, and have been attempted in SCA settings,
though with how much success I don't know.
     
     
     
     Carolingia for years held a Court of Love at their annual St. 
     Valentine's feast and revel.  It was a wonderful idea, and with a bit 
     of work, always came off very well.  
     
     Several learned ladies (assisted by visiting ladies of note) would sit 
     in judgement and hear cases brought by the populace.  Judgements were 
     rendered according to Cappelanus' (spelling) laws and ideals.  To be 
     fair, a couple of the cases heard each year were "plants" thought up 
     before hand; but others were spontaneous.  All were delightfully 
     silly.
     
     One of the most notable of the spontaneous actions was a suit brought 
     by the ladies of the Barony against an Anonymous Apple Pie.  It seems 
     that the Pie, emerging fresh-baked from the oven at a Cooks' Guild 
     Conviviality and Dance Revel, drew the attention of all the lords in 
     the room.  They deserted the ladies en masse to pay court to said Pie, 
     effectively ending the dancing for the evening.  
     
     The Court excused The Pie was from future punishment, on the grounds 
     that it had given its all for love and no longer existed, but the 
     cooks were handed down a warning against loosing such temptations to 
     compete with dancing and flirtation again.  Anonymous Apple Pie (made 
     with thin sliced bitter oranges) became a Carolingian favorite.
     
     Fernando and I autocratted one of the Valentine's Day revels, and 
     based the whole day on another of Chaucer's works:  "The Parliament of 
     Fowles".  In this poem, the kingdom of birds convenes a Court of Love 
     and hears a case.  
     
     People attending our event were encouraged to come in bird masks.  We 
     held a Court of Love (also masked); had people read selections of the 
     poem out loud; scheduled as many troubadors and singers of love songs 
     as we could throughout the day; had an embroidered favor exhibition; 
     and served a feast entirely composed of either avian dishes, or dishes 
     in bird-like mode.  
     
     
     -Ianthe d'Averoigne                        kim.salazar@em.doe.gov